Pain.

Burning.

Smoke.

They're all the same when birthed from fire.

Wood.

Splinters.

Timber.

Piercing the body.

Twisted.

Gnarled.

Melting.

Incasing the body in a coffin of steel.

Life.

Love.

Lost.

Torturing the soul for entertainment.

This is the story of a woman who lost her life in one world, only to find love in another.

Cold.

Fear.

Alone.

These demons of the soul circled a single figure. A woman lay on her side, barely breathing. A moan escaped her lips; her eyes fluttered. Slowly she opened her eyes, revealing startling chocolate brown irises.

She tried to move but found she could not turn over. She struggled and struggled but to no avail. After a minute or two she gave up and lied there. The woman lay in that spot for several hours; always thinking she was going to die.

As she waited she didn't notice the sound of a car getting closer and closer and closer…

"Dadgum, are you alright Miss?"

The woman opened her eyes only to scream as she saw a car in front of her, and it was talking.

"Whoa, Whoa Missy! I ain't gunna hurt ya. Let me just get you on your tires."

The woman paused in her screaming, 'Did he say tires?' The truck turned and she saw a cable. He hooked it onto her side and righted her. Once she was steady the woman looked at her body and a frightened thought came to her, 'Dear God I've become my car!'

The tow truck looked at her funny, "What's a hearse like yourself doin all the way out here?" The woman responded on impulse, "I am not a hearse!" He gave her a suspicious look.

"Um, I mean, I'm not just any old hearse. I'm a 1963 Cadillac-Superior Hearse thank you!"

"Oh sorry Miss. I just didn't expect to see an old lady out here."

"OLD LADY!! I'm only 33! Sure my eye sight isn't up to par but I'm not that old!"

The tow truck then noticed the glasses that were perched in the middle of her hood. He tilted his head when he saw they weren't attached yet they hadn't fallen off.

"Again, sorry. I'm Malcolm, what's your name?" The hearse hesitated but answered, "Alianora Rose Hearsa."

Malcolm chuckled, "Pleasure ta meet ya Ali!" Alianora winced, "Please, call me Rose. I detest being called Ali." Malcolm nodded, "Sure thing!"

Rose smiled slightly, "Tell me Malcolm, where am I?"

"Where are you? Shoot, you're in Checotah! Cutest little town in Axle County."

"Ah."

"Where are you from?"

"London, England."

"So that's why you sound funny!!" Rose laughed lightly at this. Then she started coughing, her throat was very dry.

"You okay?"

"Yes, I'm alright. My throats just dry." Malcolm smiled and tugged her tire, "Well come on! My sister owns the restaurant in town! She'll get ya somtin ta drink!"

Rose shook her head, "Thank you Malcolm but I don't have any money." Her reply fell on deaf ears as Malcolm half dragged her towards town. Rose sighed but pulled her tire free and drove beside him.

As they entered the town Rose attracted some attention. Several cars stopped and stared at her, wondering what a hearse could be doing in their town. When she and Malcolm went past one house two children quickly darted behind their parents when she looked at them.

Rose sighed. Of all the cars she could have become, she became a hearse. Great. As she and Malcolm pulled into his sisters restaurant Rose adjusted her glasses, 'Man, even as a car my eye sight sucks.'

"MALCOLM! You ain't harassin' passer bys again are ya?!" Rose winced as a rather loud pink tow truck yelled from the cash register of the restaurant. Rose had seen the name of it when they came in, 'Silent Night'. Heh, yeah right.

The Royal Purple tow truck rolled his eyes, "Naw Sis, I found Miss Rose here on her side just outside a town. She's got a mighty nasty cough so I brung her so she could get somtin ta drink."

The Hearse sighed, "Thank you Malcolm but I don't have any money. How am I supposed to pay for it?"

"Shoot, it's on the house!" Malcolm said happily. Rose noticed the pink truck roll her eyes, but came over.

"Welcome to Checotah. Names Mikala. So you're Rose?"

"Yeah, this is her! But 'er real name is Alianora Rose Hearsa. Mouth full, ain't it?" Malcolm answered for her. Mikala smacked her brother over the hood, "She's gotta mouth, she can tell me 'er name!"

Rose laughed quietly at them but it only made her cough worse then before. Mikala whistled, "Dadgum, that's one serious cough. Make sure you go see Richey after you get somtin ta drink."

"Whom?"

