If You Were Mine

Rosanna Capursi

If you were mine

Translator: Milena Alvarez

Publisher: Tektime

Index

Synopsis

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

©If you were mine

Year of publication: 2017

Original language: Spanish

Translation language:English

Author: Rosanna Capursi

Translator: Milena Alvarez

Original book publisher:Editorial Negro Sobre Blanco

Synopsis

Monica Valentini is a 24-year-old young woman, who has a terrible accident and becomes a ghost. While she`s in the middle of life and afterlife, an archangel gives her a pendant so that she can pretend to be mortal, with only one condition: she will have fulfill a mission; however, Monica does not accomplish it to the letter and ends up falling in love with Christopher, a 27-year-old young man who will make her feel as if she were still alive.

This is a work full of fiction, drama and romance.

When I was young, I used to imagine that I would die being an old lady with the love of my life next to me, a marriage with my children, the life that you believe is ideal and dream of, but… what if something in your life happens that makes you change the way you think, the way you believe existence is?

Though, I have to admit, when my life changed unexpectedly, a new one began, and made me see how is it that life and death are not so different from each other as I used to think.

Prologue

A day in October, 2015, when the cold of autumn was beginning to be felt, a 35-year-old man with blond hair and blue eyes, who just came out of prison for robbing several houses, was walking with no worries by the streets of Cologne, in Germany… It felt very so much peaceful.

Around 2 a.m., when the man was walking down a street which was apparently alone, a drunk driver hit him killing him instantly.

The man begins to see a red, blinding light; he covers his face with his left arm.

– Felix Meyer, I come to give you an assignment. – Says a deep voice from that light.

– Are you the devil? – Felix asked… he had other questions in mind, such as: ʺAm I dead?" ʺWhere am I?" He was making himself so many questions, but the first one, and apparently the least important, was the one that came out of his mouth.

– That is not important, Felix. I come to give you the assignment to find someone.

Felix crosses his arms waiting for the light to keep on talking and frowns. Now the brightness of the red light did not bother him anymore.

– Agreed? What’s its name?

– Oh, my dear friend, this person has not yet been 'created'; you'll have to wait at least for a year before beginning to look for her… Her name is Monica, Monica Valentini.

– And why do you want me to look for her? – asked Felix.

– That, my friend, is something I cannot tell you yet.

Felix took his hand over his face, laughed and moves his hands to his waist.

– And what happens if I refuse to do it?

– Well, you'll come along with me to hell where you'll spent the rest of your eternity suffering with all the assignments I'll command you to do.

Felix didn't doubt for long to choose his destiny. What would he prefer? Either do the job or go to hell?

– All right, I’ll do it, but only if you promise me that I'll live eternally on the Earth and I won't be in jail ever again. – He crossed his arms once again… having them like that gave him some sort of certainty and wanted to show him that he didn't fear that devil or demon…

– Agreed. I'll contact you in your dreams, meanwhile I'll give you a ring with a ruby stone that you'll use on your left hand, and you cannot take it away unless you want to disappear in front of the sight of any human being.

– Is there anything else that I have to know? – Felix asks looking at his left hand where the ring that demon spoke about was supposed to be.

– No, just that.

Felix saw a light that blinded him. When that light was already gone, it turned out that he was lying on his bed.

He was a year away from his mission, didn't know what was the hurry that demon had on that woman, but he would find out, and sooner than he expected.

Chapter 1

One year later

Monica Valentini, a 24-year-old girl with brown hair over her shoulders and camel eyes, graduated from Bari University in Foreign Languages and Literature, spoke several languages, i.e. Italian – her mother tongue -, English, Spanish, French, and German. She had two younger sisters: 20-year-old Fiorella whose brown hair was long to her waist and her eyes were as camel as Monica’s; and 15-year-old Elizabetta who had dark brown hair above her shoulders, and whose eyes were light brown.

Monica used to live with her parents in the town called Venosa which was at the south of Italy. She loved to go out with her sisters. One night, she was next to her friend, Natalia Napolitano, who was a blond girl whose hair was long to her waist and had blue eyes.

– Hey, Mon! Would you like to go to a party in Manschito? – asked Natalia while they walked down to a Venosa street feeling the heat of August.

– A party? It's only Friday… – said Monica while she introduced her hands into her pants pockets.

