Tara's eyes opened once more, with blinding white light flooding her very existence. It flowed through her body, intertwined with her muscles, and took control of her very bones. Once the light cleared, Tara's body was rising through the air as she stared down upon her own lifeless corpse.

A pool of blood had now framed her body, flowing into the cracks between the wooden floorboards as it trickled around the entire room.

Her eyes were wide open, but dead, of that there was no question. Any trace of life had flooded out that gaping wound, leaving behind only an empty vessel.

She couldn't help but think about her boyfriend. He would surely arrive any minute now to find the love of his life dead, sprawled across the floor. Of all the happy memories, she would leave a legacy of hurt and pain.

Tara had little time to dwell further on this thought as her body began to rise once more, through the ceiling, above the apartment block, rising faster and faster. The world whirred past her as she sped through the air, the people, cars and buildings soon becoming mere dots as she crashed through the clouds.

Then there was nothing. The world was replaced by light, pure white light.

"Hello Tara," a mysterious ethereal voice spoke softly.

Tara turned to face her host, her mind flooded with confusion and anxiety, "Hello? W-where am I?"

"You are nowhere," the voice continued.

A small, almost spherical, cloud floated down gracefully, stopping just in front of Tara's face.

"What do you mean n-nowhere? I have to be somewhere!" Tara stammered.

"You are between reality and...what comes after. You are nowhere."

"Then why am I here? Am I...dead?"

"Death is a fate set in stone, yours is still to be decided."

Tara was more confused than ever, "What does that mean?"

"Your life was stolen from you, your death was not by design."

"So what?" Tara scoffed. "That happens every single day."

"And every single day those who have lost are given a second chance," the cloud explained.

"What do you mean a second chance?"

"If you wish, you will be sent back to live your time again. You will appear in spirit form five minutes before your death, the rest is up to you."

"Spirit form? So, like a ghost?"

"Indeed."

"But, I won't be able to touch anything, how can I stop him without being able to touch him?" Tara asked.

"You will take the form of a spirit, but a spirit can always bond with a physical body, as long as the body is willing."

"So, I have to convince my former self to let my current self join bodies, making one future self? This is fucking crazy! What if I fail?"

"Then you shall embrace death, just as everyone else does."

"Then what? Does this mean there is an afterlife?

"What's beyond is unclear."

"What the hell does that mean?" Tara demanded.

"What's beyond is unclear."

Tara grumbled under her breath before finally exclaiming, "Okay, I'm ready."

"Then you shall commence your second chance. Good luck."

And with that, Tara's eyes were once again filled with blinding light.

***

Tara Mulligan's hands plunged into the soapy water beneath, her fingers immediately engulfed by the cascading icebergs of bubbles. Her vision of the sharp knives and pointed forks lurking below was clouded, as was her awareness of what fatal events lay but minutes away.

A few metres back, hovering beside the sofa, Tara watched herself in awe. Such a mundane task of washing up became a wondrous event, just for those few seconds. It was life; pure and simple life. They do say that a near-death experience makes you appreciate the little things, even gives you a whole new outlook on life. Well, Tara now knew exactly what that meant as she gazed upon her past self.

Tara glanced down at her spirit form which was clearly recognisable as a human figure, but beyond that all features were removed. She shone a bright shade of blue and hovered a few inches off the ground.

She knew she only had five minutes, no time to think things over any more. She'd just have to think as she went.

"Tara-" she began.

Her past self jumped out her skin, snatching up a knife from within the bubbles and spinning on her heels.

"Who's there?" she screamed, dropping the knife as soon as she spotted the ghost-like figure haunting her living room.

"Tara, don't panic. You are in danger, you have to listen to me!"

Her past self backed away, stumbling against the counters as she went, desperately trying to stay on her feet.

"W-w-what are you?" she stammered.

"I am you, a future you, and you have to listen to me!"

Past Tara screamed and continued to back away before making a sharp dart towards the front door.

"Your favourite colour is indigo!"

Her past self stopped, for a moment.

"Your father was called Steve, your Mother was Sarah. You grew up in London, you went to Victoria Grammar School, your childhood best friend was Kimberly Westfield!" Tara blurted.

Her past self turned back slowly.

"How do you know that stuff? What the hell are you?"

"I told you, I am you, from the future, and you are in danger!"

"No, no, no. Anyone could know that stuff, you could find that out anywhere. What is this, some kind of joke? Is this a projection? Is this you Danny?" she called out to the room.

"This is not a joke! I swear to you!"

