Page 25 of Vexed

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Lily

Ugh, my head is pounding. I peel my eyes open, and bleh, the rough stone ceiling of the cave swims into focus. Vex is sitting beside me, as still and silent as always. Except his eyes are fixed on me with this weird, concerned intensity. And, double bleh, I feel like I’m going to throw up.

I groan, clutching my stomach. “I feel awful,” I manage to croak out.

Vex’s voice is soft as he speaks. “It’s because you’ve been in the underworld too long, darling. Humans aren’t meant to stay here. Your body is struggling.”

My heart sinks. That makes sense. This whole underworld adventure had started out as a ridiculously stupid, desperate attempt to find him after he... well, got kidnapped. I’d come to save him, which, in hindsight, was probably the dumbest idea I’ve ever had. Now I’m stuck here.

“We need to get you back to your world,” Vex says, his jaw tightening. “And soon.”

We get to our feet, and that’s when I see it: my phone. Lying face-down on the cave floor. A surge of hope, immediately followed by disappointment. I snatch it up, but as expected, the screen reads, “No Service.”

Vex gives me this infuriatingly smug grin. “Yeah, I meant to call the wifi guy but I’ve been out of office for a few days.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up. He’s ridiculous. I shove him playfully, and we start walking.

The forest outside the cave is even creepier in the daylight. Gnarled trees twist into grotesque shapes, and the air hums with a low, unsettling energy. As we walk, I spot them: two doors, standing alone in a clearing. Just… doors. In the middle of nowhere.

“What are those?” I ask, pointing.

Vex sighs, his expression turning somber. “One leads to Purgatory, the other to Ethereal.”

My voice catches in my throat. “Would my dad be in there?”

He looks away, then nods slowly.

My breath hitches. I haven’t seen him since I was 12. A longing so intense it’s almost physically painful slams into me.

“I want to see him,” I say, my voice barely a whisper.

“Lily, no,” he says, his voice surprisingly firm. “This place is already draining you. Going into Ethereal will only make you weaker. Maybe even…” He trails off, and I know what he means. It could kill me.

“Please, Vex,” I plead, grabbing his arm. “Just for a few minutes. I need to see him.”

He stares at me, his expression unreadable but I can see the concern warring with something softer. Finally, he relents.

“Fine,” he says, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “But you can’t stay long. We need to get you out of here.”

We head towards the Ethereal door. As we get closer, I see a Reaper standing guard, his dark cloak billowing in the nonexistent wind.

“We need to distract him,” I whisper.

Vex glances around, then picks up a small rock and tosses it to our left.

I stare at him, completely unimpressed. “Really, a rock?”

He shrugs. “It worked, didn’t it?”

And surprisingly, it did. The guard actually moved a few steps to investigate the sound. Vex grabs my hand, pulls me forward, and we sneak past him to the door.

Just before I reach for the handle, I stop and turn to Vex, a frown etched on my face. “You’re not coming?”

He shakes his head. “Only souls can enter Ethereal. I’m a Reaper, Lily. I don’t have a soul.”

His words hit me harder than they probably should. I always forget that about him. He isn’t human, no matter how much he acts like it sometimes—or how much I want him to be.

“Don’t be long,” he says, his voice a little gruff. “And Lily… be careful.”

I nod, my heart in my throat. Then, taking a deep breath, I push open the door and step into the swirling mist of Ethereal.

Honestly, the name is spot on. It was like someone cranked up the brightness, but in a good way. Everything was clean, almost blindingly so, but the air felt happy. Like a constant, gentle hum of joy.

I took a few more steps, my shoes making no sound on the pearly white ground. People strolled past, laughing and chatting like they were at some eternal picnic.

I kept looking around, my eyes darting everywhere, trying to take it all in. This was it. This was where all the good souls went after they died. A place of peace and endless smiles.

After a couple of minutes of aimless wandering, a laugh cut through the gentle murmur of the Ethereal. It was a sound I hadn’t heard in so long, but it shot through me like a jolt of lightning.

My head whipped around, and there he was. Standing by a shimmering fountain, laughing with someone I couldn’t see.

Dad.

Tears welled up instantly, blurring my vision. “Daddy,” I whispered, the word catching in my throat. It felt like a prayer, a desperate plea to make sure this wasn’t some cruel trick of the light.

I took a shaky step forward, then another. “Dad?” My voice was barely audible, a fragile thread of hope in the vibrant air.

He turned, a confused frown creasing his forehead. He looked exactly as I remembered him, maybe a little younger, a little… lighter.

“Excuse me,” he said, his voice a warm rumble that tugged at my heart. “Are you lost, dear?”

“Dad,” I said again, the word stronger this time, laced with an urgency I couldn’t control.

Recognition dawned slowly, like the sun rising over a distant mountain. His eyes widened, and his hand flew to his mouth. “Lily?”

He covered the distance between us in two strides, pulling me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe. “My Lily,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and heavy against his shirt. I wrapped my arms around him, clinging to him like a lifeline. “Daddy,” I sobbed, the sound muffled against his chest.

He pulled back slightly, his hands cupping my face. “Look at you,” he said, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “You’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman.” He ran a thumb over my cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

Then, a shadow crossed his face. “I’m so sorry, pumpkin,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “I’m so sorry I left you so soon.”

“It’s okay,” I choked out, even though it wasn’t. None of it was okay.

I buried my face in his chest again, the sobs wracking my body. “I miss you so much,” I managed to gasp out between sobs. “I miss you every single day.”

He pulled away again, his brow furrowed. “But why are you here?” he asked, his voice laced with concern. “Have you… have you passed too? What about your mother? Is she…?”

“No, no,” I said quickly, waving my hands. “I didn’t die. I just… I got a chance to see you again. That’s all.”

A smile spread across his face, a real, genuine smile that warmed me from the inside out. “My pumpkin,” he said, his voice filled with love. “Always finding a way.”