"Dil? Dil, Dad Phil's home, we need to talk." 

"Go away!" He yelled in response.

I sighed and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Dil."

No response.

Phil was sitting in the lounge, and raised his eyebrows when I came in. "Any luck?"

I shook my head. "No luck." I rubbed my fave with my hands. "I can't believe I forgot to get the damn letters from the mailbox. This wouldn't have happened otherwise."

Phil stood up and pulled me into a hug. "He was going to find out someday, Dil has a right to know."

"But it shouldn't have been this way."

Phil kissed me on the cheek. "I'll go try to talk to him." I nodded, and Phil disappeared down the hall to Dil's room. I sat on the sofa, was unable to sit still, so I began pacing the lounge. Fifteen minutes later, Phil and Dil appeared in the lounge, and we all sat down.

Dil wouldn't meet my gaze, and sat with his arms crossed. Phil and I both explained to him where we actually were. What had happened to him, about Earth, and my family back on Earth.

"I-I'm dead then?" Dil asked in a quiet voice.

"Well, yes." Phil answered.

Dil turned to me. "So what about your family back on Earth? What does that make them, or us?"

"Dil, you're still my son, Phil is still my husband. This is the life I always wanted, with Phil, having a child with him. This is my reality now. The letters are just something I get, to, uhm," I tried to think of a way to explain it without giving away the choice I have to make. The letters, they assisted in making my choice. "The letters just help me know what's going on, because I do like to know."

Dil nodded. "I-I think I can understand that. I just need sometime to think."

Phil nodded. "We understand."

Dil stood up, the shock on his face still clearly evident. "I'm going for a walk."

"Be home in time for dinner." I told him. Dil simply nodded, and he walked out.

I looked at Phil. "I think he handled that better than I thought he would."

Phil agreed. "We need to keep an eye on him, though. I'm worried about him."

~Dil's POV~

I walked out of the house, but then I started running. I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead. This is all just an afterlife.

I realized that I was in town, so I went to find my favorite coffee shop and went in, ordered a drink, and sat down. I pulled out my phone, telling May to meet me as soon as she could. Ten minutes later, she appeared  in the coffee shop, and she could tell something was wrong. 

"Dil? What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Let's go somewhere else." May nodded, and we walked towards the park, where we found a secluded area and sat on the ground.

"Dil, talk to me."

All I could do was stare at my feet. "We're dead." I muttered.

"I didn't hear you."

"We're dead." I said, louder this time.

"Well, yeah. Wait, you didn't know that?" May asked, seeming confused.

I shook my head. "No, I didn't. I thought his was it."

"Yeah, it's an afterlife. My mum told me years ago, I don't think she was supposed to, though. I read some pamphlet that she had and it said to tell your child when they're older, 15 at the youngest." May picked at the grass.  "Apparently we'll cope better if we're older."

"Is that why you've always been more mature than everyone?"

May shrugged. "I guess so."

"How did you respond when your mum told you?" I asked. 

May laughed a bit. "I screamed, I told my mum she was lying. I threw a glass and broke it; basically, I completely lost it. What did you do?"

"I lost it at first. I found these letters addressed to Dad Dan-"

"Letters from the living, they're called, I think."

"Yeah, well I read them and freaked out. Eventually Dad Phil came home and they explained it all, and that's when I said I was going out for a walk and to think."

May nodded. "And did you think?"

"I did."

"And?"

"Well, it is what it is. I can't change it, so why get angry or upset over it? I like this life- or, non-life I guess it is- so why should I complain. At least I know I can't die."

May smiled. "True."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, before I stood up. "I gotta get home. See you at school tomorrow."

"Bye, Dil." She came over and gave me a hug, then kissed me on the cheek. "Things will be okay once you process, you'll see."

I was too stunned to say anything, so I watched her walk away, then headed home.