– Come on! You know that Italy this month is full of parties. You are of legal age already! I believe nothing is going to happen to you just by going to a party. – She told her while crossing her arms.

Monica doubts it for a couple of seconds and then laughs while passes her hand through her hair messing it up a little bit.

– Ok, we'll go… what time is the party?

– At 10 p.m. – said Natalia as she stopped. Monica stops and looks at her watch on her arm, it was barely 6 p.m., so there were several hours left before going to the party.

– I'll drive. I'm sure you'll drink more than you should as you did last time. – Said Monica smiling. Last time they went to a party at Ginestra city, and Natalia got drunk so much that Monica had to take her car to her place, because Natalia lived alone, and had no one to wait for her and scold her or something like that. With Monica, it was not the same, because her family got her used to drink alcohol moderately; however, the day they had gone to the party, Monica and Natalia forgot about one important detail, they had spoken with their bosses (Monica worked at a jewelry shop and Natalia at a bakery), so that they would work on that day and take a week day off to go to the saloon.

– Ok. Then pick me up at 10 p.m. See you later! – Said Natalia giving one kiss to Monica on each of her cheeks and now walking on her way to her place. Then, Monica looks at her watch again, 06.02 p.m., she still had time to go to her place, tell to her family about the party, take a shower and get dressed.

1 hour later

Monica was watching TV in her bedroom lying on her bed when her sister Fiorella came in.

– How's that about you are going to a party without me? – She asks her putting her hands on her waist.

– You are under aged; I can't take you to a party where only adults will go. – She tells her while turning off the TV with the remote control and sat on her bed to then look at her.

– I'm 20 years old, I’m legal aged. – Fiorella said inflating her cheeks, Monica laughs: she used to find amusing that her sister behaved as a child. Then, Monica stands up and gets close to her sister.

– Not in Italy, remember legal age is not 20, but 21. – And without saying anything else, Monica leaves her room and starts walking; her sister sighs and walks behind Monica following her.

– Come on! Nobody will notice it!

Monica goes to the kitchen and fills a glass with water.

– Mom and dad won't let you go. Don't insist. I'm just going with Natalia, I promise that before 1 a.m. I'll be at home. – She said.

Fiorella tells nothing and leaves to her bedroom. She loved going to parties with her eldest sister, but Monica didn't want to take her along. What if they asked her an ID? She had to take care of her little sister and, for a moment, she just wanted to have fun with her friend, Natalia.

3 hours later

Monica was just finishing to get dressed to go to the party. She would look at her in the mirror; she was wearing a red dress whose length was above her knees. Monica said goodbye to her family and went to pick Natalia up in her car, blew the car’s horn several times, and Natalia came out locking the door with the key. She was wearing a short purple dress and had her hair loose, got on the car and closed the door.

– Monica, you're beautiful!

– You too, Natalia! – said Monica while starting the car.

Natalia smiles and starts looking out the car’s window. She was sort of excited for the trip to Maschito.

Shortly after, they arrived to the party, were asked their ID cards and got in. There were a lot of people and in the back some techno music could be heard.

– I told you we had to come! – Yells Natalia at her while passing through the people there.

They stopped and started dancing. A brown haired and blue eyed guy and another one with black hair and brown eyes approach to Monica and Natalia.

– I’m Luca. – Said the one with brown hair.

– And I'm Mateo. – Said the one with black hair.

– We are Natalia and Monica. – Said Natalia while looking at the ones who just arrived.

– Would you like to dance? – Asks Luca; Natalia looks at Monica as if she were expecting for approval and Monica agrees.

– Sure. – Said Natalia.

Natalia starts dancing with Mateo and Monica starts dancing with Luca, the four of them dance for a couple of minutes; then, they go to get some drinks, danced, chatted, and after four hours, they decided to leave.

– This party was so fun! – Yelled Natalia while dancing on her sit.

– Indeed. – Said Monica laughing while driving.

When they were passing by the cliff at the entrance of Venosa, just by the curve, the light of a truck blinded them, Monica moves the wheel to several sides, but she finally goes to the right, climbs the berm, twists and turns on some rocks and goes down the cliff in a clean jump falling to their fatal destination.

Chapter 2

– Monica, wake up! – Screamed Natalia from the dark… Monica opens her eyes and even like that, she can't see anything.

