Inside the World of Die for Me

by Amy Plum

  Then, dropping the faux-sweetness, she barks, “Move it, you brainless thugs. We don’t want this fire to cool just when we need it at its hottest.” Something she carries drags against the floor with a metallic scrape. It is a cage, and inside it a living thing moves.

  She sets it on a table that I hadn’t noticed before, back in the shadows, outside the firelight. I move closer to see what it holds, and catch the glint of a knife reflected off the cage, and lined up beside it a series of surgical instruments, flasks, and bottles. The creature in the cage flinches as I near: It is a small brown rabbit.

  “Don’t let its cuteness deceive you, Vincent,” Violette says as she takes a box of powder from the table, and crosses the room to my body. “This animal will play a role in an ancient ritual that will bind your spirit to me once your body is burned. I’ll need your spirit close by in order to perform the power transfer. You and I will be extremely close from now on,” she says, pouring the powder onto the ground in a black stream as she moves in a circle around my battered body.

  In one of those ghost-limb moments—when I experience physical sensations while unconnected to my body—I feel my flesh crawl. Something abhorrent is going to happen. Something I can do nothing about. But if I want to see Kate again, I have to act fast.

  As my spirit flashes out of the room at top speed, I hear Violette call, “Go ahead, fly away, Vincent. I’ll bring you back in a few minutes.”

  I speed through the castle’s thick stone walls and soar over the rooftops of the tiny town, across vineyards, and up rivers toward Paris. It is only minutes before I feel myself homing in on Kate’s presence. Since I’ve known her, she has been like a beacon to my spirit. When I’m volant, I always know where she is.

  Kate. Her name is a panacea to my soul. That one syllable brings warmth . . . stability . . . the certainty that there is more to my existence than mere survival. She is my home. My anchor.

  I am close now, her presence guiding me directly to her.

  Just let me get to her, I pray. Just give me the time to say good-bye before that evil traitor pulls me back to her with whatever dark ceremony she is preparing. Just give me the time for a couple of words.

  I see her now, standing on the bridge—dark hair whipped around her face by the wind and a look of desolation on her face. She thinks I’m gone. . . . I can read it on those features I know as well as my own.

  Now I’m close enough to touch her and ache to hold her in my arms. What can I say to reassure her that I still exist, at least for the moment?

  I speak the words into her thoughts: Mon ange.

  JEAN-BAPTISTE ON THE DEALS

  HE MADE WITH THE NUMA

  After World War II there was an explosion of revenant attacks on numa. I understood it—even supported it. Our country’s occupation and the deportation and murder of our countrymen who were Jews, homosexual, handicapped, or opposed to Hitler’s army was a bleak time. It was one of those times in history where the opportunity to betray—even unto death—was practically handed to whoever wanted it on a silver platter. Those with the latent potential for being a revenant—either numa or bardia—were given endless opportunities to put their actions to the test. There was an influx in both camps. But never before have I seen the desire of the bardia to exterminate their foes. We usually keep to our mission—saving lives. But the Dark Way was too tempting—Vincent and others wanted vengeance. And I let them have it. But it almost led to our demise.

  All throughout history there have been scuffles between us and them. Periods of fighting have sparked up and then fizzled out. But in this case, I had to do something to put an end to the tit-for-tat, or else we might have been completely wiped out or forced into hiding in Paris, as has happened in other places in the world where the numa outnumber us significantly.

  None of my kindred, not even Gaspard, know of my dealings with the numa. They wouldn’t understand that sometimes a leader must make compromises.

  I went to the numa. I spoke with Lucien, their leader. I promised to keep my kindred from following the Dark Way. I couldn’t stop them from random encounters in the midst of their everyday walks. But I could stop the hunting. He accepted and agreed. He couldn’t care less about his own kindred, of course. He would gladly betray any of them any day. But both sides wanted to continue in their own interests.

