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Kicking off the sheets, I slid out of bed and peered down the hallway My grandfather’s door was cracked open, letting a thin line of light shine across the carpet

I crept down the hall and waited by a linen closet

"You found whorandfather’s voice was sharp "Where was she?"

Silence

"Was she trailing one of them? Where was her partner?"

A shadow passed by the door, blocking the light I strained to hear as going on, but randfather’s voice was muffled He sla, the door flew open andon his coat Dustin, his estate randfather’s briefcase and traveling bag Ducking inside the linen closet, I crouched next to a hamper of dirty laundry and waited When I was sure both men were downstairs, I slipped back into h the screen Fros and holding an urandfather as he ran out the front door and into his Aston Martin Dustin deposited the bags in the trunk, and I watched as the car lurched down the driveway, turned, and sped out of sight

I tried to go back to sleep but ended up drifting in and out of e, my philosophy professor at Gottfried Acadehtened of me What had she meant?

A knock on the door pulled , the sun a faint orb behind the clouds

I pulled on a sweater and opened the door "Yes?"

Dustin entered, bald and droopy as an earlobe, balancing an elaborate platter of eggs, pancakes, sausages, and fruit His suit was tight around his paunch When he sawas he studied me "You truly do look older Remarkable"

A draft came in from the hall, and I wrapped my arms around otten what day it is I saw your light on and took the chance that you were awake Breakfast in bed? I’ve brought you exactly seventeen items to coainst htstand I hadn’t forgotten it, exactly; I had just replaced it Noas the day my parents had died The day Dante had died "I told you, I don’t want to celebrate"

"Oh, yes, yes It’s a so a napkin "But your parents would have wanted you to enjoy yourself You’re seventeen Quite the adult"

"Thanks," I said, giving hier smile, but all I could think of was Dante He was Undead--a person who’d died before the age of twenty-one without a burial or cremation, and had thus reanimated Until last year, he had been doomed to wander the earth in search of the person his soul had been reincarnated into, and take it back through a kiss

Me

Against all odds, we’d stumbled across each other--the first known soul mates in history The only problem was that we’d fallen in love The Undead only have twenty-one years after their first death to roam the earth before their bodies decay, and today ood Closing ht out of my head and looked up at Dustin "Who was on the phone?"

Dustin grew stiff "Oh, the phone, yes" Avoiding aze, he busied himself with the silverware "Don’t worry yourself about that just yet First, eat"

The food looked syrupy and hot, but I had no appetite It had been like this all summer "Will you join me?"

Surprised, Dustin blushed "I’d be honored I’ll set up two places in the dining roo on innings of a smile, I picked it up The return address read: