Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune
It wasn’t easy. Of course it wasn’t. Wallace was learning how to live again,an adjustment that proved harder than he expected. He still made mistakes.But he wasn’t like he’d been before his heart had stopped.They argued, sometimes, but it was always small, and they didn’t leavethings unsaid. They were making it work. Wallace was sure they alwayswould.And it wasn’t as if they were in each other’s back pockets all the time.They all had jobs to do. Mei took on her role as Wallace’s trainer with gusto.She was quick to point out when he messed up, but never held it against him.She worked him hard but only because she knew what he was capable of.“One day,” she told him, “you’ll be doing this on your own. You gottabelieve in yourself, man. I know I do.”It was more than he expected. He never thought about death until he died.And now that he’d returned, he sometimes struggled with the bigger picture,the point of it all. But he had Mei and Nelson and Apollo to fall back onwhen things got confusing. And Hugo, of course. Always Hugo.The Manager had returned a week after bringing Wallace back to life. Andwith him came their second Husk, a woman with black teeth and a vacantstare. Wallace frowned at the sight of her, but he wasn’t afraid.“Do what you will,” the Manager said, offering no further assistance. Hesat in a chair, munching on a plate of leftover scones.“You’re not going to help?” Wallace asked.The Manager shook his head. “Why should I? A successful managerknows how to delegate. You figure it out.”They did, eventually, because of Mei. As the Manager looked on, shestood in front of the Husk. She took her hand. Mei grimaced, and if it wasanything like it’d been with Cameron, Wallace knew she was seeing flashesof the woman’s life, all the choices she’d made that had led to her becomingas she was. By the time she let the woman go, she was crying. Hugo reachedfor her, but Mei shook her head. “It’s all right,” she said weakly. “It’s just …a lot. All at once.” She wiped her eyes. “I know how to help her. It’s like itwas with Wallace and Cameron. Hugo, it’s up to you.”Hugo stepped forward, and though Wallace couldn’t see it, he knew Hugograbbed the hook in his own chest, pulling it out with a grunt. The air in thetea shop grew hot as he pressed the hook into the Husk. She gagged as her
skin filled with the colors of life. She bent over, clutching her sides as theblack of her teeth turned to white.“Wh-aaat,” the woman said. “Wha-aaaat is … this? What. Is happening?”“You’re safe,” Hugo said. He glanced at Wallace who arched an eyebrow,a pointed look at Hugo’s chest. Hugo nodded, and Wallace breathed a sigh ofrelief. Another hook had appeared in Hugo’s chest, connecting him to thewoman. It’d worked. “I’ve got you. Can you tell me your name?”“Adriana,” she whispered.The Manager muttered through a mouthful of scone.Since that day, they’d helped a dozen more Husks. Sometimes it was Mei.Other times, it was Wallace. There were days when they’d leave to find theHusks themselves, and others when the Husks would appear on the roadleading to the tea shop, surrounded by hoofprints in the dirt. Some wereharder than others. One had been a Husk for close to two hundred years anddidn’t speak English. They’d managed to help him by the skin of their teeth,but Wallace knew that it would only get easier from there. They’d do whatthey could for all who came to them.The people of the town were curious about this new addition to Charon’sCrossing. It didn’t take long for rumors to spread about Wallace and hisrelationship with Hugo. People came in to gawk at him. The older womencooed, the younger women seemed disappointed that Hugo was off themarket (as did a few of the men, much to Wallace’s complicated glee), and itwasn’t long before the newness of it all faded and Wallace became yetanother fixture of the town. They waved at him when they saw him on thesidewalk or in the grocery store. He always waved back.Wallace Price became Wallace Reid. At least, that’s what his new ID andSocial Security card said. Mei told him not to ask too many questions whenshe’d handed them to him after returning from a three-day trip to visit hermother, which she said had gone better than she expected. “Mom knowspeople,” she said, lips quirking. “She picked out the last name for you.Showed her a couple of pictures of you, and she told me to tell you thesurname is because you’re thin as a reed, and that you need to eat more.”“I’ll write her a thank-you note,” Wallace said, distracted as he brushed afinger over his new name.“Good. She’s expecting you to.”
