We buried our heads in our chests as they breezed past us toward the main Pavilion. I held the vial tight and tried to keep it from getting any hotter. Tugging on Celery’s top I squeaked out, “Cel, do you think they’ve caught Blaine and Austin?”
I sensed a crack in her confidence as she gave me a weak smile. “No. Austin is too clever to get caught.”
“Do you trust them not to turn us in?”
She couldn’t even muster a smile. “We’ll be fine.”
I scanned the crowd for more guards. Someone bobbed up and down between the people in front of us. A guy with shaggy blond hair waved madly in our direction. What if they put up Wanted posters? Maybe someone had recognized our faces.
“I’d know that voice anywhere.” He pushed through the line. “Taylor, where are you?”
My shoulders relaxed when I recognized the tousled blond hair and pale blue eyes. The person I’d wanted to see since I first arrived was actually running toward me. “Ryan…is that you?”
He practically knocked two people down to get to me. “I can’t believe you're here. What happened? After so many accidents, did your luck finally run out?”
“That’s kind of obvious.” I held onto my hat while Ryan gave me a boob-reducing hug. Pure joy spread through me as he held me so tight I could hardly breathe. I savored every second being so close to him again. Then I caught Celery giving me a thumbs-up and broke free of his embrace. “I’m so glad you found me! Things have been so crazy. Heaven isn’t anything like what I expected.”
Celery tapped Ryan on the shoulder. “Sorry for breaking up the love fest, but Taylor was with me first.”
I turned Ryan around. “Meet my partner in crime, Celery.”
His killer crooked smile appeared. “Pleasure. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“No problem. Normally I can’t stand Newbies, but T’s cool.”
Ryan shook her hand. “Green hair. Look’n pretty cool yourself.”
Celery gave me a wink. “I can see why you picked this one.”
I stood between them. “Oh no. We’re just friends.”
She held back a chuckle. “Right. I’ve been on the ride already, so I’ll leave you two ‘friends’ alone.” Celery waved good-bye. “Besides, I see a hot guy over at the Starcoaster. I’ll catch you later.”
Ryan’s smile faded. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw your face plastered on Wanted billboards and missing person posters all over New Life City. What the hell did you do?”
Crap. They really did put up Wanted posters. I let out a sigh. “Oh, not much. Just broke out of the Temple of Truth with Lucy. Then I was sent to detention. I busted out with Celery and two Skater Boys. You know, the usual stuff you do in JH.”
“Wow, you stole Lucy? How’d you get away with that?”
I gave him a weak grin. “I didn’t. That’s how I ended up in detention.”
Ryan took my hand and little sparks of electricity ran up my arm. The chemistry was still as strong as ever.
He led me to a secluded bench behind a kiosk. “Sounds like we have some catching up to do.”
Being with Ryan again made all the stress of Junior Heaven fade away. The amulet seemed to agree. It felt like a cool pebble resting against my chest. Ryan always had that effect on me. Whenever I fought with my mom I always ran straight to his house. Just seeing his smile made me forget how unhappy I was at home. Now that we were together again I could finally tell him how I felt about him. The amulet would turn clear and confirm what I always knew—he was the one.
He waved his hand in front of my eyes. “Hey, where’d you go?”
“Sorry. I still can’t believe you found me. Ever since I got here I’ve wondered if we’d meet up.”
“I have to say I wished we hadn’t. You should be alive back on Earth.”
I stroked his hand. “You too.”
He gave me his toothy grin. “It’s not that bad. Saving my brother was worth it. Besides, I have Mr. Klein as my afterlife coach.”
“Our old shop teacher?” I wanted to take woodworking just to be in his class.
Ryan nodded.
“Totally not fair! Why do you get your dream coach and I get Schwartz? When I spotted her, I thought I’d landed in Hell.”
He laughed. “That is weird they’d give you Schwartzy. Everyone else I’ve talked to has their dream afterlife coach.”
First I couldn’t remember my death, then I had Lucy but only for a short time, now I had the worst possible afterlife coach. “Just my luck.” The amulet grew warmer every second that ticked by. Better change the subject. “What’s it like being here?”
“It’s the end of my first week, but I can tell you there are some awesome rewards for passing the tests. Took my coming to JH to finally become a model student.”
I didn’t laugh. “The rewards better be awesome for me to put up with Schwartz.”
“They are. Because I studied hard, Mr. Klein picked me for the contest. I’m in it right now. The costumes suck though.”
“Really what’s the name of your team?”
He hung his head. “The Pirates Of Penzance.”
I pictured Ryan dressed in tight britches and a chest-baring shirt. A smoking hot swash buckling man of the sea. “Isn’t that some old-time musical or something?”
“’Nuff said.”
“Sorry. So what’s with the crazy costumes any way? And why is the contest the only thing people watch here?”
Ryan pushed a strand of hair out of my face. “Full of questions as usual.”
“Yup. Heaven hasn’t cured me of question-itis.”
“Actually, I think the costume themes make for great TV. If you ask me, the whole thing is one big distraction to keep us from noticing JH is slowly falling apart.”
