She Lies Twisted by C.M. Stunich

began as he adjusted the dirty brown laces on his gray sneakers. “You always see the person that started it. If you didn't, you'd never really understand why you were still here.” I lifted my head and stared at him. I must've looked pretty pathetic because he put his arm around my shoulder and drew me closer. A sense of camaraderie passed between us. Loss. He felt it, too. I wasn't the only one. I wiped my bloody sleeve across my eyes.
    “ Who are you?” I asked. It was the one question I needed an answer to first. Before I opened another door and let someone else in, I had to know.
    “ My name is James,” he said, his dark eyes clouding over with emotion. “And I died over a year ago.”



"St ep, two, three. Now, walk, two, three. Clasp your partner's hand, ladies, this is no square dancing class!” I pressed my hands over my ears and tried to weave my way between the twirling couples in Ms. Katy Meredith's over sixty-five tango class. They, of course, weren't listening to her but to her replacement, a Mrs. Sherry Parks who, in my opinion, lacked the fire and conviction of Ms. Meredith. I nearly bumped into a couple in matching Hawaiian shirts and began to apologize when I realized they weren't actually in the class anymore, just a figment of Ms. Meredith's memories. I shook myself and kept going. James waved encouragement from behind the glass in the Visitor's Hallway.
    Katy ignored me as I reached for her sleeve. I faltered and saw James frown. He had assured me that it would be different this time, that she was ready. The sandman and....I paused and took a deep breath. Thinking his name wouldn't change anything. Still, I couldn't bring myself to do it. The sandman hadn't been ready. Katy was. James said it was the bird lady's job to tell and not mine. I bit my lip.
    My fingers brushed the soft fabric of her shirt and slid around her delicate wrist. Ms. Meredith smiled.
    “ The lobby is down the hall,” she said, her slim brows arched. “I think you're just a few decades early for this class.” And then she was gone and so were half of the couples that had been dancing around the wooden floor. I breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to find Mrs. Parks eyeing me with suspicion. I covered my hair with my hood and raced back the way I had come. James was waiting at the exit for me.
    “ That was good,” he blurted, excitement adding color to his pale cheeks. People watched us walk down the hall with either confusion, embarrassment, or downright scorn. A couple of teens, a couple of freaks. I could've sworn I heard someone say, “I hope they outgrow that someday.” James couldn't help that he looked like an extra in a zombie movie. I mean, the new clothes and the shower had helped but still, he looked like he needed a visit to the emergency room. I, on the other hand, had always looked this way. I flipped off a couple of yuppies in pastel sweaters. James grasped my hand by the wrist. “Don't draw attention,” he said as he ushered me out the front doors of the Solma Valley Recreation Center.
    “ Why not?” I snapped, fumbling around in my pocket for the last of the cigarettes Boyd had given me. I guess I was going to have to quit. Without Boyd to buy them for me...I shook my head to clear it of memories. James frowned but said nothing. Lucky him. I wasn't in the mood for it. “So,” I asked as we paused at the curb and waited for a break in the traffic. “You never told me how long I have to play 'grim reaper' for.” I emphasized the words with my fingers. James shook his head.
    “ Technically,” he said as we began to cross the street. “I'm the grim reaper. You're the summoner.” I snorted and stuffed the cigarette between my lips.
    “ Look, I like a game of Dungeons and Dragons as much as the next girl but come the fuck on.” I was starting to lose my patience. I had been weak yesterday, broken, twisted inside. I had let James put his foot in the door because I needed a friend but I