Back to (Death) School, by Kristy

Tersa was floating in a pool of her own mucus inside her cabin, which is how I got away with not telling her about my new death messenger gig until now.

"I am not floating in mucus," Tersa protested. "I'm drowning in it! Chreek help me!"

Her words came out sounding pretty sticky and gooey. I kinda wanted to throw up. But she's my best friend, so I thought I would stick through it and try to help her out. She'd had this really wicked cold for weeks now.

"Drink some tea or something," I suggested.

"Quit trying, Ceegee."

That's what she calls me. It's stupe, but Tersa's gonna call me what she's gonna call me.

"Well what do you want then, Ters?" I was feeling antsy to either do something for her or get gone.

"Bring me Meepy," she sniffled. "You're not entertaining enough."

"Love ya," I said.

"You know I don't mean anything bad about you," said Tersa. "You're lovable. But this damn cold is something else. Figures I would catch it, after not being sick for ten years."

"I'm just glad you're in that bubb," I said.

Tersa mimed throwing something at me. Course it never would've gone through her quarantine bubble, but I pretended ducking just to make her feel good.

"All right, I'll be back with Meepy," I told her. She really did look pathetic in that bubb. "If he'll come," I amended. "You know him and his agenda and dust like that."

"Yeah," said Tersa mopily. "I wonder if he has a telerally this week."

"If he does, you can bet pretty much the whole animal pop'll be tuning in. Ever since he uploaded his Monkey Manifesto to all the newscasts, he's been hot stuff."

Tersa thought for a minute. I could tell because she was crinkling up her forehead that usually doesn't have a single line on it.

"Could he be in danger?" she asked after a while. "Could he put Jada Station in danger?"

"No one knows where he is except us," I said. "No one knows what he really looks like."

But the lit truth was I didn't know if he was safe or if the whole station was gonna get invaded by Regimers in the next few seconds.

I knew I wasn't safe. Not by a long shot. Not after I said what I had to say to Tersa. She'd get me for it. She'd be peeved. Mostly she'd be mad I didn't tell her right away.

"Ters," I said, "listen up. I got a visit from a death messenger."

"What? Those things aren't real, dope. I was serious when I said go get Meepy."

"They are real, dope," I said. "The reason I know is because I am one."

There. What would she make of that?

Tersa stood up, slowly, so slowly I knew she was doing it on purpose to make me antsy or something. "You.

"Better.

"Tell.

"Me.

"What.

"You.

"Mean.

"By.

"That."

She had on her business voice. If I was smart, I woulda scrammed.

"I got a visit from a death messenger, I said. He told me I was chosen. It's my vocation. I don't have a choice. I'm going to death school in a month."

"You dusthead," said Tersa wonderingly.

If I wasn't wrong, she sounded like she was about to admire me. I waited.

"Is this really lit true?" she asked, getting jazzed up again.

"Yes," I said quickly. "I mean, I don't really want to leave...school...you...Meepy..." I mumbled the rest.

"Damn." She was shaking her head at me and looking at me like I was some fine cat. "Can I view you there?"

I shrugged. "I doubt it."

"But you'll come back when the school's done and you'll tell me everything about it, right? How long will it last? A month or so?"

"I don't even know," I said. "To be true, Ters, I don't even know if I'll be coming back."

"Of course you will," said Tersa, but she sounded down. She got to thinking again.

After a minute, she said, "Listen, I'm too tired to think about this right now. I'll deal with you later. Get Meepy."

"On top of it," I said, saluting her. She didn't smile but then, neither did I. I left.