Into the Light

by Patti, Caroline T.

  Suddenly, Lucas’s body turns to ash, and the ground starts to rumble.

  The bridge snaps off at the far end.

  “Run!” I yell.

  We make it to the other side just in time to see the bridge collapse entirely. Pieces fall and splash, making great waves in the river below. We watch, dismayed as the water rises, swirls, and swallows the bridge. Within seconds the bridge is gone. There’s no way back to the other side. For a moment I feel an all consuming panic grip my heart and squeeze it tight, but then I see my mother smiling.

  “What is it?” I ask her.

  She points to something at my feet. Lucas’s pocket watch. I pick it up and roll it back and forth in my hand. It flicks open, and I read the inscription: To the Creator: The path is yours. “I don’t understand. What does it mean?”

  But then I understand. With Lucas Church gone, I am The Creator. Isadora shouted it to me, but in all the chaos, I didn’t understand what she meant. Now I do. And I know exactly what needs to be done.

  “I have to go back,” I say to my mom and dad.

  “We know,” my dad says lovingly. “This isn’t the place for you.” He looks around and takes it all in. “Not yet.”

  “Come with me,” I say.

  My dad frowns and then smiles weakly. “No.” He shakes his head. “I died. I belong here.”

  “But I can fix it,” I say, my voice faltering. “I have the power.”

  “That’s not what your power is for.” He grips my shoulders. “I think you know that.”

  His belief that I will do the right thing is so strong. I don’t want to disappoint him. We hold each other until I’m ready to let go.

  “You’ll be okay,” he says, his eyes glassy and wet. “I have faith in you.”

  I’m crying like the little girl I actually am. “I don’t want to live without you.”

  “You’re strong, Mercy,” my dad says, his tears pooling and spilling over. “And not just because you have this.” He closes his hand over the pocket watch in mine. “You’re not my little girl anymore. You’re a capable young woman. And I know you can do this. You can do anything.”

  “But what about you?”

  “Someone has to keep an eye on your mother,” he says half-heartedly, but he and I know both know he means every word.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I say. “Every day.”

  My dad yanks me to him and then my mom joins in the embrace. We hug and we cry and we prepare ourselves for goodbye, or rather, good-bye for now.

  When we pull apart, I turn to Justice. “And what about you?”

  “I’ll do what you think is right,” she says.

  I know she means it. If I tell her she has to stay, she’ll stay. She’s willing to do that for me. I can see it in her eyes. But what I feel in her heart is love for Gage. They deserve a chance, and I’m going to give it to them.

  “One life,” I tell her somewhat sternly. “Only one.”

  “That’s all I’m asking for,” she says, a mile-wide grin stretched across her face.

  There’s Creator business to attend to before we leave: repairing the bridge, making plans to destroy Purgatory and release Isadora and everyone else who was sentenced there, not to mention getting in as many hugs from my parents as I can. By the time everything is settled I’m exhausted and ready to go home.

  Justice and I stand at the edge of the new bridge, hands clasped. Turning, I flip the pocket watch in the air. My dad catches it. “You’re in charge until I get back,” I tell him.

  I mouth I love you to my parents, and then I face forward, forward into my future, into the light.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Gage

  It isn’t supposed to end like this, with Nathaniel and I left behind while Mercy and Justice go off to fight the battle. We should be there with them, not hovering in the hospital, helpless, unsure of what to do. Nathaniel is propped up against the far wall, his head in his hands. All the energy is sapped from my bones, and I can’t stand any longer. I slide to the floor. Part of me feels like crying, but I don’t think I have the will.

  I am completely numb.

  Two nurses, one male, one female, pass us. “That was a close one,” one says to the other.

  “I’m still not used to it,” the other one replies. “It’s such a rush, saving someone’s life like that.”

  “Pretty amazing, I agree,” the first nurse says.

  Nathaniel and I lock eyes. He bolts first. It takes me a split second to get up off the floor, but I’m right behind him. We practically crash into each other on our way into Mercy’s room.

