IN THE FLESH—I MEAN…SOUL?


So glad that that’s over. After sitting through another long and boring process of the strange Raven telling us our addresses, we loaded up a bunch of tour buses and took a long and boring tour of Necropolis. Necropolis is such a huge place. It seems like it would be creepy and scary, yet it’s so beautiful. Too bad I’m not permanently dead.

Anyway, the tour’s over now, and I’m at the Necropolis Bus Station. Everyone’s on their own as far as getting home.

“Shawna!”

I swiftly turn around to see Andrea running after me.

“Finally! Goodness gracious, I thought that you’d never come! You sure kept me waiting for forever, and the things I had to sit through were almost unbearable! I thought you told me that you would meet me at the Chamber of the Awakened. What took you so long?” I place my hands on my hips.

“Sorry, so sorry for keeping you waiting,” Andrea says, putting her hand on my shoulder. “I had some, um, business with Niko.”

“Yes, of course. Business,” I say sarcastically. I smile wickedly. “Exactly what kind of business is that?

She glares at me, and then says, “Only the best kind of business. Oh, it was just a private meeting.”

“Um,” I say. “Anyway, where we headed to now?”

“Home, first.”

“I thought we only had like twenty-four hours to do this!” I exclaim.

“We arrived earlier than I thought. It’s almost noon here, so that means thirty-six hours until the Grim Reaper is supposed to be killed. Hopefully, it won’t take thirty-six hours. So, we’ve got lots of time on our hands.”

She doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry.

“Besides,” Andrea says again. “Don’t you want to see Mom and Dad?”

Mom and Dad! I totally forgot that I can see them now that I’m dead, too. I guess it’s just been so long since I’ve seen them that I still automatically think of them as unreachable.


No sun☼shine here


Andrea and I walk through the front door of our home. It’s a lot cheerier in here than it is anywhere else in the Underworld. The hallway walls are sponge-painted a baby blue with gold kick molding with little, carved in seahorses. Mom’s favorite animals were seahorses. A few feet in front of the front door are white-carpeted stairs leading to the second floor of the house. The floor in the hallway down here is ebony hardwood. To the left of Andrea and me is a door the same color as the floor. To the right of us is another ebony-colored door, and at the end of the short hallway is a doorway leading to other rooms in the house.

“Mom, Dad, I’m home,” Andrea calls.

I can hear two faint, yet familiar voices and various other sounds coming from somewhere past the doorway in the hall.

I follow Andrea down the hall, past the doorway, and into another room. This room is kind of large, and its walls are decorated like the walls in the hall. There’s a widescreen television against the same wall that the doorway is on. At the far end of the room, which is to the right of us, is a cozy looking fireplace. Sitting on the fireplace mantle is a giant, black and gold clock. It’s not digital, though. There’s a white, fuzzy sofa the wall opposite of us. Along the walls are random paintings, and there’s another doorway to the left of us.

Andrea leads me through this doorway and into the kitchen. The walls are the same as the hall, as well. A metallic, black refrigerator, a sink, and some marble counters are to the right of us, and to the left of us are the stove, a microwave, and some more marble counters. Above the counters and against the walls are ebony cabinets. On the far side of the kitchen are two ebony doors and a beautiful, ebony dining table that has four matching chairs placed to either side.

Mom and Dad are both in here; Mom is washing dishes and Dad is cooking something on the stove top.

“Mom…Dad…” I say. I’m so happy to see them. I haven’t seen them in years. Not since…the fire.

My parents simultaneously look up from what they’re busying themselves with. They look exactly like they did when they passed away. Dad is still short with his dark, deep blue eyes and his black hair hanging down to the middle of his neck. Mom is short, as well, but she has rose red hair and violet eyes.

Mom just gasps slightly, but Dad’s jaw drops, and he accidentally burns his thumb.

“Ow,” he grumbles. Silly Dad—he’s always getting startled easily.

Mom runs to embrace me. “Welcome home, Shawna,” she says in her soft voice. It’s the voice that I’ve been longing to hear for so long.

I notice the tears streaming down her pale face when she makes way for Dad to hug me.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he says.

“I’ve missed you, too…”


No sun☼shine here

Mom, Dad, Andrea, and I are all sitting at the dining table, talking and eating brunch. It turns out that Andrea’s already filled my parents in on everything that’s going on.

“So, Shawna, where were you living?” asks Mom.

“Shane took me in.”

“How’s Shane these days?” Dad asks.

“He’s good, I guess,” I reply. “He’s actually engaged to this woman named Theresa. They’re like soul mates, or something.”

“Good for them!” Mom exclaims, clasping her hands together.

Wait a second…My parents aren’t wearing gray cloaks like everyone else; instead, they are dressed in normal clothes. Mom’s wearing a white blouse and a lime green skirt that falls just below her knees. Dad is dressed in a plain, dark blue t-shirt and black jeans.

“How come you guys aren’t in cloaks?” I ask.

