Finders Reapers

by Anna Staniszewski

  “You’ve known Eddie since college? Why didn’t he tell me you were friends?”

  “He and I haven’t spoken in years. I wasn’t even sure we were friends anymore, after everything that happened.”

  “What do you mean?”

  But her mom shook her head. “It’s not worth getting into now. The important thing is I’m here, and I want us to get to know each other again. You don’t know how I felt when I found out that you’d become a soul collector, Lena. I was so proud of you! But I was also worried.”

  “Worried? Why?”

  “Because it’s a difficult job. Seeing death all the time, having to take the souls of people you know, people you care about, it wears on you.”

  “Is that why you left?”

  Her mom sighed as she adjusted her rearview mirror for probably the third time. “It took me a long time to accept that being a soul collector was part of my life. I let it ruin so many things: my family, my career. After a while, I couldn’t stay here anymore.”

  Lena picked at some lint on her shirt, thinking about how her own life felt like it was in ruins right now. “And did you finally find a place where you could be happy?”

  “I don’t know,” her mom admitted. “Becoming a soul hunter is something I’ve wanted for a long time, and I finally found a nursing job I like. But I realized that I could never be happy without you in my life. That’s why I want you to come live with me. Think about how much I can teach you!”

  For a minute, Lena could almost see it, what life would be like with her mom. They’d be living together in her mom’s sunny apartment in Arizona, sharing what they knew about the ins and outs of soul collecting, making quilts together and seeing plays, and maybe even sharing each other’s clothes like Abigail and her mom did. It would be almost like the life Lena could have had if her mom hadn’t left. And best of all, Lena could finally live in a house where there weren’t any secrets.

  Maybe that future really could happen—and maybe some part of Lena even wanted it to—but it would mean leaving everything else she cared about behind.

  Chapter 26

  Marcus hovered outside the indoor track after school on Monday, trying to spot Peter without his sister seeing him. Maybe he was butting in like she’d said, but he was doing it for her. Once she and Peter were together, she’d thank him.

  Finally, he spotted Peter talking to one of the coaches. Thankfully, Claire was nowhere in sight. Good! Maybe the sparks between them were finally starting to fade. Marcus never thought he’d be rooting for one of his matches to fail, but he didn’t want a couple to be miserable together just so his perfect matchmaking record could stay intact.

  He waited until Peter was alone, and then he made his move. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Hey, Marcus. I saw your sister’s race earlier. She was amazing.”

  “Yeah, she’s pretty great.” Ann-Marie drove him nuts, but she was definitely incredible when it came to running. Marcus knew he should jump into the script he’d practiced over the weekend—“Will you be going to the play on Friday? My sister wants to go but needs a ride. Maybe the two of you could carpool.”—but instead he said, “You can tell that she spends all her time training.”

  “She does?” Peter asked. “How does she find time to study? I’m in a couple of her classes, and she always aces every test.”

  “That’s, like, her whole life. She doesn’t do anything else.” Marcus realized that he’d probably made his sister sound like a complete loser. “Not that she doesn’t go out with people. She does. She hangs out with her friends and boyfriends and stuff.”

  “She has a boyfriend?” Peter asked, the disappointment clear in his voice.

  “What? Oh, I didn’t mean boyfriends. I meant guy friends. She’s never actually dated anyone. At least not that she’s told me about. I didn’t even know she was interested in anyone until I saw how she acted around you.” Oh no. Had he really just said that?

  Peter’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, do you mean that she’s into me?”

  “No! Of course not!”

  “Oh.” Peter’s face fell. “Okay. I thought maybe—”

  “Cinnamon Knees!” someone called from across the lobby. Of course, it was Claire. “Are you coming? I miss you!”

  “I’ll be right there!” he called back. Then he turned to Marcus. “Sorry, we have to go to the mall. Claire needs new shoes.”

  “Um, do you actually want to go buy her shoes?” Marcus couldn’t help asking. That didn’t sound like fun at all.

  Peter frowned. “I…I don’t know,” he said. “I want to be with her, no matter where we are. Even if that means shopping instead of watching hockey.”

  This was yet another reason that Ann-Marie and Peter were perfect for each other. She’d choose sports over clothes any day.

  “Wait, I wanted to talk to you about the play!” Marcus called, but Peter had already disappeared out the door with Claire, leaving behind a trail of listless sparks.

  • • •

  “Lena, wait up!” Natalie called down the hallway. Lena stopped in front of the library and waited for Natalie to catch up. “I heard about the play. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Lena said. The truth was she’d spent all weekend moping around, barely talking to anyone. She dreaded the final bell when all the other kids in the play would go to rehearsal, and she’d head home by herself.

  “What about your part?” Natalie asked.

  “Mr. Jackson asked Connie Reynolds to do it, since she had a nonspeaking role before.” Lena had apologized profusely to Connie for dropping her. Luckily, Connie hadn’t seemed all that bothered by the purple cast on her wrist, since it made people fawn all over her even more than they normally did.

  “Wow, I guess Connie is getting all of your leftovers, huh?” Natalie asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  Natalie gave her a pitying look. “I supposed it’s better you hear it from me first. I saw Connie and Marcus flirting in homeroom this morning.”

