Death and the Girl Next Door

  With panic setting in, he tried to unfasten the safety belt, but his chubby fingers couldn’t budge it. He craned his neck to look at her and managed to glimpse the top of her head. Her backpack had caught on the handlebars, dangling her over the edge. The back wheel had wedged on a fallen log, but her weight was rocking it loose.

  He called out, tried to reach her.

  “Cameron.” Her voice quivered. She was scared and it broke my heart. “Cameron, honey, don’t move. Whatever you do, don’t move.”

  Refusing to listen to her, he pulled at his restraints.

  “I’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake. I must have stepped on it.”

  No. She was wrong. She had to be. Rattlesnakes made noise. He hadn’t heard anything.

  The bike slipped, and she reached for a branch reflexively. But when the bike slipped a notch more, she relaxed her arms and forced herself to go still.

  “Please,” she whispered as she looked toward the heavens. “Please, I beg you.”

  He felt it coming before he saw it, the entity, the dark one. His lungs refused to expand. This one came for one reason and one reason only: It took people. He had seen it twice, and each time it left death in its wake. And sadness. A devastating sadness.

  When it appeared, it knelt beside the bike and looked down at his mother. It was part fog and part flesh. She raised her eyes to it. This startled him. Could she see it? She had never seen them before.

  “Are you sure?” it asked her.

  No!

  “Yes,” she said. “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”

  Without hesitation, it leaned over and touched the strap on the handlebars, releasing it.

  His mother looked back at him, her eyes sad and desperate and full of love. In a blinding moment of panic, he pulled furiously at his restraints. He fought with every ounce of strength his three-year-old body had until she slipped quietly out of sight, falling into the canyon below.

  The silence in the wake of his mother’s death was deafening. He lay in the bushes for hours before a rescue team found him, letting the thorns punish him for not being strong enough, hating the thief for what it was.

  He would never forget what it looked like. It was already gone, naturally, disappearing like the coward it was. But he would never forget it. And he would find a way to destroy it, to destroy them all, yes, but especially the dark one.

  “Stop,” Jared said, gasping for air.

  Cameron blinked back to the present. He shoved Jared away from him, tears streaming down his face.

  Jared released me, stumbled, and fell to his knees. I stood in shock, afraid to move, afraid to breathe. It felt so real, like I was there, like I loved her and knew her and died when she died.

  “Lorelei.” I realized Brooklyn was in my face, screaming at me. I could barely hear her. “Lorelei, what’s going on? What happened?”

  My attention floated to Jared as he kneeled on a patch of grass, drawing in huge gulps of air. Then I felt the bile at the back of my throat and fought it with a hard swallow. With each heartbeat, Cameron’s pain reverberated through my body.

  A crowd had gathered. I saw faces around us, yelling like bloodthirsty spectators, encouraging Cameron and Jared to fight.

  “Lorelei,” Brooklyn said, quieter.

  I reached up and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly; then she helped me to Jared, where I knelt beside him.

  “You could have saved her,” Cameron said, panting in turmoil and anger at what Jared had shown him. He slid down the side of his truck to sit on the pavement. “You just took her. If it had been anyone but you.”

  Cameron’s sadness deepened to a mournful despair, but his hold on Jared seemed to ease. He could breathe almost normally again.

  Jared turned to sit on the grass and surveyed Cameron from underneath his long lashes. “She called me by name,” he said.

  After a moment, Cameron’s words sank in. I thought back to his memory. I looked through his eyes and glanced up at the entity enshrouded in darkness as it released the strap from the bike, as it sent Cameron’s mother to her death. Then it looked right at me, eyes boring in to mine, but only for a microsecond before it vanished.

  It was Jared.

  I covered my mouth with both hands and sank to the ground, my heart breaking.

  “So, that’s your job?” Cameron said, wiping at the tears streaming down his face. “You give whatever people pray for?”

  “No,” Jared said between coughs. “There are rules.”

  Cameron laughed humorlessly. “Aren’t there always.”

