All it took was clunking on the souls head by Rower and the souls had dispersed from the surface of the water. On the Grim's question, Belle's eyes moved to look at him,

"I told you I am not dead. I am still a living and breathing person,

" she said but the Grim reaper was still not convinced.

"Why did the water souls come for you?

" asked the Grim Reaper.

"It is complicated,

" answered Belle because there was no easy way to say that her soul had torn to another soul because of the scavengers. Pushing one of her hands on the ground to stand up, Belle pleaded,

"I need to find my way back to the land of the living. If you could tell me the way to go out of this forest, that would be good too,

" if what Rower said was true, she was the only one who had come out from the river of the dead.

"You won't be able to make it through the forest. This isn't the same as your mortal world. The reapers reside in here,

" informed the Grim reaper who brought his staff to his front, placing both his hands to rest on top of it,

"You will be pulled back here to be thrown again into the river.

"

"Not through the gates?

" asked Belle.

"The coins in this side of the land of the dead are precious. They won't spare it for a soul and there's nothing here to do for them but to throw the soul into the river that will enrich the plants that are around,

" answered Rower and Belle's eyes moved to look at some of the plants that emerged from the river.

"For fertilization,

" murmured Belle.

"You are right. How did you know that?

" asked the Grim, slightly curious.

Belle shrugged her shoulders. It was what Lucas had told her the first time when she had caught him with a dead body in the garden. At that time, she thought that he was probably being sarcastic but he was being serious.

"I will do something which I usually never do,

" said Rower, moving his boat closer to the bank of the river that pushed away any possible lurking soul away from there,

"Tell me about your story and I will give you a ride to the other side of the land.

"

Now that the Grim reaper agreed to let her ride on his ferry, Belle wondered if it was safe. She had to remind herself not to trust everyone and anyone in general. Especially the Grim reapers who were tricky.

Noticing her resistance, Rower said,

"If you don't want to accept my offer it is okay,

" and he dropped his hands down, ready to row his boat when Belle finally said,

"I will take it. Your offer I mean.

" Walking towards the boat, she carefully stepped inside the boat that was unsteady on the water and she had to make sure she didn't topple to fall straight into the river of the dead.

"Take your seat. If you fall down on your own accord, don't expect me to come to pick you,

" said Rower and Belle gave him a tight smile. All the Grim reapers were almost the same. There was nothing but an empty surface and Belle decided to take a seat without any complaint as she wanted to get out of here.

She had tried to get back to the land of the living from the side of bank but she wasn't able to go back as it was not just her soul this time and she didn't know where she would be able to find a graveyard to use it as a portal. Her best bet was to go back in the same way she had come.

While riding on the boat's, Belle gave the Grim reaper bits and pieces of information without giving full detail, she explained about her evil twin and her association with Barron and Lucas.

"I wouldn't have pegged you knew the thirteenth Grim,

" said Rower as he rowed the boat. They had come far away from the bank of the river where right now, Belle could see nothing but the surface of the water as well as the fog that had spread across at the top of it,

"The souls from here often travel to the land of the living, going there to settle in. Not all but some do. Mostly the ones that were killed gruesomely and have unsettled business that will never be completed. Ghosts,

" said the reaper, his voice whispering to her.

Belle remembered about Ophelia, the girl who Barron wanted to meet because of that Belle had ended up here,

"Do you remember the souls that you give a ride to? Or the other souls that float in the river?

" she asked him.

"Most of them, who are you looking for?

" asked the reaper,

"Your relatives? Family?

" the reaper indulged in the question while looking forward. His boney hands moved from the top to bottom to move the boat forward.

Belle wished she could see her parents but she couldn't,

"No, it is a girl named Ophelia.

"

"There are many names. Do you know how she died?

" came the whispered question.

"Ophelia, she was possibly a year or two younger than me. Wavy hairs, um, her father killed her. She was actually supposed to-

"

"She was to be dead by illness,

" completed Rower for Belle to turn and look at the reaper who was looking ahead,

"I know.

"

"Can you tell me more about what happened?

" she asked, wanting to know who had interrupted the time and cut the girl's life short.

"I know who it is but I cannot tell their names,

" she heard Rower say,

"I am the Grim who balances the world.

"

"What do you mean?

" asked Belle.

Rower stopped rowing the boat and turned to look at Belle to say,

"I know how people die. But just because I know it, doesn't mean I speak about it. Do you have a coin to share?

" asked the reaper and Belle pursed her lips. How was she going to get a coin in the middle of the river which had floating souls?

But at the same time, Belle was curious. She wanted to know what had happened with Ophelia.

.

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