Predestined

by Abbi Glines

  “I’m sorry I left,” Pagan’s small apology caused me to stiffen. She had no reason to apologize. I’d been panicked and handled the situation wrong.

  “No, I’m sorry I didn’t explain to you that the blond was soulless. I shouldn’t have disregarded your feelings. Seeing her so close to you sent a jolt of fear through me. I’d been on a mission to find out why she was there.”

  Pagan yawned then tilted her head back to peer up at me, “She was soulless?”

  I nodded, “She distracted me and upset you all for the purpose of Leif getting you alone. I fell right into their trap.” Admitting my failure left a bitter taste in my mouth. I’d failed her twice now.

  “No, I fell into their trap. You were trying to protect me and I acted like a silly jealous girl and ran off,” the sleepiness was gone from her voice now. She didn’t like for me to take the blame for anything. If I didn’t defuse her she’d stand up and start ranting about how wrong I was.

  “You were jealous,” I teased and her determined gaze morphed into a bashful smile.

  “You know I was. The girl was calling me your newest fling and acting like you dated a different girl every week. I knew she didn’t know you very well just by that comment alone but then she called me a slut and well, I snapped.”

  “She called you a what? I wonder if Leif knows about that. Since he seems to think you belong to him I wonder how he’d feel knowing his little evil sidekick called you such a vulgar name,” I paused and took a deep breath. Raging while I held a very sleepy and exhausted Pagan in my arms wasn’t a good idea.

  “I should have disposed of her right then,” I muttered angrily to myself.

  “No, you shouldn’t have. Besides I was just being a jealous girl. If I’d kept my cool none of this would have happened.

  “Hmm, I like you jealous.”

  Giggling, she pinched my nipple through the thin cotton of my shirt and I burst out laughing. The sound was still so new to me. Before Pagan I don’t think I’d ever laughed.

  Pagan

  “So what are you and your sexy rocker boyfriend planning for Valentine’s Day?” Miranda asked coming up beside me as soon as I stepped out of my car. I’d forgotten about Valentine’s Day but I doubted Death actually acknowledged that holiday. Besides Dank had left again this morning. Gee would be here soon. I’d left her eating the leftover waffles and strawberry topping Mom had put out for me on the kitchen table before she’d left bright and early for a writer’s convention in Chicago. She’d be gone all week. The way things were going at the moment that was probably for the best. This way Gee could remain in human form and roam my house freely while we waited on Dank to find an answer to my problem.

  At the thought of Leif, I glanced over to his parking place and stopped walking at the sight of his truck parked in his spot. Ohgod he was here. What did that mean? Everyone had forgotten him. Now he was back.

  “I know you broke up with Leif but, dang, you don’t have to glare at his truck like it’s the worst thing ever. So he’s back from his trip up north visiting his grandparents. You’ll get used to being around him again. No big.”

  His grandparents? What? And she remembered him. My head started pounding. This was too much. Nothing made any sense.

  “There’s my girls,” Gee’s voice broke into my internal panic attack and I swung my horrified expression toward her. She understood. Her eyes flickered over to Leif’s truck and then back to me. “Well, lookie lookie, the king has returned or should I say ‘prince,” she smirked at her own joke and squeezed my arm. “Won’t today just be loads of fun?”

  I started to shake my head and she squeezed my arm tighter.

  “Smile and be nice Peggy Ann. That’s all you need to do. I got this,” she hissed and led me toward the doors of the school. Miranda silently followed behind us which in itself was a miracle. But then Gee always freaked her out anyway.

  Gee didn’t stop pulling me until we reached my locker. Miranda had said her goodbyes and gone to wrap herself around Wyatt as soon as we entered the hallway. I was thankful for her departure because I needed to talk to Gee alone.

  “What am I going to do?” I whispered as I glanced around frantically for any sign of Leif.

  “You’re going to act like everything is fine. He’s your ex; act like girls do around their exes,” Gee blew a bubble with the gum in her mouth as if this weren’t a big freaking deal.

  “Gee. You are aware that he’s after my soul,” I snapped angrily.

