Angels and Magic

by E. J. Bennett

  What was happening to her?

  Left with no option in sight, Leila cried. Not out of grief for the dead woman, not because she felt somehow responsible for the death, but out of pure, unadulterated confusion.

  She put her head on the counter and Leila cried.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  "Hey you. . .whoa! Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Emma said walking up to Leila in school three days following the death of Sarah Louise.

  Leila ran her hand through her hair nervously. The past few days had been graciously uneventful, but even then, she had been unable to relax.

  She was scared the voice was luring her into a false sense of security before starting over with another name slated for execution.

  Was that what she was now? And phantom executioner's organic checklist?

  A tingly sensation had started gradually up her spine.

  "Hello? Earth to Leila" Emma said, snapping her fingers in front of her face and she blinked in confusion. She had no idea she had zoned out her friend.

  "Didn't you hear what I said? I was trying to introduce you to Caleb. Don't be rude, say hi"

  Leila was instantly alert. She was staring into what she realised were the arctic-blue colored eyes of the new boy. She recognised the tingly sensation she usually felt when she saw the new boy. She'd been so distracted by her own thoughts, she had failed to notice him standing there.

  What was wrong with her even?

  Nothing really. You've only just heard the names of two people who later died in freakish accidents. Nothing much at all. By all means drool over a boy. She chastised herself inwardly. Then she smiled and held out her hand to the handsome young man.

  "Leila" She said trying to manage what she felt her usual smile looked like.

  "Caleb" he said simply, holding her gaze. His voice seemed to reach out and caress her. The texture increased the intensity of the tingle she felt down her spine.

  "Errr, well, if I could just interrupt this, very, non-creepy stare off, we have a class to get to" Emma said coming between the duo and smiling cheekily.

  Caleb smiled. It was a small affair and very quick, but the effect it had on Leila would last the entire day. She couldn't help smiling back as he walked away.

  Emma stared at her incredulously. She'd never seen her friend react this way to a guy before. She snapped her fingers in her face once more.

  "Drool much? God, get a hold of yourself" She reprimanded

  Leila looked at her and blushed. Rolling her eyes dramatically, Emma grabbed her arm and dragged her off to class.

  ***

  Leila spent her free period poring over books and staring into a computer screen in the library.

  A quick search of the words "near death experience and repercussions" had brought about a number of interesting articles.

  None of them described what was going on with her though. Many of the articles were by people who claimed to have had near death experiences which had them going to heaven and/or hell for a short while before being brought back.

  Various descriptions of heaven, from that of it being a flamboyant utopia, to the more doctrinal, immaculate place of eternal rest and eternal worship and praise of God, abounded.

  The ones describing hell visits were more picturesque and a lot were accompanied by pictures, mostly of lucifer holding a pitchfork and demons drawn into various humanly impossible positions.

  What struck her as odd, as she hastily read through these articles was that, none of them had a single coinciding factor. Each person described a totally different afterlife and presented it as the real, inevitable one.

  Granted, a lot of these articles were written in blogs which were about as reliable as their alien conspiracy theory counterparts. But, she was desperate to get an answer for her predicament. If that meant reading about mansions built in heaven and an abundance of wives, then she was more than ready to stomach it.

  She finally closed the last article in frustration after reading another long winded description of hell fire and the various circles. She pawed through the book she'd gotten after intensive search, and the result was the same.

  She stared at the computer screen and the typed in the words

  "Names screamed before people die"

  The computer searched for a while, and then brought a completely new batch of results.

  She saw many mythological creatures who were linked to death. There was an array of creatures and she quickly read through them without even knowing why. She was looking for articles about people who claimed to have heard names of people screamed in their ears before the people then went on to die.

  The articles she saw spoke of Banshees, Dullahan, psychopomp, reapers and other ghastly creatures from various myths and legends. All associated with death.

  Two hours after, and she was no closer to finding out what exactly was wrong with her. And thanks to the extensiveness of her search, she had seen some really dark websites devoted to the worship of the macabre.

  Some participants prayed to be able to witness or act as herald to the death of others. Claiming that it would be a 'great honor'. One particularly enthusiastic member had outlined ways to become a herald of death. The procedure seemed like it was taken out of an old timey witch book and spoke of spells and incantations. She quickly dismissed it as fiction.

  'honor' She wasn't exactly feeling very honored by anything that had happened, she noted wryly. Her next period drew closer and she got up and returned the books that had been no help, which was basically all of them.

  She had learned one thing though. Humans had a deep propensity for evil. Not that that was a veritable newsflash.

  Movement down the aisle caught her attention and her head snapped up. She raised her head in time to see a figure disappear down the far side of the aisle.

  She didn't know why, but for the life of her, she had a strong feeling who it was.

  Caleb.

  This feeling, she had if for no other reason, than the familiar tingle that she now felt in her spine.