- Page 279 and 280: “I’m not trying to,” Wallace
- Page 281 and 282: He laughed wildly. “If not now, w
- Page 283 and 284: Wallace felt the pull the moment th
- Page 285 and 286: As the sun set, they stood side by
- Page 287 and 288: He failed.His eyes rolled up in his
- Page 289 and 290: They said, “Cameron, let’s go o
- Page 291 and 292: grit his teeth together. Tears floo
- Page 293 and 294: CHAPTER21The next day, Charon’s C
- Page 295 and 296: He hung his head. “I’m scared,
- Page 297 and 298: Nelson rose from his chair, tugging
- Page 299 and 300: on forever. He wondered if there we
- Page 301 and 302: Nelson standing in front of the tea
- Page 303 and 304: Hugo lowered his hand back to the b
- Page 305 and 306: “Hugo?”“Yeah?”“Don’t fo
- Page 307 and 308: Wallace couldn’t. Everything was
- Page 309 and 310: They drank tea as if it were any ot
- Page 311 and 312: impressed.”“Frankly, I don’t
- Page 313 and 314: “Don’t I?” the boy asked. He
- Page 315 and 316: discriminate. It’s there for ever
- Page 317 and 318: “You swear?” Wallace insisted.
- Page 319 and 320: “Not afraid,” the Manager repea
- Page 321 and 322: Someone crouched next to him. “Wa
- Page 323 and 324: The Manager nodded. “The job will
- Page 325 and 326: “I’m leaving now,” the Manage
- Page 328 and 329: EPILOGUEOn an evening in the middle
- Page 332 and 333: Desdemona Tripplethorne returned to
- Page 334 and 335: Mei made them tea as the rest gathe
- Page 336 and 337: But a river only moves in one direc
- Page 338 and 339: Apollo licked his fingers.Hugo rose
- Page 340 and 341: Mei began to recite the contents of
- Page 342 and 343: Next, the sensitivity readers. Not
- Page 344 and 345: READ ON FORMEI’SINTRODUCTION TORE
- Page 346 and 347: INTRODUCTION TO REAPINGCongratulati
- Page 348 and 349: For example, WHITE HUMAN WOMEN expe
- Page 350 and 351: DD’s file before your arrival, yo
- Page 352 and 353: We believe in you!The Managercc: Un
- Page 356 and 357: ABOUT THE AUTHORTJ KLUNE is the New
- Page 359 and 360: This is a work of fiction. All of t
- Page 361: Chapter 22EpilogueAcknowledgmentsEx
It wasn’t easy. Of course it wasn’t. Wallace was learning how to live again,
an adjustment that proved harder than he expected. He still made mistakes.
But he wasn’t like he’d been before his heart had stopped.
They argued, sometimes, but it was always small, and they didn’t leave
things unsaid. They were making it work. Wallace was sure they always
would.
And it wasn’t as if they were in each other’s back pockets all the time.
They all had jobs to do. Mei took on her role as Wallace’s trainer with gusto.
She was quick to point out when he messed up, but never held it against him.
She worked him hard but only because she knew what he was capable of.
“One day,” she told him, “you’ll be doing this on your own. You gotta
believe in yourself, man. I know I do.”
It was more than he expected. He never thought about death until he died.
And now that he’d returned, he sometimes struggled with the bigger picture,
the point of it all. But he had Mei and Nelson and Apollo to fall back on
when things got confusing. And Hugo, of course. Always Hugo.
The Manager had returned a week after bringing Wallace back to life. And
with him came their second Husk, a woman with black teeth and a vacant
stare. Wallace frowned at the sight of her, but he wasn’t afraid.
“Do what you will,” the Manager said, offering no further assistance. He
sat in a chair, munching on a plate of leftover scones.
“You’re not going to help?” Wallace asked.
The Manager shook his head. “Why should I? A successful manager
knows how to delegate. You figure it out.”
They did, eventually, because of Mei. As the Manager looked on, she
stood in front of the Husk. She took her hand. Mei grimaced, and if it was
anything like it’d been with Cameron, Wallace knew she was seeing flashes
of the woman’s life, all the choices she’d made that had led to her becoming
as she was. By the time she let the woman go, she was crying. Hugo reached
for her, but Mei shook her head. “It’s all right,” she said weakly. “It’s just …
a lot. All at once.” She wiped her eyes. “I know how to help her. It’s like it
was with Wallace and Cameron. Hugo, it’s up to you.”
Hugo stepped forward, and though Wallace couldn’t see it, he knew Hugo
grabbed the hook in his own chest, pulling it out with a grunt. The air in the
tea shop grew hot as he pressed the hook into the Husk. She gagged as her
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