Riley Augustine is a daydreamer and has a wild imagination. She has a journal, art book, and diary where she writes many things, such as doodles of what's on her mind, how her day went, and how she wish life were. On her 12th birthday, she had a birthday party and invited most of her friends, and nearly half the school. Since everyone was going into 7th grade, she figured it would be nice to spend the day with them. But what she noticed was that Riley's friends weren't interested in music, sports, or magazines anymore. They were interested in boys. Riley felt left out, so she went to get room for a second, and took some deep breaths. Then, she grabbed her diary and started describing her dream guy. "I wish I had a boy by my side that could sing. He would be able to play guitar and wear snap backs when he felt like it was time to. But mostly, he would have blue eyes, and smooth, light brown hair. And in my dreams, his name would start with an R." She woke up the day after her birthday and went to school. Throughout the whole day, her wish came true. Riley never knew it was reality.
Geoff and Naomi are dead, and they're depressed, but when Geoff's cat Bernie dies as well, they embark on a wild journey to find it in the underworld.
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When Geoff dies, alongside his girlfriend Naomi, they end up sharing an apartment in the Underworld as skeletons. But after a few years, Geoff starts suffering a mid-death crisis. What's the purpose of going through the motions as a skeleton if you can't really live? Then he gets word that his cat, Bernie, just died and he can collect him and bring him home! Geoff and Naomi hurry to get Bernie only to discover that, due to a clerical error, their cat has been lost. With the hunt for Bernie giving new purpose to Geoff's un-life, he and Naomi begin a quest to get back their cat. Battling skeleton pirates, climbing the sky ladder and facing off against the villain who took Bernie, Geoff is determined to find his purpose - or die a second time trying!
[[2018 Wattys Winner - The Originals]]
[[word count: 30,000-40,000 words]]