A/N: For those of you who have patiently been waiting for the next chapter, thank you. This weekend was all sorts of crazy! It was my birthday, which is super special because it only comes every four years. So once again, thank you for your patience, and here is the next chapter! Let me know your thoughts :)

The next couple of days were quiet. I guess I really couldn't complain much.

I went to school, I practiced after school and then I went home to do homework and make dinner. The house was quiet without Renee. It had been quiet with her around but it was a different kind of quiet. Like somebody had died.

Charlie was never home for dinner. I thought about this sadly as I wrapped the plate of fried fish in a paper towel and put it in the microwave. I couldn't really blame him. Everything was depressing. Even being around me was depressing. My thoughts never strayed too far away from one topic in particular.

I shook my head, slamming the plate on the counter a little harder than I intended.

He had a tendency to pop into my thoughts when I least wanted to. He was my personal ghost that hadn't popped up since I had sent him away, sparing Angela. I wondered if I could see him on purpose this time.

Stuffing my finished homework into my backpack I headed upstairs, to get ready for bed.

The angry red numbers on my alarm clock told me that it was barely past seven. Shrugging into my oversized Phoenix University shirt, I didn't care what time it was to go to sleep. All that told me was that I had more time to go searching for him.

I sank into bed tired, but more determined than ever. I wanted answers.

I woke up the next day to my alarm, disappointed. I felt well-rested, but my mission to find Him only ended me in sleeping well.

I pushed my palm on my pillow suspiciously.

In fact, I slept too well. Even when He wasn't on my mind, I woke up at least once in the middle of the night.

Shaking my head I got dressed and headed out to the library. There was no way I could go to school today.

Sitting at the library with a pile of books in front of me, I felt frustrated that no one was giving me the information I wanted. Nobody had spoken with Death directly. There were accounts of people speaking to God, Angels and even the Devil.

I slammed the book shut, pulling the hood over my head and burying my face in my sleeves. I needed to see Him. I needed to see what the hell I had gotten myself into. My phone buzzed in my pocket again.

I ignored it knowing that it was Angela asking where the hell I was. I didn't want to tell her that I took the day off to look for Death.

They really would have to institutionalize me then, I thought bitterly.

Sighing, I sat up. I had to think more positively about all of this, or I wouldn't get anywhere.

So there were no accounts of talking with Death directly. There had to be another way to reach him instead of waiting for him to come to me.

Or I could be crazy. Oh my god stop, I chastised myself.

My head lolled the side, trying to stretch out the stiff muscles in my neck. On the desk next to me was a book left by another library patron. 'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud. I wrinkled my nose at the author's name. Freud was my least favorite psychologist, even if he was one of the founding fathers of the science. It never sat well with me that he accused young children of having an unconscious sexual demon that guided their choices. That sounded more like the boys I went to school with.

I stared into space for a second before whipping back to the book. My arm shot out and dragged it to my desk.

I was so stupid. In order to find Him, I couldn't rely on my regular dreams to get there. I had to lucid dream.

I scrambled to my feet to look for the right books now.

I sat in bed, staring at the screen of my phone. I had 20 messages from Angela, each one more angry and worried than the last.

Where are you?

Coach is asking me where u are. What do I say?

You're scaring me

Bella, fucking answer your phone

Are you sick?

Please answer

I bit my lip, feeling terrible for what I put her through today. I opened a blank message and started my response. 'I'm okay, I just woke up with a weird stomach thing today. I slept for most of the day. I'll see you tomorrow if I feel better in the morning

I then shut off my phone and got comfortable in bed. I lit the essential oil diffuser and turned my lights to a low setting. I would get there. I had to have my answers. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. I could feel my limbs release their tension and sink into the soft mattress.

I felt myself teetering on the edge of sleep and being awake. "I will know I'm dreaming" I chanted to myself. I repeated the mantra ten times, feeling myself sink lower and lower into my dream world. I felt my joints lock into place as sleep started taking over.

Taking a deep breath, I sat up.

I pulled my hands in front of my face, holding my left one out flat. With my right index finger, I pushed it against my palm, watching as it went through my hand.

I put my hands down and looked around my room, grinning. I was dreaming. Now I needed to figure out how to get to the door that led me to him. My bedroom door slowly creaked open, a faint glow coming from downstairs. I pushed myself off the bed and crept down the stairs. As soon as I landed on the first step, I noticed it no longer was my house.

I was under an enormous blue archway leading into a rotunda that was pale white marble. It glittered from a crystal that hung down from the center of the room, the light dim enough to illuminate but brilliant that I couldn't stare at it too long. It was marvelous. I stepped out from under the archway to see that the rotunda led to about 20 different doors. Each had its own colored archway, matching the color of the door.

I shifted my weight to the other hip, not really knowing where to go from here. How on earth would I know which door to pick?

I racked my memory, remembering the red wooden door.

Looking around, I didn't see the red door. I guess I would have to pick one to get to.

I chose a soft yellow door that was at my two o'clock. I walked up to it, trying to control my breathing so I didn't sound like a dying buffalo. The sound of my heartbeat seemed to echo in the rotunda. The long black handle of the door glared at me, taunting me that I wouldn't open it. I grinned, remembering that feeling with the red door. Maybe I was at the right one.

Determined, I grabbed the handle and pushed it open.

The light from the other side blinded me for a moment before it settled into a small cozy sitting room. A fire was crackling at the stone hearth. The sofa was large and had the warm browns and beiges, taking up a large amount of space in the room. On the opposite side of the sofa was a large bay window, with 2 inches of snow piling on the sill outside.

Sitting on the comfortable sofa was a man with short blonde hair and a brown leather jacket. His eyes widened as he saw me in the doorway, springing to his feet, his hands held out as if helpless to my presence.

"How did you get here?" He had a slight southern accent.

"I'm uh...uhm...well, I'm looking for someone." My grip tightened on the door, opting to leave soon.

The stranger in front of me relaxed his shoulders, the tension still in his jaw. "You can't see him." He told me calmly.

That didn't sit well with me. "Well, why not?"

He beckoned me into the room with two fingers, sitting down on the sofa himself. He crossed an ankle over his knee, throwing an arm over the back of the sofa. To the average person, he would be the picture of cool and calm. But something about him didn't settle with me. I closed the door mostly, leaving it open two inches in case I needed an escape.

I sat down on the other side of the sofa, the soft material sinking under my weight. I took a second to study the man across from me. He was tall, there was no mistaking that. His blonde hair fell against his forehead, framing blue eyes that seemed to peer into my soul. I held back a shiver, not wanting to show me weakness.

He smiled tersely, "You realize that who you're looking for is Death? You stay too long next to him and you may never go home."

I swallowed thickly. "I have some questions."

He raised an eyebrow at me. Either impressed with my bravery or curious about my stupidity, I really couldn't tell.

"Ask me then."

"And who exactly are you?"

Giving me a lazy grin, "Bella, darling, I'm Jasper. King of Sleep. Brother of your beloved."