Young Writers Society

*This is part two of my story “Bone Boy”. This story is underneath my folder titled “Bone Boy”. Gacha Club character designs are underneath my found titled “My character designs<33". Enjoy!*

Chapter One-Returning

Lucy let go of Theodore, surveying his rotten, decaying room. Just moments ago they were in the fairy carnival, saving Theodore’s friends from being trapped and killing Evelyn in the process.

She couldn’t believe it. After what felt like the end of it all, they were both free. Sure, they were both living skeletons, but at least they had each other, right?

Lucy walked up to his bedroom door and turned the knob. She didn’t think that Grandma would be the type of person to fear them both, even though they were both skeletons.

She had to reassure Grandma that she was okay. Who knew how long Grandma was waiting?

Chapter Two-Their discovery

But when Lucy stepped out, she heard three other people step in. She could tell how many people there were by the sound of their footsteps. Theodore walked out of his room and peered down the stairs, to where the people were.

How much time had passed since Lucy and Theodore were in the other dimension?

After a while, Theodore slunk back into the shadows with Lucy and whispered:

“New people have moved in. A family of three. A Mom, a Dad, and a girl around our age.”

Lucy felt her depleted, maggot-chewed heart sink within her. It couldn’t be, but…

“Really? They moved in?” Lucy asked. Her voice sounded hoarse, like it hadn’t been used in a while, but again, that was only because the maggots were eating her throat. She was still herself, in the end.

Just like the house still belonged to her and her Grandma.

“I think so. Do you not hear them talking about how happy we are? Years have passed, I’m afraid.” Theodore said, sorrow in his raspy voice.

Lucy clutched Theodore’s claw, the only one she loved left in the world.

If years had passed, then that meant that new people would live in their house, infringe on past memories, and…

Grandma was dead.

Chapter Three-To hold on

“I…I can’t believe it! I thought that we were only gone for a few minutes, and…and…”

Lucy couldn’t finish her sentence. Her tears came out as black muck, dead bugs swimming in it. The scent of spoiled meat wafted in the air from her tears. Was she even a person anymore? Grandma wasn’t around to welcome her back, her parents were long dead…and she and Theodore were still trapped.

Theodore held her close, brushing away her tears and kissing the top of her head. For a skeleton, his touch was gentle, almost like he still had the skin on his body.

“I know how you feel. You feel so alone, so lost, like a blot in the universe. Like the things you did in life didn’t matter. But like you said, we have each other. I’m sorry that your Grandma died.” Theodore said.

Lucy swallowed back her tears, suddenly guilty that she cried at all. Theodore was alone for centuries. He had to spend centuries in a house with no one to share it with, no one to talk to.

At least she had him. Theodore had no one for a long time.

“It’s alright to cry. Come now, we must hide. We can’t let them see us.” Theodore said.

With that, Theodore and Lucy slipped into the cracks in the wall, for the house had broken down more than it already was from their time at the fairy carnival.

Chapter Four-Molding home

Lucy watched from the walls as the girl made her way into what was once Lucy’s room, running her finger through what used to be Lucy’s walls. The girl wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Lucy scratched the rotten wall in anger. How could the girl step in her room and look at it as though it were an abomination? Sure, there were curtains of dust covering the surface, but that didn’t mean that it was deplorable.

“I know, I know. Please restrain yourself, it’s not worth it.” Theodore said.

But again, the girl continued to look at the room as though it were an absolutely unlivable space, as though it deserved to be demolished.

Who cared about hiding anymore?

Chapter Five-The new face

Lucy clawed her way through the walls, caring not if she made a scene. The girl turned around in shock, but Lucy ignored her fear.

“This house may not be picture perfect, but it’s still a home. Treat it with respect.” Lucy snarled.

She could hear Theodore frantically crawling out of the walls, no doubt worried sick about the girl’s reaction.

The girl looked from Lucy, then to Theodore, then back to Lucy.

“W-w-what are you?” The girl asked.

Humans always had fear lodged in them. Fear lodged in at what was different, fear of what else was out there.

No one ever wanted to have a real, true conversation with Lucy. No one except Grandma and Theodore. Everyone else wanted to hear about how her parents died, how they crumpled right before her eyes. Doctors would look at her with fascination that she survived, and fright of what she would say next, as though she were a feral animal ready to attack.

Of course the girl wouldn’t see her humanity. Most people never did.

“I was alive, like you once. But I helped saved the original owner’s friends that were trapped in a fairy dimension, and now I’m what stands before you today. Take care not to mess with anything in this house, it deserves better than your judgment.” Lucy said.

The girl swallowed hard, glancing at the door as though she wanted to run.

At least she didn’t, though. That would have really made Lucy want to give her such a scare.

Theodore clasped his claw around hers. She would have thought that he would be mad that she frightened the girl, but no. He stayed.

“I know that me and Lucy’s appearance is unsettling, but you must understand that we never asked to look like this. We were cursed to be this way. You may not be cursed, but one of these days, your body will go through the same fate. We had a long journey, and a beloved family member of hers who used to live here had passed. I asked her not to come out, but she did anyway. I don’t blame her. You look at this place as though it means nothing just because it’s in shambles. This place used to be her home, as it used to be mine.” Theodore said.

Still, the girl seemed wracked in terror. Was that the only emotion she could feel? Why didn’t she try and make the effort to see who they were underneath the maggots?

Was she always going to think of that way?

“My name is Theodore. Know that we mean no ill will towards you, and we only want the best. Now, what is your name? I don’t want to start us off on the wrong foot.” Theodore said.

