Not Quite Dead

Prologue

When you die, two kinds of spirits are released from your body: angel spirits, which are the good spirits, and dark spirits, which are the bad spirits. The angel spirits are made of every good thing in your old life, every good thing you ever said, did, or even thought of doing. You never see them, but they're always there. Their role in life, rather, in the mortal world, is to do, well, good. Think of them as Earth's invisible guardian angels. They protect mortals - even in the simplest ways - and maintain balance in the mortal world and the spirit world. Remember that time when you almost fell off your bike but didn't? That was one of the Angels keeping your bike up.

The dark spirits are made up of your darkest, most evil thoughts and desires, of the times when you hated the world and everyone in it. You never see them either, and how unfortunate that is. They're dedicated to wreaking havoc in the mortal world. Think of them as Earth's most annoying criminals ever, the ones what make themselves even more annoying by being invisible. They are the best at what they do. They ruin the mortals' lives - even in the simplest ways - and try to leave the balance unbalanced. That time when you did fall off your bike? That was one of the Darks ensuring the fall of you and your bike.

Needless to say, the Angels and the Darks don't get along. They're always fighting over the mortals, fighting for control over their fortunes or misfortunes. Sometimes the pointless bickering gets to the point that the mortals just end up leaving, which makes the spirits fight even more.

The spirits don't have any special powers, really. They look and act like regular living people. There are few major differences: their "skin" glows; they can phase in and out of people and objects in the mortal world; some can fly. Sometimes, there are the rare spirits that can go into mortals' bodies and control them for a little while. As soon as the spirits leave, the mortals have no recollection of the experience. There are countless other thing about the spirits that are yet to be discovered.

However, Angels and Darks aren't the only spiritual things that exist. In certain cases, when the mortal dies, his will is so strong, he undergoes what is called the Change. The Angel and Dark are still released, but the mortal becomes neither spirit nor mortal. The mortal dies and becomes like a spirit, with invisibility and the ability to phase through things in the living world, although, he is not really dead, alive, or even a spirit. These individuals are called the In-betweens. In-betweens are very, very rare. Only one out of every fifty mortals becomes an In-between.

In-betweens cannot speak, or feel pain. The only emotions they feel are happiness and hatred. It is unknown if they feel love or sorrow. Unlike their cousin spirits, who do not have free will over whether they help or hurt, In-betweens choose if they want to help or hurt. Half pity the mortals, and they decide to squelch their Dark side and dedicate themselves to the Angels. The other half hates the fact that the living mortals don't know how it feels to be them, so they revel in the misery they cause. There are the rare few of In-betweens that pity themselves so much, they just don't move. That sudden chill you get every time you pass the stairs? That's an In-between sulking on your stairs. I suggest you call the - what are they called, again? - Ghostbusters?

Another thing that makes In-betweens what they are is another special power. They can go into technology. I've heard of some that do that and leave scary messages to freak out their enemies or family. By technology, that means all technology: computers, cellular phones, televisions, any and all sort of technology.

In-betweens are bound to the city they died in. Unlike the Angels and Darks, they can't leave unless something tragic happens to their city. They prefer to frequent the grounds they used to live on. Sometimes they scare people who live in their homes so they can be alone and have the property practically all to themselves.

You might ask me how I know so much about this stuff, seeing as all the spirits In-betweens are unseen and unheard to all mortals. I know how to read and write, the sounds and names of people and things. I do not know the sound of my voice, the color of my eyes.

You guessed it. I myself am an In-between.

My name is Dawn Rosa Davis, and I'm not quite dead.