Finders Reapers

by Anna Staniszewski

  Natalie squinted at the old woman’s torso for a minute and then shook her head. “I’m not sure!” Even when she was whispering, her voice was full of excitement.

  “Your powers are still new, so you might not sense souls right away,” Lena said. “Plus this one’s pretty faint. That means she doesn’t have much time left.” As if on cue, a soft alarm went off on Lena’s phone. “Now I focus on the soul and on calling up my energy and then—”

  She waited for her fingers to flare a deep purple, but for a second, nothing happened. Lena blinked in surprise and tried again. This time, her fingers instantly began to glow. She flashed Natalie an embarrassed smile. Clearly, having an audience was making it hard for Lena to focus.

  “When my fingers start glowing, that means I’m ready to send the soul to the After,” Lena explained.

  She took a couple steps toward the couch until she was directly beside the old woman. Then she placed her glowing hand on the woman’s frail shoulder. The energy rushed out of her fingertips and disappeared. Lena stumbled back, a little light-headed.

  “Are you okay?” Natalie asked, her eyes wide.

  Lena steadied herself on the back of an armchair. “It’s normal to be dizzy for a second. But you’re also relieved because you can feel the soul detaching from its body and being set free.”

  Natalie’s gaze swung back to the old woman. “And now she’s going to die?”

  “It’ll happen in the next couple of minutes, but we can leave before it does.”

  Natalie didn’t move. “Are they usually alone like this at the end?” She didn’t seem sad or afraid like Lena would have expected, only curious.

  “Most have family and friends with them. But even if they don’t, their souls are happy after they move on. Come on,” Lena said, gently pulling Natalie away. “Let’s give her some privacy.”

  As they slipped out of the house, Lena’s phone buzzed. It was a message from Marcus: My sister has a crush on the guy I zapped last night!

  Lena wrote back, Oops! She had to smile at the thought of Marcus’s sourpuss sister having a crush on anyone. Then again, if Marcus could have a ghost cat living in his house, Lena supposed anything was possible.

  They headed back down the street, Natalie suddenly quiet. Maybe the assignment had gotten to her after all.

  “That woman’s energy is moving from one place to another,” Lena told her. “It’s not so bad if you think about it that way.” In fact, the idea made Lena feel safe somehow. If energy never disappeared, that meant even if you lost someone, that person wasn’t really gone.

  Natalie shrugged. “Actually, I was thinking that it’s not as bad as I was expecting. You’re helping people, right?”

  “Exactly. Without us, their souls would wander around, lost and confused. Then soul hunters would have to track them down, and the cosmic balance could get all messed up.” Eddie loved going on about “the order of the universe.” At first, Lena had thought he was being dramatic, but after her and Marcus’s powers had started going haywire after their first kiss and affecting other people’s assignments, she’d realized how important keeping the universe happy was.

  “Eddie was right about you being a natural at soul collecting,” Natalie said, sounding impressed.

  “I guess it’s thanks to my mom,” Lena answered. She was surprised at herself for mentioning her mother to a total stranger, but Natalie was easy to talk to. “She was a nurse for really sick people, so she didn’t sugarcoat anything. That’s why I’m not freaked out by the idea of people dying. Did Eddie tell you why you were chosen for the job?”

  Natalie didn’t answer. She’d suddenly gone very still, her eyes focused on a far-off spot.

  “Natalie?” Lena asked. But the girl only stood there like a statue. Not even her hair moved in the breeze. “Are you okay?”

  An instant later, Natalie blinked. “What? Oh, yeah. Sorry! I kind of spaced out for a second.” She grabbed a small green notebook from her pocket and started furiously scribbling in it.

  Lena waited awkwardly for her to finish. She was curious to know what Natalie was writing so frantically and what that weird episode had been, but she figured it would be rude to ask.

  Finally, when Natalie’s pen stopped moving, Lena said, “Is everything okay?”

  “Yup! It’s great!” Natalie said, tucking the notebook into her pocket as if the whole incident hadn’t happened.

