Grim For Ever After, Elizabeth Haley [best books to read non fiction txt] 📗

jacket wasn't warm enough and she wrapped her arms around herself at the same time noticing a girl standing in front of Tessa's grave. A rust colored leaf crunched under Rae's tan boot and the girl turned. It was the girl from outside of Hot Stuff only instead of being dressed in prissy girly clothes she had spiked studs in her ears instead of pearls and she wore a red hoodie and gray skinny leg jeans last Rae took in the girls black Nike running shoes.

"You? You were in my room?"  The words hung in the air. 

"Yes but I can explain!" The girl said softly.

"What are you doing breaking into my room and running into me in town, have you been following me?" Rae was overwhelmed throwing accusations at the girl.

"No I've been trying to talk to you!"

"About what? Who are you?"


"Calm down and I'll tell you!" Rae's chest heaved but she stayed silent.

Nothing could have prepared her for what the girl said next.

"It's me Rae! I'm Tess!"

Rae's bag feel from her shoulder and down into the grass with a thud. The little pumpkin fell out bouncing a few feet away. Rae felt like if she moved she would fall if she breathed she would faint. So for a moment she just stood there staring at this girl who claimed to be Tessa. Then slowly she started backing away bending slightly to grab her beg.

"I don't know why you would say something like that!  Or who you are but I'm sure you had something to do with Tessa's death!" All the time she was speaking she got closer to her car. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and pressed nine.

"Don't be afraid I would never hurt you  just hear me out."

 The words reached her and so did the strange girl. Rae wasn't ready for the impossible speed the creep had moved in. Or when the girl made contact by grabbing her arm.
"You have to listen to me, just let me explain it's me! It's really is me!"
"Stop it please, you are not Tessa!!!"
Rae pushed the girl away and she fell backwards to the ground. Rae turned and ran pulling the car door open she jumped in and started the engine in one motion. she would of had to drive forward so she could turn around in the field but there was no time. So instead she started backing up. The girl was standing again and watching when suddenly her body slumped back to the ground. A voice Rae had heard countless times came from her right. She looked over and slammed her foot on the breaks.

"Please don't scream!" Tess said and Rae made a choking sound. Tess was there beside her only she was like fogged glass in the form of a girl. A girl with wavy shoulder length Brownish red hair and a flowing dress.

"Oh Tess it really is you!" Rae whispered her tears surfacing once again!

"Yup in the flesh, well sort of!" Tess said and then she did something that made Rae's body frost over, she giggled.

" But How?" Rae asked hoping she would wake up from the nightmare any moment.

"It's a long story, good thing I'm not pressed for time." Tess said.

 

"Would you stop being sarcastic! I'm kind of in shock here!" Rae breathed lowering her hand from her heart

"Sorry!" Tess whispered

Rae bit her lip and Tessa disappeared.

"Tess?" Oh no she was gone Tess really was a ghost! Rae was hyperventilating. Had that really just happened?
Had her deepest fear come true was Tessa  really apart of the undead. No, no way she had only gone loopy with greif and she was hulicinating.
Movement up ahead caught Rae's eye the girl had risen off the ground again proving just how real she was. Now she was picking up the pumpkin and jogging back to the beetle. She reached for the door but it was locked.

"Come on Rae! Don't you trust me it's your best friend in here!"

"Go away Rae pleaded, please just go, this can't be real!"

"It is real  and I need you  let me in I don't want to have to go ghost on you again." Rae looked at her for the longest moment of her life then slowly she reached over and unlocked the door. She didn't want her to go ghost either.

 

"Rae I want you to meet Mandi my corpse!" The girl said formally her voice no longer sounding like Tess at all and trying to hand Rae the pumpkin kitty.  Rea didnt take it.

"Corpse as in dead body?" Suddenly Rae was very aware that she was in the cemetery talking to dead people. 

"Yes as in dead as in her soul has been taken and I'm reanimating her body!" 

"Her soul got collected?" Rae asked

"Yea! But how do you know about that?" Mandi's eyebrow's raised.

 

"I read the book! But you should know that already, you took it from my room!"

" I was in there ,but all I took was my shoe's! I didn't see the book." The girl looked confused cocking her head to the side.

The tension was thicker then early morning fog when Rae asked "If you didnt take it then who?"

" I'm happy you know about me now, the rest you should to stay out of you're not susposed to know about any of this! Let me worry about the book okay?"  Rae glanced at the time 5:39. She had to get back though the trick or treaters disapoinment seemed inferrior now. 

 

Beside's if I'm going to talk about any of this stuff I'd rather not be in the cemetery." Tess finally said.  Rae agreed completely.

"But you are going to talk?'' Rae asked Torn between wanting to know and wanting to take off with her arms thrown into the air and letting the scream she'd  been holding in free like a banshee's.  She pulled into the field and turned around. Getting farther and closer to death at the same time. 

"So whats it like?" She said glancing sideways at the corpse who concealed her best friends soul.

