tiny violation . . .” Lex let out a slow breath at the realization. “You’re going to use perforators to replace the tunnels.”
“Correct,” he said. “Every Grim team in town will unload their vessels at the same time—once per day, in under half an hour. That’s the best we can do.” He looked at the device in his hands. “This one is intended for Necropolis, and if you’d damaged it, there would be no way to replace it. I thought I could trust you to keep it safe, but it looks like once again I was deluding myself into thinking you were capable of listening to me. That’s why I made such a big deal.”
Lex blinked. “Oh.”
He turned and went back into the bedroom. Lex watched him, unnerved.
“Awkward,” Cordy said, breaking the silence.
Lex turned back to the portal. Kloo had left, but Cordy was still there, and woefully confused. “Why do the tunnels need replacing?” she asked Lex. “What the hell were you two talking about?”
“Uncle Mort has this psychotic plan to fix the Afterlife,” Lex told her. “It involves—” Her throat went dry. “It involves sealing the portals and the tunnels. Forever.”
Cordy’s smile faltered. “What? How?”
“No clue. All I know is that we have to seal the one in Necropolis first. And after they’re all closed, we won’t—” Lex realized how selfish she was about to sound, given the fact that the existence of the Afterlife was on the line, but she said it anyway. “We won’t be able to see each other anymore.”
“What?” cried Cordy. “That
sucks!
”
“I know.”
After a moment, though, Cordy turned thoughtful. “But I guess . . . it would be no more difficult than what regular people go through, right? Like Mom and Dad having to wait until they die to see me again? Really, you and I are lucky to even have what we’ve had.”
Lex glared at her. “I guess.” She hated how optimistic Cordy had gotten ever since she died, never letting Lex just stew in her misery. It was very irritating.
“I mean, if it saves the Afterlife, isn’t that a small price to pay?” Cordy went on. “Besides, when you finally do get here—and it
will
be decades from now, or I’ll be very upset with you—we’ll all be waiting. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere. And then we’ll have the rest of eternity for you to tell me all about the amazing life you’ve led. And I can force you onto all of the roller coasters I’ve built. It’ll be a hootenanny and a half.
”
Lex nodded slowly. “That’s true.”
Except that Driggs might not be waiting for her. Driggs might never [s mdth=" get to the Afterlife at all if Lex didn’t successfully trigger the reset.
It wasn’t fair. Driggs being cheated out of an Afterlife like that, when there were plenty of awful people who got it automatically but didn’t remotely deserve it. People like—
“Zara!” The word rushed out of her mouth the moment she thought it. She tried to look around Cordy’s head into the distance of the Afterlife. “Where is she? Is she in there?”
A pained expression came over Cordy’s face. “Yeah, she’s in the Void, somewhere. We saw her come in when you—when she died,” she said, expertly sidestepping the reminder of Lex’s adventures in strangling. “But she blew through so fast, no one got a chance to approach her.”
“Figures.”
“Honestly, though, Lex? I don’t think we’ll ever see her again.”
Lex grimaced. She didn’t think so either.
But it was then that something sneezed on Cordy, and there was no way they could keep up a serious discussion about Zara after that. “Lum
py!
” Cordy groaned, wiping off her face. “I told you to knock that off!”
The answer she received could only be the strident cry of a disgruntled camel. Cordy fumbled with her adopted pet for a moment, but judging by her flailings, she was losing the battle. “I think he’s in heat,” she explained to Lex as Lumpy licked her eyeball. “He’s become
“Correct,” he said. “Every Grim team in town will unload their vessels at the same time—once per day, in under half an hour. That’s the best we can do.” He looked at the device in his hands. “This one is intended for Necropolis, and if you’d damaged it, there would be no way to replace it. I thought I could trust you to keep it safe, but it looks like once again I was deluding myself into thinking you were capable of listening to me. That’s why I made such a big deal.”
Lex blinked. “Oh.”
He turned and went back into the bedroom. Lex watched him, unnerved.
“Awkward,” Cordy said, breaking the silence.
Lex turned back to the portal. Kloo had left, but Cordy was still there, and woefully confused. “Why do the tunnels need replacing?” she asked Lex. “What the hell were you two talking about?”
“Uncle Mort has this psychotic plan to fix the Afterlife,” Lex told her. “It involves—” Her throat went dry. “It involves sealing the portals and the tunnels. Forever.”
Cordy’s smile faltered. “What? How?”
“No clue. All I know is that we have to seal the one in Necropolis first. And after they’re all closed, we won’t—” Lex realized how selfish she was about to sound, given the fact that the existence of the Afterlife was on the line, but she said it anyway. “We won’t be able to see each other anymore.”
“What?” cried Cordy. “That
sucks!
”
“I know.”
After a moment, though, Cordy turned thoughtful. “But I guess . . . it would be no more difficult than what regular people go through, right? Like Mom and Dad having to wait until they die to see me again? Really, you and I are lucky to even have what we’ve had.”
Lex glared at her. “I guess.” She hated how optimistic Cordy had gotten ever since she died, never letting Lex just stew in her misery. It was very irritating.
“I mean, if it saves the Afterlife, isn’t that a small price to pay?” Cordy went on. “Besides, when you finally do get here—and it
will
be decades from now, or I’ll be very upset with you—we’ll all be waiting. Like I said, I’m not going anywhere. And then we’ll have the rest of eternity for you to tell me all about the amazing life you’ve led. And I can force you onto all of the roller coasters I’ve built. It’ll be a hootenanny and a half.
”
Lex nodded slowly. “That’s true.”
Except that Driggs might not be waiting for her. Driggs might never [s mdth=" get to the Afterlife at all if Lex didn’t successfully trigger the reset.
It wasn’t fair. Driggs being cheated out of an Afterlife like that, when there were plenty of awful people who got it automatically but didn’t remotely deserve it. People like—
“Zara!” The word rushed out of her mouth the moment she thought it. She tried to look around Cordy’s head into the distance of the Afterlife. “Where is she? Is she in there?”
A pained expression came over Cordy’s face. “Yeah, she’s in the Void, somewhere. We saw her come in when you—when she died,” she said, expertly sidestepping the reminder of Lex’s adventures in strangling. “But she blew through so fast, no one got a chance to approach her.”
“Figures.”
“Honestly, though, Lex? I don’t think we’ll ever see her again.”
Lex grimaced. She didn’t think so either.
But it was then that something sneezed on Cordy, and there was no way they could keep up a serious discussion about Zara after that. “Lum
py!
” Cordy groaned, wiping off her face. “I told you to knock that off!”
The answer she received could only be the strident cry of a disgruntled camel. Cordy fumbled with her adopted pet for a moment, but judging by her flailings, she was losing the battle. “I think he’s in heat,” she explained to Lex as Lumpy licked her eyeball. “He’s become
Similar Books
