The moment Katelyn arrived in the Afterplace—somewhere between heaven and the warm glow of a memory—she was handed a clipboard.
She blinked at it. “A clipboard? Seriously? I thought angels had, like, scrolls. Or glowing tablets. Something fancy.”
A tall, shimmering attendant smiled at her. “We tried tablets. Everyone kept dropping them through clouds. You’re assigned to a case.”
“A case?” Katelyn flipped the page. “Am I… a guardian angel?”
“Technically,” the attendant said, “you’re a Preventative Guidance Specialist.”
Katelyn snorted. “So… a guardian angel with a sense of humor.”
“Exactly why we picked you.”
She looked down at the file. A photo of a girl—beautiful, long-legged, with the kind of cheekbones that made makeup artists weep—was clipped to the top.
Name: Lila Hart
Age: 18
Occupation: Model
Risk Level: High
Primary Temptation: Party drugs, peer pressure, bad decisions involving boys with jawlines too sharp to be trusted.
Katelyn raised an eyebrow. “Oh, she’s me at eighteen. Except taller. And probably better at eyeliner.”
“She needs someone who understands her,” the attendant said. “Someone who can speak her language.”
Katelyn sighed, but her heart warmed. “Okay. I’ll help her.”
“And Katelyn?” the attendant added gently. “You’re allowed to use humor. It’s one of your gifts.”
“Oh, I plan to,” she said, flipping her hair like she was about to walk onto a runway.
Chapter One: The Baggie Incident
Lila Hart was sitting on the edge of her bed in her tiny New York apartment, staring at a little plastic baggie. The contents sparkled—not in a magical way, but in a this-will-ruin-your-life way.
Her phone buzzed. A text from her new modeling friends:
Party tonight. Bring the stuff.
Lila swallowed hard.
That’s when Katelyn appeared.
Not with trumpets. Not with glowing wings. She simply shimmered into existence like a sunbeam deciding to take human form.
“Hey,” Katelyn said casually.
Lila screamed, fell backward, and hit her head on a pillow—thankfully.
“Who—what—how—”
“I’m your… guidance counselor,” Katelyn said, waving her clipboard. “From the Afterplace.”
“The what?”
“It’s like heaven,” Katelyn said. “But with better lighting.”
Lila blinked. “Am I dead?”
“Nope. But you’re about to make choices that could get you there early, and trust me, the onboarding process is long.”
Lila stared at her. “You’re joking.”
“Oh, I joke constantly,” Katelyn said. “But not about this.”
She plucked the baggie from Lila’s hand, sniffed it, made a face, and swapped it with another baggie she pulled from her pocket.
“There,” she said. “Prenatal vitamins.”
Lila blinked. “Prenatal vitamins?”
“Yep. They’re good for your hair, nails, and future babies you’re not having yet. Also, they won’t kill you.”
Lila stared at the new baggie. “Why do you have prenatal vitamins in a baggie?”
Katelyn shrugged. “I like to be prepared.”
Chapter Two: Text Message Sabotage
Lila’s phone buzzed again.
You coming?
Katelyn snatched the phone and typed:
I can’t go to the party tonight; I’m eating carbs.
Lila gasped. “You can’t send that! They’ll think I’m weird!”
“They already think you’re weird,” Katelyn said. “You’re a model who eats. That’s practically rebellious.”
The phone buzzed again.
lol girl u ok?
Katelyn typed back:
No. I’m emotionally fragile and retaining water.
Lila grabbed the phone. “STOP!”
Katelyn grinned. “Look, if they’re your real friends, they’ll laugh. If they’re not, they’ll stop inviting you to parties with drugs. Win-win.”
Lila sank onto the bed. “Why do you care?”
Katelyn softened. “Because I know what it’s like to be young and scared and trying to fit in. And because I know what it’s like to make choices that hurt your heart.”
Lila looked up. “Your heart?”
Katelyn nodded. “Yeah. Mine gave out. I didn’t know how sick I was. I didn’t know how much damage I’d done. I thought I had more time.”
Her voice trembled, but she steadied herself.
“I don’t want that for you.”
Chapter Three: The Rooftop
A week later, Lila stood on the rooftop of her apartment building, staring at the city lights. She’d avoided the parties. She’d avoided the baggies. She’d even started taking the prenatal vitamins, which made her hair look amazing.
Katelyn appeared beside her, sitting cross-legged on the ledge.
“You’re doing good,” she said.
Lila shrugged. “I still feel tempted sometimes.”