  We all know that strength is in numbers. And it is my numbers that I was trying to protect . . . as well as protecting Vincent. He is my number two. The strongest of my kindred. He has great potential, and I think of him as almost a son. There are the prophecies, you know. And he, in my opinion, is my most likely candidate.

  And then Charles got in the middle of it all by offering himself to them. It was too tempting of a setup to Lucien, who had always had his conflict with Vincent. But even so, after all these years of relative peace, it just shouldn’t have happened. One step onto my property, and the pact was off. It’s understandable in a way. Lucien saw his chance and took it.

  He attacked Gaspard, of course, since Gaspard was standing in his way. But to plan to bring his head back and destroy his body along with Vincent’s . . . that was a call to war. It was almost as if he knew something I didn’t. He felt confident enough for a full frontal attack. To try to get us all at once, at least my house members, who are the foundation of Paris’s bardia. I just can’t understand that. Where did that confidence come from? I am beginning to suspect that he has some asset we don’t know about. Some position of strength that he doesn’t think we can match.

  And what makes it more suspicious is the fact that his second hasn’t come forward. Nicolas should have stepped in as soon as the pact was off—to deal us a blow before we could retaliate. It can’t be that they are too weak—Lucien never would have attacked us in the first place if they were. So what are they waiting for? Something else is going on. And I’m determined to find out what it is.

  VINCENT AFTER KATE IS

  KILLED BY VIOLETTE

  A LOVE LETTER FOR KATE

  Kate, mon ange, mon coeur,

  You are gone. Violette has taken you, and nothing will ever be the same.

  My mind awoke two days ago and immediately my thoughts flew to our last moments, facing Violette and her guards in the room at the Crillon. She said you were the Champion and then drove her knife into your chest. You didn’t even scream. You just watched me as the life flowed from you, and with one final tug of the knife, you were gone.

  Violette’s guards seized me and she killed me before I could avenge you. She left my body so that I would reanimate. So that your sacrifice for me wasn’t negated. At least in death we lay momentarily side by side before she took you away.

  Death is nothing to me. But to you, my Kate, my love, death is everything.

  Now I wait, for there are only two possible outcomes, and both mean the end of your precious mortality. Either Violette was wrong and you are truly dead—your existence stolen by her evil blade. Or she was right and you are a revenant. A bardia. The Champion, even.

  If you are truly gone, I will want the same fate. To no longer exist in this world. To pass on to whatever awaits us. Now that I have tasted life with you, I know that if you are dead my heart will die too. Vengeance is the only thing I would desire, and after that I would beg my kindred to end my misery.

  I can only hope that you will return. Kate as revenant. But that is my selfishness speaking. It is only because I want to see you again, not because I wish our fate for you. It will kill me to see you beaten, mutilated, burned. I know now what you felt. Why you couldn’t stand to see me die, even though you knew that I would come back.

  Is it wrong for me to hope that you are one of us? That you animated and will be with me forever? That my kindred will be your kindred and we will be united in fate as well as in heart? I know you are brave enough. You are stronger than anyone else I know.

  And even so, this is what I wish for you. Because it is better than the alternative.

  If you do come back,
I pray I find you in time. Violette thinks you are the Champion, and she will destroy you to possess your power. But our forces are gathering now. And we will search every corner of the city until we find you.

  I swear I will either lay your mortal body in a grave or rescue your immortal soul from her flames. She will not have you.

  Whatever happens, Kate, I hope you know that we were made for each other. That the last year of my existence has been the happiest time of my life. I would sacrifice all of my years, my immortality, just to relive a day with you. The little time we’ve had together has changed me, awoken me, given me hope, allowed me to dream. You are my reason for being, Kate.

  I am yours in life or in death,

  Vincent

  CHAPTER 8

  AN IMMORTAL INTERVIEW:

  READERS’ QUESTIONS

  FOR AMY PLUM

  When did you know that you wanted Kate to be the Champion?

