Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

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seemed to get the words out. He frowned and pushed through it. “I’m …sorry?”Hugo sagged, hands on the counter in front of the sink. “If I’m going to askyou questions, you should be able to do the same. There are some things Idon’t like to talk about, at least not yet.”“Then you can understand if I’m the same way.”Hugo looked up in surprise. The smile returned. “I … yeah. Okay. I cansee that. That’s only fair.”And with that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Wallace tostare after him.
CHAPTER9Charon’s Crossing stayed relatively busy for most of the day. There was alull mid-afternoon before more people came as the blue sky started to shifttoward the encroaching dark. Wallace stayed in the kitchen, feelingvoyeuristic as he watched the customers filter in and out.He was surprised (Mei be damned) to see that not a single person tried toboot up a laptop or spend any time on their phones. Even those who camealone seemed happy enough to just sit in their chairs, taking in the noise ofthe tea shop. He was slightly amused (and more than a little horrified) whenhe tried to figure out what day it was, only to realize he had no idea. It tookhim a moment to count back the days. He’d died on a Sunday. His funeral hadbeen Wednesday.Which meant today was Thursday, though it felt like weeks had passed. Ifhe were still alive, he’d be in the office, his day hours from being over. Healways kept himself busy to the point of exhaustion, so much so that he’dusually collapse by the time he got home, falling face-first onto his bed untilhis alarm blared bright and early the next morning to begin all over again.It was illuminating.All that work, all that he’d done, the life he’d built. Had it mattered? Whathad been the point of anything?He didn’t know. It hurt to think about.With these thoughts thundering around his head, he played the part of thevoyeur as he had nothing else to do.Mei was in and out of the kitchen, telling Wallace she preferred to stay inthe back if at all possible. “Hugo’s the people person,” she told him. “Helikes to talk to everyone. I don’t.”“You’re in the wrong line of work if that’s the case.”
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Begin ReadingTable of ContentsAbout
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For Eric.I hope you woke up in a st
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CHAPTER1Patricia was crying.Wallace
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“Kyle was laid off two months ago
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“Kyle won’t touch me,” she wh
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dollars, and that doesn’t even be
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He never got the chance.Instead, tw
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Mostly.She wasn’t crying. He was
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you died, you continued to wear the
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Persian rug he’d spent an exorbit
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to show some kind of emotion. He wo
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He burst out laughing. Yes, he coul
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She grinned. “Oh, man. Just you w
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made it feel like so much more. It
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He said, “I…” He didn’t kno
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She wiped her eyes, still chuckling
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“Oh. Yeah, no. I get it. Yes, thi
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He blinked slowly, becoming aware o
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They rounded a corner, and he could
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He stared at her. “We’re seeing
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CHAPTER4He expected the inside of t
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The second time you share tea, you
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was … calming? Or so close to it
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know I don’t have time for this.
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“And there’s … what?”Hugo d
Page 53 and 54: questions. I’ll do my best to ans
Page 55 and 56: “I’m dead,” Wallace said.Hugo
Page 57 and 58: learned from her mother, a heavyset
Page 59 and 60: “There aren’t.”“Which means
Page 61 and 62: Hugo looked at him. “You’re a g
Page 63 and 64: CHAPTER6The first obstacle was the
Page 65 and 66: At least he tried to.It didn’t wo
Page 67 and 68: terrible as the rest of him. All so
Page 69 and 70: “Saw one, did you?”He whirled a
Page 71 and 72: place you’ll ever be before you c
Page 73 and 74: CHAPTER7Apollo seemed to know where
Page 75 and 76: Hugo chuckled. “A little older th
Page 77 and 78: Hugo shook his head. “No, I’m n
Page 79 and 80: “Hush,” Hugo said. “Don’t l
Page 81 and 82: “But he’s here.”“He is,”
Page 83 and 84: “You don’t need to sleep.”Wal
Page 85 and 86: Wallace’s eyes bulged as he looke
Page 87 and 88: “No.”“But you’re sitting on
Page 89 and 90: Nelson nodded toward the sconces on
Page 91 and 92: Wallace hadn’t even heard him app
Page 93 and 94: “Do what?” Mei asked as she rea
Page 95 and 96: The hook—always there, and he was
Page 97 and 98: And strangely, he thought he could
Page 99 and 100: moved around from table to table, t
Page 101 and 102: him.” And then, under her breath,
Page 103: woke up. He went to work. He stayed
Page 107 and 108: Mei gasped. “They do? Oh my god,
Page 109 and 110: “Obviously,” he said faintly.
Page 111 and 112: that’s taboo.” She looked away.
