Mina could see stars. No she hasn't been hit over the head...(at least not that she knew of) but rather, she was in the astral plane of her life. She knew this since the sky was as pink as a liquid antacid. Even against the hot pink backdrop, the stars and planets shone brightly, reflecting the world outside of her mind.
Frida's voice echoed so loud in the sky it sounded like a supernova. "Well, dear, what are you waiting for? Go find your beau!"
"Where?" Mina asked, floating through the sky like a helmet less astronaut.
She remembered being in the cosmic plane before with Chad Hangten but this time, there was nobody here.
She skimmed through the sky, looking behind comets and space dust, but nobody was there. No handsome boyfriend who treated her like a Burger Princess. (Actually, unlike Raven, she was often treated to caviar rather than fast food).
She called his name.
"William?!"
First his nickname, and then for Willy, the cute shortened version that he loathed so much.
"Willy?!"
Her voice just echoed in the cosmic void.
Silence followed and it was deeper and darker than a black hole. Sorrow and dread encircled the pit in her stomach like it was the breeding ground for dark matter.
"He's not here..." she said with a sigh.
Could he have moved on?
Without her?
Her body sunk even without the pull of gravity. It was time to give up the ghost.
She tapped her butterfly necklace and her eyes opened in the steely cold folding chair in Madame Butterfly's backroom.
"There was no one there," Mina said with a sigh. "I guess my super star is just a burnt out, withered husk."
There was a look of empathy on the middle aged woman's face.
Stolen novel; please report.
She immediately removed her butterfly mask, revealing the visage of a frumpy, bush haired, brunette mother with a kind expression. "I'm sorry dear. But worry not. When a soul of a loved one is not present on an astral plane...it means they have moved on...and are at peace."
"Willy..." Mina said, her body and spirit still clamouring for Blind Justice. "He moved on without me?"
Gently and slowly, the medium nodded. "You told me that he had died protecting you dear. That is the greatest way a person can depart from this world--saving the life of their truly beloved."
Mina's heart fluttered than sank. It was unbelievably romantic what he had done...but greatly tragic too.
She hated being a brat, especially as someone who was legally an adult (And you didn't need to be an attorney to know that, she thought) but still, her body ached for his touch. It was a feeling his cold skin would never deliver anymore. Life could be totally unfair, but death was the biggest cheater there was.
Mina didn't even know what to say.
She thanked Frida for helping her astrally project herself into the spiritual realm of existence, but in the end, it did not help at all. It just made her feel worse and more alone.
Blind was somewhere out there, but he was unreachable even by cosmic powers.
Mina departed Thrifty Thrifts, but she leaned back against the brick wall beside it. The sun was shining, but the crisp fall air and gusts of wind made the day cold. She wasn't a vagabond, but spiritually she felt like one and the winter was only just beginning.
She cocked her head towards the sidewalk, gazing at the filthy garbage when an obnoxious squawk of a horn blared in her ears. Her heart raced and she caught her breath. None other than Raven had pulled up in his purple jalopy. She had managed to take care of it when it was gone but it still squawked and squeaked like the man himself.
"Heya kiddo!" Raven said waving his hand.
Even if he had become Raven Lockwood again and not Ivor Ebony, he still moonlighted as the mayor, hoping he could solve the mystery of what compelled him to run for office in the first place.
But around her, he was dorky old Raven. Her mentor and skilled (but lazy) defense attorney.
"Hop in kid!" Raven chuckled. "I was just about to truck on down to the Burger Princess.
Mina nodded. The least she could do is spend the rest of this dire, lonesome day in the comfort of an old pal (and some trashy comfort food).
Raven cocked an eyebrow and made a wry expression. Suddenly, he pulled a strange hat out of nowhere and plopped it on her head. It was a jet black hat with a round brim. Looking like a fedora someone would wear on an Internet forum like Eddit.
"What's this hat?" Mina asked. It wasn't exactly her style.
"After we pick up some burgers ta go," Raven said with a grin. "We're heading out to the country. Gonna do some soul searching. And this hat makes you look more artsy fartsy"
"Soul searching?" Mina asked. "I think I've had enough soul searching for today."
"Well then," Raven said with a suave chuckle. "I just want you to think long and hard about your next career move when we drive. You can do that right?"
Mina straightened the brim on her hat. Her eyes reflected in the overhead mirror and darkened. "Yes. That I can. There's gonna be some changes around here...indeed."