  Since I don’t really plan what I write ahead of time, I didn’t even know there was a Champion until I had already written the first draft of Until I Die. And in the beginning, I thought it was Vincent. The characters obviously knew what was going to happen, but they didn’t let me know until the day I sat down to write the next section. And at the end, when all of the loose threads began weaving themselves together, I was astonished at how the whole mythology and story fit together—truly like a crossword puzzle.

  Are all of the places in your books real?

  Most are. The Café Sainte-Lucie is fictional, because there wasn’t the right kind of café sitting where I wanted it to be in real life. La Maison is loosely based on the building housing the Musée Maillol. I made up Le Corbeau, although there are plenty of strange little shops around the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. And the courtyard to the east of the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur, where the fight scene took place at the end of Until I Die, is an addition I had to create myself. So don’t go looking for it—you can’t leave flowers on the spot where Vincent died because in the real world it doesn’t exist.

  Can’t Jean-Baptiste be brought back to life by using the same ritual that re-embodied Vincent?

  Unfortunately, Jean-Baptiste’s body was burned before he could become volant, and therefore he is gone forever. It is only because Violette waited until Vincent was volant before burning his body that his spirit remained.

  After she became Champion, did Kate finish school and continue to live with her grandparents?

  Kate didn’t go back to high school. Georgia and her grandparents told everyone that she had fallen ill and was being kept out of school for treatment. They arranged for her to take the baccalauréat (“le bac”). That’s like a combination of a GED and the SATs, so she could go to university later, if she wished.

  As for living with her grandparents, she spent about half her time with them and half at La Maison. After she took le bac, she moved in with her immortal kindred full-time. But she goes back for Mamie’s cooking at least twice a week, so she has the best of both worlds.

  How does Vincent cope with becoming the head of France’s bardia?

  Vincent had been training to replace Jean-Baptiste for decades. But although he was ready for it, he was devastated that JB was gone. Both Vincent and Kate are natural-born leaders. Working together, they’ll accomplish very big things.

  When did Vincent first realize he was in love with Kate?

  Vincent was intrigued with Kate the first time he laid eyes on her. It wasn’t “insta-love.” It was more like “insta-curiosity.” When Kate left for the countryside with her grandparents for a few months, he realized that after spending so many years alone, his heart had suddenly come back to life.

  So I can’t pinpoint the exact moment Vincent fell in love with Kate because it was a gradual process. But by the time they were done with the long chat over coffee at the Picasso Museum, he realized he had feelings for her.

  CHAPTER 9

  VOLANT VIBES

  PUT YOUR HEADPHONES ON AND REANIMATE while listening to the songs of the Die for Me universe! (I assembled the character playlists, but I let my readers vote on all the rest.)

  CHARACTER PLAYLISTS

  KATE’S PLAYLIST

  “The Optimist”—New Young Pony Club

  “Another Kiss”—Plastiscines

  “What’s a Girl to Do?”—Bat for Lashes

  “Jodi”—The Dodos

  “Cotton Crown”—Charlotte Greig

  “23”—Blonde Redhead

  “Safe and Scarred”—Yodelice

  “Young Adult Friction”—The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

  “This Is Our Lot”—Wild Beasts

  VINCENT’S PLAYLIST

  “I’ve Got Friends”—Manchester Orchestra

  “Breathe In”—Yodelice

  “Velvet”—The Big Pink

  “Makes Me Wanna Die”—Tricky

  “Doo-Right”—Neutral Mute

  “I Will Possess Your Heart”—Death Cab for Cutie

  “Way Down to Heaven”—Sian Alice Group

  “My Blood Is Burning”—Yodelice

  “Sometime Around Midnight”—The Airborne Toxic Event

  JULES’S PLAYLIST

  “Waiting for the Wind to Come”—AaRON

  “Phantom Pt. II”—Justice (Soulwax Remix)

  “Melody”—Serge Gainsbourg

  “Un Dia”—Juana Molina

  “Turn into Something”—Animal Collective

  “En Melody”—Portishead (with Jane Birkin)

