What Lies Between ✔

The Boy Without Shoes

3.

Finally exiting the forest, I came to the lake. It was a hidden place; hardly anyone ever noticed it was there. The dark trees that encompassed it's wide berth leaned towards the body of water encroachingly, their twisting branches snatching at the air, closing it in from the rest of Purgatory. The reflection of the landscape was perfect on the water's surface because everything was still-never moving. Unchanging.

I collapsed onto the ashen grass. I wouldn't have realized I was shedding tears had they not plummeted from my cheeks onto my dress, creating tiny dark blots on the material wherever they landed. I couldn't feel them. They were numb like everything else around me.

How was it then that I felt such a horrible ache in my chest? How was it that I felt every ounce of loneliness I had spent wasting away here? Silent sobs began to rack my body and I pulled my knees up to my chin, burying my face in them, feeling nothing but self-loathing and self-pity. I have no idea how long I sat there crying.

Sometime around the end of my little pity party, I heard someone gasp.

My head shot up and I hoped desperately that it wasn't Thorne. Besides Lidia, I didn't want anyone to see me like that, but it would have been a hundred times worse if it had been him. To my shock it wasn't any Seeker though, or Between for that matter. I had never met this person before, and trust me, I always knew when a new soul entered Purgatory. Firstly, he was not naked the way new souls were when showing up, and secondly, I could sense the new soul's approach the way I did the Seekers', and also I had nothing better to do than to go check out who the new person was.

This boy, though, he looked about seventeen-eighteen, with dark blond waves and coal black eyes. No light seemed to have managed to escape their black hole-like darkness. He was wearing a gray T-shirt that showed off muscular arms, and black denim jeans. What was really strange was that he was in his sock feet, no shoes. He was staring at me with a mixture of amazement and confusion; I didn't even register his expression at first, because I was so preoccupied with his transparent figure. I could see him, but I could also see the trees that stood behind him -through his body.

What in all the realms was he? Only Ghosts could look like that, and even so, they had to be in the Living Realm. Usually when a Ghost is transparent, it means they still lack the life energy to fully appear. This kid was not a Ghost though, but I hadn't sensed him entering the realm as a soul either. I stared back at him, still huddled on the ground, with the same mixture of emotions he was looking at me with. It was only until he took a cautious step towards me that I shot up from the ground and began backing away slowly.

Oh goodness, what could he be? What could he want?

"Where am I?" he asked, ceasing to walk towards me. He had a familiar accent, one that was native to some of the residents of Purgatory I had heard. A... New Yorker, maybe? So he was indeed human, then?

I stopped backing away, feeling I had enough space between us so that I was safe, and just stared at him.

Yell for help.

Won't work,you're too closed off from any Seeker patrolling.

Then run?

But I don't want to turn my back on him. What if he attacks?

Ah, crap.

"Hello? Are you stupid or do you speak another language? Where the hell am I?" He repeated his question again more sternly.

"You are in Purgatory," I answered, my voice hoarse from sobbing. How strange that he didn't know where he was.

He stared at me this time. "You're kidding me. Purgatory? Isn't that Bible shit, or something?" Before I could answer him, he spoke again, "This is the craziest one I've had yet. Man, now I'm dreaming up Biblical crap. What's next - aliens?"