by J. M. Pierce
He nodded his head innocently. “Well, I was sick for a while. I had to go into the hospital for a long time. I lost my hair when I was there and slept a lot.”
Alyssa stared at him with tears welling in her eyes, but remained silent as he continued.
“One day I just woke up, but I was at home instead of in the hospital. Mommy and Daddy must have just scooped me up while I was sleeping.” Aiden reached out and touched a tear as it rolled down Alyssa’s cheek. “Why are you crying?” he asked innocently.
She wiped away more tears and smiled through the pain she was feeling. “Aiden, sweetheart, there’s something that you need to know.” His nose wrinkled once more as he seemed confused by Alyssa’s emotions. “Honey, when you woke up at home, you weren’t…” she stumbled over the words and glanced up to the tree tops. “You didn’t wake up.”
“Yes I did,” he replied.
Alyssa released his hand and rested hers on his shoulders. “No, I’m sorry, Aiden, but you didn’t.” Her chin quivered as she continued. “The last time you went to sleep, you never woke up. Your body died, honey.” Though she tried to make her voice as sweet and comforting as possible, there was no way to make her last statement sound comforting.
Aiden looked around to his father who continued to fumble with the tent. He turned a bit more to see his mother pulling out two sleeping bags from the back of their truck. Without a word, he began to walk towards his mom and stopped at the tailgate.
“Mommy,” he hollered. “Where’s my sleeping bag?”
Without answering, she walked by him and reached over the side of the bed to grab the camp stove.
Alyssa stood a few feet back, her heart breaking a bit more with each passing moment. She couldn’t fight the tears any longer so she allowed them to fall freely as he turned back to her.
“They forgot my sleeping bag,” said Aiden with his bottom lip jutting out and quivering.
Alyssa stepped to him and knelt once again so she could be at his eye level. “Aiden, honey, I’m sorry. Your parents didn’t forget your sleeping bag. To them, you are gone.”
His big brown eyes began to overflow with emotion. “I’m gone?” he asked.
Alyssa nodded. “I’m afraid so, sweetheart.”
Glancing to his mother once again, he spoke with a trembling voice. “I’m dead?”
Struggling to find a way to help the little boy cope, Alyssa took him into her arms. “No, you’re not dead,” she replied as she gently squeezed him. “Your body is dead. You,” she said forcefully, “your spirit is just as alive as it ever was.” She released him slightly and held him at arm’s length. “I know this is hard, Aiden, but…”
“I’m alone then?” he interrupted, giant teardrops falling from his eyes.
Once more she pulled him in close. “No, of course not,” she replied, nearly overcome by the sadness in his voice. “You’ve got me, right?”
With his face buried in her shoulder, he replied. “But I don’t even know you. Mommy and Daddy said I shouldn’t go anywhere with strangers.”
His comment provided her with a moment of levity as she giggled through the tears. “Well, your mommy and daddy are very smart people, and they’re right, you shouldn’t. But we’re not strangers now, right? You know my name and I know yours.”
He pulled away slightly. “I don’t know your last name,” he said softly.
Again Alyssa giggled and held her hand up between the two of them. “It’s Cranston. My name is Alyssa Cranston.”
Though he’d shaken her hand only moments before, he now looked at it with great intensity, as if the next choice he would make would be the greatest decision of his life. Alyssa knew it could be one of the biggest decisions he’d make in the afterlife.
She moved her hand a touch closer, and after a moment, he finally took it into his. “There,” she said. “Now we know each other!”
Without acknowledging her, he watched his parents standing in front of the tent which was now finally complete. His dad stood behind his mom with his arms draped around her waist. She leaned back into him and rested the back of her head on his chest while closing her eyes. Neither of them said a word.
“I wish I could tell them goodbye,” said Aiden.
Alyssa turned him toward her. Not knowing how Test would handle any of this, the promise she was about to make could be more than he was willing to do. Still, she had to try to grant this boy his loving request.
“What if I told you that you could?” she asked.
His eyes lit up. “Really?”
She stood and squeezed his little hand. With a nervous twitch of her lip, she said “I have a friend that might be able to help us out.”
CHAPTER 11
An hour had passed since their conversation had begun. Half of that time had been spent speaking while the other half had each of them in careful thought. Test, Prim, Ikuhabe, and Cliff remained in the room, knowing that there was a real danger present, but not knowing what they could do about it. Though it appeared Test had originally accepted the theory that Prim and Iku had laid out, he had begun to change directions with time.
“There’s only one thing we know for sure,” said Test, the agitation in his voice growing more and more apparent. “We know that the twins have a kid. Outside of that, what do we really know?”
“The boy is of your blood,” replied Iku. “Of that I am certain.”
“But how do you know?” replied Test, wanting to disbelieve the proposed reality with every ounce of his being. “How do you know for sure?”
“I have seen him. He looks just as you would have looked when you were a child,” answered Iku.
With a sideways grin, Test rebutted. “How would you know what I looked like when I was a kid?”
Prim could feel Test’s energy swelling.
“Test, you know Iku’s telling the truth. I understand that it’s a hard thing for you to comprehend, but we have to trust in what we’ve been told.”
