by Nicky Graves
Mom’s SUV, with two dented doors and balding tires, still smelled like sour milk from when David had eaten his ice cream too fast and yakked. The high-pitched squeal that came from the engine made riding in it embarrassing.
“I’m fine. The doctors said I’m okay,” I said. No one could figure out why I had seen ghosts, except to blame it on shock. I didn’t tell them about the two other men. Seemed pointless since the doctors tried to explain away everything else.
Every time I glanced back at Larue, she stared at me as if waiting for my head to start spinning. The thought of losing her as a friend made me nauseated. I’d have to be careful what I shared with her.
“Larue, would you like to stay for dinner?” Mom asked.
David looked hopeful. I had suspected he had a crush on Larue since summer, when we all went to the lake together to swim.
“Thanks, but I can’t tonight,” Larue said. “I have to study.”
David frowned and looked away. I almost felt sorry for him, but then I remembered all the times the little urchin had made my life hell. I had lost count of how many times I had gotten grounded for him snitching on me; some were even downright lies.
Mom loved to baby him. David could do no wrong. I often wondered if she felt bad for David. His dad had died when he was only two. But what about feeling bad for me? My father didn’t even know I existed. By the time my Mom found out she was pregnant, he had already skipped town. At least David’s dad had been decent.
Still, I couldn’t compete against David, and the brat knew it.
“Riley, do you have to study too?” Mom asked.
“A little,” I lied.
When we dropped off Larue, she promised to call me later that night. It made me feel slightly better that she didn’t run out of the car and not look back.
“What do you want for dinner?” Mom asked when we arrived home.
“Pizza,” David said.
“You always want pizza,” Mom said as we walked into the house. “I was asking your sister. She’s been through a lot today.”
David stuck out his tongue at me and then jogged upstairs to his room, yelling, “I see a ghost! I see a ghost!”
“He’s just teasing,” Mom said, but even she had a sour look on her face that matched my queasy stomach.
“I think I’ll skip dinner tonight,” I said.
“Are you sure?” she asked. “You’re not feeling good, are you? I knew the doctors should have run more tests.”
“It’s been a long day. I just want to be alone for a bit.”
“Oh, okay. If you change your mind about dinner, let me know.”
“I will.”
As I trudged up the stairs to my room, I couldn’t help but replay everything that had happened. It made the queasy feeling even more unsettling.
Once in my room, I kicked off my shoes and crawled onto the bed. I rolled onto my back to stare at the ceiling.
As I pondered what was wrong with me, the air shifted forcibly again. But this time there wasn’t a dead body. Unless it was mine. I checked my pulse as Lawson appeared.
“I’m still not dead,” I said as I sat straight. “Go away.”
“I’m not going away,” he said as he glanced around my room with a distinct frown on his face. His dark brows clamped down on gray judgmental eyes. I supposed he was not impressed by my untidy room. While it wasn’t a total disaster, it was well used.
“What’s your name?” he asked, ripping his gaze away from a pile of clothes near my bed.
“I already told you it was Riley.”
“I meant family name?”
“Graves.”
“Graves?”
“I admit that it does seem a bit odd given all the people dying near me, but it’s a common name.”
“Who’s your dad?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Mom said he split before I was born. This is getting rather personal, especially since I don’t even know who you are.”
“Lawson.”
“No, I know your name. But you look human and yet you can appear and disappear on a gust of wind. And who is that guy with the messed-up hair?”
“You mean Boomer.”
“Is Boomer a nickname?” I asked.
“No, that’s his real name.”
Odd name to go with an odd guy. I guess it made sense. I couldn’t see him pulling off anything more substantial. And certainly not something serious like Lawson, who seemed as serious as they come.
“I want to take you to our realm,” Lawson said.
Realm? Did he just say realm? That was too sci-fi for me. I backed up on the bed. “Nope. Not happening. Isn’t that where the dead people go?”
“Yes and no. But not the way you’re thinking.”
Since I had no idea what I was thinking, I asked, “What realm?”
“The dead zone.”
“Are you freaking kidding me! No, I’m not going to a place called the dead zone.” I shook my head. “Besides, other realms aren’t real.”
“Don’t be closed-minded. Do you want answers?”
“Yes.”
“Then help me figure out what you are.”
“By going to the dead zone?”
He nodded.
“Are you dead?” I asked.
“In a way.”
“What do you mean, in a way? And does that mean Boomer is dead too?”
“Boomer is technically dead as well.”
“So dead people roam the earth?”
“Only if we don’t transition them in time.”
“Why haven’t you been transitioned?”
“No more questions until you come with me.”
“Not happening.”
He reached out to take my hand, but I scooted past him. He frowned and tried again, but I dodged, nearly tripping over my clothes pile.
“I’m not going anywhere with you, so you can stop it right now,” I said in my most authoritative voice, which didn’t seem to have the desired effect as he crossed his arms, muscles tightening against his black shirt. He looked annoyed.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said.
