After I had snuffed out all the candles and swept the floor, Darren, my mother, and I found ourselves at my favorite local diner, the HopScotch. It was a charming diner on Main Street with all sorts of retro knick-knacks and collectibles. I dug the atmosphere, especially the mixed-tape shelf and the eighties My Little Pony collection.

I decided to let Darren out on good behavior, plus my mom was with us, so there was no way he’d be able to give us the slip. He also appeared to be a little enamored with her, so I figured he’d stick around as long as my mother was there.

A happy-looking waitress with cute short hair came over to take our order. “Hello everyone, my name is Denise. I’ll be your server. Can I start you guys out with some drinks?”

“Uh yeah, my mother there will have two iced teas to start, I’ll have one, and he’s not having anything. We’ll see if he changes his mind later. Thank you,” I told the server with a smile.

As she left, Darren asked, “How come she can see me? Is she special too?” He came in close as he whispered.

“No, she can only see you because my mother is here, but you can’t eat food anymore and you’ll still pass through things if you try to pick stuff up,” I told him.

“Actually, about that, how come I can’t pick things up, but I can sit in this booth?” Darren stood up and sat down three times to demonstrate.

I waited for him to settle down before I answered. “Because you’re a new ghost and because you believe you can’t pick things up, but you do believe you can sit down. When I met you, you were sitting on a bench. You just sat down and didn’t even question it. You don’t have a physical body anymore. The way you interact with the world now is based on belief. Your thoughts shape your reality. If you truly believe you can pick things up, you will—but you don’t have to worry about that, you won’t be here long enough to need that skill.”

I hated how I said that, but I was determined not to get attached to him, not again. When people died they were supposed to move on. Bad things happened when they stayed.

Darren looked down, and I looked away. I decided to pick up my menu.

I felt my mother’s eyes on me when she said, “Why are you looking at that menu? You already know what you are going to get.”

She was right, but I looked anyway. I honestly felt terrible about everything that was happening to Darren, and I needed a distraction. “So,” I said as I gazed over the menu. “What’s this business about none of the deceased being able to leave Silverbrook?”

“I don’t know yet, my love. Only that a barrier is preventing the rifters from entering and the souls from leaving,” she replied.

“Hm. Could it be some sort of fairy or otherkin?” I asked her.

She looked out the window thoughtfully and then back at me. “A fae would not disrupt the natural flow of energy through the universe. An otherkin might, but I have no way of knowing who or why. I thought perhaps you and I could start by establishing the perimeter of this barrier and then look for any suspicious deaths that have happened here recently.”

I put down the menu. “Sounds like a plan to me. I’ve got some homework to do this afternoon, but no classes tomorrow. Want to start then?”

She nodded.

Our server returned. “Oookay! We have two iced teas for you, here’s yours, and still nothing for you?” She indicated Darren.

I answered, “Oh, no. He’s fine, but thank you. Okay, we’ll need another four iced teas, three cheeseburgers with fries on the side, and mayo for dipping, and I’ll have the veggie burger with vegan poutine, please and thank you.” I handed her the menu.

The server began to take down the order and then paused. “I’m sorry, did you say three cheeseburgers and fries?”

I nodded. “Yes, plus the four iced teas and three sides of mayo for dipping. My mom is really hungry and thirsty. She hasn’t eaten all day.” I smiled like nothing I was saying was ridiculous.

To Darren and me, my mother still looked like a giant person with red eyes and a flowing outfit that sucked the light and life out of the room, but to everyone else, she most likely looked like an attractive woman in a black dress. I wouldn’t know, but no one ever asked about her red eyes or ran out screaming, so I had to assume she looked different to them.

Denise wrote down the rest of the order and walked off looking skeptical.

“I thought you weren’t ordering for me?” Darren asked when she was out of earshot.

“None of that is for you. The three cheeseburgers and fries are for my mom. She really likes them—and iced tea. I guess I get that from her, I just don’t need to drink as much.” We both watched as my mom drank down the first two iced teas in four gulps.

Everyone got quiet, and I got a little antsy waiting for the food. The truth was, Darren was a rather attractive guy. Not in like the teen drama kind of way, but in that he had thick dark hair, olive skin, and a genuine smile. I wondered if he played any sports when he was alive because I’d noticed some definition to his arms and frame, but regardless, he had to go. It didn’t matter how charming he was, I needed to figure out what was going on in this town, so he could find peace.

To take my mind off of things, I started to play with the paper wrapper from my straw. I could feel my mother’s eyes on me again and I knew that she knew I wasn’t being myself. I prayed to her mentally, insisting that she didn’t say anything. Sometimes she listened to my prayers and other times not so much.

Darren broke the silence. “So, um. I don’t know if this is allowed, but what happens when I move on? Where do I go?”

“We don’t know,” I told him truthfully. “I’ve never died before—that I’m aware of anyway—and while my mother is a goddess of death, she exists on this plane, in this world, and in a pocket universe that is between worlds, in the veil.”

Darren nodded and ran his fingers through his hair. I could see his confusion and understand his frustration. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. A rifter was supposed to show up and guide him into his next life so that he wasn’t scared and stressed like this.

“Hey, after my mom and I eat all this delicious food in front of you, do you want to go home and binge-watch something on Netflix? We can make a night out of it,” I told him and offered a friendly smile.

He smiled back and my heart melted a little. “I’d like that,” he said softly.

I wouldn’t take him to see his parents. I didn’t want to put all of them through that kind of pain, and I especially didn’t want to encourage him to stay, but I could at least help him feel normal for a couple of hours.