  Lena stared. That couldn’t be right. “He was probably helping her because she’s injured. He’s nice like that.” Marcus didn’t even know how to flirt!

  Natalie gave her an “if you say so” look and added, “They were talking about going to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream together.”

  “What?” Okay, Lena and Marcus might have had a fight and not spoken for a couple of days, but they hadn’t broken up or anything. And now he was going to see the play with Connie when he hadn’t wanted to go with her? That was impossible!

  Or maybe it wasn’t. Lena suddenly remembered what Connie had said about how cute Marcus was, and Lena had stupidly told him about it. Maybe he was sick of dealing with their up-and-down relationship—especially after they’d started accidentally firing their powers at each other!—and he’d decided to go for a nice, regular girl who couldn’t kill him with a single touch.

  “And there’s something else,” Natalie said, not looking up from the floor. “I probably should have told you this sooner, but I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

  “Tell me,” Lena said. “I can handle it.”

  Natalie bit her lip. “It wasn’t just Connie that I saw Marcus flirting with. Last week at lunch, when you left because your mom was here…he was hitting on me too.”

  Lena opened her mouth, but only air came out.

  “I thought maybe I was reading into things,” Natalie rushed on. “Or that he was only being friendly. But when I thought about it later…” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  Lena could barely see straight. What Natalie was saying couldn’t be true. But if Marcus could go around making eyes at Connie, why couldn’t he flirt with the new girl too? Suddenly, Lena remembered the mysterious exchange she’d seen between Marcus and Caspar in the hallway the other day. Marcus had gotten mad at her for keeping thing
s from him, but he clearly had secrets of his own.

  Lena had thought she knew Marcus and that she could trust him, but maybe Eddie was right. Maybe the two of them weren’t on the same frequency after all.

  • • •

  Lena wasn’t at lunch, and Marcus had only managed to see her from a distance all day, almost as if she’d been avoiding him. It hadn’t helped that Connie Reynolds had suddenly decided he was her personal servant because he’d happened to open a door for her that morning. He’d spent the day so far following her around like a pack mule, lugging her enormous bag.

  Marcus sat at the lunch table alone, watching across the cafeteria as Abigail and Hayleigh tried to woo Emery with food. Abigail was cutting his meat loaf into tiny pieces and feeding them to him while Hayleigh was shoving carrot sticks into his mouth. Marcus shook his head and mentally reviewed the Heimlich maneuver just in case. Who knew love jolts could be so potentially hazardous to your health?

  “Have you seen Lena?” he asked Natalie when she slid her tray on the table. “I need to apologize to her.” He’d almost called her several times over the weekend but decided to wait and do it in person. Grandpa’s dating book advised always having “heartfelt discussions” face-to-face.

  “She’s probably home packing,” Natalie said, plopping down in a seat across from him.

  “Packing?” he repeated. “For what?”

  “She didn’t tell you? She and her mom patched things up, and she’s planning to leave this weekend.”

  Marcus’s sandwich fell out of his hand. “Leave for Arizona? But she said she wasn’t going to go anywhere with her mom!”

  Natalie shrugged. “I guess she changed her mind.”

  “But what about the play?”

  “She’s not in it anymore, remember? She said there was no point in sticking around now that Mr. Jackson kicked her out.”

  Marcus couldn’t believe it. Wasn’t he a reason to stick around? Even if Lena was still mad at him, wouldn’t she at least try to make things right between them before she left?

  He pushed his lunch away, his appetite gone. “So is this the future you saw?” Marcus asked. “Lena and I are apart because she dumps me and moves to Arizona?”

  Natalie’s face softened. “I’m sorry, Marcus. For what it’s worth, I think you guys make a great couple. But maybe it’s not meant to work out.”

  Marcus’s whole body felt heavy. He’d thought he and Lena were the perfect match, but clearly things had been off between them for a while—whether he realized it or not—for their powers to get so messed up. He couldn’t help wondering if the fact that things had been so hard for them from the beginning was a sign.

  Then he remembered what Grandpa Joe had always said about relationships: “They are hard work. If you’re coasting, you’re doing it wrong.”

  Maybe he was doing it wrong, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet.

  Chapter 27

  Lena sat back in her chair, staring at the finished quilt. After weeks of work, it was finally done, and it was the best one she’d ever made. She knew her mom would be proud of her when she saw it.

  The doorbell rang, and she hid the quilt in her closet, just in case it was her mom. Lena certainly didn’t want to spoil the Christmas surprise. But when Lena opened the front door, she found Marcus staring back at her.

  “Stay back!” she cried. “We can’t get too close, or we might start glowing again.”

  Marcus took a step back, but his eyes stayed on hers. “I was afraid you were gone.”

  “Gone where?” she asked. “What are—?”

  “Before you say anything, I wanted you to have these.” He shoved an envelope in her hand. “Open it.”

  Lena carefully undid the flap and peered inside. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream tickets?”

  “At the Blue Hills Theater, like the production you saw when you were younger.”

