Chapter 4: Trending Terrors, Taboo Truths

"Well, Harvey, while my sisters and I are being roasted like dogs in the living world, you’re here in the afterlife surrounded by pretty ghosts. What, trying to find me a stepmom...?"

I let him have it. My dad stammered, "Lucy... don’t be mad, listen to your dad explain..."

He tried to play it cool, but I wasn’t having it.

"Explain? Explain what? I’m going on strike! I’m quitting! I’m coming back right now to find you."

With that, I let my spirit half detach and zipped back to the afterlife, kicking over his table.

The drinks went flying, the spirits shrieked, and Dad scrambled to hide his poker chips.

He couldn’t see me, so he couldn’t scold me.

I stuck out my tongue at him. Perks of being invisible.

Tyler followed silently behind, watching me throw a fit. But as soon as my dad saw him, he stood obediently to the side.

"Sir..."

Tyler nodded slightly. I was stunned.

Wait, what?

What does it even look like when a thousand-year-old calls someone my age ‘sir’?

I stared at the two of them, trying to do the math in my head.

"Dad, what are you babbling about? Sir?"

I asked, confused. My dad immediately kicked me.

"Lucy, don’t be rude. This is your Grandpa Tyler. He even held you when you were little. Who would’ve thought he’d meet you during his stint in the living world."

"Sir, Lucy is naughty. She didn’t offend you, did she?"

My dad asked nervously.

Only then did I remember that my dad is the most powerful in the afterlife, but the only person he treats with such respect is the original King of Spirits, Tyler Blake.

The stories made sense now. Tyler was the OG. No wonder he was so chill. I remembered how normal his clothes always felt when I wore them—should’ve been a clue.

Legend has it the original King of Spirits is immortal and ageless. After abdicating, no one has seen his true form.

And here I was, making a fool of myself in front of afterlife royalty. Great.

I never thought I’d run into someone so mysterious.

Suddenly, every embarrassing thing I’d ever done in front of Tyler flashed before my eyes. I wanted to crawl under a cloud and hide.

Thinking of all the dumb things I did to Tyler in the living world, I suddenly felt a chill down my back.

I tried to look composed, but my insides were screaming.

Tyler waved it off, so I was spared.

He gave me a little smile, like he’d seen it all before. I exhaled, relieved.

Meanwhile, my body falling apart in the living world was already trending online.

The hashtags were everywhere. Even my grandma’s bridge club was talking about it.

At first, Tyler’s explanation held up, until a self-proclaimed paranormal expert jumped in and said:

[This doesn’t look like acting. No dummy could be so real. There’s a rumor: spirits are formless, but if they put on a human body, they can live among humans, but there are side effects. Clearly, this actress is possessed by a spirit. Her sudden split is obviously a side effect of using someone else’s body.]

This post quickly went viral under my trending topic, complete with a carousel of diagrams and a mock @handle.

[u/SpookyScience: I said it didn’t look like acting. Who would do this for a show?]

[u/SpiritTruth: I support the expert. So does this mean... Lila Whitaker is already dead? Is that it?]

[u/WatcherOnTheNet: So exciting, waiting for a statement.]

[u/JustSaying: Don’t bother waiting. You think she’ll admit to being possessed? We know the truth, that’s enough.]

I scrolled aimlessly through the comments, taking my time switching to a new body.

I grabbed a ghostly latte and watched the rumors spiral. The afterlife’s WiFi is surprisingly good for doomscrolling.

After getting everything ready, I leisurely returned to the living world.

I slipped back into my new body like slipping on a fresh pair of jeans. It always took a second to get used to the new face.

When I showed up again on the "Chill Kitchen Time" set, I was greeted by a furious Aunt Karen and a sighing director.

The director looked like he’d aged ten years. Aunt Karen’s hair was sticking up like she’d been electrocuted.

"This Lila Whitaker, always causing trouble. Now she’s not answering her phone or showing up. When she gets back, I’ll..."

She was waving her phone around like a weapon. The production assistant ducked.

"Aunt Karen..."

I nervously poked my head out of the room, and everyone’s eyes instantly locked on me.

The room went dead silent. Even the air conditioner seemed to pause.

In the living room, the other guests sat on the couch. Savannah had a sofa to herself, flanked by two assistants—one fanning her, the other crouching to comfort her.

She looked like a queen holding court, but her eyes darted nervously whenever she glanced at me.

When they saw me, they all looked alarmed.

I could practically see the gears turning in their heads. "Is she a ghost? A robot? An alien?"

Clearly, they didn’t buy the ‘acting’ excuse.

"Lila! Where did you go? What were you doing just now? I take my eyes off you for one second and you cause a huge mess!" Aunt Karen grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. "Do you know what people are saying online? They’re saying you’re dead! That you’re an alien impostor!"

She was shaking me like a maraca. I tried to look contrite.

As soon as she finished, a phone was shoved in my face.

#Lila Whitaker fell apart.#

#Lila Whitaker alien.#

#Lila Whitaker robot.#

#Lila Whitaker died two years ago.#

The hashtags scrolled by faster than I could read. I was half-impressed, half-terrified.

I stared at the trending topics about me, stunned.

It was like watching my own obituary in real time.

Just ten minutes, and the trending topics had gotten this wild?

I wondered if I should be flattered or horrified.

"Aunt Karen, I..."

I tried to explain, but she cut me off with a glare that could curdle milk.

"Don’t explain, just start a live stream right now and tell everyone it was just a joke."

She shoved a phone in my hand and hit the Go Live button before I could protest.

Aunt Karen handed me a phone. As soon as I picked it up, the stream started.

The little red "Live" icon blinked at me. Here goes nothing.