  She rolled her eyes, “You are aware that he ain’t got nothin’ on Dank.”

  “But Dank isn’t here.”

  “I am Peggy Ann. Besides he’s here because Dank disposed of his little helper. He has no one to report back to him.”

  Little helper? What? “Can you elaborate on that one please?”

  Gee leaned against the locker beside me and pulled a string of gum out of her mouth as she rested one booted foot on the bottom locker. “Kendra was soulless, sweetheart. Now she’s no more. Dank was on a rampage when he got you back from New Orleans. He isn’t a fan of the French Quarter you know. All those old French buildings bug him to no end. But me, I like all the alcohol. Except then there are the naked women. That can get a little annoying.”

  Kendra was soulless. I rested my forehead on the cool metal in front of me while Gee continued to prattle on about New Orleans. Of course, Kendra was soulless. That made complete sense. If Leif was so enamored with me then he’d never really be in a relationship with someone else. Her taunts were all meant to feed me right into Leif’s arms. And Dank, he’d pretended with her because he was protecting me from her. God, I was an idiot.

  “So, she’s gone...” I muttered mostly to myself.

  Gee stopped talking about beignets and their gift to the world and sighed, obviously frustrated that her attempt to change the subject had failed.

  “Yep, and Dank does his clean up. Not a soul will remember her. No pun intended.”

  “Gee?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I need a coke and a candy bar. Lots of chocolate.”

  Gee laughed and shoved off from her perch against the lockers. “I’m on it. I’ll meet you in class.”

  “Thank you.”

  I watched her as she headed down the hallway toward the teacher’s lounge.

  Leif’s laughter rang down the halls and I turned to see him standing among the same group of boys that always surrounded him. He didn’t glance my way and the cheerleaders hung on his every word. It was as if nothing had happened this year. This was very similar to the same scene I’d witnessed the first day of school. The day I’d met Dank sitting in the back of my homeroom. Smiling, I turned and headed for homeroom. Things might be all screwed up now but just thinking about how sexy Dank had been that day while I tried so very hard not to stare at his adorable little dimple made things better. I’d thought he was just another soul back then. One that could actually talk. So much had changed. The soul I was convinced was stalking me wasn’t that at all. He’d been here to take my soul because I was meant to die. But something changed his mind. I liked knowing I’d affected him in a way no other human ever had. He’d broken all the laws of the universe for me. He’d let me live.

  “Coke and Snickers,” Gee announced as she placed the cold can in my hand and dropped the Snickers down the front of my shirt.

  “Gee,” I squealed in surprise and quickly caught the candy bar before it hit the floor and was trampled on by the herd of students rushing from homeroom to second period.

  “Beggars can’t be choosers Pay-gan. Deal,” she chimed beside me.

  “You can be such a brat,” I snapped opening the Snickers and taking a bite.

  “Yep, but you love me anyway.”

  I could only nod. My mouth was full and of course she was right. I did love her.

  “Hey! Where’d you get that?” Miranda demanded as she ran up next to me.

  I tilted my head over at Gee, who smirked. We both knew there was no way Mirand
a would ask Gee for anything.

  “Oh,” was Miranda’s reply. Then she seemed to get over it quickly enough and whispered loudly, “You talked to Leif yet? And how weird is it that Leif comes back right after Kendra up and moves? It’s like we’re playing musical chairs around this place.”

  I couldn’t help but tense up at the mention of Leif and Kendra’s name. If Miranda thought this was weird she’d really be weirded out by the truth. Trying to wrap my brain around the fact Kendra was a soulless creature was just too much. I had Leif and his claim on my soul to deal with. I was going to have to put Kendra and her existence out of my head. Maybe I’d forget her like everyone else eventually would.

  Gee softly cleared her throat. “Nope, but she’s about to and we get a front row seat. Damn, I should’ve grabbed some popcorn while I was in the lounge.”

  Leif was coming directly at us with his crooked grin and easy swagger. “Hey Pagan, how are you?” he asked, stopping in front of me so I couldn’t go any further. Even though I was flanked on each side by Miranda and Gee I wished fervently that Dank were here.

