Tetra woke up the next morning to sounds of bustling, but somewhat peaceful city noises down below. She turned off her alarm and threw on an oversized T-shirt. 

She went into her living room and sat on the couch to watch HNN, the Heavenly News Network. The announcer's plucky tone droned on as she stared at the portrait of her family on the wall. Her two parents and her younger brother, Quintus. He's older now, but he had been born after her. They hadn't died yet, but the portrait magically aged with them so she could see how they were doing. It read "14 years" under the frame. She sighed at the thought and turned back towards the television when she heard they were talking of the annual Reaping.

Cloud 9 was overpopulated because most people did the minimum amount of good in their life to make it. Because of that, every year, the officials would send a certain amount of people to Cloud 8 and some down to the first circle of Hell to be processed and divided. Tetra and her friends never entered the Reaping, so they stayed in Cloud 9.

Tetra was okay with that, though. Life- er, death was good. She didn't want to risk going down to Hell with the people who didn't make it. They didn't exactly tell them what went on down there, but it couldn't be good.

The corded phone started ringing. It floated over, and she picked it up.

"Hey, Tetra!" said Ava's shrill voice. "Didja hear about this year's Reaping?"

"Not really, it just came on the TV. What happened?"

"They made the test easier! That means we can go! Isn't that cool?"

"Go?" Tetra pondered the thought. People aren't told what's on the ring above them either, so she's never considered anything better.

"Yeah," Evyn's voice came through the speaker. There was an odd whispering that accompanied her. It always did that over the phone when she spoke though. "Don't you wanna live in a better place? Cloud 9 is great and all, but Cloud 8 is probably so much cooler. Maybe darker."

"But girls, how often will the phrase 'I'm on Cloud Nine' be true for us if we move up? What about my parents? Even if they make it to Cloud 9, they may not move up and might think I got sent to Hell instead. I don't want that to happen"

Ava challenged, "What? Are you really worried about a better place? Really? It's gonna be even more paradise than Cloud 9. Only you could make it that serious."

Tetra laid back on the couch. "I just don't think I'm ready to move. I have so much I haven't done yet. Skydiving, scuba diving, Olympic diving..."

"You're already dead," said Evyn. "What's the worst thing that can happen? Also, what's with all the diving? Plus, we'll probably be able to do that up there, too."

"What if...what if I get separated from Lo? I know he's gonna try to make it in. What if I'm not good enough and I don't make it? Or what if he doesn't make it?" Tetra's eyes began to dart around a bit.

"You'll be fine, trust me. Okay?" The whispers got a bit louder.

Tetra sighed. "I hope so. I can't lose anyone again..."

"Are you thinking about it again?" Ava asked tentatively.

Tetra stood from the couch and walked over to her window. The sun had just finished rising and was reflecting on the glass from the other buildings. She looked down at the people on the street below. The sidewalk.

"Yeah."

*****

"Hey!" shouted Quintus. The window of the family's 7th story apartment was smashed open. Tetra was standing near the glass.

"What?" asked Tetra. "I'm just checking it out."

"The ladder falling through the window means you should maybe stay away?"

"It's fine, High-five. I'll be careful."

Wind blew through the empty hole, creating a small whistling sound. Rain pattered at the edge. 

"Tetra, I really don't think you should do that. It's unsafe and the painters might get mad."

Tetra got closer, feeling defiant because of her brother's obvious aversion to her exploration. But as she creeped closer to the scene, another one of the painters' ladders fell over because of the wind and knocked Tetra off of her feet.

Quintus yelled as he watched his sister stumble over the other fallen ladder and through the broken window, screaming as she plummeted down. But it didn't last long. A mere 2 seconds.

That's all it takes before it's over.