"Richey's the Doctor of this here town." Malcolm leaned close to her and whispered, "But 'is real name is Richard."

"Oh. Well thank you for telling me."

Mikala led Rose to a table while Malcolm got her drink. As Rose drank the oil she sighed in relief when her throat stopped burning slightly.

"So Rose, what's a hearse like you doin in a place like this?"

Mikala's question startled her but she furrowed her brow and looked to the ground thinking.

"I don't really know…one minute I'm in my town house in London, next thing I know I wake up just outside of your town on my side." Mikala didn't really like that answer but let it slide.

"So how long you been a hearse?"

"…all my life?"

Mikala rolled her eyes, "Naw I meant how long you been doin it for a job."

"Oh, let me see…15 years now. I took over for my Father when he died just after my 18th birthday."

"Wait wait wait! You're only 33!!" Rose narrowed her eyes; she was getting tired of this age thing.

"Yes, dear Lord is that so hard to believe?!" Mikala was about to answer but Rose went into a coughing fit and her engine heated up as she was having trouble breathing. Once she had calmed down Mikala said, "Dadgum, we need to get you to Richey now. You can finish your drink later. Come on. MALCOLM! Watch the store, I'm taking Rose ta Richey's."

Rose reluctantly followed Mikala into town. She received more looks but instead of wonder and fear, it was pity. For she couldn't stop coughing and her engine was sputtering uncontrollably.

"Sweet Chrysler…I don't think I can do this…" Rose slowed to a stop in the middle of the street. "I may be young but my engine can't take this…"

Mikala nudged the hearse. If she didn't get Rose to Richey's, Rose might need a hearse of her own.

"Sorry bout this." Mikala went behind Rose and hooked her tow cable to the hearse and quickly, but carefully, towed her to Richey's.

When the two reached the clinic Mikala banged the door, "RICHEY!! OPEN UP DANG IT!!"

Slowly the doors opened and a GM3500 DR90 TraumaHawk answered the door. He was mostly white but had intertwining red and black zigzag's going down his side starting at his nose. He also had several sirens through out his body.

Richard rolled his eyes when he saw Mikala, "What is it this time Mikala? Let me guess, Malcolm got his tow cable tangled into a knot…again."

Mikala shook her hood, "No way! Look!" Mikala quickly twisted around so Richard could see Rose and his eyes widened when he heard the combination of her coughing and the sputtering of her engine.

"Holy Ford! Mikala get her in here quickly!" Richard had a thick accent that made him sound exactly like Captain Brass from CSI Las Vegas. The pink tow truck did as she was told and quickly got Rose onto the lift. Once she did Richard ushered her out.

Richard grabbed several medical instruments and he spoke to Rose soothingly.

"Now Miss, I need you to try and calm down. I also need you to turn off your engine."

"Don't talk to me like I'm 4…or 40…well the latter's not far off." Rose coughed as she shut of her engine. Richard chuckled slightly as he clicked open her hood, but not before removing her glasses.

"So Mrs.…"

"Rose. Alianora Rose Hearsa…and I'm not married…" The woman said weakly.

"Miss Rose, where are you from?" The ambulance was trying to keep his patient calm. The calmer the patient, the easier the procedure.

"England. London to be precise." Rose smiled slightly as her thick accent clashed with his. She didn't talk like a Brit, but she sure as Hell sounded like one.

"London? How did you end up here if I may ask?"

"I don't now…like I said to Mikala… one minute I'm in my town house in London, next thing I know I wake up just outside of your town on my side…I'm just glad Malcolm found me when he did…"

"Hmm." Richard gently prodded her engine. Although she was young, Rose's engine was ancient.

"You're only about 35 correct?"

"33."

"33. Yet your engine is much older then you are. Why is that?"

Rose thought a moment before it came to her, "My c-I mean I had an engine failure 10 years ago. This one was all they had. Never acted up before."

Richard's eyes widened, "An engine failure? But you're so young!" Rose laughed, "Tell that to my engine. So do I need a hearse of my own or what?"

The ambulance blinked, Rose was a very straight forward woman.

"You're going to be fine once I tune you up. The person who put in this engine didn't do a very good job."

The Cadillac Hearse narrowed her eyes; it had been she who had put the engine in 10 years ago. But she didn't say anything. Suddenly she felt a sharp prick of pain, but before she could yelp her eyelids started to droop.