  “Um, good thanks, and you?” I could feel the eyes of other students glued to us. This was what everyone had been waiting for. The teenage drama and angst that fueled our lives. If they only knew.

  “I see you’ve made a new friend,” his gaze shifted to Gee and the warning gleam in his eyes was obvious. Was he actually challenging her?

  “Uh, yeah, I have.”

  “Ya know what they say, out with the old,” Gee piped up raising her eyebrows and glaring directly at him, “and in with the new and improved.”

  Leif stiffened and I worried she’d pushed him too far. We were in the hall with a bunch of humans. Maybe it would be wise if we kept the evil spirit prince calm.

  “A matter of opinion,” his voice was clipped and cold. Knowing Gee she’d get amusement from that and make this worse.

  “Um, okay well, it was good to see you again Leif and I’ll, uh, see ya around,” I reached for Gee’s arm and held it firmly in mine tugging her with me as I stepped around Leif and walked as quickly as possible toward the girls’ restroom. I could hear Miranda’s heavy breathing as she ran behind us to keep up. Where was Wyatt when you needed him? Not that it would do much good. Miranda would pick gossip and drama over a make-out session with her boyfriend any day.

  “Dang, Peggy Ann you’re running like the demons of Hell are on your tail,” Gee chuckled at her own joke. I didn’t find her one bit funny.

  “Please be nice,” I shifted my focus off Gee and found Miranda watching us with a look of worry mixed with determination on her face. I realized she was prepared for Gee to lash out at me and she was mentally getting ready to come to my defense.

  “I was being nice,” Gee drawled and jerked her arm out of my grasp. “Jeez, Pagan get a grip. Eat your chocolate and drink your soda. I think your sugar is low and it’s making you bitchy.”

  Sighing, I leaned against the wall beside the sink and took a drink of the coke in my hand. I needed to talk with Gee alone but the protective stance Miranda had taken said she wasn’t going anywhere. So, instead I ate my candy bar and shot warning glares in Gee’s direction.

  “When, uh, is uh, Dank gonna be back?” Miranda’s voice trembled. Gee seemed to find this entertaining.

  “Not sure, he’ll probably call tonight.”

  “You gonna tell him Leif is back?” she asked cautiously.

  Of course I was as soon as I saw him. Better yet I could send Gee to tell him. I wasn’t sure I could convince her to leave me with Leif so close now but I was going to try my hardest.

  “Sure, but it isn’t a big deal. Leif broke things off with me before he left. He’s just friendly. You know that.” I didn’t even sound remotely believable.

  Miranda frowned and walked over to the mirror and began fixing a few of her curls that she thought were out of place. “Hmmm, well ex-boyfriends can be a problem. Even nice ones like Leif.”

  She had no idea. “I think everything will be fine.”

  Gee found this funny and I glowered in her direction which only caused her to cackle louder.

  Miranda glanced back over her shoulder and frowned at Gee but didn’t say anything.

  “Okay, I’m finished. My blood sugar should be fine now. Let’s get to class. We’re probably late.”

  Chapter Ten

  Dank

  The soul standing beside me watched anxiously as the little boy standing over the soul’s former body cried loudly. I didn’t like situations like this. I needed a transporter immediately. However, I wasn’t going to leave until someone heard the boy’s cries and came running to check on him.

  “Wake up Grandpa, come on wake up,” the boy chanted, shaking the empty body lying in the field. Dirty tears streamed down the kid’s face. Although he wanted to believe his grandfather was only sleeping he knew the truth. The sobs wracking his body were an indicator he’d already accepted the fact his grandpa had passed on.

  I peered over at the soul whose face was tense with frustration. He didn’t like seeing the boy upset.

  “He’ll be alright. You’ve had several years with him to make an impression on his life,” I told the soul and his eyes lifted to meet mine. Some peace drifted over him.

  “Sorry I’m late, Dankmar,” Kitely apologized as she appeared to the right of the soul.