“No, you’re trying to transition me.”
“I wouldn’t be able to even if I wanted to.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not dead.”
“So then why are you here and why do you want to take me there?”
“Because there’s something really wrong. You give all the signs of being something you can’t be.”
“Can’t be what?” I prompted.
“I can’t say right now. This isn’t something we tell humans unless we know for sure you’re one of us. I need you to come with me. I know someone who will be able to figure out what’s happening.”
“Why can’t he come here?”
“He’s not a fan of Earth.”
“Sounds like a person I don’t want to meet.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Lawson said.
“You’re going to abduct me?” I questioned, inching toward the door.
“No. But you’ll go eventually. Listen, I’m not trying to scare you. You seem like a somewhat sweet kid.”
“Gee, thanks,” I muttered. That’s how every nearly eighteen-year-old girl wanted to be referred to. “You know you’re not much older than I am. What, like max five years?”
“Try five hundred.”
Lawson didn’t look older than mid-twenties, possibly younger. How in the hell was he five hundred years old? Was it because he was technically dead?
I stared at him. “Because you’re dead and your body doesn’t age?”
“Something like that.”
“I’m not going to be like you, right?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Normally I would say yes, but you’re a girl.”
“So I’ve noticed,” I said flatly. “And girls can do a lot more than they could five hundred years ago.”
“I just mean this isn’t a normal situation.
It’s not supposed to happen for another twenty-five years, and you’re supposed to be a man.”
Great. A chauvinistic race. Just what I wanted to be dragged into.
“Honey,” my mom called from the hallway. She knocked on my door and peeked in. “Are you talking to someone?”
She opened the door wider and scanned my room. She couldn’t see Lawson either. Her gaze swept right past him.
“Uh, no. Just rehearsing my speech for class.”
“Oh, okay,” she said. “I was just checking to see if you needed anything.”
“No, but I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Sweet dreams.”
When she closed the door, I looked at Lawson. “Am I really the only one who can see you?”
“Yes.”
“And there are others like you?”
“Yes.”
“And you think I might be one of you?”
“Perhaps.”
“So, who do I need to speak to?” I said with resignation.
“The guy’s name is Ranger. He’s been around for a long time. He might know what’s going on.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“We’ll go to the Elder Council.”
“I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I,” he said, reaching for my hand. “Ready?”
“No,” I said, backing away.
The way he looked at me, I knew I was testing his patience. But he was testing mine too.
“You’ve given me no reassurance that if I go with you, you’ll bring me home.”
“I don’t abduct people,” he said. “I know you don’t believe it, but I’m actually trying to help you.” He stepped forward, and I stepped back. “Are you afraid of me?”
“Of course I am. Just a month ago, I didn’t believe in ghosts. I didn’t believe there were other realms. And I certainly didn’t believe people like you existed. I have no idea what you are, and you aren’t giving me any information. So, yes, I’m afraid.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
He sounded sincere, but so had Ted Bundy. I had researched him and his serial killer ways for a psychology report, which had given me nightmares for a month.
“You don’t have to come with me,” he said. “I just know I wanted answers when I changed. I thought if we could find your answers before you change, it would be better.”
“Change? What do you mean ‘before you change’?”
“I was a mortal human just like you.”
“And now you’re not?”
He shook his head.
“What are you?” I asked.
He didn’t say anything at first. His gaze swept over me as he assessed me. “I’m worried if I tell you it will scare you more.”
“Not knowing is scaring me. Believe me, I want answers.”
He gave a slight nod, his gaze judging me for reactions as he said, “I’m a reaper. I think you might be one too. Eventually.”
A reaper? He was staring at me as he waited for a reaction, but I suppressed it. Inside, I might have been freaking out. But outside, I just blinked at the news. Seriously, a reaper?
“You don’t actually become a reaper until you die. But you are showing early signs, and it worries me.”
He was worried about me? That didn’t make me feel better.
“Why does it worry you?”
He looked at the floor before his gaze caught mine. “If you’re showing signs, it might mean you are close to dying.”
I was dying? Don’t panic! I stiffened my legs as my knees turned gooey.
“No, I feel fine,” I quickly said. “I’m not dying. I haven’t even turned eighteen yet.”
“Age doesn’t come into play when you’re chosen to become a reaper. There’s a kid younger than you who became a reaper. And one that I swear was over a hundred before he died and was given reaper status. Riley, I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to say anything, but I don’t want you to be afraid of me either. We can figure out the answers together. You just need to trust me enough to come with me.”
Even though my thoughts were swirling around my impending doom, I studied him for a moment. He did seem as though he cared.
He held out his hand. “Please.”
I stared at it for a moment before reaching out and taking it. If I was going to be a reaper, I’d like to know now, especially if Lawson was going to take the time to help me.
