Yeats nods. “Not just that, but it will improve the quality of life for all those who love and care for those people.”
“Excuse me,” Azbaugh says, mocking Sal. “Are you insinuating RJ is responsible for curing cancer?”
Sal shakes his head. “I’m making no such claim. I am merely providing an answer to the question put forth by the Tribunal. By sending RJ back into her life, the world will, in fact, be better off than if she remains in the Afterlife.”
“And Daniel is the only one who can discover this miracle cure?” Azbaugh asks skeptically.
“I’m sure someone at some time in history might make the same discoveries as Daniel’s team.” Azbaugh looks pretty pleased with himself until Sal adds, “But as the world waits for this discovery, how many more people will suffer and die from diseases that the boy has the ability to end?”
Azbaugh glares at Sal. I don’t think he’s buying it. “But the changes have already been made. Sending her back would not change the future anymore. Her impact has already been felt.”
I sit back in surprise. I didn’t think they would take the changes I made and use them against me. That’s like asking someone to do a job, promising them money for the work, and then going back on the deal. If not for Azbaugh’s warning, which still lingers in the air, I would say so. As it is, Sal takes another approach.
A slow, almost gleeful smile spreads over Sal’s face. “Ah, yes. I was getting to that.” He turns back to Yeats. “My Brother, Azbaugh raises a valid question. Is Daniel’s future set in stone?”
An odd look crosses my Guardian’s face. “It is not.”
Shepard and Marmaroth raise their heads and peer down over the dais. Azbaugh’s eyes narrow like a hawk’s. But it’s Sal going in for the kill that makes me smile. “It seems that his future is still tentative, barring the outcome of this decision.”
“But how is that possible?” Sal asks, his smile stretching from ear to ear. “The Akashic Records are not fluid. They are fact, are they not?”
Yeats clears his throat. “In all my time as a Guardian, a charge’s future has always been set. However, I do not believe RJ’s role in Daniel’s decision has taken place yet.”
“Please,” Sal says, his arm sweeping toward the crowd. Is it my imagination or is he getting more theatrical by the minute? “Enlighten us.”
Yeats nods. “It is RJ who convinces Daniel to pursue his dream of being a doctor when everyone else says he can’t do it. Her belief in him and his passion for finding a cure is the combination that makes his discovery possible.”
There is a tremor of talking that grows with each passing second.
“Silence!” Azbaugh yells over the chatter. “There will be silence!” When no one listens, he opens his mouth and a deafening sound, something between a shriek and a sonic boom, comes out of it. Everyone, including the angels, cower low to the floor. As for me, I’m in the fetal position under the table, my hands pressing my ears tight against my skull. Finally the noise stops and I look up to see the steady, weathered hand of my grandfather reaching down to help me up. I accept it and stand to see people reclaiming their seats in silence. Except for one person, that is.
“I hate it when he does that,” Death Himself mutters, straightening his bright orange Hawaiian shirt.
“I heard that,” Azbaugh’s gravelly voice rings out and more than a few souls flinch. He gives one last glare in Death Himself’s direction before turning to Yeats. “Let me get this straight. Are you saying there is a conditional future in the Akashic Records?”
Yeats nods. “I have never seen something like it before. After holding council with several of the Akashic Record Keepers, the only rational reason is that RJ’s future is undecided.”
Sal interjects. “Is Daniel’s life the only one with, as Azbaugh says, a conditional future?” He gives the Tribunal a triumphant look, almost as smug as Azbaugh’s normal face. I can see now why Gideon picked him to defend me.
Yeats shakes his head. “No. In fact, almost every file shares this common trait.”
“Are there any that don’t have notations?” Sal presses.
Yeats nods. “Yes, but almost all of the Records in question have expiration dates prior to Daniel’s decision to attend medical school.”
Azbaugh speaks up before Sal can ask any more questions. “But not everyone in the world will develop cancer.”
