READERS WARNING: This chapter turned out to be way too long (5 1/2 thousand words) so just indulge me? Sorry 3

The first thing that registered when I woke up was the steady drum of rain hitting the rooftop. I could hear each individual drop pattering the tiles, water and wind buffeting the leafless trees outside; the sound was oddly soothing.

I remembered the rain. And the cold. I had lain through countless days of rain; waiting, watching, never feeling- because of him. And now he haunted my dreams too.

No. Not a dream. A memory.

Huh.

You'd think ten years would be long enough to forget someone.

I moaned as I pushed the memory of both my death and Percy back far into the recesses of my mind where they had remained dormant for so long. Some things were better buried.

Lifting my head, I took in my surroundings properly for the first time. The room was simple- plain, white walls, hardwood floors and of course, the beds. A plush emerald green chair sat next to a tall window- the glass frosted over with ice and snow in random, alternating patterns. A queer sort of grey light filtered softly into the room, settling gently on my covers. The girls were still sleeping, save for Amrit, who was nowhere to be seen. One of them, I didn't know which, was muttering nonsensical words and sounds punctuated with loud sighs. I went to move, but before I could get up, the door opened and in she flew like a terrible storm, a fist full of papers and muttering obscenities under her breath. She would have been beautiful if it weren't for the scowl etched on her face, pulling liquid gold eyes into slits under her furrowed brow. She glanced up at me briefly before stuffing the papers into some sort of canvas bag which she slung over her shoulder, and stalking out the room. Oh yes. That reminded me. I'd been in the Inbetween for 253 years.

As I laid there, I tried to feel something, anything. But I was numb inside. No matter how much I tried to repress it, Percy's face kept slamming into me- his smile, his bright green eyes, the muddy caramel hair that always flopped over his brow.

He was standing at the foot of my bed.

As I gazed upon his face, he smiled at me, showing rows of pearly white teeth- I couldn't help it- I smiled back. I felt some of that pain recede. It was only a small amount, but it was enough to bring some feeling back.

That didn't last long. Typical.

Slowly his smile turned to horror and his eyes widened as water began to slide off his body, dripping from his clothes and pooling on the dark floor. His fair skin turned a violent blue as blood began to slide almost lazily from the gaping cut in his throat, like some kind of macabre smile. He reached out for me, lips silently moving. Saying my name, I thought. He grasped my shoulders, eyes pleading for me to save him, why didn't I save him? He began to shake me…

This time when I awoke, it was because Sam was shaking me, concern lacing her voice as she called my name. Tears streamed soundlessly from my eyes, dampening the soft pillow beneath my head as the hallucination slowly faded. I violently shoved the images where I wouldn't find them again. This time, I wouldn't succumb to my past.

I rubbed the tears from my eyes and gave Sam what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. She wasn't fooled. Eyeing me off, she arched a single dark brow questioningly at my damp cheeks, silently demanding an explanation. I gave her one. "Sorry- nightmare." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the truth either. She took my word for it.

"Okay, well, I hope you're alright…anyway- Nancy wants everyone to come have breakfast now."

She glanced over my outfit quickly before saying,

"Don't bother changing- just come in what you're wearing. I'll see you downstairs."

As she swung out of the room, I noticed an unnatural flash of red in her short, ruffled locks. Strange, strange girl. Inexplicably, I felt a wild giggle escape my mouth followed by several more hysterical expressions of mirth. I'm a 280 year old corpse come back from the dead and yet here I sat calling others strange? Still giggling, I pulled the covers off my legs and swung them onto the floor, the chilly air of the house raising the hairs on my arms.

As I left the room- I noticed an extra bed in the room. Interesting- I quickly made a mental note to ask about it later.

Remembering the directions Kai had given me last night, I made my way to kitchen and dining area which before had been cold and empty, but was now positively teeming with life. Children of all ages sat at a several large tables eating foods that were largely foreign to me, yelling and laughing loudly with each other- there had to have been at least fifteen of them, well sixteen now that I was here. None of them gave me a second glance- I guess they were used to new arrivals. Suddenly, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder, causing me to take in a sharp breath and flinch a little. A light laugh answered in response.

"You really need to lighten up. Stress is a killer you know."

Of course it was Kai. I opened my mouth to reply but before I could speak a bag came flying out of nowhere right into the back of Kai's head, eliciting a rather high pitched "ow".

"Lay off Miller. She only just arrived here and you're already being an annoying twat."

