A side story of my story (haha) in response to Donnie Darko.

“What do you think about death?” Maddie asked as he took another drag of his cigarette. Lu was in obvious pain as he watched the other boy, sweat beading on his forehead. He knew that Maddie wasn't going to do anything about his discomfort so he just wrapped his arms around his stomach and looked thoughtful. The magic was working against the cigarette resin and ash, protecting Maddie's lungs from a smoky fate. Maddie narrowed his eyes, nudging him pointedly. “Hey, I asked you something.”

Lu sighed, slipping his eyes closed. “I think that death can be a form of escape if it needs to be. Otherwise... it's like slipping out of a pair of uncomfortable shoes.” He blinked as the pain rolled like waves through his system. Maddie softened his gaze as he turned towards the other boy. “What?” Lu shrugged rolling over onto his side and looking at the wall. “I mean, it's not like you're afraid of shoes. But a lot of people are afraid of death. If I ruled the world and could say one thing, only one thing to the people, I would tell them not to be afraid.” The cigarette smoldered in Maddie's fingers as he moved closer. “Why?” Lu looked back at him with a small smile. “Because when you die you're going somewhere new and exciting. There's so much controversy about what death is actually like, but it can't be all that bad. So,” he sat up to explain his thoughts better, leaning back on his elbows. “Back to the shoe theory. Cramped and uncomfortable, probably tight and restricting. That's like the fear of death. But if you get past that, and you slip out of that shoe, it's a lot more...” He fell silent, pressing his thumb to the corner of his mouth as he thought. “It's a lot more reassuring.”

They sat in silence for a long time. Lu wondered if this was the best thing to be telling Maddie. He knew the other boy was afraid of death yet he didn't want to live. His thoughts were interrupted when the pain stopped. He looked up to see Maddie had stopped smoking, his cigarette lying stubbed out next to him. “So, talk to me,” he said quietly. Puzzled, Lu angled his head. “What?” Maddie looked down at his hands, red hair creating a barrier between their eyes. “Tell me that it's going to be okay when I die.”

Lu understood. How long had it been since they had met in that alleyway? Three years? Four? Who knew. He shifted into a sitting position, taking Maddie's hands. He really meant it this time. “It's going to be okay. When you die nothing bad will happen.”

“How do you know?” Lu shrugged, averting his gaze. “I don't exactly, but I'm confident in my opinion.” A silence stretched between them before he spoke again. “If you could give death a new name, what would it be?”

Maddie sighed, taking his hands away from the paler boy's. “I would call it life.” He brought his knees up and rested his elbows on top of them. “Life? Why?”

Resting his head against the edge of his bed, it was his turn to give Lu a small smile. “Because if what you say is true, then it's like starting a new life. New and exciting. When you're born, essentially everyone claims you're starting a new life. You're alive. And when you die, you just die. No one really defines death, save for it being scary and lonely and cold. Or it's described as being pure with people you once knew at one point.” He rubbed the side of his face. “But when you die aren't you just really being born into a new life?”

Both boys looked up at the ceiling for a long while. Lu rested his head against Maddie's shoulder, half-lidding his eyes. “Then are you ready to be born again?”

Another silence filled the cluttered room. A streetlight flickered outside and went out, submerging the room in darkness. Maddie nodded in the black. “Yes. I am.” They remained that way for the rest of the night, chests rising and falling in sync with the other until that, too, stopped.