  Lena wanted to press, but she couldn’t blame Natalie for not wanting to share her secrets when they’d only known each other for an hour. “Are you going to be in school on Monday?” Lena asked instead. “I can wait for you out front and show you around.”

  Natalie’s face lit up. “Sure! I really appreciate how nice you’re being to me.”

  As Lena watched Natalie hurry away, she couldn’t help smiling to herself. Not only did she have an awesome boyfriend and a part in the play, but now she had a friend she could talk to about her powers, someone who understood. She couldn’t believe how well everything was falling into place.

  Chapter 6

  Marcus hadn’t meant to arrive at Lena’s house early, but he’d been so excited about redoing their anniversary date that he’d headed over as soon as he was ready. He parked his bike at the end of Lena’s driveway and then hovered near her recycling bin with a bouquet in his hands, waiting for it to be exactly six o’clock before he rang the doorbell.

  According to the book Grandpa Joe had given him, a dating guide from the 1950s, you should always be prompt but not early. Marcus wasn’t sure the book’s advice had actually gotten Lena to notice him, but he was convinced it had brought him luck. Now that his grandfather was gone, Marcus had been keeping the book with him more and more. Every time he read it, he could almost hear Grandpa’s voice. He only hoped his relationship with Lena could be half as perfect as Grandpa Joe and Grandma Lily’s had been.

  At 5:55, Lena’s front door swung open. “What are you doing out there?” she called down the driveway. “Come in!”

  Marcus flashed a sheepish grin as he hurried up to meet her. “Sorry I’m early.” His freshly ironed clothes were stiff on his body, and he couldn’t get used to the helmet-like feeling of gel in his hair, but he’d wanted to look nice for Lena.

  “It’s okay,” she said, waving him inside. “You smell nice.”

  “Thanks!” The dating book had suggested wearing cologne on a date, so Marcus had swiped some of his dad’s, even though the strong scent made his eyes itch. Clearly, the book had been right.

  “I was ready a half hour ago, so I’ve been working on my part,” Lena went on. “I know I only have one line in the whole play, but it can’t hurt to practice, right?”

  He smiled and held out the bouquet of exotic-looking flowers. “These are for you.” He hadn’t thought to bring flowers the day before, but luckily he was getting a second chance to make this night perfect.

  “Thank you!” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. She headed into the kitchen to put the bouquet in some water.

  After she’d displayed the flowers on the table, Marcus caught her giving him a strange look. “What?” he asked.

  “Your hair.” She brushed at a strand near his forehead, as if trying to dislodge some of the gel. “I think I like it better when it curls around your ears. It’s cute.” She gave him an adorable smile and shrugged. “So, where are we going?”

  “Well, I was thinking we—”

  Before he could finish, Lena sneezed. And then again, and again, a rapid burst of sneezes that were so loud, they sounded like gunfire. She backed away from the vase, her eyes suddenly red and watering.

  “Are you okay?” Marcus asked.

  “I think I might be…” Achoo! “Allergic to the flowers.” Achoo!

  “Oh no! I’m sorry!” Marcus tried to grab the bouquet off the table, but he only managed to knock the vase onto the floor, s
plattering water and petals everywhere.

  He gasped and started to clean it up as Lena rushed off to the bathroom, where he could hear her sneezing up a storm. What was wrong with him? Couldn’t he even get the whole “giving a girl flowers” thing right?

  “Thanks, boy,” Marcus said as Professor lapped up most of the water from the floor.

  After the last of the offending blooms were in the garbage, Lena came out of the bathroom, dabbing at her nose with a tissue.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Marcus asked.

  “I’m fine!” She chuckled. “It’s weird though. I’ve never had an allergic reaction before. I think you must have found the only flowers on earth that I’m allergic to.”

  Of course he had. “Well, if you’re sure. I was thinking we could go out to dinner.” He told her about the fancy French restaurant where he remembered Grandpa Joe had brought Grandma Lily for a wedding anniversary years ago. “Is that okay?”

