by Ami Urban
He shot me a glance over his shoulder. My face burned.
“Have you been talking about me?”
“Uh...Serena, Kevin’s just here to make sure I do everything right for my first assignment.”
“Well…She told me about the guide…” She gasped, placing a hand on her chest. “But she didn’t tell me you were tall, dark, and handsome.”
Wow. Even facing death, the girl refused to give up chase.
Kevin turned somber. “Let’s keep that on the down-low, okay?
“I may not be entirely human, but I’m still your teacher for the next…” he trailed off, looking to me.
“Five days,” I said.
“Yeah. I got everybody beat on the worst Monday known to man,” she joked.
Julian pushed past me, flying to Serena’s side. He bowed to her in courtesy, making my stomach do an involuntary somersault.
“I’m Julian, my dear.” He took her hand. She watched, one eyebrow raised. “I’ll be leading you to the afterlife.”
“Yeah?” She pulled her hand away. “She told me about you, too. How come they couldn’t give you a man’s body?”
I allowed my hearty laugh to escape. Julian gave a faux pout, and I couldn’t help but feel like the next week would go swimmingly.
When everyone was acquainted, I filled them in on Serena’s situation.
Then, when I sat down in front of her, I asked, “What’s your goal?”
“I haven’t even thought of it yet...” She tapped a manicured finger on the desk.
“Well, what have you never done?” Kevin asked.
“Besides heroine?”
I winced, and unfortunately, she saw it.
“Gimme a break, Miss Pure. I’m eighteen, I’ve tried it all.” She rolled her eyes.
“So, you’ve done everything you’ve ever wanted?” I wondered aloud.
“Pretty much. Except skydiving. I’ve always wanted to do that, but just never had the time.”
“Hmm...”
“That must be it, then,” Kevin said.
“I don’t know. That seems too easy.” I said.
“Maybe they want you to say goodbye to everyone you love. I’m sure you’re going to leave a lot of friends behind.”
“I don’t think so.” Serena flipped her hair. “Those friends you met only follow me around because I used to be a singer. Once I’m gone, they’ll find someone else to fawn over.
“My mum died when I was ten, and I have no idea who or where my father is.”
“Well, that must be it.”
She shook her head. “I can’t imagine it would be. I don’t want to speak to someone who cared so little about his wife and child that he didn’t even stay with them.”
“But—”
“Katie...” Kevin said.
“If Serena says that’s not it, then it’s not it.
“Skydiving seems more logical. Yeah, it’s easy, but this is your first assignment. Plus, I’ve heard skydiving can be a life-changing experience. It’s perfect.”
I sighed.
I didn’t want to let go of the father thing, because it just didn’t make sense to me how someone wouldn’t want to speak to their dad after so long a time. I understood she was stubborn, but leaving loose ends with family seemed worse than facing the anger and talking to them.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Kevin began again, “make sure you don’t tell anyone about what’s going to happen. All your routines have to stay the same.”
“You mean I gotta stay in school?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Any chance that’s more of the teacher talkin’ and not my super handsome, awesome, afterlife guide?”
I sat up straight. “Hey! I’m the afterlife guide!”
Kevin laughed.
“That’s right. And Serena needs to keep doing what she’s always been doing so no one suspects anything, got it?”
Serena slumped. I offered her a shrug when she looked at me.
“Oh, and Katie will need a place to stay. Can she stay with you?” Kevin asked.
“I’ll have to talk to my foster-dad. I don’t think it’ll be an issue, though.” She stood and dialed her phone, then held it to her ear, shouting almost immediately at someone named Marcus.
“Would you just listen to me a minute?!”
Chapter Fourteen
“Would you just listen to me a minute?” she repeated as the two of us stood in front of her foster-father/former publicist, Marcus.
She was the one who thought it would be easier to convince him in person, because apparently he was a tough sell.
Marcus—mid fifties, I guessed, with salty blond hair and hard features—sighed for the fifteenth time.
He wasn’t hearing any of what she had to say, and the way she was going about it was...just a little bit spoiled.
“Reenie, come on.” He kept his unaccented voice soft.
She stomped her foot like an annoyed child.
“Don’t you try and turn this around on me! I’m tryin’ to tell you something important!”
“Okay,” he conceded. “Then calm down, take a breath, and tell me.”
He didn’t seem as irrational as she’d made him out to be.
But I refrained from speaking my mind and just huddled in the leather chair across from his desk, trying to stay invisible, while she assaulted him in the middle of his workday.
“You gonna let me finish this time?”
“If you make it quick.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. I would have done the same if it were me. “The exchange student at our school needs a place to stay. I want her to stay at our house.”
Marcus leaned back.
“So you’ve said, Reenie. But you’ve left out the why about six times, now. Care to let me in?” He was so calm and collected.
I could almost see the irritation bubbling inside Serena.
My guess was that she had no idea what to tell him.
She’d been on the phone with him right until we’d stormed into his office, and the conversation didn’t even miss a beat.
