around in the body of her best friend. She touched her stomach, for the first time remembering that she’d stabbed herself.
There was no wound. Her clothes weren’t even ripped. But she could still remember the sensation as the blade sliced through flesh.
“How can you say I’m not dead?” she demanded. “I’m not even injured. This can’t be my true body.”
Newton smiled benevolently. “You have much to learn.”
“What kind of an answer is that?”
“The only one you’re going to get.”
She glared at him. “Fine. Why are you even here?”
And then her heart sort of jumped and her gut clenched with sudden fear. Not for herself—she was way beyond being scared for herself.
“You’re really here? In Navin’s body?” Blood pounded in her ears.
Newton held his arms out on either side. “As you see.”
“You brought my best friend into Hell?! What are you doing?” She advanced on him. “How could you?”
Newton stood his ground, though his expression turned wary. It was the same look Navin got whenever Donna started talking about magic or elves or demons. “Quite easily, thank you very much. I have every right to go home. I’ve been a prisoner long enough.”
“But … what about Navin?”
“You can hit me if it would make you feel better,” Newton said.
Oh, how she wanted to. But, of course, she couldn’t hit the demon without hurting Nav.
“How did you get here?” she asked. “I thought you couldn’t get home?”
“I clicked my heels together and said—”
“Stop it! Stop acting like this is all a big joke. I just stabbed myself. I’m in Hell to find a piece of fruit. And you dragged my best friend down here with us.” She stopped, trying to calm her breathing. “Just answer the question. For once. Please?”
Newton narrowed his eyes, which looked wrong because it just wasn’t a Nav expression.
“Very well, Miss Grumpy Pants. I followed you. When you killed yourself—” He gave Donna a fierce look to stop her from interjecting. “Yes, you did kill yourself, but you’re not quite dead. Not yet.”
“So, when I … did that, what did you do?”
“I followed. It was simple because Demian was too busy watching you to notice little old me, and by stabbing yourself with the Ouroboros Blade—nice move, by the way, didn’t think you had it in you … ” He stopped speaking and raised his hand for a high five.
Donna ignored his hand and waited for him to continue explaining.
“Oh, be like that.” Newton rolled “his” eyes. “When you stabbed yourself, you opened a door to the Otherworld and pitched yourself through it. I followed. Shame you had to land us so far away from where you want to be. Top marks for entry, not so good on positioning. Know what I mean?”
“I’m getting the picture,” she said.
“There are so many more interesting places we could be right now,” he complained. “The Wailing Bridge, the Plain of Sorrows. You practically dumped us in the middle of nowhere.”
Donna glared at him. “I hardly did it on purpose. Anyway, why are you still in a human body? In Navin’s body? Shouldn’t you have turned back into … I don’t know … your true self once you came home?”
Newton glanced away, looking almost embarrassed. “Yes, well. I have to admit that I thought I’d leave this body as soon as I stepped through the door you’d opened. I did everything right. Of course, I didn’t know quite what would happen for sure, but it seemed a pretty good theory.” His expression turned mournful. “Maybe my own body is lost … ”
Donna had had enough. She picked a direction and began following the line of blasted trees, heading toward what looked like open space and walking away from Newton. He would either come with her or he wouldn’t. She secretly hoped he would follow, what with the tiny issue of him still wearing her best friend’s face, but she was just so tired. And scared.
And, now she came to think of it, pretty hungry too. Dying was hard work.
Newton immediately caught up to her and kept talking. “I thought you wanted me to explain?”
“You’re taking too long.” Donna kept walking.
He huffed slightly beside her. “This body is quite unfit, you know,” he said again.
She almost smiled, but quickly stopped herself. She would not be disloyal to Nav and laugh at any of this creep’s jokes.
“Donna,” Newton said, sounding slightly plaintive.
“What?”
“I can help you.”
“Really?” Her voice dripped sarcasm. She hoped he got the message. “Maybe you should concentrate on helping yourself, considering that