  “Plea for a Good Night’s Rest”—Devon Sproule

  GEORGIA’S PLAYLIST

  “NYC’s Like a Graveyard”—The Moldy Peaches

  “I Follow Rivers”—Lykke Li

  “Bitch”—Plastiscines

  “Kiss with a Fist”—Florence and the Machine

  “Red Sox Pugie”—Foals

  “Hollywood”—Marina and the Diamonds

  “Snake Bite”—Jee Day

  “More Than Meets the Eye”—Yodelice

  CHARLOTTE’S PLAYLIST

  “Walking on a Line”—Pony Pony Run Run

  “Dead Sound”—The Raveonettes

  “We Are Invisible”—Syd Matters

  “On My Way”—Cocoon

  “New Life”—Depeche Mode

  “Home Is Where It Hurts”—Camille

  “La Vie en Rose”—Grace Jones

  DIE FOR ME

  Theme Song: Kiss Me Slowly—Parachute (with Lady Antebellum)

  “Zombie”—The Cranberries

  “Mon Ange”—Jena Lee (in French!)

  “American Girl”—Val Emmich

  “Mad World”—Gary Jules (Donnie Darko soundtrack)

  “Marian”—Nouvelle Vague

  “Pretty”—The Cranberries

  “Parallel Universe”—Gypsy and the Cat

  “I’m Not Done”—Fever Ray

  “Requiem for Anna”—Portishead

  “The Waltz”—Diving with Andy

  UNTIL I DIE

  Theme Song: “Your Guardian Angel”—The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

  “Brand New Life”—Young Marble Giants

  “Rolling in the Deep”—Adele

  “And the Boys”—Angus and Julia Stone

  “My Immortal”—Evanescence

  “The Only Exception”—Paramore

  “Enchanted”—Taylor Swift

  “All I Need”—Within Temptation

  “Born to Die”—Lana Del Rey

  “I Will Follow You into the Dark”—Death Cab for Cutie

  “A Thousand Years”—Christina Perri

  IF I SHOULD DIE

  Theme song: “Everything Good”—Ashes Remain (the walk in Brooklyn)

  “Keep Holding On”—Avril Lavigne

  “Kiss Me”—Ed Sheeran

  “The Scientist”—Coldplay

  “Bring Me to Life”—Evanescence

  “Turning Page”—Sleeping at Last

  “Fix You”—Coldplay

  “When
You’re Gone”—Avril Lavigne (Chapter 13, after the make-out scene)

  “I Won’t Give Up”—Jason Mraz

  “In the Mourning”—Paramore

  “State of Grace”—Taylor Swift

  “Still Worth Fighting For”—My Darkest Days (fight scene in the Passage du Grand Cerf)

  “Seven Devils”—Florence and the Machine (for the walk into the Arènes de Lutèce)

  “I Found You”—The Wanted

  “Forever and Always”—Parachute

  “Gorécki”—Lamb

  “Angels”—The XX

  DIE FOR HER

  Jules’s Song for Kate

  “The Dress Looks Nice on You”—Sufjan Stevens

  DIE ONCE MORE

  French artist from c. 1900 discovering New York. Lost. Overwhelmed.

  “Welcome to New York”—Taylor Swift

  “Nocturne”—Frédéric Chopin

  “Say Something”—A Great Big World feat. Christina Aguilera

  “Motley Crew”—Thomston

  “Every Other Freckle”—alt-J

  “I Miss Your Bones”—Hospitality

  Jules living in hipster Brooklyn

  “Banquet”—Bloc Party

  “Hurricane”—Something Corporate

  “Pedestrian at Best”—Courtney Barnett

  “Chinatown”—Girlpool

  “Jane”—Girlpool

  Jules hiding his heartbreak by obsessively saving humans and fighting numa

  “Chasing Cars”—Snow Patrol

  “Dangerous”—Big Data feat. Joywave

  “I’m Still Alive”—Saving Abel

  “Demons”—Imagine Dragons

  “Avalanche”—Nick Jonas feat. Demi Lovato

  “We Only Part to Meet Again”—Mister and Mississippi