Due to that, we didn’t have time to discuss a suitable reason he would believe.
“Because I want to go skydivin’,” she responded after a lengthy pause. When in doubt, the truth is best. However in our case, Marcus seemed like he did not approve at all.
For a moment, no one said anything. It seemed as though neither of them even noticed I was there, which was fine by me.
But the tension flooding the entire floor of the building was giving me a serious case of the jitters.
Finally, Marcus leaned forward, using his folded arms to support his weight on the maple desk.
“Reenie, when you wanted to write a memoir, did I oppose?” he asked.
“What’s that got to do with—?”
He put up a hand, silencing her in an instant. “Did I?”
“No.” She pouted.
“As a matter of fact, I found the best ghostwriter in the UK to do it for you. Even when you insisted she get no credit at all, I went along, stifling my overwhelming urge to warn you she might sue. And when she did, who handled it?”
“You.”
“Exactly. And when it didn’t sell because of all the red tape, who bought every single copy? Me again, right?”
“Yeah.”
He swallowed, pausing to clasp his hands together on top of his pile of work. “The designer perfume line?”
“Hey! That was a good idea!” she sputtered, becoming irate again.
“Sure it was. You were hopping on the bandwagon like other celebrities, which is what I told you to do. But, Reenie, you have no sense of business. So, who hired someone, paid them more than their weight in platinum, and got you out of the contract when nobody bought the stuff?”
She said nothing, just crossed her arms over her ample chest and looked away.
“And who quit his job, left everything behind, and moved you out here so you wouldn’t be assaulted by pap
arazzi?”
“You promised we wouldn’t talk about that!”
He held up a hand.
“I’m sorry. But, you have to see that I know what’s best for you?”
“But, this is nothin’ like them other things.” She tapped her right foot.
“Isn’t it? It’s just as fool-hardy, Reenie. You could get killed!”
“Not if I do what they say!”
“Words I’ve heard so many times...” He sighed.
“I’m doin’ this, Marcus!”
He shrugged.
“I know you are. I can’t stop you—just thought I’d try to talk some sense into you.”
Pulling a leather notebook toward him, he snatched a pen from the cup at the corner of the desk and started jotting some notes down.
“You’re the best!” She was all sweet once again.
“Mmm-hmm.” He finished writing, closed the notebook, and shoved the pen into his front pocket.
“Now, what’s this got to do with the exchange student staying at our house?”
My heart stopped dead when they both set eyes on me. I was interested to see what she’d say.
But she was quiet. The office stayed silent for half a minute.
A phone rang somewhere.
“I’m sorry, it was my fault,” I blurted. “I thought I had to be cool since I was the new girl, so I started telling everyone how my…uncle is a skydiving instructor back in…Canada.”
“You know I’ve always wanted to go, Marcus,” she chimed in.
“I kind of talked her into it.”
“How come I was never notified of an exchange student?” Marcus asked.
“Because you never listen to me.” Serena was challenging him.
A muscle in his jaw twitched.
“Serena, exchange students usually have somewhere to go before they get here. What did you promise her in return?”
She snapped her head around to look at me. The wheels were turning and I had no idea that what she was about to say would doom me.
“What’s makes you think I promised—”
“Serena… No one—and I mean no one—would willingly subject themselves to that group of…girls you call friends.”
Touché, Marcus.
“What did you promise her?”
“I want to be a singer,” I blurted before another uncomfortable silence drenched the office.
“I heard you used to be Serena’s publicist. I was hoping you could get me in.”
What was I doing?
“Not again, Serena...” Marcus pinched the bridge of his nose.
“No!”
Serena threw her hands out, saving me from more conversational suicide. “This one is the real deal, I promise. She’s got an amazing voice.” She threw me a wink.
“Then why doesn’t she already have a record deal?”
“Because she doesn’t know anybody in the biz! I want to help her! She’s getting me free skydiving lessons, Marcus!”
So, now I have to pay for skydiving lessons, too? I shot her a glare I hoped only she could see.
“Serena, I’ve told you this many times. I can’t just take anyone and make them into an overnight sensation just because you endorse them,” he said.
“But I’m not jokin’ with this one! She’s really, really good, huh, Kathleen?”
She glanced my way, but I was too busy being frozen to the spot.
Marcus sighed yet again. “All right, I’ll humor you. Let’s hear it, Kathleen.”
“What?!” That time, I couldn’t help the inquiry from escaping. I had not come there with the intent of singing in front of a perfect stranger.
But Serena’s look was so pathetically pleading that I couldn’t leave her high and dry. She needed to trust me and what I could do.
So, I stood on my shaky feet and cleared my throat.
But my Siren ability only worked on wraiths or people sensitive to the afterlife. It was very weak on humans, but maybe if I wanted it enough, it would get through to him.
And with that thought in mind, I opened my mouth and sang one of my favorite songs.
I had no idea if it was working, because Marcus didn’t move a muscle and Serena was too busy watching him.