"You really need to reign in those violent tendencies mate- I think you fractured my skull."

"And you really need to shut the fuck up."

I was no stranger to a sailor's mouth, and this one belonged to a particularly irritated boy who was currently rolling his eyes in a rather exaggerated manner. My eyes took in long unkempt black hair, pale skin and a tall skinny frame. You would have guessed he was older- eighteen, maybe nineteen, but his eyes told a different story. They were too large, too bright, and all too innocent looking for adult. An innocence marred by the scowl furrowing his brow. No, this boy, was sixteen at most. He was glaring at him, ferocious green burning with hatred. Well that was surprising- Kai didn't seem the type to make enemies. He waited until the boy had left the room before leaning and whispering in my ear dramatically,

"He doesn't really like me."

I ignored him, "Who was that?"

"Just my roomie."

"What did you do to him?" Kai protested indignantly.

"Hey who said I did anything to him!" I raised an eyebrow. He looked away embarrassed.

"Erm, well I do flirt a bit with Sam. I don't think he's figured out that she's a lesbian yet."

"You really shouldn't tease him like that- it's not very nice." A brief flicker of pain flashed across his face, disappearing before I could figure out what it meant. He changed the topic.

"Come on- let's eat. If we're not careful those brats will take all the toast."

At that moment, Ms. Carthright stepped out of the kitchen attached to the back end of the dining area, a piece of toasted bread hanging from her teeth. When she spotted me she stopped in her tracks, quickly chewing her mouthful whilst simultaneously motioning for me to join her. As I sat down, a large cat with smudges of white interrupting the otherwise completely ginger coat began rubbing itself against my ankles, purring quite violently. I reached down to scratch behind its soft ears, which I noticed were riddled with holes and tears. I guess we both had our fair share of scars. The petting was interrupted by Ms. Carthright.

"He belongs to one of our boys- Ronin, but he's really just a street cat he picked up. We pick up a lot of strays here- it's a family that just keeps getting bigger." She looked around the room, a small but genuine smile pulling her mouth upwards, before turning back to examine me. "And now we have you, our newest stray. So did you enjoy your sleep?"

I nodded mutely, unsure that I'd be able to keep the false note out of my voice. I never was good at lying- not much good at identifying lies either it would seem. She smiled, seemingly satisfied with my response.

"Well good- because that's going to be your room which you will share with the other four girls."

Four? Noticing my confused expression, she slapped her forehead lightly.

"Oh sorry sweetie! I forgot your other roommate Hirohi was staying at a friend's house. She should be here later actually- I'll get Kai to introduce you. But before you meet her- just a warning, don't stare at her arms. She's very sensitive about the cuts."

I simply nodded in understanding- I remembered the shame and humiliation of the girl in my village, who would cut her arms just to feel something other than her father's touch. I wondered what kind of pain this girl was trying to drown out.

"Anyway dear, I've talked to the principal at the local high school and he said you can start whenever you want- all the other older kids go there so you won't be alone. Unfortunately however, you've arrived during the Christmas holidays so you'll have to work to catch up, but what's life without a little challenge eh? Now when you've finished your breakfast go get dressed so we can get your school supplies."

As she pushed back her chair- the cat began to meow for attention, to which it was promptly awarded by Ms. Carthright who cuddled the animal lovingly before disappearing up the stairs.

Now that she was gone, Kai took that as an opportunity to sidle close to me, a second bowl of porridge in his large hand- luckily for me, because it was one of the very few things I had recognised out of the strange array of food available. As the warm scent of oats and honey reached my nose, I realised how desperately hungry I was. Trying to maintain more dignity in front of him than I had last night, I slowly picked up a steaming spoonful, blowing carefully before placing it in my mouth. He huffed loudly.

"I was right- those brats did take all the toast."

I smiled slightly. "I think it was Ms. Carthright who took the last piece actually." He gasped in mock outrage.

"Such a crime will not be forgiven!"

It was at that moment I felt something tug my pant-leg. I looked down to see the small face of a toddler, raspberry jam smeared around his mouth. He was offering me a slice of toast, half eaten with bit of egg hanging from one end. I smiled warmly and took the toast, patting his soft, light brown hair gently.

"Thankyou" I whispered. For some reason I couldn't place, tears sprang to my eyes. I could feel Kai staring at me from the back of my vision. The child stared expectantly at me, blue eyes wide with anticipation. I nibbled at the least soggy part, making a great show of swallowing and enjoying it. He beamed and clapped his little chubby hands a few times. Kai leaned over me and ruffled his hair.