  Her eyes are closed, but there’s color in her cheeks. Her chest rises and falls.

  She’s alive.

  Nathaniel sits in the chair next to her bed and takes her hand in his.

  Her eyelids slide open revealing her soft brown eyes. I can’t breathe, but air is pumping in and out of my lungs anyway.

  Mercy looks back and forth between us. “Hey,” she says with great effort.

  Nathaniel sighs heavily. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”

  Mercy smiles weakly. “We won,” she says softly. “We did it.”

  There are roughly six million questions I want to ask her.

  “Nathaniel,” Mercy says sleepily. “Will you take me to prom?”

  I guess Mercy gets to ask the first question.

  I realize that I’m intruding on a private moment, and though it pains me to leave her side, I do. Shoving my hands into my pockets, I head back out into the hall.

  She did it. She is a complete badass, so much stronger than I ever gave her credit for. It doesn’t even bother me that she didn’t need my help. And I’m actually happy for her and Nathaniel. They are a good fit, so it’s great that things are working out for them. Sure, I wish things had worked out for me as well, but I guess I can’t have everything. I have my brother. I have my best friend. That’s enough.

  “Gage?” Justice walks toward me.

  Without hesitation, I hurry to her, hold her face in my hands, and kiss her. I don’t care if we’re in public, or that I’m making a complete spectacle of myself. I keep on kissing her until we both desperately need air.

  She grins. “I guess you’re happy to see me.”

  “You could say that.” I can’t stop touching her. And if she lets me, I’m never going to stop.

  “I love you,” she says.

  I’m surprised to hear her express such affection, and I’m even more surprised that I want to say it back. “I love you too.”

  “Mercy awake yet?” she asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. I’m ready to go home.”

  “And where is that exactly?”

  Justice laughs. “I have a lot to tell you.” She tugs my hand. “Come on.”

  “We can’t leave,” I tell her. “Mercy—”

  “Is just fine.”

  “But—”

  Justice leans up and kisses me. “Stop worrying,” she tells me once our lips part. “We’re free.”

  Worrying is kind of what I do, and I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stop anytime soon. I need to know what happened. I need to know that Mercy is safe, that we’re all safe. I’m about to pepper Justice with questions, but as soon as we step outside, I realize that fresh air, and her by my side, is all that I need in that moment. The questions can wait.

  “Are you hungry?” she asks me.

  “I guess.”

  “I’m starving.” She flattens her hand against her stomach. It growls.

  “All right then.”

  We walk a few blocks and talk about nothing important. Justice comments on everything we see, things I’ve never noticed before. She’s fascinated by architecture, graffiti, life in general. At first I think she’s kind of nuts, but her enthusiasm is endearing. She’s new to this world, practically an infant. Come to think of it, I’m relatively new to this world as well, and I’m seeing it through new eyes, her eyes, and it’s amazing.
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br />   We decide on a Japanese restaurant because she wants to try sushi for the first time. Justice devours everything we order, which is about half the menu. The raw fish doesn’t sit quite as well with me, but I like some of the rolls. I might even like it enough to eat it again.

  Despite the fun we’re having, I can’t keep the questions at bay. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

  “I guess I’ve stalled long enough, huh?” She takes a swig of tea. “It’s all still kind of hard to process, you know?”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “Basically, in a nutshell, Mercy is the new Creator.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say, not quite comprehending. “How is Mercy the new Creator?”

  “Well, apparently, only one can exist at a time. Obviously, Lucas Church knew this. So he tried to kill her. And he failed. Big time.”

  “Is Lucas …”

  “Dead? Oh yeah. Mercy ripped his heart right out of his chest. Super gross, by the way.”

  It is gross, and yet I feel oddly proud. “What else?”

  “Well, things didn’t end quite so great for Isadora.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Lucas sent her to Purgatory. But Mercy’s trying to figure a way to destroy Purgatory once and for all.”

  “Can she really do that?”

  Justice shrugs. “No idea. She’s got her mom and dad looking into it.”

