by Cole Gibsen
“Yes! That’s it!” Michelle said. She focused her attention on my eyes, which I disliked even more.
“She hasn’t killed in this life,” Kim said.
“Of course not.” I looked at him. “Look, I like to skate and I like to hang out with friends. A good time for me does not involve murder. That’s insane.”
Braden laughed. “Wanna guess what the number-one duty is under a samurai’s job description?”
I shrugged. “Do I really care?”
Kim ignored me. “Senshi was a gifted fighter. Even though she killed protecting her family and loved ones, I saw how haunted the stain of death left her.” He leaned back in his chair. “She didn’t have much of a childhood. When she was fifteen, her mother decided she was old enough to begin work as a prostitute. But that didn’t really work for her,” he said, chuckling, “because Senshi assaulted her first patron.”
My heart quivered under the pain of a memory that refused to surface. Surprised, I hugged myself, hoping that the others wouldn’t notice the slight tremors that shot through me. “Stop that,” I whispered.
Kim sat forward again. “These stories are hard to hear, I know. You need to know that when you transcend, you’ll relive them again. You’ve heard the expression ‘My life flashed before my eyes’?”
I nodded.
“That’s exactly what happens. At rapid speed, you will experience your past life firsthand. Your childhood, the killings, all your memories—both good and bad—will resurface together, all at once. It can be a bit … overwhelming.”
And he was just now telling me this? I felt my cheeks flush. “I can’t believe you didn’t bother to tell me any of this when you left the sword with me yesterday!”
Michelle gasped. “You gave her the katana?”
Kim casually shrugged his shoulders. “It belongs to her.”
“Yes, but—” Braden bit off the rest of the sentence after Kim sent him a warning glance.
“But you didn’t … I mean, obviously … you haven’t touched it yet, right?” Michelle asked.
I dropped my chin and rolled my eyes up at her.
“Right.” She paused. “Er, why not?”
I sighed. “I’m not convinced that transcending would be in my best interest.”
Her face scrunched in confusion.
“I get it,” Drew said. “You’re worried that you won’t be the same person after transcending that you are now.”
“But that doesn’t happen,” Michelle said. “The memories and abilities you gain through transcending are already in your head. They’ve already shaped who you are. Transcending just, like, unlocks the door that keeps them stored in your subconscious. That’s not to say it’s not hard and painful. But you don’t have to go through it alone. You have all of us to help you.”
I looked around the table at each of them. Their smiles were genuine. I wanted so badly to believe them. To accept their offered help and friendship. But I couldn’t let my guard down. My life was being threatened and I couldn’t afford to make myself vulnerable.
You can trust them.
I jerked upright. That was the other thing to take into consideration. I wasn’t about to trust anyone until I knew for sure I could trust myself.
Michelle frowned. “Is something wrong?”
I shook my head a little too quickly. “No—no. I’m fine.” I plastered a smile on my face and thought of a way to change the subject. “So, you were a twin, huh? That’s pretty cool. Do you know whatever happened to your brother?”
“Kiyomori?” Michelle smiled. She leaned over and gave Braden a nudge. “You’re looking at him.”
For the second time of the night, I almost choked, but managed to mask it as a cough. “You’re dating your brother?” I struggled to keep my voice neutral. This development was a bit much for me to process. Not to mention just plain gross.
Michelle bit her lip and dropped her eyes to the table. “It’s not what you think,” she said softly.
Ew. I knew if I lost one ounce of control I would shudder, and I could tell Michelle felt bad enough. I took a deep breath. And then another.
She twisted her hands together. “It’s true, Braden and I were brothers. We were so close—even had our own language.” She looked at Braden and their eyes locked. “From the moment we were born, we did everything together. We even died together.”
Braden flinched and closed his eyes.
Michelle turned back to me. “For whatever reason, in this life, Braden and I were not born into the same family. But that doesn’t matter. A soul mate’s connection can transcend a lifetime.” She gave me a knowing glance. “I imagine you understand a little about what I am talking about?”
