I stood in front of room 99.
"God, please," I whispered, staring at the brass number on the door. "Let this be the right room. I don't know what's over there, but I want to go home. Or heaven. Or hell. At this point, I'll take whichever one has Wi-Fi."
I took a shaky breath and knocked.
The door opened halfway, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe.
Dark hair, green eyes. Cheekbones sculpted by God during His "2000s Calvin Klein model" era. His white T-shirt clung to his chest. That lazy, annoyed expression only hot people can pull off.
Holy mother of ….
He just stared at me. No "hi," no "can I help you?" Just… eye contact.
I opened my mouth….probably to say something stupid like "Are you real?"…but before I could, slam.
The door shut in my face.
"Okay, rude much?" I muttered, blinking at the brass "99." "Hot people are always the meanest. It's like a rule."
I glanced around the hallway again. Everything was too clean, too quiet. The air smelled faintly like lemon. "Where even amI?" I whispered. "Heaven's waiting room? Purgatory? A show set?"
Sighing, I knocked again.
This time, a different guy opened the door.
Tall, dark-skinned, and way too calm for whatever nightmare I'd fallen into. His smile was soft….like he actually had manners.
"Uh, hi," I said, waving awkwardly. "I think I'm lost. I don't really understand what's going on. I just woke up with this…" I held out the crumpled piece of paper, "and I don't know why I'm here."
He leaned in, squinting at it. Then his eyes widened. "Oh my God. You're Russell."
"What? No, I'm…."
He grinned like he didn't hear me at all. "Come in! We've been expecting you."
Expecting me?
Before I could question it, he took my bag like we were friends and gestured for me to follow.
The room was huge….bigger than any dorm I'd ever seen. Sleek furniture, plants that weren't dead(not fake plants this time..real ones), a faint smell of cologne.
Then another guy stepped out from what looked like a kitchenette, laughing about something until he noticed me.
Broad-shouldered, blonde, with a camera hanging around his neck.
"Hi, Russell," he said softly. "Riri told us what happened. We've been expecting you."
I froze.
"Uh, yeah, turbulence in the plane, right?" Tall guy added. "Rough start, huh? Welcome to Silvervein University."
My jaw dropped.
"Wait….what?"
Silvervein University.
The name rang in my ears.
I looked around again. The spotless dorm, the designer furniture…I've never been here before.
This wasn't just weird. This was wrong.
Because I wasn't Russell.
I was Benny.