Chapter 10 (Kiki)

Once Kiki finally has the chance to settle after her crazy dancing partner leaves her be, she sits down beside Miss Plum, who immediately hands her a drink. In between chugs, she sweeps her hair behind her ears and leans back in her chair, almost contentedly.

"What are you thinking about, Kiki, dear?" Miss Plum wants to know.

Kiki doesn't answer at first, just shaking her drying hair from her face. "Oh?" she says.

"It's been a fine night since our own Victor came back," Miss Plum remarks. "Hasn't it?"

Kiki grins, but then peers more closely at Miss Plum. She can begin to recognize the look behind the look on her adoptive mother's face, so she puts down her drink, leaning towards her.

"You must be pretty happy that he came here, or you wouldn't look that happy," Kiki tells her.

"Indeed, my dear, it's good to have him back!" Miss Plum answers. "But, tell me something: what do you think of him?"

Kiki does a double take at Miss Plum's face in light of this question. Finally, she picks up her glass and takes a tentative, but thoughtful sip. "Well, at first he gave me quite a scare in the alleyway. But…he's…he's very sweet. He didn't appear to be afraid of us, since we're all dead, and he's still alive."

"Nonsense, Kiki. He's a part of our family, and always will be," Miss Plum says. "Though, truthfully, I think it would be good for you to be around him while he is here. He may be just what you need to take you out of this trance you have with the living."

"It's not a trance, Miss Plum. It's part of who I am," Kiki answers. "And it'll only go away once I have answers."

"So then, Victor is perfect to help you. He can give you all the answers you need!"

Kiki ponders Miss Plum's words as she sips from her glass. Of course, she is aware of the fact that a living human has entered her world, and that everything she ever wanted to know about life is at her fingertips. But then, as she pictures the ivory tone of Victor's skin, and the dark brown of his hair, she finds herself picturing the rest of the world in those tones—seeing other people with different colored skin, with a hair color other than blue. Her dead heart races as she considers the possibilities of the living world, and Victor helping her to see it all.

Her body arrests itself when instantly, she pictures herself wandering amongst the living…

"Miss Plum, you're wonderful!" Kiki exclaims, standing up from her chair, and throwing her arms around her. "I'll go find Victor right now, and we can get started!"

Without waiting for Miss Plum to say anything, Kiki strides out of the pub. She is so happy now, that there is almost a skipping in her step. She even does a little dance with her hands, moving them about at her side while she heads down the alleyway.

Then she stops, choking on a gasp.

A few feet from her, a figure is slumped on the ground, leaning against the wall. It slowly rises and falls, as though it is breathing.

Kiki starts towards the figure, when she recognizes the brown suit and brown hair, watching curiously as Victor breathes in sleep. She peers at him, wondering why he is asleep in this part of the alley. Perhaps he was too sleepy to make it to the coffin, she guesses. Well, that was just too bad—she could have made room for him on her bed, where at least he could be comfortable.

Slowly, Kiki reaches to touch Victor's shoulder, in order to turn him over in a more comfortable position. She figures that since she cannot carry him to her coffin without waking him up, she might as well make him comfortable and cozy right where he is. So she hurries down the alley to her coffin-bed, grabbing her pillow, and coming back to Victor in less than a minute's time.

As gently as she can manage, Kiki lays the pillow on the ground, and moves Victor, by his shoulders, so that he can lie down. She is slightly startled as his body jolts, but when she lays him on the pillow he is still again, as though he had never awakened.

Kiki waits a few minutes to see that Victor is truly asleep, before she leaves him be. In light of the fact that she helped Victor, she is still disappointed. Her excitement in starting her quest for the truth is quickly deflating, and suddenly, she doesn't know what she will do until Victor awakens; she doesn't feel like going back to the pub, and she also gave up her only pillow so that Victor could sleep.

Still, Kiki finds herself walking back to her corner, to her coffin, and to her cracked vanity. Silently, she sits upon her bed, her mind starting to whirl. Ideas for questions are throwing themselves at her, meanwhile resisting the urge to wake Victor up and immediately question him about life. But since she can't sit still, Kiki gets up from the bed, and reaches for the chest—the old wooden one containing all her treasures.

Sitting back down, she unhooks the latch, and lugs the whole chest onto her lap. Another wave of excitement takes her over, and Kiki smiles wide, imagining herself once more in the gorgeous blue dress tucked away in the chest. For in just two days' time, she will be another year older. And hopefully, every one of her friends will still want to celebrate. Perhaps even Victor could celebrate with her.

Kiki smiles and laughs at the same time; she never imagined she would celebrate her birthday with a living person. It would certainly make the celebration more interesting, but she hoped that he would be able to stay for it.

With a sigh, Kiki lies down on her coffin, ignoring that she has no pillow, and lets her arm dangle down to the ground, her fingers still grasping the blue silk of the dress. She closes her eyes with a grin still stuck on her face, imagining Victor's description of what the dress feels like. For she cannot wait to hear it.

…..

It is several hours before Kiki opens her eyes again, her hands still grasping the dress in the open chess. Drowsily, she looks down, and dreamily observes the way the light catches onto the silk, when suddenly, she notices a pair of brown shoes standing beside the coffin.

"Oh!" she starts, sitting upright quickly. "Victor, it's you….wait! Wait! Victor!" Kiki's face glows in her eagerness, and she drops the dress from her hand as she gets up to greet her new friend. "You're just the person I wanted to see."

"Really? Me too," Victor says, holding up a ratty, red pillow in his hands. "I also wanted to bring this back to you. Thank you, for bringing it to me."

"Oh," Kiki repeats. "You're very welcome. Please, come, and let's sit down. I have lots of questions I've been wanting to ask you."

"So do I."

Kiki gives Victor a look, as she puts her pillow back in place on her coffin. "What sorts of questions?" she wants to know, stiffening with anticipation.

"Well, someone told me you would know a few things about…a certain story."

Kiki hesitantly shrugs, before she sits down upon the bed next to Victor. "And I…I was wondering what…what it's like. To, you know—to live."