"Hey Jamie- where's my toast?"

The child frowned bossily.

"No! You're naughty! You don't get toast!"

And with that Jamie toddled off, his little legs wobbling with every step. Kai winced.

"Ouch."

I smiled, "Well Kai, naughty boys don't get toast, and you've clearly committed some grievous crime."

"Would accidentally spilling my drink on his picture count?"

"Probably."

"Ah. Well that's going to be a problem because I can't survive without toast."

I held up the half eaten piece, that bit of egg still dangling gelatinously from the corner. "You can have my slice if you want toast so desperately. Completely free of charge." To my surprise he leant over and took a huge bite of the slice in my hand. I was frozen in shock as he looked up at me. He was too close way too close too close closecloseclose. He smiled and swallowed.

"Well that was fucking terrible."

I scrambled away, rambling something like I had to go freshen up before practically running out of the room. I didn't stop until I got to my bed, where I promptly dived under the covers and began hyperventilating. When did I become so pathetic?

Why did he do that? I wasn't here to play games, but if he wasn't… well I had so little capacity to deal with that that it was practically non-existent. They say third time's the charm, but that didn't work and I highly doubt the fourth would. First lover murdered. Second murdered me. And the last married someone else. I focused on these three things, successfully eliminating the devil on my shoulder who whispered "maybe".

No.

I had had enough love and heartbreak to last me a lifetime. Or two.


I was staring out the frosty window at the swirling maelstrom of snow that had replaced the sleet and rain when I heard the door open. I turned around to see a girl who could only be Hirohi enter the room. Her hair was long, dark and dead straight, contrasting her light, creamy tanned skin. Her face was wide and sweet, full lips and almond eyes that were a rich brown in colour. She glanced around the room curiously before her eyes settled on me. She smiled warmly as she closed the door.

"So. You're my new roommate huh?"

I smiled back, "Yeah I got here last night." She nodded.

"Made any friends yet?"

I hesitated, I liked Sam but I wouldn't classify us as friends yet. Then there was him. I supposed we were friends. I said as much. "Not really, but I've kind of become friends with Kai."

Very quickly her friendliness morphed into obvious dislike. She dropped her bag on the floor with a loud thud before narrowing her eyes at me and smiling.

Something in that fake smile felt loaded with malicious intent. I faltered. Nothing about this was going like I thought it would.

"How…nice."

The words were utterly saturated with venom, her saccharine tone doing little to disguise the hatred beneath it. Then as quickly as she had entered, she turned and walked out without so much as a "goodbye". The meeting was fast but I felt as if she had just interrogated me for hours, something so accusing in her eyes that I almost felt as if I had actually done something wrong. In her eyes I had, my crime was as clear to me as the alpine water that flowed from mountains: Kai.

I sighed, not twenty four hours and this boy was already putting me in a world of hurt. I could only hope that this girl, this sad, angry girl, would figure out that I wasn't interested and stop this misplaced hatred. Her behaviour wasn't foreign to me. I had seen it a million times and no doubt would live to see it a million times more. Jealousy was such an ugly emotion, and yet it plagued even the best of us, hooking its claws so that we were blind to anything else. It reminded me of the mirror shard in the Snow Queen. Most people in this world would simply blink the shard out, but there would always be those whose shard would find its way to the heart, burying itself deep.

Blink Hirohi. Please blink.


I gripped the handle of the door hard as the self-moving carriage they called a car accelerated through a sea of more metal monstrosities, the snow melting into a dirty grey slush which sprayed as the wheels tore through it. My gut lurched every time we turned a corner or came to a sudden stop at the red light, but Ms. Carthright either ignored, or didn't notice my unease. We when finally came to a complete rest in front of some storefronts, I practically leapt out of the car. From the slick pathway, I could see the beach, white snow banks blanketing the pebbles as vicious waves swept the shore. Where the waves didn't touch the snow, strange breaths of white powder swirled frantically in eddies. I had always loved the violent swell of the ocean in winter. As a girl, I used to run to rocky shores and pretend I was some pagan goddess instructing the waves and wind. It was in those moments that I would get that curious feeling. It was a feeling of knowing, just knowing, that you were alive.

I'm here. I matter. I'm important.