  “She did it for you.”

  “Ah, yes. Well, that makes it all better.”

  “You’re still alive.”

  “And you’re still a bitch.”

  The crowd wooed, waited to see what Jared would do.

  I peeled my hands from my mouth and forced myself to focus on the more immediate risk, namely another Battlefield Earth. “Jared, please don’t fight again,” I said.

  He turned to me, his dark eyes bright with emotion. I reached over and wiped a wetness from his cheek. His eyes had watered. He bent his head and buried it in a sleeve.

  “I’m okay,” he said after he wiped his face. “Is this over?”

  Cameron sniffed, wiped his face again, his eyes slitted at Jared. “It will be when you’re dead.”

  “But, Cameron,” he said with a sigh, “I just got here.”

  “And I’m going to send you back.”

  “That’s it.” He stood and shrugged out of the jacket. Cameron followed suit. “Your mother sacrificed her life for you, and this is how you repay her? You sulk and pout and throw tantrums like a two-year-old?”

  “You’re pushing it, Reaper.”

  I scrambled to my feet as they faced off in the parking lot.

  “Do you know what she’d say if she were here right now?” Jared asked.

  Cameron stepped closer. “You’re a bitch?”

  “Exactly.” He closed the distance, meeting him head-on, challenging him with the heavy set of his shoulders. “Only she’d be looking at you.”

  “What’d I miss?” Glitch ran up to the melee with an excited grin on his face until he saw who the crowd was watching. He looked over at me. “Again?”

  “Again?” A strong masculine voice echoed around us as the crowd parted and scattered immediately. “So there was a fight before,” Principal Davis said as he approached us.

  Brooklyn spoke up immediately. “They weren’t fighting, Mr. Davis.”

  “They were never fighting,” I said, jumping to their defense. “It’s just an argument.”

  Mr. Davis said nothing, so I turned to him. He was staring wide-eyed at Jared’s arms. At the tattoos. He paled and took a minuscule step backwards.

  The instant Jared realized what Mr. Davis was looking at, he turned and searched the ground for the jacket. But it was much too late for that. Mr. Davis saw the one thing that would spark his memory of Jared from before. The same age. The same face.

  Jared started to reach for the jacket, then realized how futile the effort would be. He inhaled deeply and turned to him, waiting for the principal’s reaction.

  “Mr. Davis,” I said, trying to come up with some explanation. But what could I say? Oh, yeah, Mr. Davis, we forgot to mention that this is the same guy who showed up the day your brother died and he’s actually this messenger-slash-reaper guy for some otherworldly answering service and he came back here to spirit me off to Heaven and instead saved my life and changed history and now he’s, like, stuck.

  I didn’t think so.

  But apparently it didn’t matter. Before I could say anything, he turned and strode off. We were suddenly alone again.

  “Are you two, like, bipolar or something?” Brooklyn stood, her resentment leaking out at Cameron and Jared. “’Cause they have medication for that.” I realized she didn’t really know what had just happened, what Jared had revealed. She barged up to Cameron, purpose in her every move.
“You accepted, you butthead.”

  He turned to her, an unspoken question written on his face.

  “Don’t pretend to be clueless. You accepted. That beautiful woman asked you, and you accepted without hesitation.”

  I was awestruck. “You saw her? I thought I dreamed it.”

  “I think we all dreamed it,” Glitch said.

  Brooklyn’s temper flared. She rose onto her toes to meet Cameron eye to eye, though she missed the mark by about a foot. “Don’t make me angry,” she said evenly. “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

  I almost grinned. Somehow channeling the Incredible Hulk worked for her.

  To my surprise, Cameron calmed instantly. He seemed almost mesmerized by Brooklyn. His hard features softened as he wiped his forehead on a sleeve.

  Then he smiled. “Whatever you say, just don’t bring out the water pistol again.”

  “Water pistol?” Glitch’s jaw dropped. “That was a water pistol last night?” He seemed offended. “You protected us with a freaking water pistol?”