– Natalia? Where are you? Are you ok? – Asks Monica while trying to move her fingers expecting to touch Natalia, but she couldn't feel them. She couldn't feel her body and felt as if something was piercing her belly.

– I don't know! I'm scared, Monica! I don't want to die! I don't feel my body! – Screamed Natalia beginning to cry.

– Wait… I'm starting to feel dizzy… I think… I'm going to… – Said Monica before feeling the darkness took over her. The last think she heard was Natalia calling her desperately and how she was slowly shutting down until feeling only silence around her.

–

–

–

– Monica?

Monica was lying on the floor which seemed transparent and begins to stand up slowly.

– Am I dead? – Asks Monica looking at the man who was wearing a brown robe.

– Yes. – He said while getting closer to Monica and walked down some stairs.

– And Natalia?

– She died too… Several hours passed before she could be rescued, and her wounds were so serious, though yours were deeper and died just a few minutes after the accident. – The man stops a few steps away from Monica, and she puts her hands on her waist starting to cry.

– Why? – She asked after crying for a couple of seconds.

– Just… It was your time.

– And who are you? – Monica asked him now crossing her arms.

– I'm Archangel Gabriel, messenger from God. – He said extending his arms and showing his palms.

– Where is Natalia?

– I'm afraid I can't answer that question to you…

– Why? Where is she? – Asked Monica stepping a little forward towards him. She couldn't deny she was very worried for her best friend.

– I'm sorry, but the only thing I can tell you is that she is now in a better place.

– And, why am I here?

– Because you have an assignment to fulfil.

– Assignment? What assignment? Will I revive or something like that? – She asked him angrily… why did she have to fulfil an assignment and couldn't go to the same place Natalia did?

– That is something I'll tell you later. What I'm going to tell you is that you won't 'revive' precisely, because your body won't wake up; instead, you'll be an invisible being that cannot be seen with human sight. However, you'll use a pendant with a lapis lazuli stone and will have a thick blue line drown on your hair.

– But… Why am I going to use the pendant if I'm going to be invisible?

– Because with the pendant on your neck, you will be able to keep your human appearance; but, without it, you cannot be seen, just heard by humans.

– Will I be like a ghost? – Monica asked him leaning her head a little bit.

– Yes, it could be said that you'll be like those beings who you call 'ghosts'.

– Amazing… – Said Monica whispering.

– Now, I'm sending you to the earth, you'll wake up in the suburbs of Venosa with the pendant on your hand, so that you can decide when to put it on. Later, I'll contact you to explain you more things. See you, Monica, and good luck!

A great white light appears blinding Monica and she closes her eyes. A few seconds later, the light goes off slowly and Monica wakes up lying on the floor in the suburbs of Venosa approximately at 9 a.m.

She sits and feels the pendant on her left hand.

– It's pretty… – She whispers. She remembers everything he had mentioned her, stands up, and puts it in her pants pocket.

– Let's see if I can fly… – Said Monica. She expected that now that she was a ghost, she could fly. So, she extends her arms up and starts to fly. It felt like one of those characters on the TV who she watched so many times when she was a child.

– This is amazing! – She screamed while passing through the clouds.

Monica stopped when she noticed a bunch of people outside her place. So, she decided to go down and saw her two sisters crying.

– I can't believe she is really gone. And to think that I insisted to take me to the party! If I had gone, I would have died too! – Said Fiorella while passing a tissue over her mouth.

– I can't believe she really died, and Natalia, they say that Natalia lasted more time alive than Monica, that after a few hours passed and no one was around to rescue her, she died. – Said Elizabetta crossing her arms.

– Girls, Monica and Natalia's service will be within a few hours. Get ready. – Says Elizabetta and Fiorella's mother who was coming out her house and approaching to them.

– Ok, mom. – Said Fiorella putting her tissue inside the purse she was holding. Her mother goes away approaching to other people who were behind them.

– You know? If I had known, I would have treated Monica better or wouldn't have let her go to that party. – Said Elizabetta while she started to get in the house followed by Fiorella.

Monica stops when practically they closed the door on her face, could she go through it? That was something Archangel Gabriel didn't tell her.

She thinks about it a few seconds, takes a deep breath, extends her foot towards the door and sees how it slowly was passing through it.

– This is so cool. – Thought Monica amazed while she got the rest of her body into.

