**Nadia's POV**

So, you heard about the BCH War, right? Who hasn't though, right? In case you live under a rock, the BCH War happened when Boneys were fighting corpses and humans. The story goes that some oddball corpse named "R" maintained his capability to love and he fell in love with this human girl Julie. Together, their love transformed corpses back to humans, slowly but surely. Some pre-c's, that's previous corpses for all you newbies, adjusted better than others. Some could blend better. Personally, I'd love to thank "R" and Julie. I'm one of the most progressed pre-c's because they both are such big influences. I look, talk, and act perfectly alive; I just still have some muscle spasms that comes along with nerves and organs coming back to life. Everyone is in awe of "R"'s amount of life changing love. But I already knew he had a great capacity for love. I'm the one he died protecting.

My name is Nadia Ann Evans, and I'm seventeen years old. Or, I was just before being a corpse, so I'm not sure where I am now. I was also seventeen the last time I saw "R". Let me clear this up real quickly. The "amazing first corpse to start breathing again" is actually named Romeo, not "R", and I call him Meo. Meo is, was, my very protective and loving older brother, who's been my guardian since I was fourteen. Our actual father ran out when I was a month old, and Mom was devastated, even if he was an abusive drunk. Meo was six and he took to protecting us with his life. Then, Mom met Marshall and remarried when I was four. I was the flower girl. Marshall was the very VERY rich CEO president of some big company, and our lifestyle went from simple and frugal, to a decently large house with a cleaning staff. He loved us all, treated Meo and I as his own children; he taught Meo sports, business, and how to be a man; he treated me like a princess but made sure I wasn't helpless. There were rumors of undead when I was twelve and thirteen, so Marshall made our large home very safe: key codes, house keys, reinforced everything. No corpses would ever get in this house.

But then, Mom and Marshall were killed in a car accident just days before my fourteenth birthday. Meo was made my legal guardian at the age of twenty, we each got two million dollars cash, and we kept living in our big house alone. My senior prom came and my date was going to be picking me up. Consuela, our cleaning lady, had been taking pictures of me and Meo all day: him trying to get me to put his red hoodie over my silver sparkly dress, me running away, me doing my hair and makeup, etc. Then a corpse came out of the woods, straight for me, and I froze a little.

Meo pushed me towards the house and told me to lock the door with all the codes. Don't let anyone in no matter what, not even him, because if he was still human, he could get in on his own. That's the last I saw of him.

Guilt ate me alive because he died protecting me, and what's worse, I was literally all alone. I was terrified every day. I took his ID, my ID, a ton of photos, the key to our house, about $5,000 in cash, and a written copy of our key codes and address and put them in a plastic envelope I sealed shut with my hair straightener. Everyday I would tape it under my skirt or jeans with layers of very secure tape in case that was my last day. I'm not sure why, but I wanted to be prepared for anything.

As a corpse, I could still think clearly and remember everything. I could speak fluently but no other corpse could, so I stayed silent. I didn't feel any emotions, but I could remember how some were supposed to feel. The only thing that was different about me were my dirty matted dead looks, my slower movements, and this intense hunger that made one lose all reason. I don't like hurting people, and the same was true then too. But I had to eat to survive.

And then it happened. I felt my heart stirring, the heat of the day, the cold of the rain. And I slept, dreaming about the good old days. I followed other corpses to get away from Boneys and fought alongside humans. My pale gray green eyes turned back to new grass green.

As Nurse Nora was listening to my heartbeat, she seemed intrigued by me.

"So do you know your name at all, or shall I name you?"

"My name is Nadia Ann Evans, thank you though," I spoke very clearly.

Nora visibly jumped.

"Sorry, but you're the first pre-c I've met that speaks so very clearly. Hasn't anyone given you new clothes yet?"

"Not yet, but they're trying to get things sorted out. Hard to find any clothes that are petite and small yet could fit my chest without looking entirely suggestive... I also am one of the pre-c's still in the shelters. Terrible trying to wait for showers when none of the newly hormonal guys are around."

Nora checked her watch.

"Well, I get off in five minutes and live around the block. You look about my size, you can have some of my clothes for now. You can shower, and stay with me tonight. Is that okay with you?"

And so I went home with Nora. I felt like a Barbie doll as she helped clean my extra long blonde, washing it thoroughly. She gave me dark jeans, boots, a light green top, and she braided my hair for me.

"What's in this envelope if you don't mind me asking?" Nora asked, holding up the package that's been secured under my skirt for so long now.

"Pictures of me growing up with my brother, our IDs, money, house codes, the address, house keys. I like to be prepared. And I guess I figured if someone killed me as a corpse maybe they'd be safe themselves in this protected home. They'd see the pictures and realize I wasn't always a corpse," I said with a shrug.

"Brother? Maybe he's looking for you now! Or your parents! How did I not even consider you might have a family?!"

Nora sat down on her bed.

A knock was heard.

"Door's open!"

A very handsome guy that looked to be nineteen stepped in. He had shaggy hair darker than Nora's, tanned skin, dark blue eyes, a mischievous grin, and a very toned tall body.

"Mom wanted to if... Oh.. Hello. I'm sorry, but I.. don't know..." He couldn't finish what he was saying and just kept staring at me. I couldn't help but wonder if I still looked dead and gross. I smiled a little while I started fiddling with my braid nervously.

"Nate, this is Nadia, my new friend. Nadia, this is Nate, my baby brother. What did Mom want to know?"

**Nate's POV**

I knocked on my sister's door, waiting to deliver a message from Mom. I sighed in exasperation.

"Door's open!"

I walked in, noting my sister on the bed.

"Mom wants to know if..." I said before noticing the other girl in the room. "Oh... Hello... I'm sorry, but I... don't know..."

I cut off because she was so beautiful. Long white blond hair in a side braid, grass green eyes lined in long dark lashes, supple red lips, a petite and delicate body with very um nice curves... She looked vulnerable and I instantly wanted to protect her no matter what. She smiled at me a little while fiddling with her braid, causing my heart to skip a beat and me to feel more nervous.

"Nate, this is Nadia, my new friend. Nadia, this is Nate, my baby brother. What did Mom want to know?"

Right. That. What was I supposed to ask Nora? I looked away from Nadia and cleared my throat.

"She wants to know if you're still going to Mr. Grigio's with R, Julie, and Julie's dad for dinner. We were all invited... Nadia, just how did you come to be standing in my sister's room? I know pretty much like, everyone..."

Oh, real smooth one. Way to go caveman.

When she giggled, I had to take in a breath. It was simply the most adorable thing I'd ever heard.
"She treated me and felt bad I had no other clothes yet and decided to play dress up with the pre-c," she said with a straight and even white smile.

Pre-C? There's no way this beautiful girl was a corpse before. Most pre-c's still have bags under their eyes, social awkwardness, and a slight dead look to them. But she didn't look dead at all! But looking closer I did see light muscle spasms and little twitches. I could listen to her voice forever, it's so melodic.

"Yes, I'm still coming, but I want Nadia to come too. I invited her to stay the night."
I nodded, trying to keep my cool. I had so many questions, about her, about her likes, about being a corpse. Hey, I'm still a guy, and I'm curious.

"We're about to go, so come on."