  Lena nodded and gently took his hand in hers. “Anywhere is fine, as long as I’m there with you.”

  • • •

  When they went into the restaurant, Lena was suddenly self-conscious about her outfit. “Why didn’t you warn me this place was so fancy?” she asked Marcus, glancing at the candlelit tables and the sparkling chandeliers. “I feel so grubby.”

  “You look perfect,” he said, and the sincerity in his voice made her relax.

  They walked by a sleek TV built into the wall that was showing the news about some crazy woman who’d dangled over the side of a skyscraper using a rope so she could paint “I love you, Bob” for the whole world to see.

  “Wow,” Lena said, pointing at the TV. “You’d think a greeting card would be enough.”

  “Don’t you think a big, romantic gesture is nice sometimes?” Marcus asked. “It tells the person that you really do care.”

  “I guess,” Lena said doubtfully. Back when she’d still been convinced that “people in love” were merely ruled by the chemicals in their brains, she would have rolled her eyes at their over-the-top romantic gestures. Now that she and Marcus were together, she could sort of understand them, but she was still pretty sure she’d never risk her life to tell him how much he meant to her.

  When they sat down at a table and started studying the menu, it took Lena a minute to realize that it wasn’t in another language but simply filled with foods she’d never heard of. She glanced up and saw Marcus’s forehead scrunched in concentration.

  “So what’s good here?” she asked.

  He looked up from his menu, his cheeks turning pink. “I have no idea,” he admitted. “Grandpa said this place was one of my grandmother’s favorites, but I don’t know if any of this stuff is even edible. What’s Gruyère? It sounds like some kind of fungus.”

  “I think it might be a type of cheese,” Lena said. “We could ask the waiter.”

  After a few more minutes of confusion, they gave up and waved him over. The waiter reluctantly helped them pick out a few items on the menu, clearly unhappy about serving a couple of ignorant kids.

  While they waited for their food, Lena told Marcus about Natalie.

  “She doesn’t wear a grim reaper outfit, does she?” Marcus asked. “They probably won’t let her bring a scythe to school. How would she fit it in her locker?”

  Lena kicked him under the table. “She’s nice. And I can’t believe I’ll actually have another soul collector to talk to!”

  Marcus nodded. “I hope I get to meet a matchmaker one day. I know Eddie used to be one, but I don’t think that counts.”

  “You think he’ll ever tell us what he did to get on probation?” Lena asked. She’d tried to ask Eddie about it a couple of times, but he’d only brushed it off.

  “Maybe he played too many video games and kept missing his assignments,” Marcus said.

  Lena chuckled. “Or he tried to use some weird matchmaking gadget and wound up electrocuting people instead.”

  When the food came, Lena didn’t think it was that bad, but Marcus only picked at his. “It kind of reminds me of slime,” he whispered. “Sorry. I thought this place would be better.”

  Lena touched his hand across the table. “It’s fine, Marcus. It’s just a random anniversary anyway, isn’t it? Most people don’t do six weeks.”

  “I know, but most people also don’t swap powers. Besides, six weeks ago, we not only switched our powers back, but we also finally admitted how we felt about each other. I’d say that’s plenty to celebrate.”

  “That’s true,” she said. “If all of that hadn’t happened, I’d probably still have a crush on you and not realize it.” She couldn’t help sighing as she stabbed a piece of wilted lettuce. “And I wouldn’t be in the play.”

  Marcus frowned. “I thought you were dying to be in Alice.”

  “It’s just…I thought it would be different.”

  “Things looked pretty good at the last rehearsal.” Marcus shook his head in wonder. “I still can’t believe you talked me into helping with the sets. Remember what happened the last time I set foot on a stage?”

  Lena couldn’t help laughing. “That was in kindergarten!”

  “Still,” he said with a shudder, “maybe I should start wearing a diaper, just in case. We don’t want history repeating itself. Besides, then I’d be more like a real cupid.”

