[Ami, Megabyte] Skipped Time (Day 8): Playing Catch Up (open tag)

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“This really would make a great resort spot,” Megabyte decided, tossing a broken shell into the waves. “You know, once you get past the creepy telepathic Neanderthals, telepathic smoke clouds and the still ever elusive probably biomechanical T-Rex.”

Walking beside him, Ami gave a laugh. “You advertise them as ‘attractions.’ Survivalist types would kill for the opportunity to be here. Pardon the pun.”

It was early morning and a majority of the camp slept. Megabyte had, in fact, been awakened by Ami far earlier than he would have liked. He told her as much, but any attempts to go back to sleep had been thrawted by Hurley’s sleep-talking and irregular snoring. So, in the end, Megabyte grabbed his swim trunks and joined Ami, curious about what was so urgent she had to wake him at The Crack of Doom.

She’d told him. All the little weird bits and things that she hadn’t shared with him before – starting with the Frenchwoman’s, Danielle’s, repeating distress signal. That had earned her some scorn and harsh words, but in the end he apologized, recognizing that he probably would have done the same in her shoes and it would have been to protect her. In exchange he told her about ‘porting Tommy and Emerson away from the Smoke Monster and how Locke learned that he was telepathic and able to teleport.

“Rose knows too,” Ami told him.

“Yeah, and so does The Doctor.” He scowled when he said ‘The Doctor.’

Ami shook her head. “No, The Doctor knows we’re telepathic. Rose knows about The Tomorrow People.”

“She didn’t tell him?”

“It’s not her secret to tell, so she hasn’t,” Ami said with a grin. “I think she likes knowing something that he doesn’t know, so I’ve been working on keeping it secret as long as possible.”

She confessed to her telekinetic demonstration for George, which prompted Megabyte's admission of telling George he was 'empathic.' That in turn led to explanations of *why* he'd had to explain and a good deal of teasing on his part and blushing on hers. From that point, the conversation naturally segued into talking about Scott, and as Ami had expected, Megabyte was completely non-pulsed by the whole half-alien bit. She hesitated before telling him that part, but in the end decided that the only way to really explain everything to Megabyte was to explain everything to Megabyte.

/Scott’s had some bad experiences with the Air Force and a government agency called the FSA. He didn’t – he couldn’t – trust you because of the fact that you work for WorldEx./ Ami held up a hand to stave off his objections, /He’s relented now or I couldn’t have talked to you about any of this. But you have to understand, Scott’s paranoia makes you look laid back when it comes to being cautious.

/And he doesn’t like you./

Megabyte shrugged. /Yeah, I got that loud and clear./

/It’s not as though you like him very much at all either,/ Ami pointed out. /Which is a complete and total pain in my arse. My best friend and my boyfriend hate each other./

/We got off on the wrong foot, which might not have happened if I’d know all this other stuff about him./ Off of Ami’s look, he sighed. /Ok, maybe the whole jealousy thing would still have caused plenty of problems, but knowing that there was some sort of weird telepathic mumbo jumbo going on? Would have helped a lot./

“I know,” Ami whispered quietly. “And I did want to tell you. I never wanted to keep you intentionally in the dark, Megabyte.” She reached out and took his hand, /You do understand that I hated hurting you like that? That if there had been *any other* way, I would have taken it in a heartbeat?/

/I know./ Megabyte gave her hand a squeeze and then pulled her to him in a tight, friendly and completely platonic hug. /Water under the bridge, now okay?/

Hugging him back, Ami smiled. For the first time in days, she truly felt like her friendship with Megabyte was back where it needed to be. After a moment, she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and stepped back, catching his gaze. /There is a wee bit more./

Megabyte sighed. “There always is.”

"We're going to be stuck here for at least six months."

Megabyte didn't ask how she knew that, maybe he assumed that she had gained some precognitive knowledge of everything. He raked his fingers through his hair, "Gonna miss your birthday and Christmas."