Page 113 and 114: “It’s like you, in a way,” sh
Page 115 and 116: “Nope.”Wallace groaned. “Then
Page 117 and 118: things. He had expensive clothes, a
Page 119 and 120: Nelson grinned. “Fair.” He rubb
Page 121 and 122: “It’s like that here,” Hugo s
Page 123 and 124: “It was fast,” Hugo said, stari
Page 125 and 126: Hugo seemed to let it go. “The Ma
Page 127 and 128: “You can’t ever go to them,”
Page 129 and 130: finding the truth within himself. W
Page 131 and 132: And now here they were in the fifth
Page 133 and 134: Her fault, he told himself as he sa
Page 135 and 136: They all fell into a schedule of so
Page 137 and 138: One of the other women said, “My
Page 139 and 140: “Because he doesn’t want to,”
Page 141 and 142: Wallace bit back a sharp retort whe
Page 143 and 144: stumbled around, making promises to
Page 145 and 146: Nelson laughed. “Refreshing. Frus
Page 147 and 148: Hugo, for his part, didn’t look a
Page 149 and 150: “I mean, there’s always a plea
Page 151 and 152: came here looking more alive than s
Page 153 and 154: Nothing.“All the time you—would
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Desdemona gasped, pulling her hands
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“A,” Desdemona said as the plan
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followers, and I command you to—
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CHAPTER12That night, Wallace follow
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“Then why didn’t you put a stop
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“It’s not always like this,”
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Wallace closed his eyes. Nancy was
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“A guardian of the doors,” Hugo
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“What does that mean?”“I can
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green door at the end. He walked th
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window looked out into a familiar k
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CHAPTER13At the beginning of his tw
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Hugo shrugged. It was infuriating.
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everything I’m saying right now?
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The tea shop was busy all day. Sinc
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“What will it take?” Wallace as
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Watch.”Wallace stood next to him
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some … some let it become all the
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“Obviously,” Nelson said. He re
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Wallace bit back a retort. They wer
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but my legs didn’t work. My arms
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“Yes,” Hugo said.“I was murde
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behind clouds. The tea plants looke
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people like him.” He swallowed th
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him and he waited, waited, waited f
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CHAPTER15Alan tried to leave.He did
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we’re all traveling on.”Alan sh
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we can do it after—”“Oh, hey,
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come. “Any specific reason?”“
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Wallace blinked. “Oh, uh. Practic
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“How did it go?”Hugo started to
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CHAPTER16“Are you sure about this
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down at his tea, muttering under hi
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“Yes,” Wallace said. “And whe
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The tables jumped again as Alan too
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He hated how much he focused on it,
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“He does,” Hugo said. He looked
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“Or I know my limits,” Wallace
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age. He was coldly handsome, though
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were here in February. Speaking of,
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him. He turned to see Alan stepping
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Alan rose slowly to his feet, point
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CHAPTER17It was bigger than any sta
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The boy nodded at Wallace before lo
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instead of solid. “In fact, an ar
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full well he wasn’t in his right
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dies. Death is cleansing. The pain
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Sure, the bureaucracy of it all can
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“He’s not gone,” Wallace said
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He didn’t know.He’d never felt
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“Then do it. I don’t know what
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Hugo shook his head. Muttering unde
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The sadness receded, though it didn
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On the third evening, Hugo switched
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Nancy did as asked, clutching her p
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Mei cocked her head as if confused,
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I KNOW. BUT I HOPE IN HEARING FROM
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For a moment, Wallace thought it’
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CHAPTER19Acceptance.It was easier t
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then another and then another. And
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didn’t know if anyone would answe
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“What’s that supposed to mean?
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“I’m not trying to,” Wallace
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He laughed wildly. “If not now, w
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Wallace felt the pull the moment th
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As the sun set, they stood side by
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He failed.His eyes rolled up in his
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They said, “Cameron, let’s go o
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grit his teeth together. Tears floo
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CHAPTER21The next day, Charon’s C
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He hung his head. “I’m scared,
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Nelson rose from his chair, tugging
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on forever. He wondered if there we
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Nelson standing in front of the tea
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Hugo lowered his hand back to the b
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“Hugo?”“Yeah?”“Don’t fo
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Wallace couldn’t. Everything was
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They drank tea as if it were any ot
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impressed.”“Frankly, I don’t
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“Don’t I?” the boy asked. He
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discriminate. It’s there for ever
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“You swear?” Wallace insisted.
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“Not afraid,” the Manager repea
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Someone crouched next to him. “Wa
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The Manager nodded. “The job will
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“I’m leaving now,” the Manage
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EPILOGUEOn an evening in the middle
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It wasn’t easy. Of course it wasn
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Desdemona Tripplethorne returned to
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Mei made them tea as the rest gathe
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But a river only moves in one direc
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Apollo licked his fingers.Hugo rose
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Mei began to recite the contents of
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Next, the sensitivity readers. Not
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READ ON FORMEI’SINTRODUCTION TORE
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INTRODUCTION TO REAPINGCongratulati
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For example, WHITE HUMAN WOMEN expe
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DD’s file before your arrival, yo
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We believe in you!The Managercc: Un
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ABOUT THE AUTHORTJ KLUNE is the New
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This is a work of fiction. All of t
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Chapter 22EpilogueAcknowledgmentsEx
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