text: Cassidie had always hated Thursdays. A few lucky teenagers spent their weeknights pouring over homework or watching YouTube videos. Most others were out hunting Unnaturals, experimenting in labs with Unnatural compounds, or researching them in hopes of becoming a scientist. Everyone was involved with Unnaturals somehow. Cassidie didn't get that luxury. Instead, she got to spend every night sitting at the reception desk of Delilah's Funeral Home and Casket Emporium. Cassidie had no idea why it was called Delilah's. The owner, her father, certainly wasn't named Delilah. her late mother hadn't been either. As far as Cassidie was aware, there was absolutely no good reason to have it named as such. She had petitioned multiple times that her father change it to something that made more sense. Maybe Eli's Funeral Home and Casket Emporium , since that was his name. Nevertheless, the nonexistent Delilah reigned supreme, and so her name stayed on the sign above the door. When Cas's father died, she had thought for a moment about changing the business's name. A moment later she had sworn at herself for even thinking such a thing. It would have tarnished his memory, and she could never bring herself to do that. It wasn't as though the funeral home got much business. That may have been due in part to the fact Delilah's Funeral Home and Casket Emporium wasn't. There wasn't a single casket in the entire building, and there certainly weren't embalming fluids of recently deceased corpses. There were long-dead corpses, but those were in the catacombs beneath the basement and had been there for over two hundred years. Instead of ensuring that the corpses of the recently dead had safe passage to the family's cemetery of choice and a nice casket, the business was more of a halfway house. Cassidie had mentioned this to a classmate once. He had looked confused and asked who for, but Cassidie decided that he wasn't exactly worth it, and refused to tell him. Even with all that fun stuff, Thursdays sucked. Those were the days when she had to grant safe passage to the spirits who came through. More than once, she had seen the face of a childhood friend or a classmate go by, and every time it broke her heart. For months afterward, she would be quieter, more subdued. Then, when things finally seemed to be getting better, she would see another familiar face. And then they would be gone. Passing ceremonies always left Cass feeling abandoned. It was foolish to grow attached to spirits, but seeing people she knew and loved die was more than she could bear some days. The first time she had said goodbye had been when she was four years old. Her next-door neighbor and best friend had been caught in a fire that killed her entire family. Cassidie had screamed in terror the first time she saw her neighbor's ghost, but her mother had calmed her and guided her through the passage-granting ceremony. For a while, passage ceremonies became a normal thing for Cass. But then her mother had died, and Cass had been the only one who was a stable enough anchor to guide her into the spirit world. For almost two years afterward, she hadn't been able to look at anything that reminded her of her mom, including her own father. During that time she stayed with friends on the outskirts of the city. Eventually, she had to come back, but things had been different ever since. When she finally came back, she made friends with a spirit in limbo; a little girl named Melinoe. The only way for a spirit to be stuck in limbo is for a said spirit to have an unfulfilled purpose on the planet. Melinoe had been twelve years old when she died in a car crash. Her parents had survived, but Melione's father succumbed to guilt and killed his wife in a murder-suicide. "Hey, Cass!" said a disembodied voice. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Cassidie's head snapped up and she caught sight of the blue little girl in front of her. With a grin, Cassidie jumped over the receptionist's desk and hugged her spectral friend. That was one of the few perks of being a Necromancer: she could touch ghosts. "Melinoe! How're you doing?" The specter smiled shyly. "I've been alright. I brought a few new spirits by last night. You weren't here though." Cassidie flinched "Sorry about that. Mrs. Villegas assigned a three-page essay entirely in Spanish. I had to write the whole thing in two hours. You know how she gets when I don't turn in my work." The blue girl cracked a smile. "I know, I know! 'Ms. McFarland, you may be a Necromancer, but that doesn't excuse you from doing your work! Write to me thirteen verbs conjugated in the past participle form'." Melinoe burst into giggles before she could finish, and it didn't take long for Cassidie to follow suit. It took a while, but eventually, the two girls calmed down. Cassidie looked over at Melinoe, who had gone dead silent and was picking at her wisps of fingernails. "You aren't usually this... noisy," Cass noticed. "Is everything okay?" Melinoe looked up, phantom tears pooling in her hollow eyes. "Oh, Cass. I... I got approved." The all too familiar feeling of abandonment and emptiness spread through Cass's chest in a pang of pain. She had prayed that this day wouldn't come. It was too much to bear, the loss of another friend. She silently cursed herself for growing attached once more. When she finally spoke, Cass could barely keep the tears from her voice. "That... that's amazing, Meli. When is your ceremony?" The other girl's voice was small. "Today." Cass could feel Meli's hesitance and tried to take a deep breath. "O-oh. I guess I'll get the candles. Do you want to meet me in the basement?" Meli smiled softly. "If you say so. Thank you, Cass." She hugged Cass fiercely, her face buried into Cass's shoulder. "Thank you." -------------------------------------------------------------------- Cass burst into tears the second Meli floated through the wall of the room and into the basement. She couldn't think, couldn't move. For years, Cass had given Meli the cold shoulder. She had tried with all her might not to be connected to the girl. After long enough, she had given up and the two had become friends. It seemed like Meli would never move onto the spirit world. But the day had come, and Cass would be alone again. Cass's finger stumbled across the shelves of wax, finally coming to rest on the only candle she had never been able to use. Her mother had given it to her when she was young. One day, this candle will find its place. But that is up to you. Keep this and hold it sacred. She slid the candle into a canvas bag, alongside multiple others. Little glass vials filled with plants and herbs- anemone, basil, bluebells, holly, ivy, mandrake- were held in a leather pouch. She closed the canvas bag and moved from the storage cabinet. Cass's movement was slowed by her grief, feet scraping across the floor as she walked. Though it took a long time, she headed the basement, where Melinoe hovered silently with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Behind her, a blue and black vortex swirled calmly. Cass kept the sacred silence of the Passage room as she set the candles aflame. Her fingers lingered for a moment on her mother's candle before letting go. It would be time soon. The dried herbs and flowers filled the room with their scents, coming together into a beautiful aroma. She looked to Meli and nodded. A wind swept through the room, circling around Cass. As her eyes glazed over, she began to recite the words that had become a mantra to her. With the silence held sacred And the memory of days old Here we gather to witness the passage Of a friend into the eternal field I ask, O great spirits For your arms to stay open To you I entrust this souls Whose name is Melinoe Roman Take this gentle child Into you loving hands And bless her travels now Through the eternal light Her voice caught for a moment. The usual three stanzas had come easily, but now she remembered that there was another option. To add a personal touch. She had never done it before. But today she would. Her voice trembled as she spoke. Melinoe, my closest friend, I wish you safest travels You have brought me nothing but joy these past years And I know that you will find peace Though I shall miss you until the day that I die I shall hold you in my heart For you are my friend My confidant, my sister And my love for you shall never die Like the stars in the sky, my love shall burn on Even when I am gone, I shall love you For eternity and more Goodbye Tears pooled in both girl's eyes as Melinoe was drawn toward the vortex. "Thank you, Cass. Thank you." Cas smiled. "Goodbye. May your days be long and your peace be eternal." "Goodbye."