Dead?

Maxine

"Eliza, where are we going?" Katrina asked looking behind her. Her home was quite a ways from where they were heading. From what she could tell, she wasn't even sure if they were even in their own town. Belyn was small, wasn't it? Further along they went they no longer could see the trees that nestled along the perimeter, now it was all long waving grasses and hills.

"It's beautiful." She said as Eliza finally stopped along side one of the taller hills.

"This is where the boats come in." Eliza plopped down on the grass, patting the ground next to her. They were on the otherside of Belyn, not quite out of town but enough.

"How is it I've lived here so long -- all my life, really--  I've never." Katrina stopped suddenly at the surprise of a warm hand against her own. Eliza clasped her hand gently around Katrina's.

"It's because you've only spent most of your time working, Kats." Eliza laughed nervously. "Sorry my hand"

She gently pulled her hand away from Katrina's, wiping it against her leg. They both laughed nervously, Eliza placing her hand back in her lap as they sat there watching the waves crash against the shore. Any closer they would be able to feel the cold air but up on the hill it was quite warm.

"Maxine said that she will be here to help." Michael open the closet door. There wasn't an empty apartment where she could haunt. She tried one across from Michael's but the small girl could see her, the screams still felt lodged in the back of her mind if she concentrated hard enough.

He had Maxine on the phone all throughout the morning. She was like him except all she could do is hear ghosts.

A few hours passed on by but a young lady who looked to be around her age. Dark golden skin, wearing a pale green dress. Her hair was twisted into a bun with yellow and green braids.

"I am a clairaudient" She explained to Katrina when they all got settled in. Michael was on the phone ordering pizza. "As you probably already know my name is Maxine, I prefer Max but no one listens."

"Max is good." Katrina smiled, nodding stupidly at the woman. She knew Max couldn't see her -- evidence of her mostly keeping eye contact with the lamp that she was sitting by. "At home I am called Kats."

"Kats." Maxine nodded. "Michael couldn't bring you to the other side?"

"Nope. Though I don't believe in an afterlife. He thinks that might have something to do with it." She paused, letting Max contemplate this. "But I believe I somehow got here from my home world or something like that."

"If that is the case, do you think our side is your afterlife?" Maxine asked looking away from the lamp, toward Michael who was now setting the phone on the kitchen table. 'Do you think your side could be seen from maybe michael or me, if lets say we died?"

"Wait, wait, wait, I don't like the sound of this."

"Michael, I am not saying to totally die. I mean if we can fake it out."

"But if you believe in an afterlife, wouldn't you just go to that one like Michael said?" Katrina asked looking at the two of them.

"Not per se." Maxine moved her head around trying to focus on where Katrina's voice was at. Her eyes shined when she smiled, "We believe that we ghost first before going off to the other side."

"Believe?"

"We're both basically new at all this shit." Michael laughed, tapping his finger against the pack in his tshirt pocket.

"Wait, you guys aren't organized?" Katrina stood up from the sofa, "Why not? I spoke with an elderly man yesterday. Surely you could go around advertising to find other people?"

"See, Kats, I am sixteen and if my mom found out I could hear ghosts ---"

"And my neighbors as you experienced avoid me and ignore me because I openly talk to ghosts." Michael pulled a cigerate from the pack, "It's kind of why I try to avoid your kind a lot."

"Oh great My Kind, like it's my fault I'm here." She growled and started to head for the door. "Well, I am going to go figure this out if you're too afraid or unwilling to help me."

"It's not that --" Maxine started, "She is gone isn't she?"

"Yeah, she dramatically tried to open the door as if she forgot she couldn't do it."

"Do you believe that she isn't a ghost?" Maxine asked as someone knocked on the door. The pizza delivery guy smiled and waved at her. He was the usual pizza guy for Michael's place. He had a thing for her but he was very least twice her age.