“They must’ve forgotten to tell you about the shopping mall. You can buy everyday clothes there,” Mom replies. “There’s no requirement for attire in the Underworld.”

“Oh.” Good to know.

Dad, Mom, and Andrea go on to talk about something in the Underworld that I know nothing about. I feel like we’re just wasting time right now, and we should start this mission already.

Dad is speaking. “…I know, right? They should really—”

“Andrea!” I say, standing to my feet and placing my hands down hard on the table. The dishes clatter, my family looks up at me with concern, and my words slip out of my mouth at volumes a lot louder than I meant them to be. “Why the heck did you kill me if this whole thing isn’t so urgent, huh? It seems like you couldn’t care less what happens to Grim! I wasn’t taking you seriously before, and I certainly can’t take you seriously now! You’re such a—such a hypocrite! If you want my help, then we’re leaving—now!”

“Shawna,” Andrea says, as calm as ever. However, she looks a bit confused at my reaction. “I don’t understand why you’re so upset. We have plenty of time to do this. Niko plans to take out the Grim Reaper tomorrow night. That’s more than twenty-four hours away.”

Andrea tries to reassure me, but it’s not working. I can only stare at her with weary eyes. Otherwise, I would say something I’d regret. Andrea stares back at me, pleading with her own eyes.

After a few minutes, I give in. “Fine,” I sigh.

“Yippee!” Really, Andrea—yippee?’ “I knew you’d help me!” She puts her hands on her hips. “Now, all we need is a third person who will come with us. We might have to take on the three brothers, so it would help a lot if both sides were equally numbered. I don’t happen to know anyone—do you?”

“Hmm…”


No sun☼shine here


“So this is Roy’s house?” I ask Andrea. She and I are standing outside his front door, waiting for someone to answer. I’m surprised that his house is right down the street from mine and that all the houses that I can see look exactly the same.

“Of course it is. Every house has a directory that includes the addresses of everyone living in the Underworld. It says that Roy Delaney lives in this house,” replies Andrea.

“Right…”

The door opens to reveal a little brunette girl who looks about nine years-old. Her eyes are pale blue, and each pupil looks somewhat like two black stripes instead of a black circle. She’s wearing a frilly, emerald-colored dress that reaches her kneecaps and…a black top hat? Her feet are bare and she looks like one of those china dolls.

“Mel, you look exactly like I imagined!”

“That’s not exactly what I’d expect to hear upon answering my front door,” Andrea mumbles to me.

“Roy, there are some freaks at the door. Save me,” she says. The way she says “save me” sounds so strange, but it’s just too hard to explain. “My Roy will take care of you, you—”

“Don’t worry, Mel. I’m here.” Roy walks up to the door to stand next to Mel. As if in reaction to him, Mel clings onto his arm.

“Ha ha, you look ridiculous Roy!” I say.

Roy is shirtless. He has on black pants and…a black top hat? I wonder why. In his hand is a baseball bat, probably to beat the crap out of Andrea and me.

At the sight of me, Roy drops the bat. “Shawna, is it really you in the flesh—I mean…soul?”

“Yes, it’s me in the soul,” I reply, tears welling up in my eyes. I walk inside and hug Roy tightly.

Then, I notice that Roy’s taller than I am by just a little bit.

“When did you get so tall!?”

“I’ve always been tall. You’ve just never seen me on my feet before,” he replies. “Then again, I never knew that I was taller than you. Ha, you’re short,” he mocks.

“Oh, shut up!”


No sun☼shine here


The five of us are sitting in the den of Roy’s home. Roy and Mel are sipping something that looks like wine out of martini glasses.

“What is that that you’re drinking…?” I ask slowly.

“It’s apple juice. We found this cool sparkling apple juice at the grocery store the other day. It tastes good, too,” says Roy.

“Right…” Andrea says.

“Why are you wearing top hats…?” I ask slowly.

“I really don’t know… Comic relief, maybe?” says Roy.

“Right…” Andrea says.

“Why are you guys living together…?” I ask slowly.

“For some reason, we have the same address, so don’t ask me! I didn’t make the rules on that. But if it was my decision, Mel and I would live together,” says Roy.

“Right…” Andrea says.

“Why are you topless, Roy…?” I ask slowly.

Roy doesn’t answer.

“Right…” Andrea says.

“So, what have you been doing with your life—afterlife—all this time?” I ask.

“Nothing,” Roy answers.

“How fun. What about you, Mel?” I ask.

“Waiting,” she says, “for Roy.”

Roy affectionately strokes Mel’s face. “I’m sorry for that, so sorry.”

“I-it’s alright. Really.”

“I’ve really missed you, Shawna. I’m so glad that you’re here now. It’ll be you, Mel, and me every day from now on. Oh, I’m so excited. I love you, Shawna,” Roy says.

Mel crushes her own martini glass with her bare hand with a simple ‘plink!’ She looks like she’s about to blow up. Her hand is bleeding.

“I love you as a sister, I mean,” Roy says again, glancing cautiously at Mel through the corner of his eyes.