  ***

  Sofia Andrews was the perfect wife and mother. From an old fashioned point of view at least. She was a stay at home mom and revelled in cooking and cleaning. Her husband and children's needs came first before even her own, and everybody was happy just like that. She also did some volunteer work every now and then, but that was the height of her work experience.

  She watched her husband drive off to work and smiled as her son ran to the bus which would take him to school. The ten year old waved happily to his mother, smiling cheerily as the bus drove away. It was another perfect morning. She could now get back inside and finish up with some of her knitting and then do some light reading before her husband and son returned home.

  She looked up and caught sight of her neighbour reaching down to get his morning paper. She waved at him smiling brightly and he waved back, encouraged to smile back by the sheer force of the smile she bestowed on him. He got his paper and went bank inside the house.

  She took a deep breath, observing the scenery. It was beautiful, and she couldn't have asked for more.

  As she went back into the house to begin her chores, little did anyone know that by the end of the day, Sofia Andrews would be dead.

  ***

  Math had always been Leila's best subject since she was little. She loved solving what she regarded as mathematical puzzles and arriving at answers others hard a hard time reaching. She loved figures and working with numbers, it came naturally to her, much like language learning came to others. It was her very own niche and she glowed in it.

  Which was why she was so downcast by how much she wanted to ditch the mathematics class she was currently in. She listened to the teacher break down equations and was alarmed to discover that she couldn't understand much.

  Could it be because of how troubled she was? Or was she just losing her touch?

  Troubled. The word echoed in her head. That was what she was now right? Troubled? She shook her head
and turned, locking eyes with Caleb. He offered the ghost of a smiled and turned away.

  What was it about him?

  Something about him seemed off to her. He seemed almost out of place. Like he didn't belong here but was doing a very good job of seeming like he did. It was the exact same thing that frightened, and intrigued her so much about him.

  After their first introduction, they hadn't had the chance to talk again. Which was odd because he seemed to be everywhere.

  He was usually the first person she saw in the mornings when she arrived at school, even when she was deliberately looking for Emma. She always saw him at the cafeteria, the gym, tracks, classes. Even when she was just hanging out at the parking lot.

  She wondered now why, even after all this, she didn't feel uneasy. Rather she wanted it to continue. Or a part of her did. The other part just applauded that part. She'd been tempted to walk up to him and ask if he was stalking her once. But then she'd thought the better of it.

  How could he? He was gorgeous with the finest set of blue eyes she had ever seen anywhere. Even in movies. And there was something else, a way he carried himself. He seemed almost sort of, exalted, in his carriage. Like he was above petty grievances and squabbles and attention seeking. He made it all seem unnecessary.

  Really Leila? He does? You guys haven't even said two words to each other. Literally. Or can you read minds now? That tiny voice taunted again, and she pushed it aside. She knew what she was talking about.

  Needless to say he was very popular among the womenfolk. The girls shamelessly battled for the right to be his first official girlfriend as a student of Sunwood High. He never seemed to notice them though.

  She liked to think that it was because he only had eyes for her, but she knew that was just wishful thinking.

  Or wasn't it?

  She shook her head, exhaling loudly. She hated this confusion and level of indecision. She didn't seem capable of making a statement without second guessing herself to uncertainty. It was tiring.

  The teacher shot her an inquisitive glance that aimed to stifle future exhalation of the same type.

  She tried to focus on the words again, but she failed.

  What exactly was happening to her?

  Sofia. Sofia Andrews.

  Her breath caught in her throat as the familiar voice whispered in her mind. The words were seemingly coming from over her shoulder, but she was aware that even if she were to turn, there would be no one there talking into her ear.

  What did this mean? Someone else was going to die? Could she really live with that? Another death?

  She told herself not to feel guilty, but she couldn't help herself. She felt guilty and responsible. If only she'd believed what her gut had been telling her. Maybe, just maybe she would have been able to at least prevent one out of two of those deaths.

  What else was she given this gift for? She wondered. No. 'Gift' wasn't the word. 'ability' seemed better suited to describe her newfound affliction.

  What else was she given this ability for if not to help the people? Prevent their deaths. She could not think of another possible explanation for why she had been bestowed with this ability.

  Sofia. Sofia Andrews.

  Sofia Andrews. She thought, with sadness. Somewhere, there was a Sofia Andrews who was quietly going about her day not knowing that she had been marked for death by some unknown force.

  There was something about the name. It came to her then. Sofia Andrews. She had been known as Sofia Richards as a spinster.

  That was the name of her babysitter. Or, her name after she got married at least. No wonder the name had sounded familiar. She had baby sat her a lot when she was a kid.

  Was this mere coincidence or were the forces finally throwing her a bone?

  She didn't know, and for the most part, she didn't care.

  There was only one thing to do.

  ***

  She stepped on the brakes as a red light loomed in front of her. She couldn't believe what she was about to do. Or what she'd already done for that matter.