Comments

[Ami] The Morning Continues (open tag)

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Ami and Megabyte talked a bit more, Ami relieved that the tension between them finally seemed to have dissolved and that they were back to simply being best friends and fellow Tomorrow People. He took the news of their length of stay on the island in stride, in fact the only time he seemed a bit put out was when she mentioned her lucid dreams and contact with Kevin. It wasn't so much that he was put out with her, as he was with the clear realization that he simply wasn't strong enough telepathically to contact or be contacted by Kevin.

She worked with him a bit on some of what The Doctor taught her the previous day, and after a few gripes and less than charitable words, Megabyte actually focused on learning. That portion of the conversation and those lessons took place in the same locale that The Doctor had used, as it was ideal for privacy but not completely cut off from the camp.

Their lesson wrapped up and they sat there, talking quietly when they heard the crunch of brush heralding the approach of footsteps. They both looked up as the brush parted and a figure stepped forward, "I hope I'm not interrupting."

[Kenzaki] Becoming more social (tag Ami, open)

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Kenzaki watched the person leave who had been speaking to one of the women he'd run across when he'd broken his arm. The woman made him nervous, just because she'd nearly seen what he was, or at least what color his blood was. He'd gotten lucky with her, the other lady, and Pieruson-san.

"Good morning," he said in his own language, and then tried, "Goodu Moruniingu. Woodu yuu likee some fooduu?" Ripley had taught him that, and he appreciated it, for it gave him both a reason to socialize and to get rid of the food he didn't need. He smiled as she took the food from him. As she started to stare at him incredulously, he blushed and added in his own language, "Sorry, my English is not very good."

[Ami] Another Weird One (tag Kenzaki, Scott, open)

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Ami smiled at Kenzaki's approach. He was an odd young man, but a nice one, although perhaps it was the language and cultural barrier that had more to do with what everyone perceived as oddness. Certainly, Jin was perceived in the same way, although the strongest perception was of a jealous, possessive, husband; cultural differences made breaching certain chasms hard.

"Good morning, Kenzaki," Ami greeted him, wishing again that she could speak with him. Fortunately, there were people here who could communicate with him, particularly since it was a little too late for her to suddenly start displaying a flair for Japanese. (Maybe Scott can teach me what he's learning. It would be a good way to pass the time.)

He greeted her in heavily accented, but surprisingly well spoken English, and she accepted the offered food with a smile. As she did, her hand brushed his and her hypersensitive awareness – an unexpected and lingering side effect from whatever had happened between she and Scott yesterday – kicked right in. His appearance shimmered and changed, so quickly that Ami probably would have thought she was hallucinating if it hadn't been for the feeling that she got from him. Something about Kenzaki was off; he wasn't human, yet his emotions and his thought patterns were. Yet, he was different somehow, more powerful than he appeared to be, a Fighter – and why Fighter came through capitalized she didn't know – but not dangerous to the camp.

Ami knew that it took her a moment to beat back her surprise and wasn't at all surprised when she felt Scott's mental touch in her mind. /What?/

/I think Kenzaki's an alien,/ Ami told him as she schooled her face back to friendly neutrality.

/You're kidding?!/

/No, apparently our little slice of tropical paradise is collecting them./ Ami paused and added, /But he feels human. Not half or hybrid, but human. And yet not. It's odd. But he's safe, to us at least./

"Thank you," Ami said graciously, regarding the food. She didn't understand what he said in Japanese, so all she could do was give him another friendly smile.

[Scott] Another Weird One (tag Ami, open)

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As soon as Scott caught himself pouting he had a realization: (I'm totally spoiled.) He'd been lying in the tepee for a few minutes after waking up and was disappointed that Ami hadn't immediately come running back to jump him. Their link told him that she was busy with something, so he sat up and chuckled at himself. (Stranded on a weird-ass desert island after a plane crash, and I'm spoiled. Amazing.)

Scott was rifling through his new-to-him clothes when Ami's surprise metaphorically smacked him upside the head. He instinctively looked in her direction. /What?/

/I think Kenzaki's an alien,/ Ami replied.