  “Her mom and dad?”

  “Right. So they decided to stay behind and make sure everything runs smoothly. Well, mostly her dad is in charge. She gave him the pocket watch to hold while she lives her one life here.”

  “The pocket watch?”

  “It was Lucas’s. Now it’s Mercy’s. It’s like a source of power, you know, holding time in your hand and all.”

  I shake my head trying to unscramble all of my thoughts.

  “You should’ve seen her rebuild the bridge. That was freaking awesome!”

  “I guess that means the bridge was destroyed?” I ask, trying to keep up.

  “Oh yeah. Crumpled like a piece of paper, but then Mercy went all Creator and …” She pauses. “It’s hard to describe. You had to be there.”

  “Sounds like it.”

  Mercy is the new Creator. The bridge is restored. Mercy’s parents are technically dead. This is a lot of information to get in a few minutes.

  “How is she?” I ask, trusting that Justice knows I’m asking out of concern, not because I’m still holding onto my feelings for Mercy.

  “She’s been through a lot,” Justice says. “We all have. But she’s going to be fine. She has Nathaniel.” She lets the implication hang in the air.

  “And I have you,” I tell her, hoping to quell her doubts about us.

  Justice brightens. “And all is right with the world.”

  “Is it really over?”

  “The hell with Lucas Church? Yes. Our lives? Just beginning. According to my dear, sweet sister, we get one lifetime. So I say let’s make the best of it.” Justice leans in closer. “And I know exactly how to do that.”

  “Okay.” I laugh. Justice’s enthusiasm is infectious, and I can feel myself getting swept up into it. “What do you want to do?”

  “See the world! Doesn’t that sound amazing? I want to see it all, Gage.” She grins and takes my hand. “And you’re coming with me.”

  “I am?”

  “You’d rather go to high school?” Justice makes a face like a two-year-old child being force-fed lima beans. “Mercy is crazy for going back, but she has this whole prom dream. And I get that. But the rest? No thank you. Homework is so not for me.”

  She makes an excellent point.

  My head is swimming. We’ve been fighting and running for so long I can hardly believe it’s over. Do I really get to live? To travel the world with Justice by my side?

  “So, you in?” she asks, chipper and eager as ever.

  “Yeah,” I say. A genuine smile parts my lips as I realize that the future is finally wide open. “I’m all in.”

  Epilogue

  Mercy

  I’m standing in the cramped bathroom at Lyla’s house—my house now too—checking my reflection in the mirror. My hair is swept up in a sophisticated knot. My face is painted with rouge, eyeliner, mascara, four shades of eye shadow, and lipstick. I’m not sure I like it.

  “We got another postcard from Justice and Gage.” Lyla enters the tiny space, waving the card in the air like a fan.

  I lean over the bathroom sink and dab my cheeks with tissue, hoping to peel off at least one layer. “Where are they now?”

  “The Great Wall of China.” Lyla shows me the card, and reads, “Miss you. Love you. Wish you were here. J & G.” Lyla rolls her eyes. “I can’t believe she sends postcards. It’s so 1953.”

  “I think it’s sweet,” I say.

  “Whatever.” Lyla sets the postcard on the counter. “Okay.” She taps me on the shoulder. “Let me look at you.”

  I turn and wait for my inspection. Lyla and I dress shopped for weeks, but in the end, I chose the black dress I’ve had hanging in my closet all this time. I always said I was saving it for a special occasion, and I can’t think of an occasion more special than this.

  Prom. I actually made it to prom.

  It wasn’t an easy adjustment coming back to this life. I miss my mom and dad. I barely made it through my dad’s funeral, but Lyla, Jay, and Nathaniel were there to hold me up when I needed it. And they were there again when my house sold. It killed me to let it go, but I didn’t really have any other options. I may be The Creator, but I have to keep those powers in check if I want to make my life in this world work. A typical teenage girl wouldn’t be able to afford a mortgage, so I sold the house and moved in with Lyla and her sister Kate, and Kate became my legal guardian. She’s still in the dark about me, and I intend to keep it that way. It’s nice to have at least one person in my life treat me like I’m normal.