I wasn’t about to admit my involuntary attraction to Kim, but I had a feeling my burning cheeks gave me away.
She gave a satisfied smile and continued. “I met Braden before I transcended. I knew I loved him from the first moment I saw him. We didn’t fall in love. It was there already, I just didn’t know it yet.”
Braden spoke up. “You ever hear people talking about ‘love at first sight’?”
I nodded.
“That’s usually what occurs when connected souls from the past reunite in the present.”
“Connected souls?” I repeated.
“Or soul mates,” Michelle added. “Your relatives and your gender are strictly physical. And since souls move beyond the physical plane, so do your connections. When you’re reborn into a new life, the connection with your soul mate is still there, but it might show up differently than it did in your past life.”
I considered that. Even if Kim and I were indeed soul mates, in my book that wasn’t an automatic engagement. Maybe in this lifetime we were meant to be friends. Just friends. I could live with that. But one thing still didn’t quite make sense to me. “Why now? Of all the possibilities, why were we brought back now?”
“Are you familiar with the Chinese yin yang?” Drew asked.
“The black-and-white tadpoles that form a circle?”
Drew laughed. “Actually, it’s a symbol for balance. The Earth can only exist with balance. Equal light for equal dark. We believe a great evil has returned and we’re meant to fight it. And that’s why you’re here, too.”
A great evil? It was hard to comprehend, considering that up until the attack, the only things that scared me were cooking that didn’t include a microwave, Quentin’s hair-styling experiments, and zits on picture day.
“Rileigh?”
I looked up from the spot on the table I had been staring at and turned my attention to Kim.
“Is something the matter?”
I gave him my best “Are you insane?” look. “How can you even ask me that? With everything I’ve been through—everything I’ve learned? No, Kim, nothing’s the matter. I’m just peachy.” He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off with a sigh. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m exhausted. I promise I’ll be better after a full night’s sleep.”
“Me, too,” Drew said. He tossed his braid behind him as he stood.
“Where do you have to be?” I asked.
“Nowhere. Drew’s just lazy,” Michelle answered. “He owns this comic and gaming store, so he sets his own hours. He’s twenty, but he likes to sleep even more than I do.”
Drew smiled and shrugged.
I stood up with them. Even though I wasn’t going in to work in the morning, I knew driving would become dangerous if I stayed much longer. “I guess I’ll see you guys later.”
Kim stood and folded his arms. “You mean you’ll see us tomorrow—at training.” The tone of his voice didn’t make it a question.
I rolled my eyes and turned for the door.
“Eight o’clock,” Kim shouted.
I held my hand up in acknowledgement as I exited the dojo.
Once inside my car, I jammed the key into the ignition and spit gravel from my tires. As I crossed the JB Bridge into Missouri, I replayed the night’s revelations in my head, start
ling myself each time my tires ground against the divots on the side of the road designed to wake sleeping drivers. This was not how I wanted to spend the summer before my senior year. I was supposed to be shopping and hanging out with Quentin, not training with samurai. I breathed a sigh of relief when I pulled into my driveway. I was lucky I didn’t get pulled over.
Then I noticed the strange Mercedes in the driveway. I guessed my luck had run out.
26
I braced myself for a sword-wielding ninja, but when I opened the door I saw something worse: Dr. Wendell.
“Rileigh!” My mother sat up from where she lay against Dr. Wendell on the couch and straightened her hair. “You surprised me.”
“Hey there.” Dr. Wendell lifted his hand from her thigh to wave at me before dropping it back in place.
I felt like crying. After the night I had, I now had to come home to this? It hardly seemed fair.
“I noticed the condition of your car this morning,” Debbie stated. “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
“Deer,” I answered automatically.
Her brow folded. “But the side mirror and the passenger window are shattered. How—”
“Pieces went flying. It was a mess. I’ve already called the insurance company and made an appointment with a body shop, so you don’t have to worry. It’s all been taken care of.”
