Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

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Author’s NoteThis story explores life and love as well as loss and grief.There are discussions of death in different forms—quiet, unexpected, and death bysuicide.Please read with care.
CHAPTER1Patricia was crying.Wallace Price hated it when people cried.Little tears, big tears, full-on body-wracking sobs, it didn’t matter. Tearswere pointless, and she was only delaying the inevitable.“How did you know?” she said, her cheeks wet as she reached for theKleenex box on his desk. She didn’t see him grimacing. It was probably forthe best.“How could I not?” he said. He folded his hands on his oak desk, hisArper Aston chair squeaking as he settled in for what he was sure was goingto be a case of unfortunate histrionics, all while trying to keep fromgrimacing at the stench of bleach and Windex. One of the night staff musthave spilled something in his office, the scent thick and cloying. He made amental note to send out a memo to remind everyone that he had a sensitivenose, and that he shouldn’t be expected to work in such conditions. It waspositively barbaric.The shades on the windows to his office were pulled shut against theafternoon sun, the air-conditioning blasting harshly, keeping him alert. Threeyears ago, someone had asked if they could move the dial up to seventydegrees. He’d laughed. Warmth led to laziness. When one was cold, one keptmoving.Outside his office, the firm moved like a well-oiled machine, busy andself-sufficient without the need for significant input, exactly as Wallace liked.He wouldn’t have made it as far as he had if he’d had to micromanage everyemployee. Of course, he still kept a watchful eye, those in his employknowing they needed to be working as if their lives depended on it. Theirclients were the most important people on earth. When he said jump, he
Page 3 and 4: Begin ReadingTable of ContentsAbout
Page 5: For Eric.I hope you woke up in a st
Page 9 and 10: “Kyle was laid off two months ago
Page 11 and 12: “Kyle won’t touch me,” she wh
Page 13 and 14: dollars, and that doesn’t even be
Page 15 and 16: He never got the chance.Instead, tw
Page 17 and 18: Mostly.She wasn’t crying. He was
Page 19 and 20: you died, you continued to wear the
Page 21 and 22: Persian rug he’d spent an exorbit
Page 23 and 24: to show some kind of emotion. He wo
Page 25 and 26: He burst out laughing. Yes, he coul
Page 27 and 28: She grinned. “Oh, man. Just you w
Page 29 and 30: made it feel like so much more. It
Page 31 and 32: He said, “I…” He didn’t kno
Page 33 and 34: She wiped her eyes, still chuckling
Page 35 and 36: “Oh. Yeah, no. I get it. Yes, thi
Page 37 and 38: He blinked slowly, becoming aware o
Page 39 and 40: They rounded a corner, and he could
Page 41 and 42: He stared at her. “We’re seeing
Page 43 and 44: CHAPTER4He expected the inside of t
Page 45 and 46: The second time you share tea, you
Page 47 and 48: was … calming? Or so close to it
Page 49 and 50: know I don’t have time for this.
Page 51 and 52: “And there’s … what?”Hugo d
Page 53 and 54: questions. I’ll do my best to ans
Page 55 and 56: “I’m dead,” Wallace said.Hugo
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learned from her mother, a heavyset
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“There aren’t.”“Which means
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Hugo looked at him. “You’re a g
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CHAPTER6The first obstacle was the
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At least he tried to.It didn’t wo
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terrible as the rest of him. All so
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“Saw one, did you?”He whirled a
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place you’ll ever be before you c
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CHAPTER7Apollo seemed to know where
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Hugo chuckled. “A little older th
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Hugo shook his head. “No, I’m n
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“Hush,” Hugo said. “Don’t l
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“But he’s here.”“He is,”
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“You don’t need to sleep.”Wal
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Wallace’s eyes bulged as he looke
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“No.”“But you’re sitting on
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Nelson nodded toward the sconces on
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Wallace hadn’t even heard him app
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“Do what?” Mei asked as she rea
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The hook—always there, and he was
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And strangely, he thought he could
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moved around from table to table, t
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him.” And then, under her breath,
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woke up. He went to work. He stayed
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CHAPTER9Charon’s Crossing stayed
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Mei gasped. “They do? Oh my god,
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“Obviously,” he said faintly.
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that’s taboo.” She looked away.
