by Apryl Baker
“Then it kind of blurs and doesn’t make a lot of sense. I’ve seen flashes of you with your hands broken, of you running from someone, and of you surrounded and bathed in this white light. Crazy, I know, but like I said, they’re weird memories, like from a dream or something.”
“Why don’t I tell you about my friend Eric? He saved my life, you know. Twice.”
“He sounds like a real stand-up guy.”
“He is.”
And so I tell him the story of Mattie and her Mirror Boy. I leave out the ghost part, but I tell him everything else. I tell him how he stayed by my side through the worst moments of my life, how he came to my rescue in New Orleans. I give him the rundown on everything, hoping to spark his memories.
“Wow. He sounds like Superman or something.”
“Or something.” I grin down at him, remembering the time I’m pretty sure he spied on me in the shower, but couldn’t prove it because he’d been a ghost at the time.
“Mom says you and I dated?”
I laugh. “Yeah, we did for a couple months.”
“I had to be an idiot to let you go.”
“I’ll agree with that.”
“I’m sure you would, Hathaway.” He gives me that cute grin that is all Jake Owens, dimples and everything. It makes me catch my breath, a wave of grief taking me by surprise. Jake and I were friends, and he’s gone now. Sitting here, chatting with Eric, makes me realize how much I will miss Jake.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” He reaches out and takes my hand, and then the strangest thing happens.
His eyes roll back in his head, and I open my mouth to scream for help, but this soft white light surrounds him. From head to toe. I’m so shocked, I forget to call for help. He does a full body shiver then his eyes snap open, the blue stark against the white he’s bathed in. Only there’s no hint of confusion in them this time.
“Jake?” I whisper, hope refusing to be squashed.
“Mattie? Where…where are we, and why are you calling me Jake?”
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. “Eric?”
“Yeah?”
I lunge toward his head. It’s all I can really hug since he’s sitting in a wheelchair. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I chant the prayer of gratitude over and over. It’s Eric. It’s really him.
“Hey, now, Mattie. What’s going on? What’s wrong, and why are we in the hospital, and why can you hug me?”
I pull back and look at him, really look at him. It’s Eric. He’s right there. The eyes really are the windows to the soul. I can see his soul reflected in them. “You’re alive, Eric.”
“What are you talking about? Did you hit your head again or something?”
“No, I…well, yes, I did hit my head again, but that’s not the point. Do you remember Jake Owens? My ex?”
“Surfer dude?”
“What? No, he was not a surfer dude.”
“Could’ve fooled me with that perfectly combed hair of his. Always styled just so.” Eric flips his hand back toward his hair and smacks his head. His expression freezes. “I felt that. I shouldn’t be able to feel that. I’m a ghost, Mattie. Ghosts can’t smack themselves.”
“That’s because you’re not a ghost anymore. It’s what I’m trying to tell you.”
Eric sits back and really looks at himself for the first time. He’s sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a pair of pajama pants I’m assuming Jakes’s mom brought from home and a white t-shirt. He holds his hands out in front of him and tentatively touches his fingertips together. He has an IV needle taped on his right arm, ready to be used should he need more fluids at any time.
“What’s going on, Mattie?” He runs his hands over his arms then touches his face. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you remember New Orleans?”
“Jonas…he was trying to siphon your ghost energy?”
“Yeah, and you made me reap you so I would have enough energy to fight. I’ve had your soul bound up inside me since then.” I touch my hand to my chest. “You’ve been right here with me ever since.”
“But…”
“Let me explain, okay? Do you remember Mason?”
“The guy I body jumped so I could kiss you on your birthday?” He grins, his unease forgotten for a moment with the memory.
“Yes, that Mason. He wasn’t a very nice guy. He had a problem. Bit obsessed, really. So was Jake’s brother, Paul, only his obsession was Meg. The two of them kidnapped us. Jake showed up, wrong time, wrong place, but it saved our lives. Paul shot his brother, and we were able to run in the aftermath.”