Dr. Wendell glanced at me, a frown on his face, before darting his eyes back to the TV.
Debbie crossed her arms. “A deer did all that?”
“A big deer,” I corrected.
“Uh-huh.” But she didn’t look convinced. “So where have you been? On another date?” She gestured toward the loveseat. “Sit.”
My shoulders slumped. “Mom, I’m really tired. If you don’t mind—”
Debbie cut me off. “I know I’ve been busy lately and we keep missing each other. You can’t talk to your mother for five seconds?”
I sighed. There was no trumping the guilt card. “I didn’t have a date.”
“Oh.” Debbie’s face relaxed for a moment before tightening back up. “Wait—why didn’t you have a date? Did that boy try something last night? I knew he looked like trouble.”
“Mom,” I groaned, “last night went … ” I thought about the attack and the fact that I was still alive. “Pretty good, actually.” Well, it could have gone worse.
“Oh.” She thought for a moment. “Then where were you? Surely you weren’t at the skate park this late? It’s dark out.”
“Where was I? Well … I … uh … ” I scanned my brain for a feasible explanation while she waited, frowning. “You see, Dr. Wendell was right. I had some things to work out, so I decided to take up martial arts.” It was close enough to the truth.
“Really?” Debbie cocked her head to the side. “I have to say, I’m a little surprised. This is a very mature decision you’ve made. You’re not playing the victim. You’re taking control of the situation.”
“Rileigh, this is great news!” Dr. Wendell turned off the TV and focused his attention on me. I should have known he’d have to get his opinion in. “This is just the thing to help you get over the attack. You know, I take martial arts myself.” He turned to Debbie and winked. “I’m a black belt.”
“Oooh,” Debbie marveled. “That sounds so dangerous.”
“It is.” He sat back, nodding.
I wondered how many naginatas he’d had lobbed at his head tonight. Maybe I could volunteer …
“Just think.” Debbie clasped her hands together. “Now you and Rileigh have something in common.”
“Yeah.” Dr. Wendell smiled. He turned to face me. “If you like, I would be more than happy to give you a few pointers. You know, show you the ropes.” He jabbed the air with his hand.
“Er, great.” I stood up and pretended to stretch, to keep them from seeing my disgusted expression. “Boy, I’m tired. I think I’ll head off to bed now.”
“Okay, honey,” Debbie said. “But one more thing before you go.”
I froze halfway between the living room and the kitchen. So close.
“You really need to be more careful when you leave the house. Jason got here first and said the door was wide open. Someone could have robbed us.”
Dr. Wendell smiled at me. “But you don’t have to worry. I checked the house and gave it the all clear.”
An icy jolt ran down the length of my spine. “The door was open?”
“You probably forgot to shut it when you left, and the wind blew it open.” His smile didn’t waver. “But just in case, I’m going to stay the night again—only as a precaution.”
The sword! Without a word I turned and sprinted into the kitchen. I could see the vacant spot on the table even before I turned on the lights. This couldn’t be happening! My breathing came out in quick gasps as I paced the room and chewed on my thumbnail. I jumped when I felt a sharp sting followed by the coppery-sweet taste of blood.
“Mom!” I called out, trying my best to hide the frantic edge to my voice. “I had something on the table earlier. Did you move it?”
“I didn’t touch anything,” Debbie called back.
I felt the blood drain from my face. What was I going to tell Kim? That sword must be worth—well, I didn’t even want to think about it—more than I had, to be sure. Not to mention it was the key to my transcending. True, I wasn’t sure that transcending was in my best interest, but I hadn’t completely decided against it, either. Now it appeared the choice had been made for me.
A beep from the corner of the room made me cry out.
“Are you all right in there?” Debbie asked.
“I’m fine!” I answered, in a pitch higher than I’d intended. Damn cell phone! I retrieved it from the kitchen counter with an impatient huff. The screen said one missed call. I dialed my voicemail and listened to the message.