  “Like I would carry a real gun.” She rolled her eyes as if he were inane.

  “Just what were you planning to do if your little scheme didn’t work?” he asked, appalled. “Drown him?”

  “Shut up, Blue-Spider,” she said as she walked around to the other side of the pickup. “Least I had a plan.”

  Glitch walked to his car, mumbling to himself in disbelief.

  I was still having trouble forming a coherent thought, having just had an out-of-body experience. I had visions all the time, but this was different somehow. More tangible.

  “Lor,” Brooklyn said slowly, seemingly aware of my coherent-thought problem, “why don’t you and Jared go with Glitch. I’ll go with bipolar boy and we’ll meet up at your house.”

  Jared scooped up the jacket and turned to us. But he didn’t look at me. He averted his eyes and said, “Lorelei may not want to ride with me right now.”

  “Why not?” Her brows snapped together. “Lorelei?”

  I found myself avoiding his gaze as well.

  “Because she just found out what Jared really is.” Cameron opened his door and climbed in before turning back to Brooke. “Did you happen to see who those children were afraid of last night?” he asked, referencing the dream we’d apparently shared. “Because it wasn’t me.” He started the truck then leveled a hard stare on her. “I’d just like that noted.”

  “Lor, what just happened?”

  “Nothing. I’ll explain later.” I forced myself to look back at Jared. “Coming, Azrael?” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

  He stepped reluctantly in my direction, then stopped. Just as Brooklyn was about to get into Cameron’s truck, he said, “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I had no idea you would be pulled in.”

  “I know.”

  “What?” Brooklyn asked.

  “It’s what I do, Lorelei. But more importantly, it was her decision.”

  And that was the truth of it. It was Cameron’s mother’s decision. Not Jared’s. Not Cameron’s. It was hers and hers alone. She sacrificed herself to save him, and Cameron would just have to deal with that fact. Then again, maybe that was the whole problem. Maybe he felt guilty that she gave her life for his and he couldn’t accept it.

  “So, what happened?” Brooklyn asked. “Did I miss it again? God, I always miss the good stuff.” She turned and climbed into the truck.

  Glitch honked impatiently, and I tossed him a silent warning. Then Jared said something that made my knees almost give beneath me.

  “I saw you. Thirteen years ago. I saw you there in the forest, in the child Cameron’s eyes. I saw you exactly as you are now.”

  I looked back at him. What did he mean? I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “I didn’t know who you were. Because you were seeing through Cameron’s eyes, I couldn’t read anything. You weren’t really there.”

  “You saw me watching … just now?”

  “Yes, only thirteen years ago. Then, when I was sent here to take you, I remembered you instantly. I remembered the fire burning so bright around you, I could hardly look. I stopped time to study your face.” He stepped closer and brushed his fingertips along my jaw. “You have an ancient soul, powerful and calm. The descendent of Arabeth. When I saw you again, I never wanted to take my eyes off you. I couldn’t let you die. I couldn’t let you leave, never to look upon you again.”

  He dipped his head and I twisted my fingers into his shirt as he bent to kiss me, my pulse skyrocketing. I raised my face to his, waiting, wanting more than I’d ever wanted in my life.

  So, naturally, a split second before his mouth touched mine, Einstein honked again.

  “Glitch!” I screamed, floored by his timing. I turned to him. He sat in his car, joy obvious in his expression. He’d done it on purpose. “I am so going to stab you in the heart!”

  Jared chuckled. “Maybe we should talk about this later.”

  Disappointment flooded my entire being. “I guess,” I said, vowing to make Glitch pay if it were the last thing I did on earth.

  A BLINDING LIGHT

  The cool silence of night in the Manzano Mountains coaxed me into a tranquil bliss. Fireflies hummed to the love songs of crickets. Gentle breezes swayed the leaves that clung to life after a festive, fertile summer, creating a soft, rhythmic lullaby. So when a loud crash splintered the evening air like a sonic boom, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  “Jeez, Glitch-head,” Cameron said. “Could you be any louder?”

