Somewhere In-Between ~ An Adventure in the Afterlife

CHAPTER 8 - BACK TO SCHOOL

Since she left the house a bit early, Lizzie knew she had a little extra time to hang out with Max at the edge of the graveyard before heading the rest of the way to the bus stop. No way did she want the other kids to see her talking to an invisible person. "So all you need is to get to the hospital to see your sister? Really, that's it?" Lizzie was stunned. She wondered how many other dead people wanted such small favors. "Sure, that's no big deal."

"You can tell me how to get there?" Max beamed.

"Well, no, but I bet my mom could take us there. I have an idea. It'll be easy, but you'll have to wait till after school, of course."

"Oh, right." Max was so excited, he didn't want to wait. "What if you just tell your mom you're sick today? Then I could get there sooner!"

"You want me to lie to my mom? No way! Besides, she has a job. I'm not making her take off work by faking being sick, okay?"

Max wracked his brain for an idea. "How about your dad? Could he take us instead?"

Lizzie frowned and started walking again. "Goodbye, Max. I'll see you after school. Have fun hanging out in the graveyard."

"Hey, wait up!" Max followed. "How about I stick around just to make sure that shadow guy doesn't show up at school?"

Lizzie halted and looked back at him nervously. "You think he follows me to school?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "But maybe I should stick around just to be sure. I'm surprised I can see him but you can't. I don't know what's up with that."

Lizzie looked down, and then at the small group of kids who had gathered at the corner, waiting for the ride. She sighed. "Okay, Max. But –" She pointed a stern finger at him. "—Don't you dare get me in trouble, Max Fletcher. If you're coming along just to mess with me, I'm not helping you! You understand? Feel free to hang around, but no messing around, okay?"

"Okay," Max agreed, but he had no idea what she meant by "messing around." He looked over at the corner, and was surprised to see the other kids there. It seemed that every live person looked to him like a ghost – transparent. Lizzie was the exception. In addition to the glow she had, she was also a little more solid-looking than the other living people. He noticed that he was also starting to see vehicles driving along the streets. It was getting busy now, people beginning their morning routines and commutes. But it was all still faded, as if the cars and trucks were ghosts too. I guess the longer I spend in the In-Between, the more I'm able to see the living, he thought. That made him hopeful, realizing that when he finally saw his sister, he should be able to see her quite well.

Max followed Lizzie to the small crowd. He recognized a few kids from his class at school, only one of whom he had ever spoken to before. His name was Carl Christian, and he was a bit of an odd kid. Maybe all the strange kids in Amherst lived by the graveyard, he wondered. Carl was small for his age, and always carried an old tape recorder with him. This really made him stand out. Nobody used tape recorders anymore. Max asked Carl about it once at recess a few months ago. He said he found it in his basement one day, and that was pretty much the end of the conversation because the bell rang.

Max gave Lizzie a nudge. "Hey, maybe I'll finally find out why Carl carries around that old tape recorder." She gave him a glance and put her headphones on, determined to ignore him. He crossed his arms. "Seriously? You're tuning me out?"

Lizzie frowned at him and turned away, displaying she had no intention of acknowledging his presence around others. As annoying as it was, he had to understand. Everyone at school already thought she was nuts, he thought. Best not to give them more to tease her about.