Far above the fray, a small dark bird was struggling against invisible currents in the grey sky. I watched as it dipped and spun, tiny wings beating desperately against the unrelenting enemy. Surely it knew it couldn't succeed? And yet it continued its seemingly eternal battle, unwavering in its purposeful frenzy until it was swallowed by the enveloping white and lost from sight.


I was still staring at the space where the dark bird had been when Ms. Carthright gently tapped me on the shoulder and began leading me to the store. We got the uniform and other various accessories before hurrying to the next location where we bought a variety of winter clothing. There must have been drastic changes in fashion over the years, as I found no dresses suitable for the winter. I did manage to find, however, some nice long skirts and blouses which I could wear with a sweater, though Ms. Carthright convinced me to buy "jeans" and shirts along with some scarves and woollen hats. I needed to adapt to this new future, and if that meant wearing pants then so be it. At least they were more comfortable than those detestable corsets.

When all the shopping was finally completed, we got back into the car and began the trip home. As we drove, the snow began falling more rapidly, soft flakes becoming unintelligible lumps which flurried dangerously in the sky. Ms. Carthright didn't seem too concerned about the coming storm, driving calmly through the quiet streets as the piles of snow on rooftops and streets deepened. By the time we were carrying the bags over the threshold, it reached to my mid-calf with no sign of slowing. I closed the front door with some difficulty, having to fight not only the weight of the heavy wood but also the weight of the wind and snow. We then carried the bags upstairs, Ms. Carthright handing down her load to some dark skinned eleven year old boy who she introduced as Terence. He chatted with me amiably about the weather, informing me that they hadn't got any snow until the night I arrived and how he was sad he had missed out on a White Christmas. We were almost at my room when a laughing blur streaked past, smacking Dylan so that a chase ensued. I giggled as the sounds of their game faded into the dark hallway. I dragged the rest of the bags by myself into the room and began ordering them as best I could in the little white set of draws placed at the end of my bed.

Though I felt some form of affinity with my bed, the rest of the room still felt strange. Not for the first time these 10 years past, I longed for my previous belongings: the ballet shoes father brought back from Paris, my telescope from Venice and the astronomy books that accompanied it; my copy of the Herball, my German piano and most of all: Pumpernickel. Pumpernickel was a fox I met in the forest one day while waiting for Percy, who I caught trying to steal my sandwich. I felt sorry for him, so I let him have it, and after that, he wouldn't leave me alone- he even slept on the foot of my bed, much to the servants' despair. After my murder, Pumpernickel had screamed and cried in my room, for three days straight, stopping briefly to eat and sleep. My parents didn't have the heart to kick him out, but when I didn't come home, he left and I never saw him again. In that life or the next. The only thing left that belonged to me was that dress, but despite the yearning for familiarity I felt, I supposed it was for the best. The more of that old life I left behind, the more chance I had to start anew in this one.


I stared hard at the meal laid in front of me. I must have looked mad to everyone else. Bethany told me it was chicken, not bothering to hide her confusion at my ignorance, but besides being white within, the golden blob held no resemblance to chicken whatsoever. I nibbled one, and upon discovering that they weren't that terrible began to chew, the spongey flesh offering some resistance. Luckily however, I could recognise the vegetables laid out beside the blobs. Once we had finished dinner and some kind of pie had been brought out, Ms. Carthright took it as an opportunity to introduce all the children. Kai, Sam, Bethany, Amrit, Jamie, Hirohi and Terence I already knew, but there were still ten more children. Kai's roommate was introduced as Ronin, the cat's mysterious owner, and in a giggling pair were the six year olds Frankie and Jenny. The blur from before was sitting with Terence and was identified as the eleven year old Ash, his light blonde hair and dark blue eyes were striking contrasted to Terence's dark features. Another pair of girls, these ones twelve, told me their names were Georgia and Sonny. I was also introduced to another pair of obvious friends, the fourteen year old Evaine and the fifteen year old Peter. Even so, I noticed Peter looking at Bethany every so often. The last person I was introduced to was Kirihito, Hirohi's seven year old brother. I was astounded by how different he was to her. He laughed and yelled for the duration of the entire meal, making conversation with all the age groups. Clearly, he was not restricted by social circles. Hirohi on the other hand, mostly said nothing, occasionally chatting with Ronin or Kai who she sat between. I thought back to my Japanese training which was cut short by my death. Though many were surprised to learn I was studying Japanese, I had already mastered French, German, Italian, Latin, and Arabic and wanted to try something interesting. I was pleased to find that I still remembered some. Hirohi meant "abundant benevolence", whereas Kirihito could be translated as "cut people". The irony was both saddening, and vaguely amusing.

