True to You

Surreal

Elliot blinked up at the ceiling. It wasn't spots she was seeing above her, it was a profoundly ugly chandelier. "Holy shit that thing's ugly," she murmured without thinking.

The sound of laughter had her turning her head to see Val seated on a coffee table looking down at her. She sat up so quickly her head spun. "Val? Is that really you?"

Val reached over and patted her hand, "It sure is."

She should have expected it. Shouldn't she? It seemed logical that she'd see people she'd cared about that had passed before she had but if that was the case, why wasn't it her grandparents watching her as she lay stretched out on an – she glanced around quickly – ugly purple velour sofa. Logic didn't seem to hold much sway wherever she now was.

Just to add another level to the strange although Val was about a year younger than Elliot and had been about a year younger when she'd passed for some reason she looked older than Elliot did. Instead of the slightly tomboyish brunette that Elliot remembered from their teen years this Val was an impossibly stylish blonde. Clearly she hadn't peaked at twenty-five like Elliot had. Well that sucked, although she guessed that considering the circumstances it was no longer a problem.

Elliot rubbed her hands over her face, hoping that maybe she'd wake up and it would all have been a dream. Things were too strange. First of all there was the very odd reception area, then the hallway of debauchery and now this hideously ugly retro room and the very strange presence of an old friend. A thought occurred and she gave Val a wide eyed look. "Jimmy, I thought I saw Jimmy."

Val gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's weird isn't it?"

"Very," Elliot replied with a sigh, "but was that Jimmy?"

Val moved from the coffee table to sit beside Elliot. "It sure was. But after you fainted – well done with that by the way, I didn't think that kind of thing was possible here – we thought it would be better if I spoke to you before he made another appearance. You know, kind of ease you into things. If it helps this is his suite."

Elliot took another look around the suite, honestly it looked like the set of a seventies porn movie. An expensive one but still...

Val tracked her gaze. "It's foul isn't it?"

Elliot couldn't hold back her giggle, "One of the ugliest rooms I've ever seen in real life." She paused for a moment and looked at her hand before prodding at her thigh with one forefinger. Solid. Not at all what she'd imagine a ghost or a spirit would be like. Was that what she was? A ghost? A spirit?

"It hurts your brain if you think about things to hard. In real life is probably the easiest way for you to think about it," Val's voice was kind. "We exist but we also kind of don't. There are bonuses though," she lifted one of the blonde locks that curled over her shoulder, "I never need to get my roots done. And when you see your suite it'll be exactly how you want it to look, so unless you're a fan of seventies Holiday Inns none of this will be yours."

Elliot perked up a bit she was beginning to envision some of the possibilities, "I can eat as many donuts as I want without having to unbutton my jeans?"

Val grinned, "Diets are a thing of the past. Of course you can also forgo eating altogether if that's your preference, it won't make much difference. Not much makes a difference here, even time."

Elliot took a moment to process that, although apparently she could take all the moments she liked. Then something that Val had mentioned a couple of sentences previously forced itself to the forefront of her mind and then her jaw popped open in genuine horror. "Hang on a sec, you said that my suite would be exactly as I wanted it. If this is Jimmy's suite does that mean he wanted it to be this abortion of style?"