Once on the other side, she starts to look for her sisters. They were both in Monica's room sitting on her bed.

– I miss Monica. – Said Elizabetta while she lay down on Monica's bed and stretched her arms.

– Me too, you don't know how much I would give to see her one last time. – Fiorella said to put her right hand on her face.

Monica feels how sadness comes for what her sisters were passing through. She wished to put the pendant on, so that they could see her; but no. It was not time yet. They had to wait until after the funeral, at least she though that.

Monica sits next to Fiorella and hugs her slowly. Fiorella starts to feel cold and stands up.

– I'll go get a coat. Suddenly, it started to be cold. She said to leave to her bedroom that was next to Monica's.

Elizabetta sits on the bed, leans her head seeing where her eldest sister just left.

– But it is hot. How can you say it is cold? – She said surprised. She was hot because it was August. Monica got surprised… Then, that meant that every time she touched someone, would that someone get cold? Her powers amazed her more and more, and she was excited to know what she was able to do now.

Chapter 3

A few hours later before Natalia was buried, Monica got close to the coffin and put her hand on it.

– I'm going to miss you so much, Natalia… You were a great friend for me, and also a sister. – She said while caressing it slowly.

She had heard that Natalia had died from an internal hemorrhage, and that she had died from having a glass pierced in her belly and other smaller pieces in the rest of her body. That explained why she couldn't feel it when she woke up a couple of minutes before dying.

Monica sees how her friends and family cried and threw flowers over her coffin. There were a lot of people, more than she would think she would see. Monica was looking at her funeral service even in the moment in which they buried her body as well as Natalia's. Near 9 p.m., Monica decided it is time for her family to see her alive, but the first person she decides to show herself is to her sister Fiorella; thus, she goes to her bedroom and waits for her to get in there and starts using her computer.

– 'It is time.' – Monica thought while sliding her hand into her pants pocket and took the pendant out of it.

She sees it for a couple of seconds and put it on her neck, looks at her hands and sees how she slowly begins to appear very close to her sister.

Fiorella gets scared and startled on her sit upon the sight of Monica appearing, blinks several times and looks at her opening her eyes wider.

– Monica? Is it you? – She asks slowly getting closer to her.

– I can explain. – Monica said giving a step back.

– You are alive. – Said Fiorella to hug her sister tight. Monica hugs her back and then guides her to her bed so that they both can sit one next to the other.

– How? I saw your body; did you pretend your death? – And so started Fiorella to bombard her with questions.

– No, well… I really died; I think I was in heaven for a couple of minutes. – Monica told her passing a leg over the other.

– What? I don't understand.

Monica takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

– You'll see: when Natalia and I were passing by the cliff, a truck passed in front of us, I lost control and when I noticed, we jumped out to the cliff.

Monica pauses a little remembering what had happened.

– The little I can remember is that I woke up and couldn't see anything, I heard how Natalia called me and said that she was scared; then, I woke up in a place that I suppose is heaven, and an Archangel whose name was Gabriel appeared to explain me that Natalia was in a better place and that I had not died because I had to fulfil an assignment.

Monica pauses again and touches her pendant.

– Without this pendant I am invisible, I can go through the walls and fly… It is amazing. – She said smiling a little bit. She couldn't deny that she was excited in a way for being able to fly, being invisible and able to go through the walls.

– And… I was here about a couple of hours ago. I heard how you and Elizabetta spoke in my room, I even hugged you and you stood up saying you were cold.

She sees how her sister takes her left hand on her mouth amazed of what she had just heard.

– I can't believe it… – Said Fiorella whispering.

– And… that pendant is what allows you to pretend you're human? – Monica nods and puts her hand on her knee.

– But… can you fly or go through walls while using that pendant? – Monica opens her eyes… Actually, she hadn't thought about whether she was able to do it or not; thus, she stands up in front of a wall.

– Let me check… – She takes a deep breath and extends her right foot, but gets surprised when she's not able to go through the wall.

– I think I lost my powers. – She says whispering.

Fiorella stands up and gets close to her sister.

– To fly? What if you try to fly?

Monica looks at her, extends her arms up trying to fly the way she did before, and gets surprised when she begins to elevate herself and Fiorella starts to laugh.

– This is amazing. – Said Fiorella… Monica stops flying and sits on a chair.

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