My thoughts were drowned out by a loud chorus that seemed split into two, one half laughing, the other groaning. The boy called Peter's voice rose above the rest, revealing a stutter.

"P-p-p-please Kai, d-don't mmmm-m-make jokes. Y-yyy-yyou're terrible at them."

Kai gasped in response, clutching at his heart in mock agony before flashing the boy a devilish grin.

"Shut up."

"Shhh-shouldn't that b-be mm-my line?"

"Oh you break my heart Peter, you truly do."

I looked at Peter, who was barely hiding his smile with a look of disdain. He had an unruly mop of light brown hair which curled up into rather impressive and messy poof on top of his head. Beneath this were bright blue eyes set off by pale skin and a thin, almost feminine frame. He noticed me staring and gave me a quick, shy smile before turning back to his dessert. He seemed quite sweet, and I hoped Bethany didn't reject him if he ever did find the courage to confess.

When the meal ended, Ms. Carthright, who insisted I call her Nancy, read aloud the roster for cleaning the dishes, which had decided upon Sam, Bethany, Ronin and Hirohi. When Kai heard this, he whooped in delight before grabbing my arm and practically dragging me out of the room. As I glanced back, I saw the look on Hirohi's face which was enough to motivate me to leave as fast as I could. Once we were out of the kitchen however, I regretted the decision almost immediately. We were now alone in the dark hallway and his hand, having migrated from mine to my shoulder, was guiding me to wherever he thought we were going. I was hyperaware of his touch, my movement tense and awkward. He pretended not to notice. I cleared my throat, "-where are we going?' My voice echoed strangely, syllables bouncing back and forth in the darkness. He turned and grinned, waggling his eyebrows ridiculously so that I couldn't help but laugh.

"You and I, madam, are going to play a little game. A game in which I will undoubtedly beat you."

That piqued my interest. I smiled neatly.

"And what, per say, would this little game be?"

He didn't answer, continuing to guide me forward until we came to the end of the hallway, where he pushed open a door to reveal what looked like a cross between and child's bedroom and a library. On one side of the room lay boxes crammed full of colourful, hard toys, as well as large, bright sacks stuffed with something soft. These sacks were placed strategically in front of a box, comprising of what looked like black glass and that hard substance that was seemingly abundant in this new world. On the other side, a small, flat version of the odd cube was sitting on a desk, and plush armchairs and sofas occupied the space. But what caught my attention the most was the far wall, which was taken up completely by shelves crammed from floor to roof with books. It had nowhere near the amount our personal library used to have, but except for some Shakespeare plays I knew none of the titles on display. The books were also infinitely more colourful than mine had been, and no two spines were alike. I was still gawking at the shelves when Kai called out to me.

"Come on! We're not here to read books, we're here so I can kick your arse at chess!"

Ignoring that last part, I pretended to look vaguely worried as I sat down at the little table on which the chessboard lay. "I haven't played chess in a while- can you tell me the rules again?" I nodded innocently as he confidently explained the intricacies of the game. I acted like I was listening, but in reality had drifted off completely. I had been playing chess since I was a child and had never lost a game in fifteen years- this poor boy had no idea. When he had finished, he looked at me expectantly, and I felt a twinge of guilt in deceiving him.

"Got it?"

"I think so." He grinned.

"Get ready to weep love."

Okaaay, less feelings of guilt now. I kept my face a light mixture of confusion and frustration as we begun the game. A couple of moves in, I deliberately made a simple mistake, inwardly smiling as Kai's overly confident grin got even wider. As we played, we chatted amiably about nothing in particular- mostly about how I was settling in and whether or not the blobs could be considered real chicken. We didn't mention the toast incident. When we were about halfway through the game however, the topic gained a more serious note. He voice was cautious as he asked the question, but his eyes remained on the board.

"Nancy said your parents got sick and died… how old were you when it happened?"

I took out one of his castles as I pondered what lie to choose. I opted for the least untruthful.

"Last year, after my seventeenth birthday." He looked up sharply and held my gaze, silver eyes glinting with sympathy and…something else. He leant over and lightly touched my shoulder before pulling away.

"I know you're probably sick of people saying this, but I'm sorry".