“Why?” shot Test, a jolt of light splintering down his right arm as he motioned to Iku. “A little over a year ago, this guy was trying to kill me.”
Iku began to stand from his seat, but Prim quickly motioned for him to remain seated. Turning back to Test, Prim spoke more forcefully. “That’s enough! You know as well as I do that if anyone has reason to distrust Iku, it’s me! I lost Jenz that day too, or did you forget?”
A swelling of regret washed over Test as he realized what he’d done. He dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes. “You’re right,” he replied as he looked to Prim. “But I didn’t forget. It haunts me every day. If it weren’t for me, you and Jenz would probably be living your life peacefully in Salem right now.”
Finding himself disgusted with Test’s self-pity, Prim lashed out. “Oh, wake up, Test! This isn’t about you anymore!”
“Okay fellas, let’s tone it down a notch,” interrupted Cliff. “We can speak like men or act like boys, but only one’s gonna help solve the problem.”
Both Prim and Test looked at the old man and then glanced to each other. Prim dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke.
“Look,” he said, speaking to Test, “Each of us has a burden to bear. I don’t blame you for Jenz’s death and I’ve forgiven Iku for the part he played.” He paused and arched his back while taking a deep breath. “Is it hard for me to look past what happened? Hell yes.” He looked to Iku who quickly looked to the floor shamefully. “The fact of the matter is, Test, we were born different. Call it a gift, or call it a curse; it doesn’t really matter. We are what we are. What is the difference between a Shadow and a Reaper?” He paused, giving Test a moment to respond, but he remained silent. “Nothing,” he stated bluntly. “The only difference is the choices each of us has made.” He pointed to Iku while still staring at Test. “Or were forced into making. Other than that, it’s nothing more than a name.” With another deep breath he continued. “I have to get past the pain, as do you. I have forgiven Iku. Toget
her, maybe we can right a wrong before it even happens.”
The room fell silent once more until Iku’s deep voice reverberated off the walls. “The burden you carry belongs to someone other than you,” he said, meeting Test’s glare. “I ask that you give me the chance to balance my life.”
Slowly Iku stood from the chair and took a step towards Test, extending his right hand. Test’s heart raced. His mind knew what needed to be done, but his heart had difficulty letting go of the past. Looking up to the man who was once his enemy, he shook the hand that once tried to kill him.
“We both carry the same burden,” said Test. “Maybe the load would be lighter if we do it together?”
A grin appeared on Iku’s lips and Test couldn’t stop his from doing the same.
Slapping his hand on top of theirs, Prim spoke. “Okay, now that we have all of that out of the way—we need to come up with a plan.”
“Agreed,” replied Cliff who’d been standing patiently watching the situation play out.
Test thought for a moment, and then looked to Prim as Iku regained his seat across from them. “Do we know where they live?” he asked. “Why can’t we just go and confront them?”
“I know where they lived last,” replied Iku. “But they move often. In the short time since they’ve had the boy they’ve moved three times, each time to a different city.”
Test’s face twisted with confusion. “How do they do that?”
With a huff from Cliff, Prim knew he was thinking the exact same thing as the old man. Test was still pretty naïve. “Remember what I said a minute ago about choices?”
“Yeah,” answered Test. Before Prim could continue, he realized the answer to his own question. “I suppose getting new things isn’t hard if you don’t care whose life you take to get it, huh?”
“True story,” said Cliff.
“If they’ve moved,” asked Test, “how are we going to find them?”
Suddenly, from the doorway, Lauren’s voice pierced the male dominated room. “We send Prim to find them. He should be able to feel their power if he’s anywhere within 200 miles of them.”
Each of them turned to the doorway, but Test was first to answer.
“I’ll go with him.”
Prim turned back to Test and, with a grimace, replied. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What? Why?” asked Test with a large measure of annoyance.
Taking a moment to choose his words carefully, Prim replied. “How are you going to react when you see yourself standing in front of you?” He watched as Test stared at him blankly. “If it came down to you, would you be able to destroy the boy? Even if that means looking yourself in the eye while you’re doing it?”
Test stumbled on his words as he answered. “I…I think…”
“I can’t live with ‘I think so’, if that’s what you were going to say,” interrupted Prim. “We may only have one shot at this and I,” he motioned around the room, “we can’t risk you losing your head.”
Frustrated, Test leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. “So what am I supposed to do? Sit around here and wait?”
“Yep,” answered Lauren for Prim. “Here’s what I think—Prim and the old man go to find the twins, me and Iku go to try to find this guy who ran the show.” She looked to Cliff and asked as she snapped her fingers, “What was his name?”
“Dawson,” Test replied.
“Right, Dawson,” she continued as she turned to Test. “You and the misses stay here, play house, and wait for us to contact you.”
“Maybe I should go with you, Lauren,” said Cliff. “I know what Dawson looks like and Iku knows where the twins were last. Makes sense, don’t it?”
Nodding his head emphatically, Prim answered. “Yes. It makes perfect sense. Good idea, Cliff.”