Scott blinked. /You're kidding?!/

/No, apparently our little slice of tropical paradise is collecting them./ Ami paused and added, /But he feels human. Not half or hybrid, but human. And yet not. It's odd. But he's safe, to us at least./

Scott shook his head, not sure what to make of Ami's explanation. /Well, safe is good./ Then he remembered one of the Japanese/English lessons that he, Kenzaki, and Ripley had on the way back from the transciever mission. Scott laughed aloud. /I taught him the word 'alien'!/

[Ami] Another Weird One (tag Scott, open)

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Ami managed not to laugh aloud at Scott's statement. /Well, just because he knew the word, didn't mean he was going to out himself to a virtual stranger./

She sent him a pulse of affection, /I have a few things I need to do, but maybe we can spend some quality time together later. If you're very patient, I promise to make it worth the wait./ To underscore, she sent a few not so subtle images of how they could spend their 'quality time.'

[Scott] Another Weird One (optional tag)

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Ami's vivid images of "quality time" made Scott sit down heavily, grateful for the privacy of the tepee. After fighting back the urge to tackle her bodily Scott replied, /All I'm gonna say is that you're lucky I can't teleport./ He let a fraction of his desire for her course through their link, then began gathering his things for a visit to the swimming hole.

[Kenzaki] Another Weird One (tag Ami, Scott, open)

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Kenzaki watched as the startled expression on her face smoothed out, but he also guessed that something he'd done upset her. He wished that he knew what he'd done, but he didn't have the words.

It was then that her name came to him. "I'm sorry, Ayami-san," he said, bowing slightly. "I've done something wrong?"

He didn't have the words. He hoped his contriteness and concern would translate anyway.

[Ami] Another Weird One ([optional tag])

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Ami didn't know what Kenzaki was apologizing for, and she really cursed the language barrier. She did her best to give him a reassuring smile and a, "It's fine really, Kenzaki" before thanking him again for the food and excusing herself.

He was – yet another – island enigma that would have to wait a bit. But only until Scott knew enough Japanese to actually communicate with the man.

[Ami] Breaking the Ice (tag George)

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Ami was a woman with a mission. After her unusual morning discovery regarding Kenzaki, she remembered yet again her unfinished conversation with George and made it her goal to find the young woman, salvage that friendship and finish that conversation. Luck must have been with her because she spotted George coming away from the latrines, a faint smile on the woman's face and pep in her step – quite a drastic change from George's typical bored look. She seemed lighter on her feet and looked to be almost on the edge of bursting out into giggles. But it wasn't until George's eyes tracked across the camp and the smile widened and she felt a wave of lust, satiation, happiness and need rolling off the woman that Ami clued in to what had come over George.

Not willing to pass up an opportunity to return a favor, Ami jogged up to George and grinned mischievously and affected the best American accent that she could. "Holy shit! You got laid!"

[George] Breaking the Ice (tag Ami)

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Ami's abrupt greeting startled George for a moment. Then she recognized her own words being thrown back at her. She grinned hugely at Ami.

"You got that right!" she crowed and offered Ami her upraised hand. Ami slapped her hand in a high five.

Ami studied George for a moment. "So?" she said finally.

George's grin didn't diminish in the slightest, but she felt her face growing warm as she recalled the previous afternoon's activities. Her gaze slid away from Ami's face for a moment; she was embarrassed by the sudden surge of lust she felt at the thought of Carlos and the urge to grab him and drag him off for another round.

It wasn't as though Ami was unacquainted with the feeling, though. George met her eyes again. "God," she said, "it was amazing!"

[Ami] Breaking the Ice (tag George)

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Ami smiled broadly, genuinely happy for George. Finding a good man (and he better be a good man or I'll find something to bean him over the head with,) had done wonders to improve George's overall disposition.

(Was I really floating on air like that the first time Scott and I shagged?)