  “Oh,” she said, closing the envelope. “Connie didn’t want to go after all?”

  “Connie?”

  “It’s fine, Marcus. You didn’t have to do this.” She handed the envelope back to him.

  He made a strange sound in the back of his throat. “I can’t believe this,” he said. “Isn’t anything ever good enough for you?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ve been killing myself trying to make everything perfect for you, and you don’t even care!” he cried. “I mean, look at my eyes!”

  When she looked, she was surprised to see how dry and bloodshot his normally twinkling eyes were. “What happened?”

  “That’s what I get for trying to smell nice for you!” he cried. “Maybe the future really does happen for a reason. Maybe we should be apart.”

  Lena gasped. “Are you breaking up with me?” She’d known something would have to change after Natalie had told her about the flirting, but Lena hadn’t expected this. She’d foolishly thought they could find a way to work things out.

  Marcus only looked at his feet. Then he walked away without a word. Clearly, he thought there was no point in trying anymore.

  • • •

  Marcus’s head throbbed as he walked home from Lena’s. “Are you breaking up with me?” she’d asked, and he hadn’t been able to answer. What was there to say? Of course he didn’t want them to break up, but if she was moving and Natalie had seen a future in which they were apart, maybe there was no point in fighting anymore. And what more could he do? He’d gotten those tickets for her thinking she’d see how much she meant to him, and she’d shot him down.

  He froze when he rounded the corner and saw Caspar Brown waiting for him in front of his house, the familiar jolt of fear zipping through him. Then Marcus remembered that he’d been the one to ask for the meeting in the first place.

  “So, do you have it?” Caspar asked.

  Marcus sighed and pulled the model robot out of his backpack. He’d carefully wrapped it in bubble wrap, trying not to think about the fact that he’d never see it again. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He’d needed the money to pay his mom back for the play tickets, and now Lena didn’t even want to go. But a deal was a deal. He’d promised Caspar the robot, so he had to deliver.

  Caspar took a look through the plastic and nodded. “I thought you said this one wasn’t for sale,” he said.

  “I changed my mind.”

  Marcus cringed as Caspar shoved the robot into his bag like it was a pair of gym socks. He didn’t care that it had taken weeks to restore the model, or that Grandpa Joe had been there the whole time, encouraging Marcus but letting him do it all on his own.

  “Well, thanks,” Caspar said, turning to go.

  “Wait, where’s my money?”

  Caspar shrugged his rounded shoulders. “Sorry. I gave you all I had last time.”

  “But this one is worth twice as much! You can’t take it!”

  Caspar grinned. “Why not?”

  “Because I’ll…I’ll send the creature after you again. You know what I’m talking about.”

  He could see Caspar hesitate for a second, fear flashing across his face as he remembered the ghost cat attacking him. But then he smirked. “I’m not scared of that thing. If it was even real,” he announced. Then he rushed off, glancing over his shoulder like he was on the lookout for the cat. Clearly he was scared of it, but not enough to keep him from stealing something he wanted.

  “No!” Marcus cried, rushing after Caspar. “Give it back!”

  But Caspar was already halfway up the street, and even if he did catch up to him, Marcus couldn’t exactly wrestle the model away from a guy twice his size. Even though Caspar’s fists hadn’t touched him this time, he still felt beaten down. How could he have been so stupid? He’d given up one of his most precious possessions for nothing.

  Chapter 28

  That night, Marcus kicked Quilting
for Beginners under his bed and started working on restoring a new model, trying to forget about the gaping hole in his collection that he could never fill. But before he could figure out which pieces of the model were missing, his sister threw open his bedroom door with so much force that it rattled his worktable.

  “Have you ever heard of knocking?”

  “What on earth did you tell Peter Chung at the meet today?”

  He gulped. He’d known it was only a matter of time before his disastrous conversation with Peter got back to his sister, but he’d been foolishly hoping Peter might forget all about it.

  “How could you tell him that I’d never had a boyfriend?” she demanded.

  “You don’t understand!” Marcus said, scrambling to get out of his chair. “When I told him you liked him, he got really excited.”

  “You told him what?” Ann-Marie roared. In that instant, she sounded exactly like their dad did when his favorite hockey team was losing on TV.

  Marcus shrunk back. “I didn’t mean to. And I took it back right away and told him that you didn’t.”

  Ann-Marie’s eyes looked like they might pop out of her head. “Why would you do that? Why would you say any of that stuff to him, especially after I told you to stay away from him? Are you trying to ruin my life?”

  “No, I was trying to make it better!” He knew how stupid that sounded, but what else could he say? “I think you and Peter would be perfect for each other. I was trying to—”

  “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want your help!”

  She thundered out of his room, and a second later, her bedroom door slammed shut, the thud echoing through the entire house. After that, there was a long silence. Then he heard it, a soft whimpering sound coming through the wall. His sister was crying.

  Ann-Marie never cried. Like their dad, she thought it was the ultimate sign of weakness. No matter how injured she was from running or how upset she was about the rare bad grade, she never cried. Marcus had sometimes wondered if her eyes even had tear ducts.