"By Jove…" Rose then nodded off as the medicine took its full effect. Richard then began the operation to repair the girl's engine.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"….going to be okay?" A voice interrupted Rose's slumber. Followed by another.

"Yes. She's going to be just fine. I managed to keep her stable through the entire operation. She should wake up soon."

"Dadgum! Look, she's waking up!"

Rose slowly opened her eyes but closed them from the harsh light. It took her a few seconds to get used to it but she opened her eyes fully. She tilted her head, everything was blurry.

"So…blurry…"

"Oh yes." She heard someone moving around before a gentle tire placed her glasses on her hood. Then everything became clear. She saw Malcolm, Mikala, and Richard watching her worried.

"Dear Lord Almighty…what happened?" Rose muttered as she shook her hood trying to clear her head.

"Your engine started to mess up member?" Malcolm said as he nudged her with a tire. It took her a bit but Rose finally nodded, "Yes, now I remember."

While he was checking her vitals, Richard spoke, "You'll need to take it easy for a few days but you should be as good as new by Monday."

"And today is?"

"Thursday."

"Joy. So I'll be stuck here till Monday?"

Richard chuckled, "No. You can go out, but you'll need to take it easy." As Rose was about to nod she suddenly remembered, "I don't have any money! How am I going to pay you for this?!"

Mikala spoke up, "You can enter the Karaoke Contest tonight! That way you can win the prize! Its 20,000 dollars!"

Rose's jaw dropped, "That much for a Karaoke Contest?!" Malcolm shrugged, "We take our Karaoke very seriously." The hearse groaned she hated to sing.

"Alright, I'll sing…when does it start?"

"Five minutes."

Rose's eyes nearly popped out of her hood, "FIVE MINUTES!! Oh dear Lord…" Rose nearly fainted but started up her engine before shuddering.

"By Jove I haven't felt this good in years!" Rose laughed as she revved her engine slightly. Richard chuckled, "Just be careful."

"Got it." Rose quickly followed Malcolm and Mikala to Silent Night when she was suddenly on stage. She looked around wondering how she got up there so fast. Rose gulped as the crowd gave her weird looks.

The hearse took a deep breath and switched on her radio, surprised she knew how, and started to sing,

"Ever Ever After!

Storybook endings, fairy tales coming true
Deep down inside we want to believe they still do
And a secret is taught, it's our favorite part of the story
Let's just admit we all want to make it too

Ever ever after
If we just don't get it our own way
Ever ever after
It may only be a wish away

Start a new fashion, wear your heart on your sleeve
Sometimes you reach what's real just by making believe
Unafraid, unashamed
There is joy to be claimed in this world
You even might wind up being glad to be you

Ever ever after
Though the world will tell you it's not smart

Ever ever after
The world can be yours if you let your heart
Believe in ever after

No wonder your heart feels it's flying
Your head feels it's spinning
Each happy ending's a brand new beginning
Let yourself be enchanted, you just might break through

To ever ever after
Forever could even start today
Ever ever after
Maybe it's just one wish away
Your ever ever after

Your ever ever after

(I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss)

Oh, for ever ever after…"

Rose finished with a smile. The entire restaurant was silent. Rose winced slightly then everyone started to cheer loudly. She smiled and was about to leave the stage when Malcolm and Mikala grabbed her and said together, "WE HAVE OUR WINNER!!"

"What?! But I was the only one to sing!"

"Miss Rose, NOBODY could beat that voice! You sing like an angel." Richard called to her from the crowd. Rose felt her engine heat up, but she smiled. Then suddenly she laughed uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm a hearse yet I sing like an angel? Talk about irony." Richard joined in her laugh. Once she got down from the stage Richard nudged her gently.

"I wasn't lying. You do have the voice of an angel."

Rose's engine heated up again but she just smiled, "Well thank you. It's nice to know not everyone thinks I'm a scary messenger of death." Rose placed a gentle kiss on his cheek before she was dragged away by Mikala.

Richard, however, couldn't move. The poor ambulance was frozen to the spot. He felt his engine heat up rapidly as she kissed his cheek. He had never been kissed by a woman, aside from his family of course.

He looked over at where Rose was being bombarded with questions from Malcolm and Mikala as well as several other younger cars. He smiled before heading home.

Mikala saw him go and she smirked, "Well well. Looks like someone's been bitten by the love bug. This could get interesting…"

Me: Alright! Go Rose! And if you want to know Rose's glasses look like Syrus's from Yu Gi Oh GX.