Heads or Tails

Chapter 4

Kerra's P.O.V.

The sickening smell of smoke fills my nostrils, and my eyes open in alarm. My entire apartment is ablaze. Panicking, I run into the kitchen and try to grab some water. The floor is burning, and I can feel the flames licking my feet. A loud scream sounds from outside, and I recognize my neighbor running down the front stairs. I begin to run towards my front door, then I remember that Lunea is still in here. Panic shoots through me like a bullet. Is she dead? I jump over the holes in my flooring and make my way to my bed. 

"Lunea! Get up!" She peeks her head up and smiles. 

"It's fine, I'm used to fi-OW!" She quickly withdraws her hand from the fire, a look of betrayal on her face. "It...it hurt me," she says almost inaudibly. 

"You're a human, Lunea. Which means you have to get out of here!" Realization settles in and she jumps up, grabs my wrist, and we begin to sprint towards the nearest window. 

"Through here," she says. I unlock the latch and grab the waterpipe firmly, then begin my descent. I slide down the pipe until I'm only 8 feet from the ground, then I jump. It's not too tall, but it's still high up enough to knock the wind out of me. I rub my eyes just in time to see Lunea jumping down from the window. "WEEEEEEE," she yells. Then she hits the grass with a small "oof". I run over to her and roll her over onto her side, quickly checking her pulse. She's still alive. 

"Lunea, what were you thinking?" She shrugs. An ambulance passes us and screeches to a stop right outside my apartment building, followed by a firetruck. Lunea points to it and begins to fire off questions, not allowing me any time to answer. "Lunea!" She shuts her mouth and looks at me hurt. I feel bad for yelling, but we have to get out of here. "You're not from this time period, Lunea," I say hurriedly, trying to convince her to come back to the underworld. "Hell, are you even from this country?" Lunea stares into my eyes, and after a few moments of consideration she gives in. "We have to open the veil," she whispers dramatically.

"Great. How do we do that?"

Her giddy attitude dims a little, and she shrugs. "I know the information is in the Grim's book." I roll my eyes. "And let me guess, the Grim's book is with him?" She nods her head. "We just need to summon him," she says casually, then smiles. Goodness, this demon is one of the most annoying people I've ever met. How is she so giggly all the time? "We can't summon him randomly! There has to be an actual death," I tell her exasperated. She ignores me, taking deep breaths and poking her skin. I roll my eyes again. She's acting like she's forgotten what it feels like to be alive.

Wait. Maybe she has.

"How long ago did you die?"

She looks up at me sadly. "I don't know how many it's been. But I remember my family. And our home. Wait! My family might still be alive! What's the year," she asks excitedly. 

"2007," I say, her excitement latching on.  

Instantly her smile fades. "It's been almost 60 years?" Her eyes glisten over, and I feel a pang of sympathy. It must be hard hearing that you've been dead for that long. And knowing her whole family is dead, right after gaining hope...that must be terrible. 

"I want to go back," she says suddenly. "This isn't my world anymore. Everything must be different...the stores, the area," she sniffles. I feel the need to defend my generation. "It's not all that bad. We have music, A.C., ice cream stores-" I start, but she puts a finger to my mouth. "Show me," she whispers. I take her hand and pull her off the grass. "First, we need to get you some proper clothes."

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"No. You can't be serious."

I giggle and take the mirror from Lunea's hand. "You look great," I say proudly. I've given her the most symmetrical eyeliner I possibly could, accompanied by white foundation and a fake nose ring. She pats her clothes nervously. "What's "My Chemical Romance''?" I laugh and hand her a studded belt. "It's only the best band of all time! Here, put on these gloves." She examines them, confused. "Why aren't there any places for the fingers?" I shove mine in her face. "They're accessories," I say excitedly, then quickly help her put on a spiked collar. "There," I say proudly, "Now you'll fit right in." She rolls her eyes. "This is the most outrageous outfit I've ever worn," she says doubtfully. I ignore her comment and drag her out of the bathroom of the local café. For the first time in a long while I feel happy. Happy to be hanging out with someone. Happy to experience something new.

"Hey Lunea, do you ever get bored in the underworld?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Sometimes. I try to focus on keeping other souls happy. Because, if they're happy, then that means I am too, you know?" I blink in disbelief. How can someone be so contempt with helping other people, and never focusing on what they want?

"I guess," I say lamely. I hate how boring I sound, but Lunea seems perfectly fine with my answer. We continue to talk while we order coffee, walk down the street, and walk to who-knows-where.