“Dang, girl, you been busy.”
That’s an understatement. “Anyway, an angel showed up and he wouldn’t let me bring Jake or Meg back. I’d already saved Dan and upset the balance of life and death as it was. Little bugger threatened us all if we tried to save them.”
“Angels?” He gives me a skeptical look.
“What? No worse than the demon who seems to think I’m his new toy.”
“Seriously, Mattie? Angels and demons?”
“Ghosts are real. Reapers are real. You’re looking at one. Wraiths are real. Why shouldn’t angels and demons be real?”
“Next you’re going to tell me there are vampires and werewolves roaming around.”
“There might be. I don’t know about that. Eli says there’s a lot more to the supernatural world than we know, so…”
“Wait, who’s Eli?”
“My kinda-sorta-maybe boyfriend.”
“Kinda-sorta-maybe? He’s either your boyfriend or he’s not. Do I know him?”
“No, you don’t. I met him in New Orleans at the house. He sees ghosts too, only he can see vengeful ghosts, the ones who go bad.”
“Are you talking about Blondie?”
“Blondie?”
“Blond hair, sea green eyes Blondie?”
“Yeah.”
“Thumbs up, then. He’s hot.” His face flames up and his eyes go wide. “Why did I just say that? I don’t think guys are hot.”
“Maybe Jake did, though?” Which would explain a lot. He was just too perfect of a boyfriend. Never argued, never yelled, always had a great sense of fashion. Never pressured me to have sex with him. Oh my god. That really would explain so much.
“Well, I’m not Jake.”
“Pfft, there’s nothing wrong with liking guys if you want to.”
“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. It’s cool. People should be happy with who makes ’em happy. I just like girls, that’s all.”
“Okay, then. I’m good with you either way.” The disgruntled look on his face tells me he’s going to have to do some adjusting. Jake’s residual memories and tendencies are there, and Eric will have to deal with them one way or another. I know for a fact Eric is straight, but if Jake wasn’t, then it could cause some problems for Eric in the future, or it might lead to possibilities he never would have looked at before. Then again, he can be straight, gay, or bisexual, for all I care. I’m just glad he’s here. Alive and well.
“Let’s get back to Blondie. How can he be a kinda-sorta-maybe boyfriend?”
“Well, we haven’t even been on a real date yet.”
“Girl, don’t tell me your game disappeared.”
“No, it didn’t. There’s just been a lot going on.” I give him the rundown on the Malones being Dan’s family, how my mom is mixed up in it, the ghost girls who tried to kill me, and I give him a more in-depth explanation of the night Jake died. “So as you can see, I haven’t had time to go on any dates.”
“Just listening to all that makes me tired.” He shifts and winces. His hand automatically goes to his abdomen where he feels bandages. “Forgot for a second, he got shot. This hurts. A lot.”
“Well, deal with it. You’re alive, and that’s all that counts. Plus, the Owens’ didn’t lose both their sons. All is well with the world.”
“They don’t know I’m not Jake, do they?”
“No, they know something i
sn’t right. I mean, Jake’s eyes were brown and now they’re blue. That’s not something science can explain, but they don’t care. All that matters to them is you’re alive and well.”
“But I’m not Jake, Mattie. I’ll never be Jake. I don’t know who he is or who he was. I don’t know his family, his friends. How can you expect me to pretend I’m him when I’m not?”
“Eric, you and me, we didn’t have family growing up. We were just numbers in a system, checks to be collected by our foster parents for the most part. Every foster kid dreams of a forever home, of people who will take them in and love them the way they deserve to be loved.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Shush. No buts. Jake’s parents don’t care if you have no memories of them, and they don’t care that you’re different from the old Jake. All they care about is that you’re their son. They love you. It’s what every foster kid dreams of. You get that now. You get parents who will unconditionally love you. All you have to do is give them a chance. Let them love you, and you might get the greatest gift in return. A family. A family you’ll love as much as they love you.”