  Glitch turned to him in frustration. “Did anyone ask you to come?”

  “If you’ll remember, moon pie over there insisted.” He gestured toward Brooklyn as we hunkered behind a massive planter.

  “Moon pie?” Brooklyn asked in a loud whisper, insulted by the reference.

  “And you listen to everything she has to say?”

  Cameron shrugged.

  “I could be wrong here,” Glitch said, his voice laced with sarcasm, “but I think you can take her.”

  “Glitch,” I said as I inched closer, “what the bloody heck are you doing?”

  “Yeah,” Brooklyn said. “Can you pick locks or not?”

  I looked to the side. “Oh man,” I groaned. “You broke their garden gnome. We are so gonna be busted.”

  Glitch released a frustrated sigh. “Weren’t you two supposed to stay hidden with Jared until I opened the door?”

  “Well, you were taking so long. We were worried.”

  I almost laughed when he lowered his little lock-picking tools—otherwise known as a modified fingernail file and a paper clip—his annoyance with me obvious.

  “Do you know where I should be right now?”

  Here we go. “At the steak house?” I asked. “Enjoying a homecoming victory steak dinner, compliments of the Wolverine Booster Club?”

  “Exactly! And why am I not there?”

  Brooklyn raised her hand excitedly. “I know! I know! Because we begged you to use your infamous boy abilities to help us break into Ashlee and Sydnee’s house while they are off enjoying a homecoming victory steak dinner, compliments of the Wolverine Booster Club.”

  Glitch turned without comment and continued working on the lock.

  “I was right, huh?”

  “Super right,” I said. “You get extra-special bonus points.”

  “I have an idea.” Everyone looked back at Cameron as he stood with arms crossed in bored contemplation. “Why don’t we just let the reaper open the door. You know, since he’s standing there looking annoyed.”

  We glanced up to see that Jared had already found a way into the house. He unlocked the door.

  “Thanks,” Glitch said.

  “I’ve already unlocked it once. You locked it back.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “So what are we looking for?” A tad creeped out by the whole ghost thing, Brooklyn and I huddled together as we stepped into the massive three-story house.

&nbsp
; “A presence,” Jared said.

  “I thought we were looking for a ghost.” Glitch scoured the room with eyes wide.

  “Same difference.”

  “Ghost, presence, apparition,” Cameron added. “But I think this is something more. It’s too strong. It might be a poltergeist.”

  “I feel it too,” Jared said, nodding in agreement.

  I was still checking out the digs. “Who the heck puts white carpet in a house?”

  “And gold molding,” Brooklyn said. “Could this house scream my daddy’s richer than your daddy any gaudier?”

  “So what’s the difference?” Glitch asked.

  “Well, wood molding,” Brooklyn explained, “is much more subtle and adds a stunning touch to any room.”

  Glitch huffed his irritation at her. “I meant the ghost-versus-poltergeist thing.”

  “Oh, right,” Brooklyn said.

  I stifled a giggle.

  “A presence is more like an energy,” Cameron said, “left behind when someone dies. It’s usually the result of a traumatic death.” He took a vase off the mantel to examine it. “But a poltergeist,” he continued, “is, well, a poltergeist. You’ve seen the movie. They’re stronger and can be either really angry or just plain evil. What do you think of this?” He tossed the vase to Glitch, who caught it in unsteady hands then scowled at Cameron before reading the inscription.

  He recoiled with a horrified expression and threw it back. “They keep their grandmother on the mantel?” he asked, gagging a little. “Who does that?”

  Cameron laughed as he replaced the urn.

  “I could live on this sofa.” Brooklyn ran her hand along the buttery soft fabric.

  I nodded in agreement before leaving the warm embrace of my best friend to inspect a painting across the great room. It looked like something from the Renaissance.

  “Presence!” Glitch pointed to the upstairs landing then tumbled backwards over a coffee table. “Presence!”

  “That was fast,” Cameron said.