George was a bundle of lustful and happy feelings that Ami had to shield a bit against. Those sorts of feelings were only going to call to the fore a few thoughts and memories of her own, and send her scurrying back to Scott. There was a reason that she'd slipped away this morning, and hadn't returned when she sensed him waking. Ami had things to accomplish - namely talking to Megabyte and George, and checking up on River and Sun, and she knew that once the daily camp grind was underway she might lose the opportunity to do that if she wiled away the morning making love to Scott.

As truly pleasurable as the thought was.

Ami giggled, glad for George's happy reception as well as the other woman's satiation. It meant that the one hurdle wasn't as big as she thought it was, their blossoming friendship was still in tact. "It always is amazing when you have a the right man in the driver's seat."

Blinking and wondering when she started to channel Jade, Ami waved her hands at George, indicating that she wasn't finished grilling her yet. "All right now, out with it, then. You did grill me after all. Who is it?"

[George] Breaking the Ice (tag Ami)

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George glanced around to check that nobody else was near. She wasn't sure why, exactly; it wasn't like she planned to keep the relationship a secret. It just seemed right somehow to lean a little closer to Ami and say quietly, "It was Carlos. It was...incredible."

[Ami] Breaking the Ice (tag George)

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Ami's eyes widened at George's admission, because it was totally and completely unexpected and it was absolutely the last name she expected to hear fall from George's lips. She didn't actually know what name she expected for George to reveal, but it hadn't been that one.

"Carlos? Oh ... that's ... wow," was about all Ami could get out because she was still trying to wrap her mind around the surprisingly intense relief she felt which mingled with amazement. (The man is *still* working fast, and I can totally get the whole incredible part. Pleasant memories; no comparison to the here and now, but definitely pleasant memories.)

Ami linked her arm through George's, leading the young woman towards the waterline. "How did it happen? You can skip the graphic details, just the fun, not so personal, how did you two 'hook up' bit. And when?"

[George] Breaking the Ice (tag Ami)

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"Yesterday afternoon," George said, answering the last question first. "All afternoon," she added meaningfully. Yeah, she was boasting a little, but--Jesus, who wouldn't after a marathon like that?

"We talked a lot the other day, and then yesterday while we were drinking coffee Carlos said he wanted to talk to me alone. So when it started raining, we ducked into a shelter to talk. And--and we did," George said. "Talk, I mean. At first."

"At first," Ami said with a knowing smile.

George nodded. "Yeah, at first. But one thing led to another..."

"Uh huh..."

"And then Rose and Sue walked in on us."

"They didn't!"

"They did. We were just fooling around, though, so it wasn't totally embarrassing. After that we took off for a spot down by the river and, uh--shagged?--yeah, shagged ourselves senseless." George's grin became huge. "It was fun!"

[Ami] Breaking the Ice (tag George)

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"I'd daresay that I hope 'fun' is a big understatement," Ami laughed at George's enthusiasm and excitement, and decided to let the other woman have her spot of boasting and bragging. (The difference between men and women, women do not feel the need to one-up each other. If I were male, I'd have to step up to the plate now and tell her how my boyfriend is better. Hooray for estrogen.)

"Senseless shagging was apparently the order of the day yesterday," Ami said, then blushed as she realized she'd spoken aloud. Not that it mattered, George was happily all about the sharing, but Ami still didn't feel that bold, no matter how obvious it was to the entire camp that she and Scott couldn't keep their hands off of one another.

"I'm happy for you George, and Carlos is a fine bloke, he knows how to treat a lady," Ami told her friend. She sobered and turned quite serious, "What spot down by the river? I'm only asking because it would be really awkward and embarrassing to stumble on each other there when we're ... otherwise occupied."

(Really, really awkward and embarrassing.)

[George] Breaking the Ice (tag Ami)

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"...yeah, it would be," George said. She hadn't considered that. Now she kinda wished Ami hadn't mentioned it. The thought that she might be caught in the act could well make her feel self-conscious, and self-consciousness was exactly what she didn't need.