He’d noticed the deterioration too. “You’re saying it’s a conspiracy?”
“Don’t you wonder what’s going on?”
More than he knew. “Of course I do. This place gives me the creeps. That’s why I want to be picked for the contest. I need to get out of here. Can you tell me how to win?”
Ryan sucked in a breath. “You can’t be afraid to eat a bucket of bugs.”
“Yuck. But the grand prize is awesome.”
“Totally! I can’t wait to get back to my old life.” His eyes welled up. “I want to hug my brother again. I miss Noah so much.”
My lungs filled with air like a baby breathing for the first time. “Do we really go back to...Earth?”
Ryan nodded. “Yes, just like nothing ever happened. It won’t be easy. Especially with Schwartzy.”
My lungs deflated like a balloon, sending what little hope I had out into the vast space of the Pavilion. “Terrific. She hates me.”
“Never know. You could get lucky and be her last student. If you don’t graduate, she’s stuck in JH forever.”
Hadn’t Schwartz said that exact thing? “I kind of like the idea of having power over Schwartz.”
“Don’t push your luck. Remember she has to pick you as a contestant.”
Crap. He had to remind me of that one small technicality. “Right. How’s your team doing? I’ve been a little busy so haven’t seen the show.”
Ryan beamed. “I’m happy to report we won the last round. Only one more to go.”
My heart sank. Our time together was running out already. “That’s great!”
“But there is one thing that’s kind of scary. I’ve noticed people from the Cloud Nine Contest go missing. One day they’re competing and the next someone else is in their place.”
The amulet grew hot against my chest. “Did you just say missing… kids?”
“Yeah. The announcer says the contestant is sick but they never come back.”
Junior Heaven’s creep factor just went up a couple of notches. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“No kidding. I mean, have you ever seen anyone sick in JH?”
“No…Everyone seems very healthy for dead people.”
Ryan lau
ghed. “Glad you still have your sense of humor.” He squeezed my hand. “I know I’m going to win, so you need to get picked too. Then we can go right back to our old lives together. We make such a great team.”
Not exactly the kind of partnership I wanted, but anyway I could be with Ryan was better than nothing. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it happen.”
He gave me an encouraging smile. “I know you will.” He pointed toward the Flash Forward ride. “Look, the line’s almost gone. You should go in. It’s a blast.”
I hated for our time together to end. With as much enthusiasm as I could gather I said, “Great, let’s go.”
A loud buzzer rang out as we walked into the spaceship. The twenty-foot-high ceiling, covered in enormous steel beams, curved down over me like a giant ribcage. “Welcome to Flash Forward. Please proceed to the first available viewing station.”
I pulled my hat down when I spotted the entrance camera. “Ryan, please come with me. I’ve never been here before.”
“Don’t worry. It’s fun.” He gently let go of my hand. “Sorry, I can’t go. Only you can see your future life.”
I cautiously walked toward the only empty chrome booth. The interior walls were covered in a black tufted velvet material just like a coffin. A large screen on the back wall lit up. What was I going to see? Could my future life be as terrible as my death?
An angel with flowing red hair smiled back at me. “Welcome. Please look into my eyes until you begin to see your future life. Enjoy!”
A chill hit me. The angel could see my face. Would she turn me in? I tried to calm down, but the amulet bubbled away. I’d failed.
She continued to smile. “Relax. You’re safe here.”
Another mind reader. I wanted to believe her so I focused on her piercing green eyes. When I saw the image, my mouth flew open. “It can’t be. Not again!”
I stared at an enormous bright green lawn. Larger than any football field I’d ever seen. Just like in a movie, the camera zoomed in on a metal hole in the ground. On the edge of the hole was a dripping mass of khaki green pond scum. No way. It was me! A large round white object came hurtling toward me.
A golf ball!
It only took a second for the ball to hit my spongy body and rip it to pieces. A large mass of ratted blond hair cast a shadow over the fragments of my pond scum body. The pieces puddled between the blades of grass until they were gone.
“No way. I’ve been murdered by the Helmet!”
The image disappeared and all I could see was the angel’s bright green eyes. “I hope you enjoyed viewing your future life. Remember, you reap what you sow.”
A lump formed in my throat. Every second of being a stinking green blob of scum flooded back to me. It could never happen again. I had to get back to Schwartz and turn myself in. The amulet grew hotter by the second, almost burning my skin. I needed to figure out what to do. Ryan—I raced out of the booth. I had to find him.
He stood by the entrance. “What’s wrong? You end up a nerd or something?”
I didn’t laugh. “You’ve got to help me. I need to get back to Schwartz right now.”
He took me by the shoulders. “Calm down. It’s only a dumb attraction. Who says that’s your future?”
A tear trickled down my face. The pressure of my crazy time in Junior Heaven had finally caught up with me. Through choked sobs, I spit out, “Ryan….I can’t….go like that.”
He wiped away the tear. “You know, I’ve never seen you cry.”
I took a peek at the amulet. The liquid was almost clear—almost. “You can thank my mom.”
He squeezed my hand. “She can’t control you here.”
