We're Never Really Gone - Chapter 1

Em sees and hears the dead, all the time, in misty and colorful shapes even though she's recovering from an accident that nearly took her life. Sometimes there are faces. Sometimes there are not, but there are always voices. The "normal" everyday world calls her schizophrenic. In her world, she derives from the goddess. As a result, she's lived a life of solitude, confiding and depending solely on her "squire" Mr. Dinworth, the co-owner of the used bookstore she loves and manages. Her sixth sense is amplified amongst good spirits, the souls who are restless but comfortable, even joyous over their realms of existence so far disconnected from ours.
However, she also has the rare ability to communicate with dangerous spirits who are out to distort all that we believe about "the other side". Where would we be if we knew the truth about "heaven" and the afterlife? That's where Em comes in. As part of the immortal Noki tribe (a derivative from the Native American Earth Goddess, Nokomis) of powerful shadow readers, her mission is to protect the living from the torment of the Kerthans (combo of Keres and Thanatos), a mortal tribe dead set on helping the evil spirits take control of human life. Not only can she sense what's really in the minds of the dead, she can sense the deeply buried secrets of the living. This gift is heightened with the use of photographs and video cameras. After Em's longtime photographer mysteriously goes into hiding, Em and Dinworth are tasked to pick the perfect person to become their next partner. That's when we meet Kyan, a cynical, downtrodden, broke, heavy drinker who has failed to make a name for himself as a professional photographer. She does not deny his talent, but Em does not believe for a moment that he will be able to accept or handle working in their world.