Read Hereafter (Shadowlands) for Free Online Page B

smile behind her hand. She lifted her shoulders at my surprised, somewhat judging look. “What? At least they’re good for comic relief.”
    “Is it always like that?” I asked quietly.
    “No,” Tristan said, placing his hand on my back. “When they’re going to the Light, it’s really quite…peaceful.”
    “And sometimes when they’re going to the Shadowlands, too,” Krista added, reaching back to pull the rubber band from her long blond ponytail and retie it, smoothing the ratty strands that had been tugged free during our off-roading. “Since they have no clue where they’re going.”
    “And normally we can each handle these things alone,” Bea said, turning back toward where the cars were parked, their headlights making twin beams on the windswept reeds. “These last two just didn’t want to go quietly, so—”
    “When that happens, we bring backup,” Kevin explained darkly.
    “So, what do we do now?” I asked the group.
    Tristan looked down at my hands, and I realized for the first time that I was clutching his sweatshirt at my sides, my arms wrapped around my stomach like two taut bungee chords.
    “Well, you’ve just officially attended your first ushering,” Tristan said, looking somehow proud and nervous at the same time.
    “So Steven Nell didn’t count?” I asked.
    He shook his head. “You didn’t know then that you were one of us.”
    “Consider sending that jerk to the Shadowlands your initiation,” Bea said, stepping up behind me. Somehow, that one action felt reassuring, like by standing behind me, she was saying she would always have my back.
    Krista walked around her brother, her hair now smooth, her flowered dress perfectly fitted at the waist, the skirt billowing slightly behind her. She reached for my hand and held it, cupping my fingers in her own. The same warmth radiated off her as came off her brother, except there was a sweeter, less intense quality to hers. Almost tentative. I felt a pulse of anticipation.
    “And now that you’re officially one of us,” Krista said with an excited smile, “there’s something you need to see.”

The rocky slope was steep and uneven, each step an act of faith as we walked in a straight line—Joaquin, then Tristan, then me, with Krista, Bea, and Kevin trailing along behind. The sounds of the waves rolling onto shore and the brief flashes of whitecaps far out on the surface signaled that the ocean was somewhere up ahead.
    “Where are we going?” I whispered, tiptoeing over a slick rock.
    “Trust, little protégé, trust,” Joaquin said, his grin glowing in the darkness as he looked back over his shoulder.
    “Don’t worry. We’re almost there,” Tristan told me.
    Suddenly my left foot slipped, and I went weightless, my arms flailing as my heart vaulted into my mouth.
    Before I could even scream, Tristan grasped both my arms and hoisted me back up. Dozens of pebbles tumbled down a sharp drop as we grabbed on to each other. His breath was hot on my face, and even in the darkness, I could see the intensity in his blue eyes as he checked me over.
    “You’re okay. You’re fine,” he assured me.
    I gripped his arms even tighter as the others caught up with us. “If you say so.”
    He smiled, his eyes slowly traveling over my face. “I do. This is one of the perks of being dead. You can’t die again.”
    “Awesome, no?” Kevin said with a toothy grin.
    “Keep it moving, Slimy,” Bea said, nudging him as she rolled her eyes.
    “Did she just call him Slimy?” I asked Tristan as Krista slipped past us, too.
    “Bea has nicknames for everyone,” Tristan informed me. “You’ll get one eventually, but be warned—most of them are not all that nice.”
    “What’s yours?”
    “Golden Boy,” he replied somewhat sheepishly.
    I smirked. “Ah.”
    “Are you two coming or what?” Joaquin complained.
    Tristan slipped his hand down my arm and took my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. “Don’t worry. I’ve got