George explained to Ami how they got to their clearing. "So if that's not your little love nest," she finished, "I call dibs!"

[Ami] Turning Serious (tag George)

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"I wouldn't worry much about it, Scott and I haven't been caught out yet," Ami assured George, "And we favor a spot a juat a litte bit more north of there, the river is wider, and it's perfectly good for bathing ... and other things."

Ami averted her attention, suddenly feeling like she was in the midst of her first year at uni, gossiping about things she didn't know about. It wasn't like she was sharing intimate details with George, and there were certain logistics that had to be worked out. Yet, there were times when her far too purient upbringing and her mother's almost success at turning her into a proper lady came back and hit her in the head.

"I have to say, I can't believe that I'm having this conversation. I haven't had a conversation like this since uni and back then I didn't have much to offer in the way of participation," Ami turned her gaze back to George, fighting off the embarrassment that there was no reason to feel. "If worse comes to worse, we can always start tying red or white scarves to trees, I suppose."

She stopped and turned serious, not that the logistics of mapping out how and when to use the public shagging areas wasn't serious, but she didn't want to miss finishing her conversation with George. "Actually, George, there is something else I want to talk to you about. I was hoping that we could finish our conversation from the other day?

"I think you were trying to explain something to me, and," Ami gave her a shakey smile, "There are a few more things I'd like to explain to you as well."

[Carlos] Rut-roh, Raggy. (tag Ami, George, open)

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Carlos had been puttering around all morning since he and George temporarily parted company. He really wanted a machete by this point, but he made do with a borrowed knife from Locke and his multi-tool.

He had cut several good walking sticks from saplings and was now stripping the bark off and cutting the ends off square as he sat beside the fire. He'd already promised a number of them--and the bamboo practice-staves--to Blaise for his class; currently, he was trying to make George's look and balance as nicely as possible. /I think she'll generally be a happier and more fulfilled person once she learns to whale serious fucking ass in her own defense. Heh./

He sat up looking for her--and then blinked. Oh...dear.

/There's two people it turns my ears red just to see talking together..../

"I think I'm in trouble...." he commented quietly, and went back to work with a little TOO much studious concentration. For about three seconds. Before he looked over at them with an expression of comical uneasiness again.

[George] Deep, Dark Secrets (tag Ami, Carlos, open)

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"Heh," George said, feeling the no doubt dopey grin spread across her face at the sight of Carlos. She waved to him. "Well of course he can't," George said to Ami. "Am I not gorgeous?"

Then she looked at Ami and got serious again. "Locke and Tommy and Carlos know about me and--about me." George glanced at Carlos again and smiled. "Locke and Tommy have seen enough to convince them, but I'm not sure Carlos believes me. He only knows what I told him."

"I think you're right about telling Daniel. As far as I can tell, everybody on this fucking island has a deep, dark secret--but whoever dumped us here knows all about all of them. I don't think we're doing ourselves any favors by keeping secrets from each other."

[Ami] Deep, Dark Secrets (tag George, Carlos, open)

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"That's what I keep thinking, and it does make perfect sense. At least here, on the island. But once we get rescued. . ." Ami trailed off, chewing on her lip. As always it took her a moment or two to realize she was doing it and she forced herself to stop. "I like Daniel. I trust him. My gut instinct tells me that he's a good guy. But he's United States Air Force."

At George's inquisitive look, Ami continued, "You think that what I am and what I'm able to do is cool, right?"

"Hell yeah. Teleporting?"

George's enthusiasm made her smile a bit before she turned serious again. "There are plenty of people who think the same, but on a different level. People and agencies who would like to have a teleporter all their own – or to dissect one and see how I work. I know, because I've been there before." She hugged herself as she said the last; in the wake of the attempted kidnappings by the Others, the memories of what had happened to her nearly a decade ago ran strong. Ami shivered despite the warmth of the beach and looked down at the sand while she struggled to get herself under control and not betray to George the true horror that she felt.