I averted my eyes, uncomfortable. I had looked for my parents' grave when they had died, simultaneously sad and overjoyed that I wouldn't be alone anymore. But when I finally found them, they were nothing more than decomposing bodies, skin still blotchy with internal bleeding and fingertips blackened with gangrene left by the infection. After, I had hid myself in some dark corner of Downstairs and cried for three days before snapping myself out of it, telling my brain that I was being selfish and that I should be happy their souls had moved on. But it still hurt. It hurt badly.

I kept my eyes on the chess pieces as I spoke, feigning apathy. "Thanks. I'm okay though, really." His expression was dubious as my voice wobbled slightly at the end, but he didn't comment on it. I decided to switch the focus to him. "What about you? Where're your parents?" He smiled humourlessly.

"My old man's in prison for child abuse, and my mum died when I was eight."

"What'd she die of?"

"A bullet through her skull."

He looked at me, assessing my reaction. He seemed surprised when I didn't react with the appropriate amount of horror and sympathy. Funnily enough, one of the symptoms of living in purgatory for ten years with every kind of corpse imaginable was that death did little to faze me. See enough burnt alive "changelings", flayed skin and torn flesh, murders and accidents, and you begin to become a little desensitised to it all. But I felt like Kai wanted me to feel sorry for him, just so he could tell me it was all fine. But I knew it wasn't fine, it would probably never be fine. The best both of us could hope for was to try and forget it.

We lapsed into a mutual silence, focusing instead on the game. He had by now figured out that I wasn't as new to chess as I had led him to believe, his grin fading rapidly into a look of concern. Now that his "clear win" was in peril, he began making more serious, strategic moves. But I had been doing that since the beginning of the game and by then my victory was inevitable.

Checkmate.

The little queen clattered against the board, her stony white face revealing nothing. Kai's expression on the other hand was a mixed mask of despair and indignation. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair and over his face, pulling the skin into a Melpomene mask. Peering through his fingers, he eyed me as though seeing me in a new light.

"Pretty good for a beginner. One might say you've had years of practice and then lulled me into a false sense of security before decimating me."

I blinked innocently before saying sweetly, "whatever could you mean?" He scoffed good-naturedly.

"Don't pull that innocent face on me love- you've got a sneaky side, and I won't be trusting you that easily again".

"Is that so?"

"Indeed. In fact, let's play another round. This time I won't go so easy on you so we'll see who the true master of chess is!"

Exactly one hour later, it turned out to be me. Kai was groaning and I, feeling a little sorry for his sore ego, indulged him. Even so, my mind remained on the incident. Relief was the mild way to put it- after all the stress I had gone through, it seemed that the awkwardness had faded- assuming Kai had felt awkward in the first place. Either way, I felt comfortable that we were just friends. It was a funny feeling. For some reason, I had never made any friends with people my age Downstairs.

Maybe it was because they only reminded me of what I had lost.

a/n: Okay I had a whole line of excuses and reasons lined up for my lateness but I highly doubt any of you really want to listen to that shit so I'll just go with sorry hehe. Anyway, totes magotes my baby chili flakes ^u^ Also have (obviously) changed the name of my story to 'These Lovely Scars'.. Less cringey than the current title I like to think.

a/n: I don't want anyone to be confused by Peter's hair- his appearance, shyness and stutter are all based on Ken Kesey's character Billy Bibbit (half book version and half movie version)- look up his character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest if you don't know what I'm talking about. Obviously, Peter is far younger than our adorable Billy, but you get it. If anyone is offended by how I write his stutter can you suggest how to fix it? I've actually never met anyone in real life with a stutter, so my portrayal might be in the realm of offensive over-the-top Hollywood portrayals. Also the song for this chapter is: The Valley by Danny Leggett. Just want anyone who actually bothers to listen to the songs to know that they will usually have some basis in the story and character's feelings. This song is more subtly linked- but it's still there ^^ Also tell me if Kai's humour is cringey cringey, or endearing cringey. I'm trying to balance his character between humour and intensity.

Ps. I realise that the Corpse Bride is a Yiddish tale but since the true origins are disputed, I'd rather stick to Britain, which I can vaguely understand culturally (I'm Australian).

Pps. What Emily's parents have is not your well-known bubonic plague, it's actually septicaemic plague which yeah, pretty much does what it says. I'm going to fix the whole "swept through Britain" part in Chapter 3 because a. inaccurate (Britain stopped having second plague pandemic outbreaks around 1667) and b. thought of a more feasible reason, namely that Emily's father was a trader, and it was highly likely that he brought back plague from some outbreak in a country he was trading in (for the time period, this could include Moscow and Baghdad