A week ago, Antoinette was going to be a bride. Now, she wakes up in a strange place and is said to be dead.
Dunstan is a careless soul who's only waiting to fulfill his dues so that he can move on with his life. Or rather, to th...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"It's six in the morning, A1C72!" he said in an irritated voice when the door swung open.
I let my hand that was in a fist—because I was about to knock again, politely—drop to my side, forming a courteous smile on my lips. He did a pretty good guess on pinning me right to my soul's code. I had to know because there was no peephole in our doors.
"Good morning," I said in a cheerful manner. It was mostly because he still looked pissed.
"What do you need?" the Keeper asked, composing himself. His disheveled dark hair was a sight to behold, because it went well with his white shirt and black pants. Also, there were bed marks on his arms and face, which indicated that he had just pulled himself out of bed.
"Sorry to wake you up—"
"What do you need that can't wait until eight in the morning?" he asked, looking infuriated.
"I want to go out. I tried, but the door didn't open," I told him. Showing him my bracelet, I asked, "I thought this got activated yesterday?"
"The portals open at eight in the morning," he replied, letting out a yawn.
"You didn't tell me that yesterday," I complained to him.
"Well, I had an emergency to deal with," he replied.
"Still, after you got back..." It was pretty late when he got back, so I didn't really get the chance to ask more questions.
"Guess what? We're all in the afterlife, but I get tired like the way you do. It's been a long day, and the portal doesn't open until eight. There's no hurry."
"Still..."
"Fine. I'm sorry for lacking the quarter of your enthusiasm about all this. What do you need?"
"A briefing," I replied.
"About?"
"Everything."
"That's a long stretch. Look, A1C72, your fellow souls are probably having breakfast by now. You should eat with them. From the looks of it, you probably have a tight schedule for today."
"I can eat outside," I said, letting the last words quietly slip by.
Or maybe not.
"This place is Residential Hall No. 57. You're allowed to eat here and sleep and function like a human being. But when you get outside this place, it's another story. You will only be a soul."
"As in kind of like—"
"Invisible for the most part. You can imagine the rest."
"So I have to get back here if I get hungry or things like that?"
"Yes, to replenish your physical needs," he said.
"Even if I'm already a soul?"
"I know. It doesn't make sense. But apparently, that's how it goes."
