Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune
“Until?”Her eyes slid unfocused as she looked off into nothing. “Until someonecame for me and offered me a job. He told me who—what I was. And withthe proper training, what I could do. He brought me here to Hugo, to see ifwe’d make a good match.”“The Manager,” Wallace said.“Yeah. But don’t worry about him. He’s nothing we can’t handle.”“Then why do you seem so scared of him?”She startled. “I’m not scared of anything.”He didn’t think that was true. If she was telling the truth and was human,she’d always have to be scared of something. That was how humanityworked. Survival instinct was based on a healthy dose of fear.“I’m wary of him,” she said. “He’s … intense. And that’s putting it mildly.I’m grateful he brought me here and taught me what he knows, but it’s betterwhen he’s gone.”From everything he’d heard about the Manager, Wallace hoped he’d staygone. “And he … what? Made you this way?”She shook her head. “He fine-tuned what was already there. I’m a sort ofmedium, and yes, I know how that sounds, so you can shut your mouth.”He did.“I have…” She paused. Then, “It’s like when you’re standing in adoorway. You have one foot on one side, and the other foot on the other side.You’re in two places at once. That’s me. He just showed me how to lean intoone side of the doorway, and how to pull myself back.”“How can you do this?” Wallace asked, suddenly feeling very small.“How can you be surrounded by death all the time and not let it get to you?”“I wish I could tell you it’s because I always wanted to help people,” Meisaid. “But that would be a lie. I didn’t … I didn’t know how to be. I had tounlearn so many things I’d been taught. Hell, the first time Hugo hugged me, Ididn’t hug him back because that’s not something I’d ever really had before.Contact, much less physical affection, wasn’t something I was used to. It tookme a while to appreciate it for what it was.” She grinned at him. “Now, I’mpretty much the best hugger.”Wallace remembered how her hand had felt in his the first time, the reliefthat’d washed over him. He couldn’t imagine going an entire life withoutknowing something like that.
“It’s like you, in a way,” she said. “You need to unlearn all that you know.I wish I could just flip a switch for you, but that’s not how it works. It’s aprocess, Wallace, and it takes time. For me, it started when I was shown thetruth. It changed me, though definitely not right away.” She hopped downfrom the counter, though she kept the distance between them. “I do what I dobecause I know there’s never been a time in your life when you’ve been moreconfused or more vulnerable. And if I can do something to at least alleviatethat a little bit, then so be it. Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is anending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.”He was stunned when he felt a tear trickle down onto his cheek. Hebrushed it away, not able to look at Mei as he did so. “You’re awfullystrange.”He heard the smile in her voice. “Thank you. That might be the nicest thingyou’ve ever said to me. You’re awfully strange too, Wallace Price.”Hugo was in front of the fireplace when Wallace left the kitchen, putting logsin under the direct supervision of Nelson. Apollo sat on his haunches,looking between the two of them, tongue hanging out of his mouth as hepanted. “Higher,” Nelson said. “Make it a big one. I’ve got a chill in mybones. Gonna be a cold night. Spring often lies with hints of green and sun.”“Of course it does,” Hugo said. “Don’t want you to be cold.”“Absolutely,” Nelson agreed. “I could catch my death, and then wherewould you be?”Hugo shook his head. “I don’t even want to imagine.”“Good man. Ah, there it is.” The fire grew, the flames bright. “Alwayssaid that having a good fire and good company is all a person needs.”“Funny,” Hugo said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.”Nelson sniffed. “Then you weren’t listening. I say it all the time. I’m yourelder, Hugo, which means you should be hanging on to my every word andbelieving everything I say.”“I do,” Hugo assured him as he stood. “I couldn’t ignore you if I tried.”“Damn right,” Nelson said. He tapped his cane on the floor, and he wasback in his pajamas, bunny slippers and all. “That’s better. Wallace, don’t
- 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 and 104: woke up. He went to work. He stayed
- Page 105 and 106: CHAPTER9Charon’s Crossing stayed
- Page 107 and 108: Mei gasped. “They do? Oh my god,
- Page 109 and 110: “Obviously,” he said faintly.
- Page 111: that’s taboo.” She looked away.
- 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
- Page 155 and 156: Desdemona gasped, pulling her hands
- Page 157 and 158: “A,” Desdemona said as the plan
- Page 159 and 160: followers, and I command you to—
- Page 161 and 162: CHAPTER12That night, Wallace follow
“It’s like you, in a way,” she said. “You need to unlearn all that you know.
I wish I could just flip a switch for you, but that’s not how it works. It’s a
process, Wallace, and it takes time. For me, it started when I was shown the
truth. It changed me, though definitely not right away.” She hopped down
from the counter, though she kept the distance between them. “I do what I do
because I know there’s never been a time in your life when you’ve been more
confused or more vulnerable. And if I can do something to at least alleviate
that a little bit, then so be it. Death isn’t a final ending, Wallace. It is an
ending, sure, but only to prepare you for a new beginning.”
He was stunned when he felt a tear trickle down onto his cheek. He
brushed it away, not able to look at Mei as he did so. “You’re awfully
strange.”
He heard the smile in her voice. “Thank you. That might be the nicest thing
you’ve ever said to me. You’re awfully strange too, Wallace Price.”
Hugo was in front of the fireplace when Wallace left the kitchen, putting logs
in under the direct supervision of Nelson. Apollo sat on his haunches,
looking between the two of them, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he
panted. “Higher,” Nelson said. “Make it a big one. I’ve got a chill in my
bones. Gonna be a cold night. Spring often lies with hints of green and sun.”
“Of course it does,” Hugo said. “Don’t want you to be cold.”
“Absolutely,” Nelson agreed. “I could catch my death, and then where
would you be?”
Hugo shook his head. “I don’t even want to imagine.”
“Good man. Ah, there it is.” The fire grew, the flames bright. “Always
said that having a good fire and good company is all a person needs.”
“Funny,” Hugo said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.”
Nelson sniffed. “Then you weren’t listening. I say it all the time. I’m your
elder, Hugo, which means you should be hanging on to my every word and
believing everything I say.”
“I do,” Hugo assured him as he stood. “I couldn’t ignore you if I tried.”
“Damn right,” Nelson said. He tapped his cane on the floor, and he was
back in his pajamas, bunny slippers and all. “That’s better. Wallace, don’t
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