"How's– uh, how's orientation going?" she asks. "Sorry if I'm intruding – it's just, most people are holed away up in their rooms."

She sighs and shrugs. "Fine. I suppose it's not so bad, I'm old, but it must be worse for you."

She shrugs. "I was near the end of high school, so it's… weird, but, I don't know if it's actually worse."

"What about your family and friends?"

"Well, yeah, but– um," she says. "Did you not have them?" she asks, trying to not ask it as harshly as it sounds.

"Yes, but I'm old," she replies simply. "It might take another ten years but I was going to die soon anyway. My children are grown and have their own children, my husband has been gone for a while, I'm not leaving anything incomplete. They'll mourn me, but they'll move on. I've lived my life."

She shrugs. "They'll mourn me and move on, too. I mean, I'm not happy about it, but I don't think it's much different."

"But you had an entire life ahead of you! Many people you knew, many people to know..."

"Well, yes, but you had a whole life behind you, and all those people, not that I want to make you dwell on it, who knew you and will mourn you, whereas I had– the people I knew? And I will presumably make new friends here."

"Not so many people."

She shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe."

She shakes her head and laughs. "I'm still half-convinced this is the afterlife."

Rachel shrugs. "I don't remember dying, but it's possible I had an aneurysm in my room or something."

"Or something," she agrees.

Rachel doesn't really know what else to say.

"And where are my manners, I seem to have completely forgotten to introduce. I'm Margaret."

"Rachel," she says.

"Yes, you mentioned," she smiles. "So, Rachel. What are your plans?"

"For here? Well, I'm eighteen so apparently that means they try to get me a job placement."

"Well, yes, but what do you want to do? They're going through a lot of trouble to get us to believe this is a new start, full of opportunities."

"Yeah, uh– I'm not really sure? I get decent grades in a lot of the usual school subjects? But I don't have any major passions." She shrugs. "Maybe something to do with English?"

"I used to be an English teacher."

"Oh? What grades did you teach?"

"High school students of all grades."

She nods. "I'm not sure – I might like something like teaching, but I don't know."