“Of course you do,” Katelyn said. “Temptation doesn’t disappear. It just gets quieter when you stop feeding it.”
Lila sighed. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
Katelyn nudged her shoulder. “You’re stronger than you think. And you’re not alone.”
Lila looked at her. “Did you have anyone?”
Katelyn smiled softly. “I had my grandmother. She told me death wasn’t scary. She told me loved ones would greet me. She gave me peace when I was terrified.”
Lila swallowed. “You miss her?”
“Every day,” Katelyn said. “But she’s here. In the Afterplace. And she’s proud of me. And she’d be proud of you.”
Lila’s eyes filled with tears. “I wish I had someone like that.”
“You do,” Katelyn said. “Me.”
Chapter Four: The Party That Wasn’t
One night, Lila’s phone buzzed again.
Big party tonight. VIP only. You in?
She hesitated.
Katelyn appeared instantly. “No.”
“But—”
“Nope.”
“They’ll think I’m boring.”
“They already think you’re boring,” Katelyn said. “You’re a model who reads books.”
Lila laughed. “I don’t read books.”
“You will,” Katelyn said. “I’m manifesting it.”
Lila sighed. “I just… want to belong.”
Katelyn took her hand. “You belong to yourself. And someday, you’ll find people who love you for who you are—not for what you bring in a baggie.”
Lila nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll stay home.”
“Good,” Katelyn said. “We’re watching a movie.”
“What movie?”
“Something with no drugs, no heartbreak, and no boys named Chase.”
“Why Chase?”
“Trust me,” Katelyn said. “Never Chase.”
Chapter Five: The Confession
Weeks passed. Lila grew stronger. She started eating real meals. She slept more. She laughed more. She even met a sweet boy who didn’t party, didn’t pressure her, and didn’t have a dangerous jawline.
One night, she asked Katelyn, “Why me?”
Katelyn smiled. “Because you remind me of myself. Because you’re beautiful and bright and full of potential. And because you’re standing at the edge of a cliff I once fell off.”
Lila swallowed. “Did you regret it? The drugs?”
Katelyn nodded. “Yes. Not because I was bad. Not because I was weak. But because I didn’t know how much I was hurting myself. I didn’t know how fragile my heart was. I didn’t know how much time I was losing.”
Lila’s eyes filled. “I don’t want to lose time.”
“You won’t,” Katelyn said. “Not if you keep choosing life.”
Chapter Six: The Saving
One night, Lila got a call from her old party friends.
Come out. Just one night. No pressure.
She hesitated.
Katelyn appeared instantly. “Talk to me.”
“I… I kind of want to go.”
“Why?”
“I miss feeling included.”
Katelyn took her face in her hands. “You are included. In your own future. In your own dreams. In your own story.”
Lila trembled. “I’m scared.”
“I know,” Katelyn whispered. “But fear is a sign you’re about to grow.”
Lila nodded. “Okay. I won’t go.”
Katelyn smiled. “Good girl.”
Lila exhaled shakily. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving my life.”
Katelyn’s eyes softened. “I didn’t save your life. You did. I just nudged you toward the light.”
Chapter Seven: The Goodbye
One morning, Lila woke up and felt something different. The air was still. The room was quiet.
Katelyn stood by the window, glowing softly.
“You’re leaving,” Lila whispered.
Katelyn nodded. “You don’t need me anymore.”
Lila’s eyes filled. “But I want you.”
Katelyn smiled gently. “I’ll always be around. Just not in person. You’ll hear me in your instincts. In your laughter. In your better choices.”
Lila swallowed. “Will I see you again?”
“Someday,” Katelyn said. “But not for a long, long time.”
Lila hugged her tightly. “I love you.”
Katelyn held her close. “I love you too. And I’m proud of you.”
She pulled back, winked, and said, “And remember—never Chase.”
Then she shimmered, sparkled, and vanished like a sunbeam deciding it had somewhere else to be.
Epilogue
Years later, Lila Hart became a successful model—not the kind who partied, but the kind who inspired young girls to love themselves.
She married the sweet boy with the safe jawline.
She had a daughter with thick, beautiful hair—thanks to prenatal vitamins.
And sometimes, when she stood on a rooftop at sunset, she felt a warm glow beside her.
A presence.
A laugh.
A whisper: “I’m still here.”
And she smiled, knowing she had been saved by a guardian angel with a clipboard, a sense of humor, and a heart that still shone bright.
Dedicated to my beautiful granddaughter, Katelyn, who is on the other side.
© 2026, Shirley Ulbrich, S. M. Ulbrich, Pages Alight. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.
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