Somewhere In-Between ~ An Adventure in the Afterlife

CHAPTER 12 - GRAVEYARD GAB

Lizzie was grateful that Max seemed to have lost a great deal of energy from his activities at school, so she made it home without further embarrassing incidents. When the bus pulled away, she watched Carl walk down the street, giving her a final glance over his shoulder.

She shook off the creepy feeling. I can only deal with one issue at a time, she thought to herself. First take care of the dead guy. Then deal with "Creepy Carl."

As Max followed Liz, she finally told him her plans.

"I'm going to ask my mom to take us to the hospital tonight, okay Max? She should be home from work in an hour or so. I'd text her about it, but the whole thing is so weird – I know she'll ask a bunch of questions. I may as well just wait for dinner to ask about it."

Lizzie walked past the gravestones of Amherst Cemetery with Max following at her side. "Thanks, Liz," Max said.

"I'm still not sure why you've been hanging out with me so much and not your own family," Lizzie watched her feet as they walked. "When you first died, didn't you want to see them right away? I mean, if it was me, I'd want to see my mom and dad more than anyone."

"Of course I want to see them," Max mumbled. "It's just that... Well... I guess I'm just afraid."

Lizzie slowed her pace. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"I dunno." Max tried kicking the dirt at his feet. "I want to see them so badly, but... But I don't want to see them. It kinda feels the same way when I had to go visit my grandpa in the hospital before he died. I'm afraid, because I don't know how things are right now. Are they miserable? Are they angry? I almost don't want to know. I know for sure they can't be happy right now, and I don't really want to see them like that."

Lizzie listened quietly. She turned away from the road, into the graveyard and hopped up to sit on an old, worn tombstone. "Max, there's something I've been wondering about."

"Yeah?"

Lizzie tilted her head up, staring into the sky to keep the tears from escaping her eyes. "I wish my dad would visit me." Her chin wobbled and a tear fell down her cheek. "I just don't get it. People like you come to talk to me all the time. I try to ignore them, but they keep coming. There must be some way they can see that I'm able to talk to them. But there's only one person in the whole world I want to see again." Her voice broke, and she began to sob, hands wiping her face. "I've never talked about this to anyone. I miss my dad so much! Why doesn't he come see me? Do you think he's afraid too? I keep hoping that someday I'll come home and I'll see him there, waiting for me, apologizing for waiting so long to come talk to me." She began to wail. "Why doesn't he come talk to me? Why??" Her face a mess of tears, she gave her nose a long wipe with her right sleeve.

Max didn't know what to do or say. He felt totally awkward. "Oh... Um... So your dad is dead too, then, huh?"

Lizzie looked up at Max with complete disbelief. He thought she might try to punch him. Instead she snorted out a laugh so loud, it startled him. "You are quite possibly the dumbest boy I ever met, Max!" She laughed and wiped her face dry.

Max smiled. "Come on, let's get out of this graveyard, Liz. It's too creepy."

Lizzie hopped down from her tombstone and barked out another laugh. "Ha! You think the graveyard is creepy, Max? You, the dead guy? That's pretty funny."

"Hey, just because I'm dead doesn't mean I belong in a graveyard, okay? Jeez, really. It's way more fun hanging around live people than dead people, trust me."

"So what's it like, anyway?" Lizzie asked, cautiously.

"What's what like?"

Lizzie glanced at him from the corner of her eye as they followed the sidewalk to her house. "What's it like being dead?"

Max felt a bit self-conscious at the question. He shrugged. "I dunno. Weird, I guess. I kinda keep forgetting that I don't have a real body anymore. It took me a while to figure out how to move around without flying all over the place. But I seem to be learning quickly how to do things."

"You sure are," Lizzie chuckled. "Too quickly! You really need to tone down those pranks of yours."

Max smiled, remembering the fun he had at the teachers' expense. "Okay, maybe I just got a little bit carried away."

"Ha! A little carried away?"

"Hey, stop giving me a hard time about it, all right? Let me have a little fun!"

"I just don't want you to end up like those other creepy ghosts at school. You seem okay, Max." Lizzie eyed him. "I just... I just hope you stay that way."

Max waved his hand at her. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself. And I'm pretty sure I can deal with those creeps at school." Max suddenly remembered the shadowy character he saw lurking in the corner of Lizzie's room the night before. "It's that other guy I'm worried about."

"What other guy?"

"You know... That shadow guy I told you about that watches you while you sleep. I'm not sure what to do about him yet."

Lizzie closed her eyes. They finally reached the front door and she was about to unlock it to go inside. She turned the key over in her fingers, thinking.

Max grimaced. "Oh, man. Sorry, Liz. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Lizzie stuffed the key in her pocket. "Let's just sit on the front steps, here, until Mom comes home. It's kind of nice out today, anyway."