  “I’m serious, Marcus. What if the show is bad?” Yes, she only had a tiny part, but she still wanted her first play to go perfectly.

  “It’ll be fine,” Marcus assured her as the waiter came to drop off the bill. Before she could even think of offering to pay, Marcus slid some money across the table. “My treat.”

  “But—”

  “It was my idea to come here,” he said. “And plus, I want to.”

  Lena was tempted to argue—this restaurant wasn’t cheap!—but she could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t going to back down. “Okay, thank you,” she said finally. “But next time, the slime is on me, okay?”

  He smiled. “Deal.”

  Chapter 7

  “Aren’t you freezing?” Lena couldn’t help asking when she spotted Natalie on the front steps of the school on Monday morning. The other girl wasn’t wearing a jacket, even though it was so cold out that Lena’s toes felt numb in her thick socks.

  Natalie waved a dismissive hand. “Where I used to live was way colder than this.”

  “Where was that?” Lena asked, but Natalie was already rushing up the stairs.

  “Come on! Let’s go find your friends!” she called, her light hair blowing after her. She looked so relaxed and carefree, as if going into a new school wasn’t a big deal. Lena wished she could be half that laid-back about things.

  She led Natalie down the eighth-grade hallway, deafening with the sounds of kids laughing and chatting.

  “So have you gone on any more collecting assignments?” Lena asked softly. When Eddie had sent Lena on her first one, he’d made sure to follow up with another one a couple days later so that she could get used to her new job.

  “Oh, no. Not yet,” Natalie said. “Soon though, I’m sure!”

  When they got to the end of the hall, Lena’s excitement at introducing Natalie to her friends dimmed when she saw Hayleigh tearfully shoving books into her locker. Beside her, Abigail was cooing sympathetically, clearly trying to cheer Hayleigh up.

  “What’s wrong?” Lena asked.

  “Hayleigh heard a rumor that Emery likes someone in the play,” Abigail explained.

  “Do you think it’s Fiona?” Hayleigh asked with a hiccup. “She is good as the Red Queen. Or that mousy girl, what’s her name, the one who never brushes her hair? Why would he like her over me? Why?”

  “Whoa, calm down,” Lena said, afraid her friend might hyperventilate. “How do you know it’s not you? You’re doing costumes for the play. Doesn’t
that count?”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell her!” Abigail said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

  Hayleigh’s dark forehead crinkled. “Maybe you’re both right,” she said, but she didn’t sound convinced. She wiped her eyes and finally seemed to notice the unfamiliar girl standing next to Lena. “Oh, who’s this?”

  “Oops, sorry,” Lena said. “Guys, this is Natalie. Today’s her first day.”

  “Nice to meet you!” Natalie said brightly, as if she met crying girls all the time.

  Hayleigh gave Natalie a weak wave. “Sorry, I’m not usually such a mess.”

  “It’s okay,” Natalie said. “But I don’t think you should worry so much about that Emery guy. You’re not really his type.” She flashed a smile and added, “I should go get my schedule. Lena, find me at lunch, okay?” Then she headed toward the main office.

  “If she’s new, how does she know Emery?” Abigail asked.

  Lena watched Natalie turn the corner. “Maybe she was trying to be encouraging.”

  Hayleigh dabbed at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. “It was still kind of a weird thing to say. How do you know her?”

  “My boss introduced us,” Lena said, still distracted.

  “Your boss?” Hayleigh repeated, adjusting her sparkly headband. She had an unwritten rule that she had to wear at least one glittery fashion item per day. “I didn’t know you had a job.”

  Lena blinked. “I meant my dad’s boss. He and Natalie’s family kind of know each other, so he thought…you know.” She hated lying to her friends, especially when she was so terrible at coming up with excuses.

  As they headed off to their homerooms, Lena spotted Marcus at the end of the hall. She went to call out his name but paused when she realized he was with Caspar Brown, the biggest bully in school. Why were they talking in the middle of the hallway like they were friends? Last she’d heard, Caspar was still steering clear of Marcus after the ghost cat had attacked him.