Mel laughs nervously, and then says, “I’ll get this cleaned up. Would either of you like some apple juice?”

Andrea and I both decline.

“My goodness, Roy! What was that all about!?” I ask after Mel leaves the room.

“I don’t know! I’ve never seen her like that before. It was scary. I hope her hand’s okay, though.”

“It’s jealousy. She thought you were professing an undying love for Shawna,” Andrea adds in.

“Jealousy…? Why would Mel be jealous? Shawna, you’re really ugly compared to Mel’s beauty.”

“Ouch! Thanks for hurting my feelings, Roy.” I’m not the type of person who can recover easily from blows to my self-esteem.

“No, no. It’s just that Mel’s a lot prettier and—” Roy notices my frown. “I’ll shut up now.”

“Thank you,” I say.

“What happened to urgency, Shawna? You’re the hypo—”

Two loud crashes and an angry, growled scream erupt from upstairs.

“I-I’d better go check on her,” Roy says, a worried look evident in his eyes.

“Mel might kill you,” I say. “Don’t die!”

“I’m already dead, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Roy replies with a smile. He then leaves.

“Now what were you saying about me being a hypocrite?” I ask Andrea.

“Half an hour ago, you were nagging me to death about immediately going to save the Grim Reaper, but now you’re here chatting with your good buddy Roy as if we don’t have a mission to accomplish. ‘It seems that you couldn’t care less about what happens to Grim!’” Andrea says.

“Why is everybody using my own words against me!?” I ask.

“Why not? It’s just so easy,” Roy says as he and Mel walk into the room, hand in hand.

“Nobody asked you, Roy,” I mumble.

“What’s this about the Grim Reaper?” Mel asks. Apparently she and Roy have heard what Andrea said.

“That’s right! The main reason Andrea and I came here to see you, Roy, is to enlist your help,” I say.

“What do you need help with?”

Andrea and I explain everything to Roy, who takes it all in better than I did. I guess because he’s already dead, there’s not too much left to not believe.

“So you want me to help you take down Prince Nikolai and save the Grim Reaper?”

“Yes,” Andrea says. “So are you going to assist us or not?”

“You don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to,” Mel says, not helping the cause. “You can always choose to stay here at home with me.”

“I’ll do it. If the fate of the Underworld depends on me going with you guys, then I’ll do it,” says Roy, boldly.

Alright!

“Just one thing, though…How exactly did you find out about the brothers’ plan to end the Grim Reaper’s soul?” asks Roy.

“Oh. Well…” Andrea sighs. “Not too long after I died and came to the Underworld, Grim decided to give an eternal personal servant to Niko to celebrate the second year after his Creation Day—“

“What’s a Creation Day?” Mel asks.

“It’s like a birthday, but the Grim Reaper and his sons don’t have birthdays because they were never born. They’re souls were simply created,” explains Andrea. “Anyway, Grim used a random soul to be that eternal servant. It was my soul that he used.

“A few years ago, Niko and his brothers formed ‘Dusk’s Rebellion,’ a top secret rebel organization that planned to end the Grim Reaper’s soul in order for a new ruler to govern the Underworld. Niko filled lies in the heads of Dusk’s Rebellion’s members, including his own brothers, telling them of an eternal paradise that would only come about if he, Nikolai, ruled the Underworld. Instead of fulfilling his promises, Niko secretly plans to have a dictatorship over the Underworld, which is definitely not a paradise.”

“How do you know about Dusk’s Rebellion if it’s so hush-hush?” asks Roy.

“It’s probably because you’re Nikolai’s servant, right? And you two are so…close…as well,” I reply.

Andrea shakes her head. “That’s only part of the reason.” She sighs, and her gaze falls to the floor. “…I was a member of Dusk’s Rebellion.”

Whoa! Mel and Roy are shocked as well.

“I’m sorry! I believed in him at first, too, but later on, he told me that he hadn’t been truthful. All he wanted was the power, the citizens of the Underworld under that power, and me as his queen. ‘Forget about my father and my brothers,’ he said to me. ‘They’re simply a nuisance, a hindrance. You and I will dictate the Underworld. We will harness all the power. You and me.’ That was the first time he…the time first he told me that he loved me. I gave in to him then. But, that was then, and this is now! I don’t believe those lies any longer, and I know what must be done. Nikolai must be stopped.” A tear runs down Andrea’s cheek. I can tell how much she cares about Nikolai and that she’s struggling to continue betraying him.

“Don’t worry, Andrea,” I say, cheerful and determined. “We’ll do this together—you, me, Roy, and Mel!”

I hold out my right hand, palm down. Mel puts her hand out on top of mine, then Roy places his on top of Mel’s, and finally Andrea adds hers in. Then, we all lift our hands up, together.

“Let’s save the Grim Reaper!” Mel exclaims.

“Go, team, go!” I shout.

“What…team?” Andrea asks.

“How cheesy is this?” says Roy.