Closing her eyes, she reminded herself that she was safe here – relatively speaking – and that it was in the past. Ami took a deep cleansing breath and let it out slowly, forcing a smile to her face as she looked up at George. "Anyway, there are reasons to keep silent. Trusting Daniel doesn't amount to much of anything if when rescue comes, his superiors find out about me. And not just me, George. There's Tara and her magic. What about you? It's a fine line and it has to be walked carefully."

[George] Deep, Dark Secrets (tag Ami, Carlos, open)

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Ami had a point, actually. "Yeah, Rube would pitch a fit if he knew anyone knew about me. I don't even want to think about what he'd say if he knew I told anyone. Rube's my boss," George added, noticing Ami's confused expression.

"The thing is," she continued, "the wrong people already know about us. All of us. We're all here for a reason--and they killed almost three hundred people to do it! So the only people we're probably keeping in the dark is each other. The bad guys already know all about us."

Ami didn't look convinced, though. "So...maybe we don't tell everybody, or we don't everybody everything, but the more of us who know the score, the better."

[Ami] Deep, Dark Secrets (tag George, Carlos, open)

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George was right, and Ami knew George was right, but that nagging sense of self-preservation clung to her. "Are you willing to tell Daniel ... or someone in charge about you? I'm not sure I would tell him everything, I've spent half my life hiding this to protect myself and I can't just turn it off, but maybe we should tell him something. Someone something, at least."

(Except how do I convince Scott and Megabyte that this is the *right* thing to do?)

[George] Deep, Dark Secrets (tag Ami, Carlos, open)

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"Willing," George admitted. "Not jumping-for-joy excited about it, but willing." She sighed. "See, the reason I decided to tell you is because They have a Reaper of their own. The other night when they attacked our camp, I tried to question one of the dead guys and she came running to kick my ass. She was like, 'Mine! Mine!'"

"You know those prisoners Daniel released after Tara put the whammy on 'em? That was a better idea than they know--it's not like killing them would have kept them quiet. She could have talked to them, learned everything they found out. And that's not even the worst she could do."

"So...yeah. Keeping secrets is so not the best plan."

[Ami] Less than Subtle Change of Subject (tag George, Carlos, open)

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Ami decided that she didn't want to know right now what the worse another reaper could do was. Her mind was still grappling with the fact that there were really Grim Reapers, and that quiet, cute little George was one of them.

She changed the subject, not wanting to expound more on the telling Daniel thread, particularly since she was going to have a difficult time convincing Scott and Megabyte of the wisdom of such a thing; ultimately, it might result in two arguments that she didn't want to have. (Imagine that, though, it would actually be Scott and Megabyte agreeing about something.)

"You didn't tell me, how did you become a reaper?"

[George] Let Me Sum Up... (tag Ami, Carlos, open)

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"Oh...that," George said. She wasn't eager to talk about her death, but it was a reasonable question. "I was walking around downtown Seattle one day eating a burrito. I was on my lunch break from work. This weird guy asked me what time it was, so I told him. Then he asked me my name."

George stared into the distance, seeing the events of that day again. "He told me to hurry because I was gonna be late. When I turned to walk away, he stroked my hair. A minute later I looked up and saw something come roaring out of the sky straight at me. I had just enough time to think, 'Oh shit.'"

"The next thing I know, I'm standing there in the middle of chaos, watching people running and shouting and bleeding. One guy ran right through me. I couldn't believe it, and I kept saying so over and over again until Rube told me, 'This is as real as it gets, little girl. You're dead.'"

George stared out at the sea for a minute, one hand idly rubbing her other arm. Then she looked at Ami again and gave her half-hearted smile. "I spent three days as a ghost. I got to see my own autopsy, and my funeral. Afterward I asked Rube what happened next."

"That's when he told me I was going to be a Grim Reaper. 'No pearly gates for you. No choirs of angels, neither.' I thought he was sending me to hell, but he said, 'Don't flatter yourself, you're not that interesting.'"