  Nathaniel, of course, wanted me to live with him, and someday I will, but not yet. I don’t want to rush ahead in this one life I get with him. Sometimes, when Lyla is driving me nuts, or she wants to be with Jay, I stay over at his house. But I try to keep those occasions few and far between.

  Lyla tucks a few stray hairs back into my up do. She takes the can of hair spray from the counter and coats my head.

  “Okay. Okay,” I say, waving the fumes away. “That’s good enough. How’s my makeup,” I ask her.

  “Perfect. I did it.”

  I check my reflection one more time. “It’s not too much? I feel like it’s too much.”

  “Mercy, you look beautiful. Nathaniel is going to drop dead when he sees you.”

  I can’t help the sour face I make.

  “Poor choice of words,” she says. “Sorry.”

  The doorbell rings.

  “The guys are here!” Kate yells from down the hall.

  “We’re coming!” Lyla calls. She primps for a few more seconds. “Okay, let’s go!” She’s practically squealing as she ushers me out of the bathroom.

  Nathaniel and Jay are waiting in the living room. Jay looks great. He cleans up good. Of course, he’s still Jay, so he’s wearing beat-up Chuck Taylors with his tuxedo, but on him, it works. I never did tell him about Nathaniel being inside Toby’s body, and every time I see him I feel slightly guilty because of it. Sometimes I have the urge to confess, but I know it’ll only cause him pain while I soothe my own guilt, and that’s not what I want to do. I never want to cause Jay or Lyla harm ever again.

  I bite my lip when I see Nathaniel, mostly because I’m thinking ten thousand different dirty thoughts, like how skipping the prom and going back to his house instead is starting to sound like a really good idea. I push my thoughts to Nathaniel and raise an eyebrow, inviting him to agree with me, but he shakes his head.

  Fine. Prom first.

  Kate snaps picture after picture, and we all groan but secretly love every minute of it. I wish my mom and dad were here to see this, but s
omeday, I’ll tell them all about it when we’re together again.

  After the pictures, we climb into the limousine and head off to dinner. Nathaniel chose the restaurant, which means it’s incredibly fancy and overpriced, but the food is delicious. Now that he’s told me about his other lives, I make him cook for me all the time. And when he’s not in the mood to eat at home, it’s up to him to pick the restaurant. I never thought I could love food this much, but with Nathaniel, it’s easy.

  For kicks, I order a bottle of champagne. Nathaniel shoots me a chastising look, and I shrug my shoulders. Yes, it’s technically wrong to abuse my Creator powers, but it’s prom. I’m allowed to have a little fun.

  Dinner eventually ends. The limo drops us off in front of Memorial Auditorium. Prom is even better than I imagined. The room is dimly lit and decorated with silver and navy balloons. There’s a huge disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and who knew, but Nathaniel can actually dance. I look like a dork. But I so don’t care. I am having the best night of my life.

  A slow song comes on, and Nathaniel takes my hands and wraps them around his neck. He holds my waist and nuzzles my neck. Being with Nathaniel is better than I expected. Every day he frustrates me and annoys me and brings me more joy than I ever thought possible.

  Looking up at him, I say, “Tell me honestly, do you miss it?”

  “What?”

  “Breaching? I mean, I never even asked you if you wanted to give it up.”

  “Do we have to talk about this now?” Nathaniel spins me around.

  “No. I’m sorry. Forget it.”

  He puffs out a short breath. “I never wanted to lie forever, Mercy. You know that.”

  “I do, but I should’ve asked you first if you were ready to give it all up and be human.”

  Nathaniel abruptly stops dancing. “You should have. I mean, you took away my ability to kill innocent people,” he says sarcastically. “You made me into the man I’ve always wanted to be. Shame on you.”

  I pull him to me, forcing him to sway to the music. “I can’t help wondering why didn’t Lucas Church do it? Why didn’t he just grant you one life and then let it end?”