  I nodded but didn’t say anymore. The transporter took the soul and left. But I waited. Leaving the boy out here alone with his dead grandfather wasn’t something I was comfortable with. Not that he would come to harm. His soul wasn’t marked to leave the earth. His life would be a long one. But leaving him to grieve alone was wrong. I watched him grab handfuls of the old man’s shirt and burry his face into the fabric. His sobs were growing quieter now. Acceptance always came easier to the young.

  “COLBY!” A shrill female voice called out and I lifted my eyes to see a young woman with short red hair come running over the hill. The fear was etched on her face, her large brown eyes bright with anxiety from the cries of her child. She was worried about her son and didn’t realize yet her father was gone. I peered down at the boy once more as he lifted his head and called out to his mother. My work here was done. So I left them.

  The house smelled of ammonia and vapor rub. It was a familiar smell. All the houses of the elderly I visited smelled the same. The old lady, tucked firmly into her bed under several homemade quilts that were a mixture of brightly colored patterns that I had no doubt she’d made herself, stared up at me through cloudy eyes. She’d lived a long one. This had been a good life for her. One hundred and five years on this earth was a gift very few were given. Only the best, most honored souls were given these lives.

  “Well, it’s about time you got here,” she whispered in a weak voice.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d been waiting on me. The oldest one always were. They knew when it was time. These were the easiest souls to take.

  “I’m here on time, cher, you’re just an impatient one,” I teased her with the endearment her husband had used when he’d been alive. I remembered him murmuring, “I’ll see you in the hereafter my cher,” to her before he left his body. She’d smiled through her tears. That had been almost fifty years ago.

  “Ah, you heard him,” she smiled and the wrinkles in her face crinkled even more.

  “I did.”

  “Well, let’s get on with it, shall we, I’m ready to see my man,” she whispered and a series of coughs wracked her small frail body. I reached for her soft cold hand and she gave me one small squeeze before I drew her soul out.

  * * *

  Gee was sitting in the purple chair that had once been where I spent my nights as I walked into Pagan’s room. Shifting my gaze to the bed I realized it was empty. I glared at Gee, “Where is she?”

  “Snippy, snippy Dankmar. Do you have low blood sugar too?” she drawled. What the hell did she mean by low blood sugar?

  “Where is she Gee?”

 
; Gee sighed loudly and stretched her legs out in front of her. For once she wasn’t wearing the tall black army boots she was so fond of. Her feet were bare and her toenails were a hideous shade of bright green.

  “She’s in the bathroom, jeez.”

  I turned to stalk out of the room when Gee stopped me, “Um, Dankmar, I don’t think she’ll appreciate you barging in on her while she showers.”

  She was right of course. I wasn’t thinking. It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d seen her and I was growing more and more frustrated by the minute. Leif was completely off my radar and I was still at a standstill on how to deal with him. I’d thought after I disposed of Kendra he’d show up but I’d gotten no response.

  “You missed an awfully fun day,” Gee’s sing-song voice wasn’t something that I found comfort in. It meant she was about to say something that was bound to piss me off.

  “What did I miss?

  “Well, let’s see, I found out Pagan has low blood sugar and becomes a complete b--witch if she doesn’t eat a candy bar during a stressful moment. And I found out that Miranda does, in fact, love gossip and, quite possibly, Pagan more than she loves the tall lanky boy she hangs all over,” Gee paused and then grimaced when she heard my angry snarl. I wasn’t in the mood for games. “Oh, and Leif has returned from visiting his grandparents up North. The entire school was abuzz with excitement.”

  He’d returned to school. My disposing of Kendra hadn’t sent him to me; it had sent him back into Pagan’s world. I hadn’t expected that.

  “Is Pagan okay?”

  Gee stood up and threw an amused smile my way before heading for the door, “Yes, of course. I was on her like, um... I believe that old woman last week we took after she’d burnt down her house cooking said ‘like white on rice’,” Gee laughed. “That was one funny old lady. I hope I get to transport her soul again the next time around.” Then Gee left the room.

  The pale pink dress hanging on the outside of Pagan’s closet door caught my attention. The soft fabric appeared almost precious enough to touch Pagan’s skin. I walked over to it and picked up the dainty hem and rubbed the silky texture between my fingers.