“She’s right.”
We both jump at the sound of Mrs. Owens’s voice. She’s standing by the bathroom door. How had I not heard the door open or seen her sneak in? I really am off my game today.
She comes closer and kneels in front of Eric. “I don’t care who you were or who you are now. I don’t care if you never remember us or your old life. You’re my son, my flesh and blood. We’ll get to know each other again, learn to love each other. I’m willing to try if you are.”
“But what if I’m never like the old Jake again? What if I’m too different?”
“Then I’ll love the new Jake.” She smiles, and it’s written right there on her face. She loves him. It’s hard to walk away from that kind of unconditional love. It’s something Eric has never known.
“Hey, look at me. I have a dad and grandparents and everything. I don’t know them from beans, but they love me, and that’s the most amazing feeling in the world. Something I thought I’d never have, and now that I do, I would fight tooth and nail to keep it. It’s precious…Jake.” Dang it, I almost said Eric. “Your mom’s right. All you have to do is try.”
He bites his lip, his dimples deepening as he thinks. “I guess I can try. I just don’t want you to be disappointed or to feel like you’re being cheated or lied to…”
“No, Jake. I will never feel like that. I know my son died. The version of him I knew died that night. We’ll never get him back. I understand and accept it, but the person sitting here right now? I have a feeling we’ll love this person just as much as we did him. That we’ll make new memories and learn each other’s quirks as we get to know one another. It’ll be an adventure.”
“You’re pretty awesome.” His voice holds more than a hint of awe. Everything he’s ever wanted is being offered to him on a silver platter. All he has to do is reach out and take it.
“I’m a mom, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Okay, then. We’ll try.”
She smiles and leans into him, hugging him tight. Her eyes meet mine, and I know she knows the truth. She heard every word. It’s stamped all over her face, and she doesn’t care. Not one little bit. She’ll love Eric as much as she loved Jake.
Thank you, she mouths at me.
Thank you, I mouth in return and mean it. She overheard our conversation. She could have reacted so many different ways. Instead, she chose compassion and love, and because of it, Eric has a family who will love him like he deserves to be loved. He’ll get his forever home.
“What say we get you back to your room before that nurse hunts us down?” Mrs. Owens stands, brushing tears from her eyes. “Mattie probably needs to rest too.”
“I am a little tired.” And I am. I’m worn out, truthfully. Whatever I did to bring Eric’s memories back sapped my energy. I know I did something, I’m just not sure what. That white light is the same thing Dan described to me when I put Eric’s soul in Jake’s body. This whole reaping business is tiring.
“All right…Mom, let’s let her rest.” He points at me right before she turns him around. “But me and you, Hathaway, we got to talk more about this whole kinda-sorta-maybe thing and your lack of game.”
“You don’t even know the half of it.” I shake my head as they leave the room, feeling at peace for the first time since Eric died. All is right with the world.
“Such a beautiful moment, my darling girl.”
My head snaps up at the sound of that voice.
Silas.
Chapter Ten
Silas walks over to the bed, and it’s all I can do not to cringe. He looks like he’s in a bad mood. No, scratch that, he looks pissed. But is he pissed with me? That’s the real question.
“Silas.” I do my best to keep my voice steady and calm.
“You ran away before we were finished, Emma Rose.” His black eyes center on me, and I know then he’s pissed with me. Not good, not good, not good.
“Not my fault, Silas. I can’t control when I wake up out of an unconscious state.”
“I suppose I have to accept that.” He comes closer and examines the machines I’m hooked up to. “These seizures are going to kill you, Mathilda Louise Hathaway. Sooner rather than later.”
He’s using my full name, the name I grew up with. Why? It instantly sets off my flight or fight instincts, and right now, flight is screaming the loudest. Wait. Did he say kill me? Does he know something the doctors don’t? Or is everyone keeping the truth from me? Silas is a psychotic, self-serving demon, but he’s not a liar.