“This is true,” Yeats replies, “but the Keepers theorize that, since cancer impacts not only the life of the patient, but all those who know the person, the impact has a ripple effect. Until her fate is settled, theirs cannot be. Remember, Brother, humans are sentimental creatures.”
Azbaugh shakes his head. “Mortals,” he says with contempt.
So it’s not just me Azbaugh doesn’t like. He hates my entire species.
Sal nods thoughtfully. “Why did people have a future at all if their lives were so tied to the outcome of RJ’s appeal?”
Yeats looks a little less confident and I feel the bottom of my stomach drop. “They did not know the answer to that question. All they could do was posture a theory.”
“You mean guess?” Marmaroth confirms.
Yeats gives a tense nod in response.
Seeing Azbaugh lean forward to speak, Sal steps up to ask the next question. “And what was their theory?”
“They believe the futures are based on the best possible outcome.”
“Which would be?” Sal prods.
“Because RJ is referenced as a determining factor in Daniel’s future, they believe in order for the majority of the futures to become solidified that RJ’s appeal must be approved. Once she returns to Earth to complete her life journey, they expect the Records to right themselves once again.”
“And were there any other possibilities?” Sal asks.
“This was the only theory the Keepers could agree on,” he says with a shrug.
Sal turns to the Tribunal. “I have no further questions, Brothers.”
Azbaugh looks first to Shepard and then at Marmaroth. When neither speaks, he gives a flick of his hand. Yeats stands and then walks across the room and exits through the back door. Not once does he look at me.
“And who will give witness now?” Azbaugh asks, boredom dripping from his words. “Please tell me you are almost done with this parade of cheerleaders.”
“Just one more,” Sal assures him. He turns to look at the front row. “Madeline Quinn will be our final witness.”
Finally, someone I don’t have to worry about throwing me under the bus.
Chapter 26
Madeline makes her way to the front of the room, fluffing out her skirt as she sits down. It settles around her like yellow petals on a flower. She looks up at Sal and says, “I’m ready.”
Not even Azbaugh can look at her with contempt or scorn. Sal steals a glance at the audience before he speaks. “Madeline, please tell us about your experiences with RJ.”
“Are you asking about our relationship on Earth or while she’s been here?” Madeline asks.
“Start with your human life,” Azbaugh advises and there’s an unnatural warmth in his tone.
Madeline smiles brightly at him. “Of course.” She turns toward Sal. “After RJ stood up to Felicity, all her friends gave her the cold shoulder. I felt sorry for her. I mean, no one wanted to hang out with her.”
“Why is that?” Sal asks, but I already know the answer.
Madeline shrugs. “I guess because it was socially inadvisable. I mean, most people tried to fly under the radar of RJ and her friends, but when she was dethroned, Felicity was vicious. She went out of her way to attack anyone who gave RJ so much as a glance of pity.” She pauses.
“Madeline,” Sal says gently, “is there another reason she had no friends?”
She’s quiet for a long time. Finally she answers, “Yes.”
“What are you not telling the Tribunal, Madeline?” Azbaugh asks.
With a sigh, Madeline answers, “RJ didn’t really
have any friends when she split from the popular kids. She’d spent three years making a lot of people miserable. There were more than a few people happy to watch her fall from grace.”
The room is completely silent. So this is what it sounds like when the bus lays you out flat.
“What changed?” Sal continues.
“Daniel. He left school for a little while. No one knew it, but he was getting treatment for depression. He came back four inches taller and twenty pounds lighter. His skin was clear and he had switched from glasses to contacts,” she blushes as she describes him, which I completely understand. She’s describing Trevor. “When he came back to school, he knew part of the reason RJ was an outcast was because she stood up for him. So he started hanging out with her.”
Sal leans against our table and crosses his feet in front of him. “What did Felicity do when he returned?”