Still standing in the doorway, Lauren rolled her eyes. “Sure,” she mumbled under her breath. “Stroke the old man’s ego a little.”
Test stood hastily from the couch. “Seriously? I’m just supposed to sit here and wait?”
Though Iku remained silent, the other three answered in unison.
“Yes.”
Wanting nothing more than to jump out of his skin, Test took a couple of deep breaths and forced himself to smile while avoiding eye contact with anyone. “Okay,” he stated through clenched teeth. “If that’s what you need me to do, I’ll do it.” Looking to Lauren who occupied the only exit out of the room, he quickly diverted his gaze to the exterior wall. Taking two steps forward, he phased to the other side and slipped through the wall without saying a word. Once outside, he re-materialized and took a deep breath. Throwing his head back, his voice roared through the air with the ferocity of an explosion. “Damn it!” The words drew out long and loud as they echoed through the mountains. The second his breath left him, he crouched down and triggered the internal switch, releasing all of the pent up energy that had swelled inside.
With earth shattering force, he exploded into the air, sending chunks of dirt and rock scattering in every direction.
Chapter 12
It seemed like a lifetime since Test had allowed his powers to be free of control. He rocketed into the cloudless sky, going higher and higher until, when he looked below, the world looked like a scaled model. He allowed himself to roll forward and free-fall for several seconds, closing his eyes and taking several shallow breaths as the sensation of weightlessness took him over. As the wind rushed over his ears, he tried to clear his mind, but the words and sentiments of the conversation he’d just left clung to him tightly.
With a guttural scream, he looked up and pulled his body beneath him, releasing another gigantic pulse that propelled him back up into the sky. He looked down and to his right and saw a clearing surrounded by trees on all four sides. Lining himself up, he shot towards the clearing like an arrow released from its bow. Harder and harder he pulsed, propelling himself faster than he’d ever gone. As he approached the ground, he pulled his legs in front of him, pointing them to the ground as he splayed his palms out to his side. He knew he was coming in too fast, but he didn’t care. Within twenty feet of the earth, he released a pulse equal to that of which sent him skyward in the first place.
The impact was massive, creating a dust cloud that reached high above the tree tops. Test found himself on one knee with both palms resting on the barren, moist, subterranean earth. He looked around as clods of dirt fell from the sky and did nothing but breathe. His chest heaved as the glow of energy continued to blaze through his shirt. His palms continued to emit their electric blue brilliance as if anxiously awaiting the next opportunity for action.
With a glancing thought, he knew that the others were going to be pissed, but in the present, it didn’t matter. His dimmer switch had never worked properly; his anger was either on or off. It seemed that no amount of time could teach him to control his emotions.
****
As Alyssa and Aiden approached the house, she noticed the crack in the living room window and could hear the door rattling on its hinges. A decorative sign that hung next to the door fell from its nail as they approached.
“What in the world is going on?” she asked aloud to herself.
Answering innocently, Aiden replied. “Is it an earthquake?”
Without answering, she proceeded forward with Aiden’s hand in hers and walked through the front door. Feeling a tug from Aiden, she stopped and turned back. Her right hand was still on the outside of the door grasping his hand. She leaned forward, allowing her head to go through the door, and looked down at the boy whose eyes were wide with fear.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
With a slight stutter, Aiden replied. “You…you…you just went through that door.”
Forgetting for a moment that something was happening in the living world, she exited the house completely and crouched down beside Aiden. “Yep,” she replied exuberantly. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Aiden’s expression didn’t change.
“You can do it too,” said Alyssa, trying to make it sound like an amusement park ride.
The boy’s nose wrinkled as he looked back and forth between the door and Alyssa. “Does it hurt?” he asked.
Wondering exactly how long he’d been a spirit, she found it hard to believe that he’d not yet experienced this sort of thing. “Of course not, silly!” she exclaimed, tickling his stomach. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Alyssa stood and walked casually through the door once again and stood on the other side expecting Aiden to follow. She waited several seconds before poking her head through the door. “Are you coming?” she asked.
Aiden looked up to her with a look that still reflected his apprehension.
“I promise. It’s not going to hurt,” she said.
The boy stepped up to the door and Alyssa watched as he thought for one more moment. Suddenly, she couldn’t help but giggle as Aiden’s cheeks inflated with air as he closed his eyes and pressed his face towards the door. She backed away and watched as his puckered lips and cheeks were the first thing to appear on the inside of the door.
“Good job, buddy. Keep coming,” she said.
Aiden continued a couple more steps after being completely inside, not even knowing that his task was complete. Before Alyssa could offer her praise, Lauren’s voice appeared behind her.
“And who is this?”
Alyssa shot upright and spun around, finding herself face to face with Lauren and Prim who were standing with them in the spirit realm.
“Uh,” was the only response she could muster as she glanced back to little Aiden.
“You bringing home strays?” Lauren quipped.
Alyssa felt herself become flushed as she stood in the cramped and crowded entryway. With the four of them standing in such close proximity, she was even more uncomfortable. She hadn’t thought about explaining things to the others, only about how to deal with Test.
As the door hinges began to rattle once again, she saw an opportunity to change the subject. “What’s going on?” she asked.