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real?
    “Must be hard, practicing to win a fake, jewel-studded tiara,” I mock.
    “Oh, you! I wish we’d never crashed. I wish none of this ever happened,” she sputters.
    “That makes two of us. As soon as I find a way out of here, I’m gone,” I calmly state, redirecting my gaze toward the bland woodland beyond.
    “I will show you the way out,” a high-pitched, female voice says, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. She appears out of the gloom, rays of light surrounding her form, like a vision of hope.
    I bolt straight to my feet and stumble backwards. “W-who are you?” I stammer.
    Her lips barely curve at the edges. “My name is Sara, and I will be your spirit guide.” Her voice chimes when she speaks, like a chorus of one thousand bells, and there’s a halo encasing her entire body. Is she an angel?
    “It’s abou t time we get help,” Laney says as she stands up and folds her arms across her chest. If this lady truly is here to aid us, then Laney needs to keep her mouth closed. I don’t want to be stuck here for the rest of my existence—wherever here is.
    “Where are we , exactly?” I ask.
    “I have a great deal to tell you both,” Sara says, “but I’m afraid we’re running out of time. There’s only so much undnly so I can do to help you before you leave here.”
    Laney’s arms drop to her sides, and her fingers spread out when she speaks . “Leave here? Where are we going?”
    “ To the Shadowlands, a sister dimension of your world,” Sara replies.
    “We’re not dead?” Saliva balls up and tangles in my throat. That’s…good news, although I’m unsure how we survived the crash. Our bodies are pretty messed up.
    “No,” she answers. “ Your souls have not yet moved on.”
    The longer I stare at her, the more my eyes burn. I’m afraid I’ll go blind at any moment. Wispy tails of fog whirl around her form. I have no idea if it’s the mist or something she emits.
    “So, if we’re leaving this place and going home, can I ask where we are?”
    Sara smiles genuinely. “Lichburn. It’s an alternate realm, an extension of where you stand now.”
    I glance over at Laney. She’s giving Sara the same vacant expression.
    Unfettered, Sara continues, “Your physical bodies have not perished, though they may be in terrible condition. You have only a matter of time to warn those who can aid you. I’m afraid we’re restricted in our studies together, ladies,” says Sara. “There’s only so much time…”
    I swear to God she’s hovering a foot above the ground.
    “Like studying homework?” Laney inquires.
    “No, I need to teach you how to move objects and contact the living so that you may tell your families where your bodies rest.”
    “Wicked,” I exclaim. “When do we start?”
    Laney sighs dramatically. “Look, I don’t really care who you are or what you’re here for. I just want to get out of this place, so if you could hurry this up, that’d be great.”
    “Don’t be a bitch,” I tell her.
    She scowls at me, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “I don’t have to listen to you, freak.”
    “Ladies, please,” Sara appeals. “We don’t have much time.”
    Laney ’s eyes roll around once in their sockets. “I swear I just said we need to speed up this little shindig.”
    Maybe I can finish off her body before this is over with. That’s if we make it out of here. Crossing my fingers.







chapter six • laney
     
     
    W hy am I the one who gets stuck with a freak from the afterlife and a freak from real life? Personally, I don’t want to go anywhere near Sara. She scares me—and not in the way of I’m-going-to-eat-your-face, but the way of I’m-hiding-something-and-then-I’m-going-to-eat-your-face.
    Ew.
    Sara leads us past where we were stuck before and through some uncolored trees (imagine that). It’s fantastic knowing that the discoloration of this world is never-ending. Oh, and my spirit feels as if it’s thinly stretched, like