“I could prevent that.” His voice turns cunning, like a weasel about to enter a henhouse. “With a simple touch, I could fix you.”
Now what’s he going on about? He told me he wouldn’t let me die because he needed me to complete his end game, and he wants something in return for keeping me alive? Demons. Always trying to get a better deal.
“And what would your price be, Silas?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You’d owe me a favor, much like the one you called in when young Officer Richards needed saving.”
“Why would I agree to such a deal, Silas? I already know you won’t let me die. You said as much. So what’s really going on?”
“Keeping you alive is not the same thing as making you better, my darling girl. I can keep you in a state of flux for as long as is necessary. I can even train you in my studio while you lie here unconscious.” He tilts his head, his eyes brightening. “Why, yes, that is an ideal solution. I know your body will be safe, and your soul will reside with me until you are ready to confront our mutual enemy.”
And he could do it too. I can’t be alone with him for God knows how long he deems it necessary. I won’t.
“Over my dead body.”
Eli.
Only a version of Eli I’ve never seen before.
He storms into the room, his eyes blazing with the fires of Heaven. His body is lit up, pulsing with a white light that blazes around him, its heat all-consuming. Power rolls off his skin, crackling with vengeance. I can feel it. The kind of power you sometimes feel in a church when you are alone, sitting there quietly praying, only magnified a thousand times.
I never really understood what it meant to have angel blood in your veins until this moment.
Even Silas takes a step backward.
“Get thee gone, thou vile beast.” His voice has changed, deepening and resounding through the room. Heat lances us, and I shield my eyes from the glow he’s bathed in.
“Emma Rose, meet your Guardian Angel.” The smile on Silas’s face sets my teeth to aching. Did he do all that just to get this reaction out of Eli? Why?
My gaze flicks to where Eli is standing. He’s shining so brightly it hurts my eyes to look at him, and I turn away. He’s lit up like a Christmas tree, oozing holy fire.
“Even if he doesn’t want to be your Guardian Angel anymore.”
Eli flinche
s at Silas’s words. Is Silas right? Do I disgust Eli so much now that he doesn’t want to be my Guardian Angel? Hurt flashes through me, settling in my heart.
“I will always be her Guardian Angel.” Eli moves, inching closer to Silas. “She is my charge, and I will protect her with everything that I am. Come near her again, and you’ll see exactly how far that protection goes.”
Silas laughs. Outright laughs. Eli has amused him. “That little display of power is like a tickle. You need to sit before you harm yourself, boy.”
Eli might be shining like the holy warrior he is, but Silas is right. He’s just a boy, and Silas has centuries on him. “Eli, calm down. Please.”
“Yes, watchdog. Sit.” There is a definite bite to Silas’s voice this time, and a command as well. Eli refuses to back down. He sidesteps the foot of the bed and gets closer to Silas.
“Eli, please don’t.”
His head whips around to face me. “Protecting your family?”
A stab of pain ricochets inside my head like a ping pong ball on steroids. “No, I’m protecting you, you idiot. He could swat you like a fly. Now, please calm down. Silas isn’t going to hurt me. He did that to get you riled up. Why, I don’t know.” I turn my attention to the resident demon. “What gives, Silas?”
Usually I wouldn’t dare upset him, but I need to know why he got Eli hopped up on Guardian Angel juice. He’s up to something.
He shows me an expression so innocent even a child would have a hard time coming up with it. “Whatever do you mean, my darling girl?”
“You made him go all warrior crazy with your threats. Why?”
“What will you give me for the answer?”
“Nothing.”
“Then you’ll get no answer.”
We stare each other down, neither blinking. The heat level in the room is receding, so I know Eli is finally calming down.
“How did you know Eli would be here?”
“He can’t stay away. As long as you are in danger, he has to be close.”