Free Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 1, After the Fall by Elle Casey

focus on details.  And they aren't motivated to help me, either."
    I didn't really want to ask my next question because it gave me the heebie-jeebies a little, but I had to.  "How do you motivate them, then?"
    "It depends on the spirit.  I try to find the one thing that's important to them and then work with that."
    I frowned, wondering how far Tony had gone to help our friends.  "Give me an example."
    Tony squirmed a little in his seat.  "I can't really think of anything right now, off the top of my head."
    "Bullshit.  Tell me now."  I knew right away when Tony was avoiding something.  He absolutely could not tell a lie without broadcasting it to the world.
    Tony sighed.  "You know, Jayne, you don't need to know everything that's going on with me all the time."
    My mouth dropped open in shock before my righteous indignation came blazing up to save me.  "Say what?!   Since when do I not need to know your every last personal detail?"
    "Well ..."
    "No, seriously.   When did that happen?  Because I didn't get the memo, Tones."  I gestured between the two of us.  "We share shit.  We're soulmates.  We don't keep secrets."
    Tony smiled.  "You feel pretty strongly about this, I see."
    "You bet your sweet, freckled ass I do.  Now spill it.  I want to know what you've been up to and what kind of crazy shit they've talked you into doing."
    "No one's talked me into doing anything.  Everything I've done has been my own idea."
    "Well, what is it then?  Stop stalling."  I fixed him with my staredown, knowing he'd never be able to resist me now.
    "You can lose the lunatic expression, Jayne.  It doesn't scare me; it makes me want to laugh."
    I kept my gaze as penetrating as possible, not moving a muscle.  "No, it doesn't.  Right now you're worried I'm going to send you into a coma and you're lining up all your stories and facts so you can tell me every last one of them."
    A small smile played on Tony's lips.  "Are you trying to hypnotize me or something?  Because it's not working."
    "Tony!" I yelled, dropping my staredown and throwing my hands up.  "Come on!  Stop messing around!"
    "Whoa, Nelly!" yelled Tim, swinging around on my hair.  "Simmer down, there, mule.  Give the boy a chance to speak."
    I reached up to knock Tim off my hair, but he swung out of my reach, giggling his tiny ass off.
    Tony smiled.  "Fine, okay.  Don't get your panties in a twist, I'll tell you.  It's not that big a deal."
    I folded my arms across my chest.  "I'll be the judge of that."
    Tony sighed.  "Okay.  Well, for example, earlier today I talked to a spirit in there who remembered Torrie coming through.  Only it was him going the other way, back to the Underworld, not him coming in."
    "Well, Torrie would have come in months ago, right?  That's when he took over my step-father's body and started working on my mother."
    "Exactly.  Finding a spirit who is still there now, and who was also there back then, is difficult on a couple levels."
    "As in ...?"
    "Plead the fifth!" Tim yelled, jumping off my shoulder and buzzing in front of Tony's face.  "Plead the fifth!  You're going down in flames!  Mayday!  Mayday!  Mayday!"
    Tony smiled at Tim's antics.  "What's he saying?"
    I leaned over to swat at Tim again.  "Go away, big ugly bug.  No one's interested in your intestinal problems."  One of these days I was going to find out how Tim knew so much about American culture; and I was more motivated than ever, now that he was talking about the Constitution, for shit's sake.
    "He's talking about ... intestinal problems?" asked Tony, leaning away from Tim, staring at him suspiciously.
    Tim buzzed back over to me.  "Stop talking about my intestines!  And I'm trying to save your friendship here, Lellamental, so back off!"
    I caught Tim in midair, much to his consternation.  He pushed against the top of my fist,  struggling to try and free himself.  I blew my stinky lunch-breath into his face as I spoke, delighting in his