Chapter 226
[ 1,216 words ]
The Girl Next Door.
Macey had stopped complaining after breakfast, well, mostly. The Underworld had that effect on people. It stripped away
the noise until all that was left was the rhythm of what mattered. And right now, what mattered was work. We stood side
by side at the edge of a river, watching the mist curl around the skeletal trees. The souls drifted toward us, some slow,
some frantic, all glowing faintly with the last pieces of their lives. Macey’s fingers hovered over her scythe that I had
gifted her, a faint shimmer of energy dancing between her hands from her borrowed magic.
“You’re overthinking again,” I said, watching her grip tighten.
“I’m not,” she muttered, slicing a little too quickly. The scythe flickered and fizzled, the energy sputtering like a candle in
the wind.
I smirked. “You just tried to reap thin air p>
“Shut up,” she said, cheeks flushed as the next soul slipped through her fingers.
“Focus,” teased, stepping behind her. My hand ghosted over hers, guiding her movements. “It’s not about strength. It’s
about intent. You ask the soul, you don’t take it p>
“I am asking,” she grumbled, jaw set.
“Yeah, but you’re doing it like someone who’s yelling at customer service p>
That earned me a snort, and then finally the magic steadied. The soul shimmered once and disappeared. Macey blinked up
at the now empty space, surprise softening her expression
“There,” I said quietly. “See? It’s not hard once you stop fighting the current p>
She turned her head slightly, and we were close enough for her hair to brush my jaw. The smell of her, warm vanilla, faint
soap, the Underworld’s faint ozone, hit me all at once.
Her lips curved. “You’re actually a good teacher when you’re not being insufferable p>
“I’m always insufferable,” I said. “You’re just adapting p>
She rolled her eyes, but her laughter carried through the cavern.
By the fourth day, we had a rhythm. I would portal her to the packhouse in the mornings, where she would go to school,
and then I would portal her back to the underworld after. I let her use the crystal with Mum’s magic so that she could help
out a little more, and I started teaching her how to do each task that was necessary down here. I handled the older souls;
she took the young ones. We barely needed to speak anymore, just a look, a nod, and we knew what the other was about to
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The Girl Next Door.
Wish’t.
I found her crouched beside a small soul today, a child, no older than six, who was stuck in a loop of being lost before they
were attacked and killed.
“Hey there,” she said gently, crouching low. “You lost p>
The little spirit nodded, eyes wide and bright. I stopped a few feet back, watching. Macey’s magic pulsed softly, not harsh
like mine; hers was a light, soft warmth that wrapped around the child like a hug.
“It’s okay,” she murmured. “We’re just going to get you to a better place. Somewhere nice p>
The child’s smile broke my chest clean open as Macey whispered, “Close your eyes p>
When the scythe struck and finally took him, Macey exhaled, blinking hard and whispering, “I hope that didn’t hurt p>
I swallowed, my voice rougher than I meant it to be. “It never does when it’s done right p>
She glanced back at me, and for the first time all week, I saw it, what this place was doing to her. It wasn’t breaking her
down. It was revealing her. This wasn’t a punishment anymore. It was an awakening. That night, we didn’t rush home. We
sat by the river instead, feet dangling over the edge of the smooth black stone, watching the mist roll by.
“Maybe this isn’t so bad,” she said after a while, voice soft. “Helping them, I mean p>
“It’s not,” I said quietly. “It’s… real. No pretending. No lies. Just endings p>
She looked up at me through her lashes, the reflection of the light flickering in her eyes. “You ever get used to it p>
“Not really,” I said. “You just learn to carry it better p>
She smiled faintly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Well. Guess I’ll lear, too p>
“You already are,” I said before I could stop myself.
By the end of the week, something had shifted. Macey didn’t just work in the Underworld anymore; she moved through it
like she’d always belonged here. Like some part of her soul remembered this place long before she’d ever set foot in it.
Every step she took seemed to hum with the same pulse that breathed through the realm itself, and I couldn’t look away.
We were walking through the pits now, the molten light from below casting gold and crimson across her skin, making her
look otherworldly, like she’d been carved straight from the fire that shaped this place. The scythe swung lazily from her
hand, her movements sure and unhurried. Every now and then, she’d reach up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her
ear, smudged with ash and streaked with light. She’d refused every single thing I’d offered her all week. The cloak and
hood, too dramatic,” she’d said with a grin. The crown, “not really my vibe.” So instead, she walked around in simple dark
dresses that clung in all the right places, her hair tied in a messy bun and the scythe in hand. She looked like the girl next
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The Girl Next Beer.
door who’d accidentally wandered into Hell… and decided to make it hers. There was something in that image that
-wrecked me.
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She didn’t flinch anymore when the souls appeared. She didn’t shy away from their pain or their memories. She spoke
softly, gently, coaxing them out of their loops, guiding them toward peace as if she’d been doing it for centuries. And the
way she smiled when a soul finally let go, when their light rose and vanished into the air… it made my chest tighten every
damn time. Gods, she was learning fast. And she looked like she enjoyed it. Maybe that’s what scared me the most. I’d
avoided asking her about school all week. Avoided saying, Dean’s name. Avoided slipping through the Veil to check in on
her when she was topside. Because I couldn’t. I couldn’t ruin this. This week, these long hours spent side by side in the
glow of the fires, laughing between reaps, sharing food in the gardens, her head leaning sleepily against my shoulder after
too many late nights, it had felt like something out of another life. A dark little fairy tale that belonged only to us. For
once, there were no interruptions. No family expectations. No paper-thin titles binding us together as things we were
supposed to be instead of who we were.
Down here, she was the light that danced in the dark and I was the shadow that followed it. I just wanted to pretend that
this was all that existed. This week had been a gift.
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