Book Six: Chapter 178

“I get it, kid. It’s nice to have something to believe in.” Suddenly conscious of just how tiny the girl was, Lily shrunk herself down to better fit next to Reagan. Movement in the corner of the room revealed Spirit Mike leaning against the wall with a grin on his face. “Or someone.”

And so they talked. Death was quiet, save for a few interruptions. Reagan talked all about her parents, and her baby sister who was going to be eight soon. There was a girl at school that Reagan was super into, but she hadn’t seen her since last spring. Her school was a couple of hours away, which meant she rarely got visitors.

The whole time she spoke, her hands kept moving across the paper. Whenever Lily tried to peek, Reagan would tilt the sketchpad down, a sly grin on her face. “No snooping,” she would declare, occasionally sharpening her pencils. Little colored shavings appeared all over her bed, which Death would meticulously collect and deposit in the nearby trash can.

They were