A fight broke out between a girl and her parents. It took a deadly turn when a baseball was swung on the girl’s head. She was lying dead on the floor and blood was spilling out of her head.

The next second, a spirit form of the girl appeared next to her physical body. The girl stood next to her body and was shocked.

What came afterwards were like a blur. The parents were neither grieving nor sadden over her death. But they knew a child’s death by their hands would not look good in front of the authorities and peers. They quickly grabbed a knife, self-inflicted themselves, and placed it in the dead girl’s hand.

The ambulance and police came and the parents acted like they were the victims. Everyone left the house including her dead body. The spirit only stood still.

Then a cloaked figure appeared in front her, with a scythe. The girl realized it was the reaper, here to guide her to the afterlife, heaven, hell, limbo, or whatever. The girl wasn’t a very religious person, not pledging to one creed or another. She was still shaken by this paranormal being.

The unexpected happened, the reaper handed her a white key. The reaper's hand wasn't a skeleton hand, but it was very pale human hand. With no words, the reaper took another similar key from its sleeve. The reaper floated towards a door with a keyhole and put the white key in and turned it. The reaper opened the door and a white vortex appeared.

The girl absentmindedly followed the reaper inside and what appeared before her was a gathering of other ghosts, reapers, and demons!

The reaper pulled its hood back and revealed to be a beautiful woman. She was a very pale woman with white hair and golden irises.

The woman/reaper spoke: "Okay, my name is Chala. I will be your guide for the next few years."

The girl replied: "A guide to what?"

"How to live as a ghost, silly!" Chala patted the girl's shoulder. "I know being dead is shocking but ... GET OVER IT!" Chala took hold to both of the girl's shoulders and shaking her. "You don't know how many times someone just do nothing for years! Not getting over of their death!"

"Ooo-ookay! Ple--please! Stop shaking mm--me!" Chala then stopped.

"Good." Chala let go of the girl and started moving.

Chala began to speak up: "Okay, here's the quick notes. You're dead. Why you didn't pass on? Unfinished business or attachments to the physical world."

"I'm a ghost because of that?" The girl thought a bit and realized there was one thing she can't stand back in the living world. Her parents! After knowing her parents falsely accusing her, the girl was more outraged!

Chala ignored the girl's question and continued: "You can pass on by finishing your business or find peace and let go of your attachments. That's the easiest way."

'That's the easy way? That sounds like it could take forever!'

"Of course, the success rate of that happening is 50/50. Another way to pass on is to collect souls."

"What! Why? Does that mean... I have to kill people?"

"Yes! Souls in this place are a currency. Of course, you and I have souls but we're undead. We can fight back against others if we must. That's why it's easier to kill the living and snatch their souls before they go into the wheel of reincarnation."

The girl made a mental note to passed on without resulting into taking a stranger's life.

The girl looked around her surrounding and can't help but look at the more demonic looking people. Horns, wings, and tails. Most of the women were scantily clad. If they're demons, is the girl in hell? It certainly didn't. Blue sky, a clean park over there, and everybody chatting.

Chala looked back at the girl and saw her staring at the demons.

"If you're wondering if they're demons, they are. Except, it was by choice. They are former ghosts."

"What? Why?"

"Ghosts can't live the lives they had before. Like tasting food, pleasure, pain, or even sleep. It can be a torture to live like a ghost for so long. And being a demon, devil, angel, or a reaper like me, allows us to feel things like before."

"You can be an angel!" The girl looked around but can't see nobody that looked like one.

"Angels required... a certain kind of person. It's not something you can pay with souls. Besides, being a demon or whatever isn't so bad. You can change your looks and body if you wanted too. You don't have to look like a demon to be one."

"There gotta be a downside, right?"

"Yes. Once you become one, there is no reincarnation for you. You live for all eternity. Until... you get killed by an exorcist."

The girl gulpped.

***

Soon, the two of them reached a shop called "Every Ghost's Needs Emporium." All sorts of people coming in and out of the shop. Chala and the girl went inside and saw isles of common goods. Notebooks, pens, sacks, and swords? They both went to the other side of the building and saw a long line. In front of the line was a register with a board behind.

Chala pulled the girl closer to the counter and pointed at the board. "You see there. It's a list of powers in exchange for CS, currency souls."

The girl took at a few things listed on the board:

Nightmare Giver: 1 CS

Levitation LV1: 2 CS

Illusionist: 5 CS

Master of Terror: 5 CS

...

...

Passing On: 100 CS

Becoming the Demon: 1,000 CS

Becoming the Devil: 10,000 CS

The girl said: "I wouldn't need these powers or collect souls, if I'm gonna passed on with the other ways, right?"

Chala shrugged and replied: "That's a what-if. As your guide, I'm just showing you around and telling you the basic stuff."

"Wouldn't it be a bad thing just to kill 100 people to passed on? Isn't that selfish?"

"I don't make the rules. There's no heaven or hell, sooner or later people will die. If it helps you to feel better, why don't you go after pimps and corrupted politicians."

...

"Okay, I feel a bit better."

"See!" Chara patted the girls shoulder. "Look at the bright side."

***

The stuff on the isles are free but only a limited amount could be given per customer within a short period. The girl grabbed a shoudler bag, notebook, and a pen. She had no idea why they were other goods that a ghost needed. A makeup kit? A gun? And TV?

Chala explained that there were residents in this realm. The demons, devils, and reapers were the residents here. The realm looked like another Earth except the residents.

Later, Chala and the girl went back to the kitchen. It's the middle of the night and yet no one was still home. There was still a pool of blood on the floor.

"Before I get going, a few warnings," Chala said.

"One, DON'T LOSE THE KEY! It's the only way to go to the other realm.

Two! Stay away from religious organizations and cults! Even the stupid ones. They will try to exorcise the shit out of you!

And three! If you need help or ask questions, here."

Chala gave a soft smile and handed a card with her name and address of her residence in the other realm.

"On file your full name is Helen Rickis. Right? Should I can by your first or last name?" Chala questioned.

"No. I want to forget my name. Call me... Ghost Girl!"

...

"Bahahahah! That's sound so stupid! You think you're the only 'ghost girl' here. I was a ghost girl!" Chala continued to laugh.

The girl moped a bit. She thought a new name for herself should be something simple like a title. She wanted to call herself, Bloody Mary, to be hilarious but... There could be a real bloody Mary, just lurking in the mirrors.

"Okay Ghost Girl~~~ See ya! And good luck!" Chala went through the vortex and the door closed.

The girl never met someone as robust as that woman. It was... very pleasant. The girl had a lot of questions but suddenly, the front door opened.

It was her parents.