  Ditching school was the last thing anyone expected of her. It was even the last thing she expected of herself, yet, here she was, ditching school on her way to fulfill a mission she had no idea would be successful or not.

  Sofia Andrews.

  I know. I know, I'm going. She said in an attempt to quiet down the voice.

  She marvelled at how much she'd changed since the accident. Not many people could see it yet however. They had all painted a perfect picture of how they expected her to be in their heads. Perhaps she was like that, once. But it now seemed like an eternity ago. She could not remember the last time she'd had a decent night's sleep. She kept having dreams concerning the two dead females.

  In some of the dreams she rescued them. In others, she failed and had to watch them die the way it had been described in the papers. But the one constant factor in all her dreams was that there was always an air of inevitability about them. Even when she rescued the females, she always felt like they were only temporarily saved. She didn't know why she had that feeling, but it was always there. Like an itch she couldn't scratch.

  A car honked behind her signalling that the light had turned green and she shot forward, needing to get to her destination on time.

  Sofia Andrews.

  Her mother would freak out if she found out that her daughter skipped school. She noted this grimly and tightened her fingers around the steering wheel. Sofia stayed at the far side of town and she had to get to her in time.

  ***

  Sofia looked up from the book she was reading as a car pulled up and parked across the road. She was swinging gently on the swing set, and had been engrossed in her book. She did not recognise the beetle, but as she looked at the person getting out of the car, she smiled as recognition set in. She knew the girl walking towards her. She was all grown up now, but nobody but Leila Thompson had hair that ginger and red.

  "Hey, Leila" She said smiling and motioning to the seat beside her. The swing set creaked ominously as Leila sat down on it. Neither of them noticed it.

  "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Sofia asked swinging gently.

  Leila didn't say anything. She just gazed at Sofia.

  Could it really be true? Was she really going to die? Was there anything she could do to stop it? The questions kept coming and she saw no answer she could accept anywhere in sight.

  "Oh, yes. I was feeling faint you know, so the nurse let me leave early. Accident, you know...I'm not fully recovered."

  "Oh yeah baby, I heard about that..hope you got my gift" Sofia said smiling and starting to swing slightly harder.

  The creaking sound increased up above.

  "I did" Leila replied. And indeed she had, Sofia had sent over her favourite pie. It had been a pleasant surprise and the pie had been delicious.

  "Anyway I was driving around and I just decided to come see you" Leila added.

  Sofia smiled, pleased with herself. She dropped her book on her lap and holding both chains with her hands, began swinging in earnest.

  "Remember when we used to do this when you were a kid?" She asked, smiling and swinging.

  Leila broke into a smile. She did remember. As a kid, she'd loved going to the park and Sofia had taken her almost as often as she'd wanted. They'd have ice cream and swing on the swing sets, each trying to go higher than the other. Revelling in the memory, Leila grabbed a hold of the chain and began swinging as well.

  Amidst their squeals and giggles, the swingset creaked ominously, unknown to them. Leila thrust out her legs, attempting to go higher, but Sofia, not to be outdone, did the same.

  Sofia Andrews

  Leila stopped short, slowly tapering to a stop.

  What was she doing? Swinging and laughing? A woman's life was at stake here, what was she thinking?

  Sofia noticed that she had stopped swinging and she stopped as well, the bolts creaked with every tapered swing.

  "Something's bothering you
Leila. What is it?" She asked

  Leila didn't say anything for a couple of minutes. Sofia began idly swinging again.

  How did one go about telling someone that they were about to die without sounding like a nut job?

  She stared at her feet, as Sofia's question hung unanswered.

  What if she wasn't the one? What if it was just mere coincidence? What is it wasn't? What had she really even come here to do?

  Sofia Andrews.

  She decided then.

  "Sofia I think you might be in danger" She blurted out quickly, still looking at her shoes. She slightly glanced up and took a peak at Sofia.

  Sofia regarded her with a lopsided grin. 'Danger?' It seemed to say. 'Are you feeling faint again baby?' But instead, she went with,

  "What makes you say that?"

  Leila started then. The floodgates had been opened. She told her everything. From the accident to how she had died and been rescued, adding that she may have dreamed that part, as she was no longer sure anymore. She then spoke of the voice and how it had started. She mentioned Agnes and Sarah, and caught Sofia's wince. Then she finished with her research and how it had been fruitless and how the voice had started again, but this time, calling out Sofia's name, adding that was the real reason she'd skipped school.

  When she finished, she looked up at Sofia expecting to see fear, or at the very least, worry. She was horrified to see something else totally.

  Pity.

  Sofia pitied her, and she realised with added horror that this was just because she did not believe her. Her heart squeezed in her chest.

  Why would she even? Would she have believed herself if she was in Sofia's shoes?

  The answer to that was a resounding no, and she was certain on it.

  "Calm down honey. Let's go inside, I think you need to lie down. Get some rest. You did say you were feeling faint" Sofia offered, slowing her swing.