Lucy admired him for caring so much, but didn’t he know better than anyone that most humans weren’t to be trusted? What if the girl and her parents altered the house to the point where it lost its soul, its vitality?

The girl took five deep breaths, something that Lucy was no longer able to do, and said:

“Roxanne. My name is Roxanne.”

Chapter Six-They all run, in the end

“You’re not going to hurt me, right? You promise?“ Roxanne asked.

She looked at Lucy with particular terror, as though Lucy were a time bomb that would go off any second. As Roxanne looked at her, Lucy felt her original fury ebb away.

It wasn’t Roxanne’s fault that things have changed. Once upon a time, Lucy used to be human. Though she and Roxanne were different, perhaps if they spent more time together, then Roxanne would see things from her perspective and learn to appreciate what was left behind.

“We promise. Welcome to our home.” Lucy said, sticking out her claw for Roxanne to shake.

Roxanne took one look at Lucy’s rotten-flesh, worm-ridden claw and ran off, presumably to join her parents downstairs.

Lucy let her claw fall down to her side. She was trying to be nice, but how could that happen if Roxanne treated her like the plague?

“It’s alright, Lucy. We tried.” Theodore said reassuringly, wrapping her up in a hug.

She wanted to melt into his hug, to forget that she was dead, to forget that Grandma was dead, that the world as she knew it changed, but…

Nothing could fix what happened. Not even Theodore’s hug.

Chapter Seven-Crawling bugs and everlasting love

The day had passed on with Roxanne going on about her day as though she didn’t meet Lucy and Theodore, whereas the latter kept their distance from her.

It was at night, at the time of the moonlight, that Lucy and Theodore felt like the house was theirs. They danced throughout the halls, talked of the things that made them happy while they were alive, and cared not for the bugs they left behind. That would be for the living family to deal with.

The two of them were at Theodore’s room, watching his toy trains go by on their tracks, when, all of a sudden, Lucy saw the knob on his door turn.

Chapter Eight-Reconciliation

Lucy and Theodore watched, waiting anxiously for who was to come. Maybe it was a member of the family, maybe it was a monster. They wouldn’t know until they saw.

It wasn’t a creature. It was Roxanne in a pair of plaid pajamas, holding a flashlight in one of her hands, her blue eyes full of regret.

“I’m sorry I got scared earlier. I’ve been thinking about you two all day, and what you have to endure. You never wanted to be this way. It’s just that I saw the bugs and the decaying flesh and…and I freaked out. You look like the monsters in horror movies.” Roxanne said.

Lucy felt a pang of hurt inside her that Roxanne would call them both that, but didn’t blame her. At least Roxanne was apologizing and not attempting to insult them.

“I know that you’re not monsters, though. You’re just two people who had so many terrible things thrown at them. I have no idea what happened to make you two this way, but I don’t want us to hate each other.” Roxanne said.

Roxanne looked at them both, taking in every detail about them. Her eyes seemed to soften, as though she saw them as equals.

“May I join you?” Roxanne asked.

Lucy and Theodore nodded, grateful to see that she cared.

She was more than welcome to join.

Chapter Nine-Talk and trains

Hours had passed as they watched the trains and shared stories of their lives. If Lucy’s existence was to be with Theodore and Roxanne, then she was content. As long as she didn’t have to decay alone, then she would be okay.

Roxanne’s eyes went wide. Her hand rested on the surface of the floor, and then, she pulled back the molding floorboards.

Lucy and Theodore watched intently.

Chapter Ten-Beauty of love and life

From underneath the floorboards, Roxanne pulled out the antique ruby necklace that Theodore gave Lucy and a porcelain doll with ginger hair and blue eyes, wearing an emerald green dress.

“I-I don’t know, I just felt a bump and found these.” Roxanne said, face pale with shock.

Lucy exchanged a look of joy with Theodore. Lucy almost forgot about the necklace that he gave her, but there Roxanne was to remind her of that precious gift!

“Thank you so much! Theodore gave me that necklace when I first moved in!” Lucy said, snatching the necklace from Roxanne’s hand and slipping it around her neck.

She couldn’t believe that it got lost in the house, but at least it was with her again.

“I never thought that I’d see that doll again. I gave it to my friend Kelsey years ago. I guess that lost things always have a way of being found.” Theodore said, taking the doll from Roxanne.

Theodore wrapped Lucy up in his embrace, still holding onto the doll with one claw.

She snuggled close to him, rubbing her claws against the ruby’s surface. She felt herself fade away, she felt Theodore fade away.

Flesh was beginning to form on her body, as it was for Theodore. Roxanne was starting to become faraway, and the scent of flowers formed in the air.

Lucy felt something grow from her back, and saw white, feathery wings surround her.

Lucy turned around.

There was Theodore, with eyes, flesh, and wings on his back.

Lucy looked down at her own back.

Sure enough, she had wings sprouting from her back, folded close around her.

A dawn of understanding went in Lucy’s mind. Roxanne had given them both items that held significant meaning to them, and with it, had set them free.

“Thank you.” Lucy said to Roxanne before completely disappearing with Theodore into Heaven’s garden.

Her voice was no longer rotten and raspy, her body was no longer depleted and decayed. She and Theodore were back as themselves, and headed off to where their families waited. Roxanne and her parents would find a way to make the home theirs to live.

As always, Lucy and Theodore had each other. Through thick and thin, they’d never part.

For as long as she existed, Lucy would keep the necklace around her neck.

Theodore would always be beautiful to her, whether he was a living cadaver or a blossoming angel, he would always be beautiful.

Finally, they would both be able to rest.