When my song ended, I sat heavily in my seat, tossing a glare at my first assignment. She shrugged.
“All right,” Marcus said. We both swung around to look at him.
“Really?” Serena seemed just as surprised as I was.
“Yeah. You’re not bad.” He directed the comment at me. “I could probably shop you around a little and put my feelers out there. I’ll see what I can do. And…you can stay at our house.”
I swallowed. “Thanks.”
“Serena, don’t ever say I don’t do enough for you.”
“I won’t,” she answered. “I promise.”
We stood up to leave and were halfway to the door when he called, “Oh, and Kathleen...”
I turned. “Y...yeah?”
“I don’t like that. If you’re going to be a singer, we need to shorten it. How about Katie?”
“Works for me…” I mumbled as we waltzed out the door.
* * *
Revenge.
It was revenge, I was sure of it as I did an awkward little dance with Serena’s other housemate: a teacup Chihuahua with fangs the size of a normal dog’s.
She nipped again at my heels as I realized the little monstrosity was invented to get revenge on the human race.
I was going to have to find a chair to stand on if the little beast didn’t go away.
Serena’s “flat” was at the top of a high-rise in the heart of Dallas.
I normally hated heights of any kind, and the dizzying distance from the ground made me want to rush off to the bathroom.
But the bathroom was a mess, so I just settled for not looking out the window.
“I really like your dog,” I lied from the sofa. As if anyone in the world would call that thing a dog.
I shoved it away with the toe of my shoe, but it only clamped down, threatening to rip the rubber right off.
“Isn’t she precious?”
She rounded the corner to the hallway while pulling a brush through her hair.
I noticed she’d changed out of her school uniform and into some designer skinny jeans and a sequined top.
She bent forward and smiled at the beast that ignored me for once and began wagging its little rat tail.
“Aren’t you, little Zowe?” she cooed, scooping it up and cradling it to her chest.
The thing licked her.
If I were her, I wouldn’t let it touch me with any part of its abnormally small body.
“So, tell me about your school, your classes, your friends,” I said, patting the couch cushion next to me.
She didn’t sit, only hung back, leaning against the kitchen wall. “What, have you forgotten what it’s like to be a student?”
“Well, no, but—”
“There’s not much to tell. I mean, we have six periods; my classes are English, and a rotating PE class, Economics, free period, lunch, Chorus, then Art.”
“Yeah, I noticed you got to take Art and choir. At least the week will be easy,” I said.
“Seniors get a bit freer rein here. What else do you want to know?” she asked.
“How about your friends?”
“Well, Abby, Brittney, Sarah, and Jane are all juniors. Mary and Cora are sophomores like you, and Justine is a senior.”
“Which one’s Justine?” Somehow I knew the answer before she said it.
“The one you had a row with this afternoon.”
“Lovely.”
“She’s a bit of a fire-cracker. Just try to stay out of her way. I’ll do what I can to settle you into the group, but I can’t guarantee that she’ll take to you,” Serena explained.
“And...Martin Krane?”
I tried my best to quell the spike of rouge in my cheeks at the mention of his name.
One of Ser
ena’s eyebrows twitched. “What about him?”
“Well… I sort of…ran into him this afternoon. He offered to help if I needed anything. Is he part of your group, too?” I asked.
“Martin Krane is the most popular guy in school. No offense, or anything, Katie, but I can’t see why he’d offer to help you.”
“Hey!”
“I’m not kidding. Any guy that would date Justine for as long as he did isn’t interested unless you breathe fire.”
“He went out with Justine?”
“Yup. They went out for, like, three years or somethin’. They broke up before I got here last year. Honestly, stay away from him. He can’t be good news if he went out with her, and I can’t imagine her seeing him with you would be good for your health.”
I’d said it before, so I said it again. “Lovely.”
Chapter Fifteen
Lovely. Katie was just as beautiful as I remembered—maybe even more so.
Yeah, so I knew breaking into Serena’s apartment was stupid and could have gotten me into a lot of trouble. But I had to see her. I had to be in her life again.
Because I’d been around a while, I’d learned how to pick any lock on any door without a sound.
Her apartment was on the top floor at the end of the hall.
I crouched down and jimmied the deadbolt with two paperclips. Then, when the tumbler released, I inhaled and stepped inside the dark house.
I could already smell her. It was as if my entire body knew she was there—so close.
Katie’s things were all over the place. Her jacket was draped over one of the chairs, and a magazine was flipped over on the coffee table.
I stopped outside her door and hesitated for some reason. That plain white slab was the only thing separating me from my Katie.
Just beyond it, she was fast asleep.
I used a little trick Irish Moses had taught me to tether her to her dreams so she wouldn’t wake up. It took a lot of energy and I had to release the thoughts I’d previously put into everyone’s heads at school, but it was worth it. And she had no idea.
I gulped before curling my fingers around the knob.
As I opened it, a slice of light fell over one bed. The lump of sheet moved, and I backed up, holding my breath.
When all was still once again, I continued my slow tiptoe into the room.