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“It’s like you, in a way,” sh
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“Nope.”Wallace groaned. “Then
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things. He had expensive clothes, a
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Nelson grinned. “Fair.” He rubb
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“It’s like that here,” Hugo s
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“It was fast,” Hugo said, stari
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Hugo seemed to let it go. “The Ma
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“You can’t ever go to them,”
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finding the truth within himself. W
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And now here they were in the fifth
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Her fault, he told himself as he sa
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They all fell into a schedule of so
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One of the other women said, “My
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“Because he doesn’t want to,”
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Wallace bit back a sharp retort whe
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stumbled around, making promises to
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Nelson laughed. “Refreshing. Frus
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Hugo, for his part, didn’t look a
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“I mean, there’s always a plea
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came here looking more alive than s
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Nothing.“All the time you—would
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Desdemona gasped, pulling her hands
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“A,” Desdemona said as the plan
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followers, and I command you to—
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CHAPTER12That night, Wallace follow
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“Then why didn’t you put a stop
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“It’s not always like this,”
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Wallace closed his eyes. Nancy was
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“A guardian of the doors,” Hugo
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“What does that mean?”“I can
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green door at the end. He walked th
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window looked out into a familiar k
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CHAPTER13At the beginning of his tw
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Hugo shrugged. It was infuriating.
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everything I’m saying right now?
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The tea shop was busy all day. Sinc
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“What will it take?” Wallace as
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Watch.”Wallace stood next to him
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some … some let it become all the
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“Obviously,” Nelson said. He re
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Wallace bit back a retort. They wer
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but my legs didn’t work. My arms
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“Yes,” Hugo said.“I was murde
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behind clouds. The tea plants looke
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people like him.” He swallowed th
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him and he waited, waited, waited f
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CHAPTER15Alan tried to leave.He did
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we’re all traveling on.”Alan sh
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we can do it after—”“Oh, hey,
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come. “Any specific reason?”“
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Wallace blinked. “Oh, uh. Practic
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“How did it go?”Hugo started to
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CHAPTER16“Are you sure about this
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down at his tea, muttering under hi
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“Yes,” Wallace said. “And whe
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The tables jumped again as Alan too
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He hated how much he focused on it,
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“He does,” Hugo said. He looked
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“Or I know my limits,” Wallace
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age. He was coldly handsome, though
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were here in February. Speaking of,
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him. He turned to see Alan stepping
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Alan rose slowly to his feet, point
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CHAPTER17It was bigger than any sta
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The boy nodded at Wallace before lo
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instead of solid. “In fact, an ar
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full well he wasn’t in his right
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dies. Death is cleansing. The pain
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Sure, the bureaucracy of it all can
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“He’s not gone,” Wallace said
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He didn’t know.He’d never felt
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“Then do it. I don’t know what
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Hugo shook his head. Muttering unde
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The sadness receded, though it didn
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On the third evening, Hugo switched
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Nancy did as asked, clutching her p
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Mei cocked her head as if confused,
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I KNOW. BUT I HOPE IN HEARING FROM
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For a moment, Wallace thought it’
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CHAPTER19Acceptance.It was easier t
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then another and then another. And
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didn’t know if anyone would answe
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“What’s that supposed to mean?
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“I’m not trying to,” Wallace
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He laughed wildly. “If not now, w
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Wallace felt the pull the moment th
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As the sun set, they stood side by
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He failed.His eyes rolled up in his
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They said, “Cameron, let’s go o
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grit his teeth together. Tears floo
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CHAPTER21The next day, Charon’s C
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He hung his head. “I’m scared,
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Nelson rose from his chair, tugging
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on forever. He wondered if there we
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Nelson standing in front of the tea
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Hugo lowered his hand back to the b
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“Hugo?”“Yeah?”“Don’t fo
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Wallace couldn’t. Everything was
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They drank tea as if it were any ot
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impressed.”“Frankly, I don’t
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“Don’t I?” the boy asked. He
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discriminate. It’s there for ever
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“You swear?” Wallace insisted.
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“Not afraid,” the Manager repea
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Someone crouched next to him. “Wa
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The Manager nodded. “The job will
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“I’m leaving now,” the Manage
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EPILOGUEOn an evening in the middle
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It wasn’t easy. Of course it wasn
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Desdemona Tripplethorne returned to
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Mei made them tea as the rest gathe
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But a river only moves in one direc
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Apollo licked his fingers.Hugo rose
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Mei began to recite the contents of
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Next, the sensitivity readers. Not
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READ ON FORMEI’SINTRODUCTION TORE
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INTRODUCTION TO REAPINGCongratulati
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For example, WHITE HUMAN WOMEN expe
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DD’s file before your arrival, yo
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We believe in you!The Managercc: Un
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ABOUT THE AUTHORTJ KLUNE is the New
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This is a work of fiction. All of t
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Chapter 22EpilogueAcknowledgmentsEx
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