He gave my hand a gentle squeeze when I placed my hand in his. I ignored the way energy flowed between us. It was probably because he was a reaper.
“What do I have to do?” I asked.
“Just relax and don’t fight me.”
As soon as I gave a hesitant nod, the air shifted, swirling around us. My body felt weightless, nearly like a feather. Light was all around us. And then darkness.
“Don’t panic,” he said, but he sounded far away and yet he was still holding my hand. “We’re cutting through. We’ll be there soon.”
I felt a tug, and the air stopped moving. A world appeared as though it was locked in an hourglass, and then all of the darkness sifted away.
“Well, you survived,” he said, as if confused.
“Wasn’t I supposed to?”
He ignored my question. “Try to blend in.”
Blend in? I was in another world that looked nothing like mine.
There was no sky that I could detect. Just gray air upon gray dirt. No stars or sun. The silver structures resembled nothing on Earth. They were giant metal spheres that were two times taller than I was, with no doors or windows. And yet there were doors just standing in the middle of stone walkways with nothing keeping them upright. All different sorts of doors. Some that were made of metal. Others wooden. Some were crystal. One looked like it was nothing more than an arch of shimmering light. Like the reflection on a lake during summer.
“Don’t ever go in the doors,” he said, beginning to walk down a stone path that was just as gray as the dirt that surrounded it.
“Why not?”
“You’ll enter into another realm. Some you wouldn’t survive on for more than a second.”
“Good to know,” I said as I scanned the area, noticing dozens of doors in just my line of sight. How did they stand upright without anything to hold them? “How many realms are there?”
He didn’t answer as he walked down the stone path that was flanked by rows of giant silver pods.
I followed, wondering if I was in a dream. Maybe these last two weeks were just one lousy nightmare. I’d wake up and it’d still be Sunday and I’d still have to go to church with Mom. I’d prefer listening to Father Tom drone on about abstinence than whatever was happening now.
Lawson stopped at a metal sphere that looked like a copy of all the rest. He held out his hand for me to take it. He placed his other hand on the side of the metal and closed his eyes. A moment later, his hand shoved through the metal as if it was liquid and not solid. He walked through and tugged me along with him.
There was no unusual feeling walking through metal. I had tried to prepare for something, but it was uneventful; like walking through air.
“Ranger?” Lawson called.
The first thing I noticed about the place was that the inside of the pod appeared larger than the outside. We stood in a living room decorated with apparently no theme in mind. Green plaid couch, orange striped chairs that looked forty years old, and mismatched end tables accompanied by a battered coffee table. And beyond the living room I could see glimpses of other rooms, which had to make the inside of the residence much larger than the outside.
It made no sense. And yet nothing about the last two weeks made any sense.
“Is there a space difference between outside and inside?” I asked.
“Something like that,” Lawson said, walking through the living room.
Again, I followed. It wasn’t like I could do much other than that.
As we reached the other side of the room, a man appe
ared at the doorway. It was hard not to notice him as his bodybuilder frame filled the doorway. Hulk would be an apt nickname for him. His eyes were so light, I barely detected a hint of blue. It clashed with his olive-tan skin and dark hair.
“Hey, Lawson,” the man said.
“Ranger, I want you to meet someone,” Lawson said, scooting me in front of him.
Ranger seemed surprised at my appearance.
“How’d she get here?” Ranger asked, circling me.
“I brought her,” Lawson said. “I can see the energy in her, but she’s alive.”
“And she’s a she.”
“Exactly. Do you know what this means? We aren’t supposed to have another one for another twenty-five years.”
“And definitely not a little girl.”
“I’m seventeen,” I said. “Not a little girl. Although, maybe to you I might be. If Lawson is five hundred, you must be a thousand,” I reasoned, seeing as Ranger was probably thirty years old in Earth years whereas Lawson looked early to mid-twenties.
“Try five thousand,” Ranger said.
“Have you ever encountered this?” Lawson asked Ranger.
“No. But I think she’s a reaper,” Ranger said. “You might have to get the Elder Council involved. They’ll want to see her.”
“You hate the Elder Council,” Lawson said flatly.
Ranger gave a nod. “But maybe if you bring her to them, they’ll leave her in your charge. Or would you rather one of the Supreme Elder’s scouts find her?”
Lawson’s jaw muscle twitched.
“You know I’m right,” Ranger said.
Lawson gave a nod and then glanced at me warily. “I guess there’s no choice.”
“You have enough clout with the elders,” Ranger said. “Weren’t you just promoted to controller? And at only five hundred. That means they must trust you. Maybe someday you can be on the Elder Council too.”
Lawson leveled a glare at Ranger, who smiled back.
Obviously, the Elder Council was not a favorite among these two.
Lawson looked at me as if he wasn’t certain what to do with me. Ranger looked at me as if I was an odd specimen. I was beginning to think this might all be real and my mundane life was about to take a serious twist.