Madeline lets out a little laugh. “She was furious. She would call Daniel names, try to embarrass him, that kind of stuff. But Daniel didn’t care. He was still seeing his counselor, so if things got too bad, he could talk it out. Eventually, her words and jabs stopped registering. After a little while, people started gravitating to the two of them.”
“Why?”
Madeline looks at me. “Because they were fun. They would laugh constantly during lunch, completely oblivious of the evil glares her old friends were giving them. I have to admit, I was jealous.”
“And why’s that?” Sal asks.
Madeline looks sad, like she’s remembering something about her past that’s painful. “I spent so much time in and out of hospitals with cancer running my life that the friends I had when I was diagnosed eventually stopped coming around. And when I saw the former queen of the school hanging out with a cute boy like she didn’t have a care in the world, I knew I wanted to be a part of their little group. But I was afraid that they wouldn’t want to be friends with me.”
Not have a care in the world? Wow. I really had her fooled.
“What did you do?” Sal asks gently.
She brightens. “One day, about a week before I was supposed to start prepping for my bone marrow transplant, I got this surge of courage. I figured if I could face the possibility that I might walk into a hospital and never come out, asking a couple people if I could eat lunch with them was going to be a piece of cake.”
“And was it?”
She nods. “Yep, and there wasn’t even a second pause before RJ was pushing her backpack to the floor and making room for me. A few days later, a couple more people joined us. By the time I went into the hospital, I had this amazing group of people to support me.”
I can see that Sal is trying to phrase his next question carefully. “How good of a friend was RJ? Did she ever abandon your lunch crowd?”
My stomach tightens. I’d forgotten there was a very real reason I was nervous Madeline would attack me when we first met. Now I’m about to hear the story through her eyes.
“Not while I was there but one time when Daniel came to visit, he said RJ wasn’t hanging out with him as much as she used to. He was really broken up about it. When he told me she was having lunch with her old crowd, I couldn’t believe it. He said she looked miserable, but she still met them every day.”
“Did this come as a surprise to you?” Sal presses.
Madeline glances over at me. “Not really. I didn’t tell Daniel this, but every single night at seven-thirty, RJ would gown up and spend an hour visiting me. She never missed a night. But I knew she was hiding something.”
“Did you ever ask her about it?” Azbaugh asks.
His voice startles her and I see a shiver run through Madeline. Azbaugh’s eyes soften, but he waits for her to answer the question. “Yes. At first, she tried to avoid my questions. She made up some excuse about Daniel being too sensitive, but I knew she was lying. Finally, she confessed that Felicity was blackmailing her back into the group. Once the cat was out of the bag, she spilled the whole story.” She pauses and gives me an apologetic look. She has nothing to be sorry for, but I brace myself for what she’s going to say next. “RJ’s mom was having an affair and Felicity had threatened to tell the whole school about it if RJ didn’t start hanging out with her again.”
I glance over my shoulder at Grams. Did she already know about my mom? Was she mad? Her eyes are staring straight ahead and there’s no expression in them.
“Why would Felicity spend time with someone she didn’t like?” Sal asks. I turn forward and watch my friend share all my deepest secrets with the Afterlife. I know she can’t help it. She’s just answering the question, but it still feels like a betrayal.
“There’s a saying among the humans: you should keep your friends close but your enemies closer. RJ’s apparent immunity to Felicity’s attempts to ice her out made her a threat. Besides, Felicity needed her.”
“For what?” Shepard asks.
Madeline takes a deep breath. “She said Felicity was using her leverage to make RJ do all kinds of mean things to their friends. She hated doing it, but she needed to protect her mom. I felt so bad for her. I mean, that’s a lot for someone our age to deal with.”
“What else did she tell you about Felicity and her friends?”
“She told me she’d suggested Felicity and her group throw a benefit for my family, to help them pay for my treatments and catch up on bills. I told her she didn’t need to, but RJ insisted. She begged me to let her use her position for something good. I think she thought it might make up for all the mean things she was doing, or at least help balance the scale.”
