Too Broke For Afterlife

????????????????????????

Lord baby Jesus! 

I'm glad to finally be back amongst the living and fall onto my bed with gratitude. The smell of old socks fills my nose but right now I just love it. 

24 hours in a graveyard were too much for my nerves and chances are I caught a cold. I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up tomorrow with a throat that feels like it's been fucked with a razor blade. 

No more Austria for me. Thank you.

I stare at the ceiling as I play through what has happened during the past few days, trying to organize all information and thoughts. But nothing fits together. I'm facing a hundred puzzle pieces from different boxes. 

I get interrupted by someone knocking on my door.

Before I can allow them entrance, Greg peeks through with a grin.

"Your mom is here."

"What?" I lazily sit up, confused about why my mom would turn up without letting me know first. And why she would come alone. This can only mean bad news. 

"Do I look like his mom? Please." Oh I know this voice. I so know this voice. 

I'm relieved when I see Isabella appearing next to Greg, pushing him out of the way.

"What then? Girlfriend?" 

The man wiggles his eyebrows but she doesn't seem impressed by that.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Then she throws the door shut.

She turns around and lifts her arms with a smile. "Hello hello! No hug?" But I remain seated. I take a second to process what's happening. That's Isabella, flesh and bones, standing in front of me. I haven't seen her since the summoning. 

"What are you doing here?"

"I flew all the way from New York. Six months and that's all I get?" Isabella sighs and then walks over to my bed to sit down as well. 

"Sorry, it's cool to see you. I'm just…" I don't even bother finishing that sentence. 

"Weren't you the one who called Judy and told her we guys need to reunite asap?"

"Yeah." But I had meant an actual meeting with a set date and everything. Not a spontaneous get-together in my dorm room.

"Speaking of which...why did you call Judy and not me?"

"Uhm…" I scratch my neck. 

Isabella grins cheekily.

"So she would be forced to talk to me?"

Dammit.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Maybe?"

"Oh Parker!" She pulls me into a hug. "Dear, apathetic, emotionless Parker."

Then she hisses. "Never do that again."

"Why?"

"We had the fight of the century."

She sighs and now I feel guilty.

"So you're not back together?"

"No and we never will be. It's done. Once and for all."

I honestly had hoped for different news but their non-relationship is none of my business. I should stop getting involved. Why do I even care? 

"But she filled you in on all the new information? The thing with the Mayor and the machine Walter built."

"Yes, I'm up-to-date on the whole mess. But I honestly don't know what you guys expect us to do. We are alive. I won't run in front of a bus just to go to Heaven."

I bite my lip.

"That's where the machine comes into play…"

I avoid looking at Isabella but I can feel how she tenses up.

"No. You can't possibly mean… No! Forget it!"

She has jumped up from the bed and I quickly get up as well.

"Isa, we have to! That's our only chance."

"No, it's stupid! That's what it is! That machine almost killed us last time. Plus, Walter built it! Does he look like a mechanic to you? What if he turns it on and electrocutes us?"

"I can't guarantee that it's safe but-"

"But?"

I groan. "Let's not talk about that now. First we have to figure out the thing with the gold coin."

The change in topic throws Isa off and she furrows her eyebrows.

"What gold coin?"

"Right, you don't know yet. So- No, actually, let's lock the door first."

I walk over to the other side of the room and turn the key. Then I lower my voice.

"When I was in the graveyard, I met a ghost who told me that Walter spoke to a mysterious woman who stole a gold coin from one of the graves. Walter said the woman had asked suspicious questions and that she might have known about his project."

"Okay? So like a spy?" 

I nod.

"We think the coin might have been a token that somehow protected him from our opponents. He believes that it appeared shortly after he found the mausoleum."

I can see how the wheels are turning in her head.

"But if he didn't put it there himself, that means that somebody else is trying to help us."

"Yes!"

"An ally who we don't know."

"Exactly."

She seems to slowly understand and takes a few steps through the room, thinking.

Then she stops. Isabella chuckles.

"What is this?"

She bends over to lift up my garlic necklace and cape.

"I thought it smelled kind of bad in here. Are you part of the theater club?"

Embarrassed, I rip the stuff out of her hands and throw it back onto the ground.

"No, some stupid guys think they saw a vampire running around and tried to catch him."

"When was that?"

I lift my brows. Why does it matter?

"Two nights ago."

"And when did the woman steal that coin?"

"The same night. But- OH!"

It's starting to dawn on me. "You think those things are connected?"

Isabella shrugs. "Possibly? I mean, think about it. If someone tried to help, they wouldn't just protect Walter but all of us. What if there was a coin hidden near the college and your quote on quote vampire tried to find it?"

"Hm." I'm not convinced. "That's a bit far-fetched."

But Isabella has already grabbed my jacket and now hands it to me.

"Maybe but I think we should take a closer look. Where did your friends see him?"

<<<

The forest is far less mysterious by day and as we scramble over stones, twigs and branches, I actually start enjoying the fresh clean air.

This place is Heaven compared to the musty mausoleum and our smelly dorm room.

Although comparing things to Heaven now comes with a bitter aftertaste. We don't know what exactly it looks like just yet but apparently something is going very wrong up there. 

I try to not trip and fall this time. My body already has enough bruises to qualify as a science experiment.

"This hut?"

I look to where Isabella is pointing. 

"Yup. They said that's his hideout."

Once we reach the little shed, I do feel a slight chill crawling down my spine. I don't believe in vampires but if Isa's theory is right, we are about to invade the nest of someone who is trying to fight us. 

I carefully open the door which lets out a sinister creaking noise.

That night I had thought the hut to be dead and empty, judging from the moonlight that shone in through the window.

But now I'm looking at a small table and a chair.

"Cozy," Isa comments and walks past me.

"Okay, let's see if we can find any hints to the vampire slash spy."

"Okay."

I start looking around, seeing if there is anything lying on the floor but without success. 

If I was a golden coin, where would I hide myself?

Okay, that's a dumb question. Let's forget I've ever had a thought like that.

The walls are empty and so is the ceiling. That leaves only the table and the chair.

Suddenly, an idea pops into my head.

"What if…"

I walk over to the furniture and kneel down. 

The chair looks normal, just some old wood nailed together to resemble something one may sit on.

I grab the table and carefully lay it down on its side. 

Bingo.

"Aha! Look at this! Isa!"

She chuckles as I probably sound like an excited child and kneels down next to me.

"Smart. Good job."

She extends her hand to touch the round, shallow hole. 

"Looks like the mysterious ally put the coin into the table and the spy carved it out."

"That's...a really weird place to hide a coin."

She smiles. "Sometimes the best hiding spots are those in plain sight. But you know what that means, right?"

"No?"

Isabella pulls me up from the ground.

"They found the coin and with that you are no longer safe. You have to leave."

"Leave? But I can't just disappear again! I just started my semester and my family-"

"Parker." I can see the urgency in her eyes. "I have a hard time believing that whoever is hunting us is up for peace. You're in danger, we all are. We need to get Nox and Clemens and find a safe place." 

"Nox and Clemens?"

I look at her and shake my head.

"That's impossible. Walter told me they have already ascended."

"What? What do you mean by ascended?"

"They are in Heaven."