"Oh okay, so you're my future self, right? I've always wondered what the future is like, are there flying cars?" her past self mocked, now clearly confident that it was a hoax.

"You have a ring in your desk drawer!" Tara yelled.

The smile vanished from her past self's face. "What did you just say?"

"An engagement ring. You have an engagement ring in your top drawer, you're proposing tonight."

"How do you know that?" her past self probed. "Danny, did you find the ring?"

"This isn't Danny for fuck's sake! This is me...you! We are the same person, please, we don't have much time!"

"What's my favourite food?"

"What?"

"Well, if you are who you say you are, what's my favourite food?"

"Your Dad's lasagne."

Her past self stiffened up slightly before asking another question.

"What was my first car?"

"A purple Fiat Punto, second hand, with one long scratch down the right-hand side. You knocked one of the mirrors off on a trip to Manchester and had it replaced with a bright yellow one."

Past Tara's face went blank, still unable to process the reality of the situation. The only logical explanation was that this was a joke, but she was starting to believe that comforting idea less and less.

"Imaginary friend," she demanded.

"Jimmy. He was a pet lion cub you had when you were five. He could talk and you went on adventures every day in your room. He had a red collar, with a blue tag."

"What the fuck is this? Danny! Danny come out now! This isn't funny anymore! I don't know how you know all this but I want it to stop now."

"Tara, there is no Danny, this is real. I know it's hard to understand, but you have to listen to me. If you don't, in two minutes, you end up lying on that floor, in a pool of your own blood!"

"I-I die?"

"Yes, you die. A man tried to rob you, you fight back and he stabs you. I'm sorry."

"I don't believe you! Danny stop this now!" her past self sobbed, striding forward and throwing a hand through the glowing blue figure.

It was cold, freezing cold, and she couldn't just feel it in her hand. She felt it in her heart. As if they were connected somehow. She pulled her hand back out, staring up at the figure in shock and confusion.

"You're pregnant."

"W-what did you say?"

"Six weeks gone. You're planning on telling Danny tonight, after you propose."

"How could you know that? I haven't told a soul, only I kno-"

"Only you know. Exactly. And I know because I am you, please, trust me."

Something in her past self's eyes changed. The fear and shock had disappeared, replaced by hope. She finally believed it, there were no other explanations.

"Once you remove the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"My favourite quote," past Tara smiled.

"Now please, listen to me, he'll be here any moment."

"What do I have to do?" past Tara asked, throwing every inch of trust she had at this glowing blue woman floating in her apartment.

"We have to bond somehow. You have to accept me into your body, then we can live out a second chance together," Tara explained.

Her past self screwed up her face, "Bond? How the hell do I accept you?"

"I'm not sure, just shut your eyes and think it over and over?"

"Glad to see that we don't get a lot smarter in the future," past Tara smirked.

Tara laughed, "Good luck."

"You too."

They both shut their eyes and pictured their souls and bodies bonding, over and over again. A t first nothing happened, but then, just as a knock at the door echoed through the room, Tara began to move.

Her spirit form floated towards her past body, completely out of her control, until it was mapped exactly on top. A blinding white light shone for a moment as the bodies rose into the air together and joined as one.

Tara fell to the ground in a heap. It was over, it was done. She stared upon her skin and clothes as if they were alien to her after living as a spirit. A second knock brought her mind crashing back down to earth.

Behind that door was her murdered, the one who had started all of this. The merging of soul and body had finished, she had done as she was told, she could easily hide behind the safety of the chained door and wait it out. But then what would happen? Maybe Danny would show up and face the same fate she had, or the stranger would move on to target someone completely different.

Despite surviving, Tara could never live with herself if she just let him leave. She snatched up a knife and a nearby rolling pin before darting towards the door, unlocking the chain and tearing it open.

"Can I help you?" she asked, before plunging the knife into the man's shoulder blade and cracking the wooden rolling pin into his temple.

Before even a yelp could escape his mouth, the man crashed down on the floor in a heap, knocked out cold.

Tara pulled out her mobile and dialled 999, just before her eyes were once again blinded by a powerful white light.

***

"You did well, Tara," the cloud figure exclaimed.

"What happens now?" Tara asked.

"You will be returned to your life to continue it as you please."

"But I won't remember any of this, right?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, I figured since I've never heard of this second chance deal, there's some kind of memory wipe involved?"

"You are a bright woman, Tara. I'm afraid this is true, any knowledge of the spirit world or the afterlife cannot be common fact among the living."

"I understand," Tara smiled warmly. "Thank you."