Ember's POV
I was falling through darkness when someone caught my hand.
"Easy there, sweetheart. You're safe now."
I knew that voice. It was impossible, but I knew it.
"Grandma Ruby?"
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in her old kitchen. The same yellow walls, the same smell of cinnamon cookies, the same rocking chair by the window where she used to tell me stories.
But this couldn't be real. Grandma Ruby had been dead for two years.
"You look confused, honey," she said, stirring something in a pot on the stove.
"Because I am confused! You're dead. I'm supposed to be in the hospital. What's happening?"
Ruby turned around and smiled at me. She looked exactly like she did before she got sick. Strong and happy and full of love.
"You're between worlds right now. Between life and death. Between staying and going."
"I don't understand."
"Sit down, sweetheart. We need to talk."