Sal walks around the table and sits next to me. “Did you finally give her permission to go ahead with the plan?”
Madeline gulps. “Yes. Maybe I should have insisted she get out, but I was selfish. I knew my parents could use the money. Dad’s company was giving him as much time off as he needed but there was no money coming in. They were months behind on the mortgage. I thought this could be an answer to their prayers.”
“When did you find out about the plan to frame RJ for stealing money from the fund?” Sal asks.
“After she went to the principal. I had been out of the hospital for a few weeks but my immune system was still weak and my doctors were concerned that I might develop an infection. We were supposed to try an experimental treatment but our insurance wouldn’t cover it. She came to tell me that her group had raised enough for the procedure and that the school should have a check for my parents in a matter of days.”
“And how did that make you feel?” Sal asks.
Madeline’s eyes start welling up. “Relieved. I didn’t tell RJ this, but we were running out of last chances. If this treatment didn’t work, I was ready to stop. I was tired of fighting against something I couldn’t beat. I had friends. I had a boyfriend.” She looks at the audience. “Daniel and I grew close in such a short time. Really, I have Felicity sucking RJ back in to thank for that. Without her being around, he spent more time with me. Then, one day, he kissed me.”
I swear I heard a collective sigh rise up from everyone in the courtroom, angels and souls alike. Madeline is holding them in the palm of her hand and she doesn’t even know it.
I study Madeline. I know I adore her, but what is it about her that captivates everyone she meets? Suddenly, I feel overwhelmed with sadness. Even if I get what I want, she won’t be a part of my life anymore. There is no changing her future.
Azbaugh looks directly at me as he asks the next question. “What was RJ like in the first timeline?”
Madeline clasps her hands in her lap and stares down at them, her chin dipping down to her chin. “She was evil.”
Chapter 27
The entire room gasps. I’m pretty sure they’ve never heard Madeline say anything negative about anybody. I, on the other hand, crack up. Partly because it’s funny and partly because of the look of absolute horror on Madeline’s face. I wonder what it’s like to be that nice.
“I didn’t have a choice,” she sputters. “It’s
this place.” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “I can’t lie. But I would if I could. If it would help you. This isn’t fair.” She turns to Azbaugh. “You don’t know her. You don’t know how much stronger she is than the rest of them. She deserves a second chance.”
While she’s pleading my case, two thoughts go through my head. One: how could I have been such an idiot to spend so much time with my fake friends when there were real ones there the whole time? And two: I’m pretty sure Madeline’s outburst is going to be the topic of conversation for centuries to come.
“Madeline Quinn,” Azbaugh says, but there’s no harshness in his voice like there is when he talks to me.
Wait a minute. How come when he says her name the walls don’t rattle? I look at Madeline, seeing her, I mean really seeing her for the first time. A faint glow radiates from every inch of her body as if she is made of pure goodness.
“No,” Madeline says. “You have to listen to me.”
“Madeline,” Azbaugh repeats. This time he’s a little testier. “Please, calm yourself.”
She sits back against her chair in a huff. When she locks eyes with me, I want to reach out and comfort her. But she’s full of surprises.
“I’m so sorry,” she mouths, and I’m pretty sure she’s on the verge of a breakdown.
I shake my head and smile. “Don’t be,” is all I can whisper before the tears choke the rest of my words. How in the world did I ever get a best friend like her? Okay, sure, I had to make a lot of people mad and become a social pariah, but still, in the end I’m the one who got a better deal. “Whatever happens, I’ll be okay. It’s not like I’m a Chilean coal miner,” I say.
Madeline lets out a giggle. “You’re never going to let me forget my obsession with that mine collapse, are you? Do I need to remind you that I was stuck in my bed, post–bone marrow transplant, and there was nothing else on TV? And, it was nice to see that someone else was having a rougher time than I was. It was, no, it is a perfect mantra. You should get one for yourself and stop stealing mine.”
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