Tamsyn Murray-Afterlife 01 My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray Read Free Book Online Page A

the new wallpaper was sold. Gathering what was left of our tattered family close, they were moving away. I let them go, hollow with misery, knowing they were doing the right thing but unwilling to let go of the last shred of my life. Those weeks were the darkest I’d ever known.
    ‘Hey, are you all right?’ Hep’s black-ringed eyes were concerned.
    Never one to wallow in self-pity, I forced my memories to one side. ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ Looking up at the broken windows of the factory, I put on my most sociable face. ‘In the words of the song, let’s get this party started.’

Chapter 8
    Walking into that building was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Don’t get me wrong, I’d been to plenty of parties in my fifteen years, but never without the comfort of knowing my mates had my back. Hep seemed OK, for an Emo. I had no idea if I could depend on her in a cuss fight.
    I needn’t have worried. She stuck to me like glue, pointing out the ghosts she knew and making me laugh with her sly comments about the ones she didn’t especially like. Given her emotional state, that meant most of the party-goers.
    The party itself looked amazing. Lanterns hung from hooks in the walls and tea lights were dotted on every available surface. Although it had been abandoned a long time ago, the fabric of the factory was still sound and most of the roof was intact. Here and there, a patch of orangey-blue citysky shone through, adding to the magical atmosphere. Fleetingly, I wondered how the candles had got there, but there were plenty of other things demanding my attention, not least of which was the music.
    I flicked a head towards the centre of the room, where a band was thumping out crowd-pleasing tunes ranging from The Beatles to the latest floor-fillers. ‘They’re good. How come they’ve got their guitars?’
    ‘Helicopter crash on their way back from Glastonbury a few years ago. We’re lucky they weren’t double-booked tonight.’
    It hadn’t crossed my mind that musicians would be in hot demand in the afterlife. ‘Does Ryan know them?’
    She nodded. ‘He knows everyone.’
    I was beginning to feel mighty curious about the wonderful Ryan. Reading my mind, Hep flashed me a faint smile. ‘Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.’
    As I followed her through the crowd, I began to feel a worm of uneasiness creeping through me. He had a lot to live up to, this Ryan. What if he wasn’t like I pictured him? What if he picked his nose or secretly liked
Star Trek
or talked like an utter chav? I bit my lip anxiously. What if he was the jock to Kimberly’s cheerleader?
    All of these worries melted away the moment I saw him. In the movie of my existence (which I’m imaginatively calling
The Life and Death of Lucy Shaw
), the crowds will part as I approach and he’ll turn and be mesmerised by my total gorgeousness. Everyone will recognise that somethingwonderful has happened and will go and find something else to do, leaving us alone. He’ll drop to one knee, gazing up at me in adoration. I’ll say something sparkling, managing to be a cross between a glamorous Oscar-winning actress and a seeringly witty comedienne at the same time. Just so we’re clear, it’ll be the actress’s looks and the comedienne’s brains. Funny girls are all very well, but we all know who gets the A-list husbands.
    Anyway, the reality didn’t go quite so smoothly. For a start, Queen Kimberly was holding court around him, making it almost impossible to get close. Luckily, I had Hep with me, who simply elbowed her way in. I suppose you could say the crowd parted, in a shuffling kind of way. It would have been better if it hadn’t closed immediately after her, leaving me stranded amongst hostiles.
    ‘Excuse me,’ I mumbled, trying the polite approach.
    No one moved.
    I tried again. ‘Could I just squeeze through?’
    Again, nothing. Maybe they couldn’t hear me over the music. I was gathering in my breath, ready to let rip with a shout,