“Hey, Rileigh. It’s Whitley. I texted you earlier, but maybe you didn’t get it. Just wanted to tell you what a great time I had last night. And I hope we can do it again soon. Give me a call when you can. Bye.”
I deleted the message and struggled not to cry. Why did my life have to be so complicated? Why couldn’t I just be a normal girl and have a normal summer vacation, without getting attacked, stalked, and having my house broken into? Then there was Whitley—a very normal and very cute guy—whom I couldn’t have a relationship with because “dating” was being pushed to the bottom of my priority list in order to give “staying alive” the top spot. “Not having my stuff stolen” was a close second.
Dr. Wendell appeared in the doorway and jumped when he caught sight of me. “I’m sorry, Rileigh, I didn’t know you were still in here. Boy trouble?”
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hands and shot him a look I hoped would boil water. “Nothing I’d talk about with you.”
He didn’t flinch. “Fair enough.” He looked down at a cell phone vibrating in his hand. “Look, uh, I hate to ask, but I’ve got to take this call, and I could really use some privacy.”
It took me a second to realize he was asking me to leave my own kitchen. I thought about telling him that if he was at his own house he could have all the privacy he wanted, but I didn’t feel like risking Debbie’s wrath. Instead, I settled for “Whatever” before spinning on my heels and marching down the hall to my room.
“Thanks!” he called after me.
I ignored him and reached for my doorknob, only to freeze before my fingers grasped the metal. My heart beat impossibly loud, drowning out the sounds of the TV down the hall. I didn’t know how I knew it, maybe another premonition of sorts, but something was definitely not right. I wiggled my fingers, itching to twist the knob and get it over with, but at the same time felt terrified at what I might find.
I bit my lip. So what was my other option? Spending the night in the living room with Dr. Wendell? As if. I’d take my chances with the unknown.
My fingers grasped the cool metal knob, the same one that I’d grasped thousands of times bef
ore, but still, it felt foreign in my grasp. After a quick turn, I pushed the door open and surveyed what lay before me.
All the oxygen left my lungs at once. My room had been torn apart, literally. The contents of my dresser were strewn about the room and the drawers themselves lay discarded on the floor. I even spotted a pair of my underwear looped across the ceiling fan and spinning lazily over my head. My mattress had been shoved against the wall and my box spring harbored the clothes and shoes ripped from my closet.
Struggling to breathe, I tiptoed across the shredded remains of several stuffed animals and climbed onto my box spring. From there, I removed the underwear from the fan and climbed down. My lip trembled and I quickly bit down on it. I would not shed another tear. The time of crying and hiding under my covers was over—the time for action was now.
I launched the lacy fabric against the wall and clenched my shaking hands into fists. “Easy, Rileigh,” I whispered to myself. “Gotta calm down.” But every time I looked at the wreckage of my room, a new wave of anger crashed down on me.
I decided the best place to start putting things back together was closing my wide-open window. However, as I drew near the fluttering curtains, I heard someone talking outside. With breakneck speed, I darted to the window and flattened myself against the wall. From my new vantage point, I could hear the speaker better, but not enough to understand his words. His voice was disturbingly familiar, and I knew that if I could just get a look I’d know who ransacked my room.
Sucking in a breath, I decided to risk it. Using the move I’d seen in countless crime dramas, I curled myself against the windowsill and chanced a look outside.
What I saw was a bald head with two tattooed horns illuminated by the moonlight. Devil-boy! He continued to talk into his cell phone as he crept along the side of my house with a sword case strapped to his back. My katana! My vision hazed in a cloud of red and I gripped the windowsill to keep from launching myself at him. Even in the dark, I could see the silver gleam of the handgun in his back pocket and I doubted there were any Good Samaritans with pepper spray nearby. Stretching my neck out the window as far as I could without being seen, I managed to grasp a few pieces of his conversation.