The smile he gets is almost sad, and for a single moment he wishes this was his real mother, not the being with her face. “You faced death once and you turned away. The train left without you, shall we say? Well now it’s gone. You’ve missed your train, you’re stuck at the station. And I’m sorry… but there isn’t going to be another train.”

His breath leaves him in a rush. He searches Lily’s face for answers that are not there, “So that was it? No more chances?”

“You’re already dead,” not-his-mother whispers, reaching out, her fingers resting just above his shoulder, “Dead things can’t die twice.”