ThreyaMidnight

"So this is what they mean when they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die."

Betrayed. Battered. Broken. 

Evangeline Vermillion has had enough of her pathetic life. She was young—only in her early 20s—and she had planned to end it all by setting herself on fire. 

That was how she met Death—cold, dark, tall, and...handsome? Huh. Who knew the Grim Reaper could look like that? He takes her hand and guides her through the In-Between, the sacred realm between the Land of the Living and the Afterlife. Together, they revisit her most important memories. From the misfortunes of her childhood, to the chaos and bloodshed of the wrong kinds of love, Evangeline must confront the demons of her past to get to The Other Side.

Through all of the pain and anguish, Death stands with her, an enigmatic companion and unlikely confidant. And in their brief waltz between realms, Evangeline finally finds what she always wanted but never had: to belong and to be loved.

Waltz with Death

My fists pounded mercilessly against the imposter underneath me; his face was barely recognizable after I was done with him. Bruised, battered, and half-conscious, he lay on the ground as I stood over him, my chest heaving with the exertion.

Who could even think that my time as a delinquent in high school proved to serve me well even in death, allowing me to pummel the embodiment of death itself?

Stepping back, I surveyed the aftermath of my assault. The imposter's left eye was swollen shut, his lips were split and bloody, and his entire face was black and blue.

"Fuck!" I swore under my breath. "I lost control of myself."

As I prepared to wipe the crimson stain off my knuckles, I gasped as I realized that the blood that had coated my hands was completely gone.

Black and Blue