Chapter 2
It was at least an hour before Jae woke up, and when she did her head hurt more than ever. When she had adjusted her eyes to the light, she could see that she was somewhere different. Somewhere she had never been before, except in her dreams. It was surprisingly colourful, but there were no shades are tones to any of the objects. It was all just blocks of colour. There was a path leading up to a house, and next to it a plain blue river. Trees were dotted around but they had been drawn funny. Big brown sticks with green blobs stuck on the top of them. She walked along the small brown path to a small white house. The house didn't look right either; it had a square door, four square windows and a chimney with curly smoke pouring out of it. The smoke wasn't heading anywhere; it was stuck to the chimney. As she got to the door, she found that when the door swung open, it was like a sheet of paper. Everything was 2D.
"Hello?" Jae peered in through the door and saw a surprisingly large living room. Abnormal chairs were placed at spots around the room so that none of them were facing each other. There was a mantelpiece, but no fire. Something was clearly wrong. She cautiously walked in and felt the chairs just in case they weren't real. "HELLO??"
GLAD YOU DECIDED TO JOIN ME.
"You again? Look, where am I? You could give me an explanation."
YOU'LL GET ONE, IN DUE TIME.
"That makes no sense."
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO.
Jae slumped onto the chair and clasped her head in her hands. Death walked up to her, and placed a bony hand on her shoulder. (Well he doesn't really walk, Death glides.) Jae wanted to look at him, but he isn't the most comforting of people so she continued to stare at the floor.
I KNOW YOU'RE CONFUSED. I WOULD TELL YOU, BUT IT IS YOUR DUTY TO FIND OUT. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHERE YOU ARE GOING.
"I'm going? Since when was I going anywhere?"
I AM IN, WELL, THERE ISN'T A MORTAL WORD FOR IT.... PERIL. YES, I AM IN PERIL. THINGS HAVE HAPPENED, STRANGE THINGS. PLACES THAT NO HUMAN DARES TO TREAD, AND THAT INCLUDES FAIRIES.
"That doesn't mean that I won't understand it." Death paused, and let out what sounded like an attempted sigh. He didn't know what to say now; he'd never had Jae talk to him like that before. What would Jae do? He sat on a chair at the other end of the room and turned to look at her. He took a minute to think, I SHOULD JUST LET IT OUT.
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, WHEN I FIRST TOOK ON THE JOB, SOME THINGS I, SORT OF, MISSED. I WAS YOUNG, WELL, AS YOUNG AS I CAN BE. AND I NEVER LEARNED ABOUT THE OTHER ISSUES THAT HAPPEN IN MY.... PROFFESSION. THINGS LIKE THE AFTERLIFE, HELL, THE LAND OF THE DEAD.
"See, I have heard of those places. I don't thoroughly understand them, but that's better than nothing."
YES..... WELL, YOU HAD BETTER KNOW WHERE YOU'LL BE STAYING. I NEED YOU TO LOOK AFTER SOMEONE FOR ME, JUST FOR A MONTH OR SO. HER NAME IS SOPHIE, AND SHE'S SLIGHTLY... STRANGE.
He mumbled the word, so that Jae wouldn't hear her, but he had clearly underestimated the average fairy.
SHE'S AN ORPHAN, AND YOU WILL BE TAKING THE PLACE OF ANOTHER GIRL IN THE ORPHANAGE. PLAY IT SIMPLE, AND OBEY THE MASTERS. THE REST IS UP TO YOU.
Death stood up, and walked to the limp door. Jae took the hint and got up to leave. She was about to step out onto the green grass when she felt the cold hand on her shoulder again.
DENY EVERYTHING...
She stopped to speak, but Death had disappeared. In fact, the whole world had disappeared and she found herself spinning through a blank page. When she landed, it took her a while to stand. When she did, she was a damp room with two camp beds and a slightly cracked window. She turned to head out of the door, sure that she didn't want to be there, when a voice echoed from the other end of the room.
"Don't leave..."
It was at least an hour before Jae woke up, and when she did her head hurt more than ever. When she had adjusted her eyes to the light, she could see that she was somewhere different. Somewhere she had never been before, except in her dreams. It was surprisingly colourful, but there were no shades are tones to any of the objects. It was all just blocks of colour. There was a path leading up to a house, and next to it a plain blue river. Trees were dotted around but they had been drawn funny. Big brown sticks with green blobs stuck on the top of them. She walked along the small brown path to a small white house. The house didn't look right either; it had a square door, four square windows and a chimney with curly smoke pouring out of it. The smoke wasn't heading anywhere; it was stuck to the chimney. As she got to the door, she found that when the door swung open, it was like a sheet of paper. Everything was 2D.
"Hello?" Jae peered in through the door and saw a surprisingly large living room. Abnormal chairs were placed at spots around the room so that none of them were facing each other. There was a mantelpiece, but no fire. Something was clearly wrong. She cautiously walked in and felt the chairs just in case they weren't real. "HELLO??"
GLAD YOU DECIDED TO JOIN ME.
"You again? Look, where am I? You could give me an explanation."
YOU'LL GET ONE, IN DUE TIME.
"That makes no sense."
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO.
Jae slumped onto the chair and clasped her head in her hands. Death walked up to her, and placed a bony hand on her shoulder. (Well he doesn't really walk, Death glides.) Jae wanted to look at him, but he isn't the most comforting of people so she continued to stare at the floor.
I KNOW YOU'RE CONFUSED. I WOULD TELL YOU, BUT IT IS YOUR DUTY TO FIND OUT. I CAN ONLY TELL YOU WHERE YOU ARE GOING.
"I'm going? Since when was I going anywhere?"
I AM IN, WELL, THERE ISN'T A MORTAL WORD FOR IT.... PERIL. YES, I AM IN PERIL. THINGS HAVE HAPPENED, STRANGE THINGS. PLACES THAT NO HUMAN DARES TO TREAD, AND THAT INCLUDES FAIRIES.
"That doesn't mean that I won't understand it." Death paused, and let out what sounded like an attempted sigh. He didn't know what to say now; he'd never had Jae talk to him like that before. What would Jae do? He sat on a chair at the other end of the room and turned to look at her. He took a minute to think, I SHOULD JUST LET IT OUT.
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO, WHEN I FIRST TOOK ON THE JOB, SOME THINGS I, SORT OF, MISSED. I WAS YOUNG, WELL, AS YOUNG AS I CAN BE. AND I NEVER LEARNED ABOUT THE OTHER ISSUES THAT HAPPEN IN MY.... PROFFESSION. THINGS LIKE THE AFTERLIFE, HELL, THE LAND OF THE DEAD.
"See, I have heard of those places. I don't thoroughly understand them, but that's better than nothing."
YES..... WELL, YOU HAD BETTER KNOW WHERE YOU'LL BE STAYING. I NEED YOU TO LOOK AFTER SOMEONE FOR ME, JUST FOR A MONTH OR SO. HER NAME IS SOPHIE, AND SHE'S SLIGHTLY... STRANGE.
He mumbled the word, so that Jae wouldn't hear her, but he had clearly underestimated the average fairy.
SHE'S AN ORPHAN, AND YOU WILL BE TAKING THE PLACE OF ANOTHER GIRL IN THE ORPHANAGE. PLAY IT SIMPLE, AND OBEY THE MASTERS. THE REST IS UP TO YOU.
Death stood up, and walked to the limp door. Jae took the hint and got up to leave. She was about to step out onto the green grass when she felt the cold hand on her shoulder again.
DENY EVERYTHING...
She stopped to speak, but Death had disappeared. In fact, the whole world had disappeared and she found herself spinning through a blank page. When she landed, it took her a while to stand. When she did, she was a damp room with two camp beds and a slightly cracked window. She turned to head out of the door, sure that she didn't want to be there, when a voice echoed from the other end of the room.
"Don't leave..."