"Dying, or reanimating a body? the girl said blinking doe shaped eye's at her.

"Both I guess."

"It wasn't so bad,dying I mean the way I went anyway It was like holding my breath until I past out painful but not for long!"

"Yea I didn't appreciate you using my belt by the way!" Rae said in all seriousness and the car was filled with Mandi's laughter again it was both musical and morbid. Before Rae could give in to the overwhelming shock of it all she laughed too. 

 Rae glanced at the girl again. The uneasiness was still prickling up her arm's and down her spine.

"It sucks reanimating a corpse though!" Tessa imformed her.

"How did this happen to you?"

"The Soul Collecter required payment my punishment was the price." Tessa said this to quickly a habbit she had when leaving out details.

 

"But if you have control over your soul how can he punish you? And what's a Grim by the way? Rae asked her thought's going this way and that on their very own freeway. She had'nt gotten the chance to read futher on the subject.

"A grim causes death!"

"Is it a person?"  Rae asked turning out of the cemetery. Yes and no there's more then one. Grims can be all sort's of thing's  a man named Penn a demon possesed teen sometime's a crow or a shadow and yes even a skeleton in a Harry Potter cloak!

"Are you a grim?"

"No I am a soul damned to reanimate this body while her poor family lives with her shell!" Tess said not meeting Rae's eye's

"You really live like you are Mandi?" Rae's eye's went big. When they got to her house, Jade was coming out the front door a silky blue scarf with moons and stars was wrapped around her head and big gold earrings dangled from her ears. She wore a a flowing dark blue dress and bracelets jingled on her arms she was dressed as a gypsy.

"Good you're here the kids are going to be coming!" She said opening her own cars door while Rae and Mandi climbed out of the Beetle.

"Who's your friend? She asked smiling up at them from the front seat.

"This is Mandi we met in the town the other day she's gonna help pass out candy and hang out! Uh Mandi this is my mom Mrs...

"Call me Jade sweet heart it is my name after all!" Mandi smiled that's the same thing Jade said the first time she met Tess.

"Ok don't have to much fun! She said jokingly. Are Laney and Jake going to come over?" Rae was annoyed her mom had left Ty out again she'd been doing that since the funeral.

"No mom it's just gonna be me and Mandi!"

"Hmm, well save me some chocolate girls!" With that she shut the door and was backing out of the driveway.


They hadn't even reached the kitchen before the first set of trick or treaters came. The cutest little girl was dressed up as a bumble bee and the boy was dressed as Justin Beiber both Rae and Mandi shared looks they were not Beiber fans. They were laughing about it going back into the house so they could grab chairs.

"Does anyone else know, about you?"

"No! And you cant tell anyone especially not Ty!"

" Why not?"  

"It's just better that way, okay?".

"Okay!" Rae said. when ofcourse it wasnt.
Unable to do what Tess asked Rae brought up the book again. They had just taken seat's on the porch when two groups of kids and parents walked up. Rae had to wait before speaking. 

 

" I deserve to know who's been creeping around my room besides you. Dont you think?" She asked the second they were alone.

Tess sighed, "do you honestly think knowing will ease your mind?"

"Yes!" Rae said ignoring the twinge of doubt she did have.

" Alright then my guess is that Brick took it."

Another group of kids yelled trick or treat. Rae had completely zoned out from the rest of the world, She gave each kid a hand full of candy and sent them on there way.

"That make's sense he's the one who told me to go looking for it the first place." Rae realized she'd been set up.

"I hate to be cliche but I really have said to much already and to be complety honest you never know  whos listening and watching.!" Mandi's eyes darted around not focusing on the children dressed as monsters and ghouls but beyond them searching for the ones Rae could not and didn't want to see.

 

"The Death Bearer came to me in the form of a crow perched outside my bedroom window!" Tess said suddenly answering Rae's unspoken question and as if she couldn't help telling Rae everything.  After that crow opened it's mouth and spoke to me I had to believe when it told me I was going to die!"
"I'm so sorry, you must have been so afraid!"

"I was, until I met Brick he let me know about the book and that I was going to be okay he gave me a whole knew prospective!"

"How did Brick know you needed help? Not that it was much help he told you to kill yourself Tess he knew the possibilities of what could happen, and you are not okay you're dead!".

"I was going to die either way Rae, death was like literally on my heals. And Brick was only doing his job.

"Are you suffering?"

"No not physically anyway but Mandi is I have to do something about it." 

"And what about  Brick why did he want the book?"

After three more groups of kids and watching Mandi mentally weigh Tessa's options she turned to her. "I assume you already know Bricks not normal." Rae nodded she certaintly had her suspiscions.

"He's possessed by a demon that's feeding off of his soul. She paused waiting for Rae to react but she just silently waited for the rest. 

"He thinks the book has a spell that wiil rid him of the demon, vanquish it . And if he does'nt figure it out soon he will have no soul to speak of and he will be all demon.

" Rae started to ask something else but Tess was standing.  

"Please  don't come sneaking after me this isn't