Hi! I'm Max! I'm ten years old, and I'm lost. I'm also agender, and my parents were dead.

Well, let me explain. I was in the hospital because my parents weren't feeling well. I was with this nice lady who sat down with me until she told me to wait outside with my suitcase and backpack.

She told me that my parents weren't gonna come out of the hospital, and that I'd have to live with my uncle. She went back inside, leaving me alone.

I was just strolling through the city, and no one paid attention to me. As I walked through the big city, I bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry about that!"

I looked up at the strange man I bumped into.

"Oh, sorry, kiddo," he said, "Are you OK?"

I nodded. "Hi! Sorry for bumping into you, sir. My name's Max."

"Hey, Max. I'm Alex."

"Nice to meet you!"

He smiled. "Hey, where are your parents? You look too young to be wandering through New York alone."

I nodded. "I am. But my parents just died."

Alex looked shocked. "That's horrible. Wanna stay with me until we find somewhere for you to stay?"

I thought about it. "Sure! Where are we going?"

Alex took my suitcase and I held his free hand. "We're going to the theater I work in," Alex said.

"Ooh! You work on Boardway?"

"Broadway. Yeah. Look, that's me!"

He pointed to a scary black and white billboard with someone with green hair and a black and white suit.

"That's you? You're-"

I read the name on the billboard. "You're BeetleJuice?"

"Yeah. It's a fun show. The cast will love you."

I looked up at him. "They will?"

Alex nodded. "You're a sweet kid, Max. Come on."

We walked to a theater labeled "Winter Garden."

"Everyone, meet Max! I found him in Time Square alone."

A blond teenager walked up to me. "Hey Max," she said, "I'm Sophia. Are you OK?"

I nodded. "I'm just a little tired."

Another blonde lady walked up to Alex. "Where did you say you found him?"

"Times Square. His parents just died, and he was all alone."

"Oh that's horrible," another guy said, "Come over here, Max. I'm Rob."

I walked over to him and he gave me an apple. "You look hungry. Eat up, and you can stay in Alex's dressing room during the show."

I took a bite and looked around. "So, who are all of you?"

The blonde lady stood up. "Oh, right. Forgot. Well, I'm Kerry, that's Leslie," she said, pointing to another lady, "And Dana, Presley, and you already know Sophia."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you all."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Presley said, "Welcome to the Netherworld!"

"The Netherworld? Sounds cool!"