How I wished he was right, but my hopes were crushed when the amulet turned moss green again. I’d only been able to let my feelings out for just a moment. Baby steps. “What should I do?”
“Call for your guardian angel. She’ll know how to help.”
He was right. I should have called for Sabrina a long time ago. I concentrated on her beautiful face.
In seconds, the flutter of feathers filled the air. Then Sabrina’s wings enveloped me in a giant hug.
Ryan started to walk away then turned around. “If you’re free later, how about we get together for dinner?”
Who knew what Schwartz had in store for me. The scum kicked into overdrive at the thought this might be the last time I saw him. I couldn’t let him know. “Great. You name the time and place and I’m there.”
“Cool, I’ll send a message to your angel.” He waved good-bye and faded into the crowd.
More than anything, I wanted to follow him. I stroked Sabrina’s feathers, still amazed at their silky texture. “Thanks for rescuing me.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t do it sooner. I had strict orders. Schwartz wanted to see how far you’d go.”
“So this whole thing was a test?”
Silence.
Now I was worried. “Do I have to go back to detention?”
“No, a different place. But you’ve been there before.”
Chapter Six
Dead But Not Buried
Crap. I’d been here before, all right.
Schwartz stood behind her desk, applying spray to her notorious hairdo. She slapped the can down on her desk. “Sit down. Fun time is over. Back to work.” In one sweeping motion, Schwartz pulled out my Afterlife For Idiots Handbook.
I sat in the familiar swan-backed chair. Leafing through the handbook, I had at least twenty tests to take. Ryan better be right about the rewards. The Cloud Nine Contest sounded like a mixed bag, but I wanted the grand prize more than anything. I’d never thought my old life filled with endless teasing and accidents had been wonderful. Knowing the alternative, it seemed ten times more awesome. I’d give old Schwartz exactly what she wanted. “Terrific. Can’t wait to get started.”
Schwartz pulled her chair out from behind her desk and sat next to me. “I’m glad you’re finally taking our time together seriously.”
Despite the amulet heating, I couldn’t resist testing her boundaries. “I’m hungry. Could I get some heavenly popcorn?”
Schwartz snapped her fingers. A red and white box of popcorn appeared in my hand. I grabbed a big handful. The buttery goodness coated my mouth.
“How about an angelic soda to wash it down?”
The furrow between Schwartz’s severely plucked brows began to grow. “Don’t push your luck. Try and stay on my good side.”
Kicking off my pointed flats, I carefully settled into my chair and grabbed another big handful of popcorn. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
Schwartz seemed unconvinced, but she pulled out her pointer and waved it around her head. “Class is in session.”
The Helmet came to life—growing in all directions by more than two feet.
I held back a gasp. Schwartz casually crossed her legs while an image formed in the Helmet.
Could my popcorn be drugged?
Schwartz tilted her head to give me a better view. “Do you recognize anything?”
An image appeared in the lacquered mass of hair.
“You serious? We can’t be starting there.”
“Believe it.”
Prickles traveled up my arms to my head and the room began to spin. A whirling noise grew louder and louder as something sucked me into a massive hospital-like giant vacuum cleaner. Not again. I went numb. Schwartz wanted me to relive the moment—literally. With every tick from the large clock above the doorway, my body slowly slipped away.
No longer 17 years old and dead, but 14 and very much alive.
The stench of antiseptic makes my nose twitch. I hate hospitals. Over my short life I’ve visited these dingy halls too many times. From the first visit when I swallowed a silver dollar while doing a magic trick at the age of six, to just three months ago when I tripped and fell into an open manhole. The place brought me nothing but pain.
This trip is no different. My favorite person in the world is in room 204. My grandmother Allen li
es comatose. Some idiot blond woman ran Gram down in her driveway. Her excuse—a bee in the car.
Unbelievable!
While eating lunch in the cafeteria with my parents, the doctor gave us the news. “I’m sorry. Mrs. Allen’s condition is deteriorating. I don’t think she has much time left.”
Mom dropped her fork and pushed away her plate. I searched her eyes for any sign of tears. Nothing. Leave it to Mom to not break her own rule. No crying ever. Not even when her mother is dying.
Dad sat quietly holding her hand. “Honey, we should go.” His eyes welled up. “We need to say our good-byes.”
His words cut like a knife. I can’t do it. Gram is my best friend. How can I say good-bye?
Dad’s arm wraps around Mom’s shoulders. She leans into him just a tiny bit. “Taylor, we need to go.”
I stay put. Dad lets go of Mom. He taps me on the shoulder. “There isn’t much time.”
Gram’s plump face full of life flashes in front of my eyes. I want no part of her death. “I’m not going.”
Mom looks disappointed but says nothing. Dad takes my hand. “Red, you don’t want to do something you’ll regret.”
My stomach churns, but not with hunger. Dad’s right. I take a slow, deep breath in then out and push my chair back. I can do this. I’ll say my good-byes and remember her as the best Gram ever.
With numb legs, I somehow get in the elevator and push the button to the second floor. The doors open and it takes all my might to force myself through the doorway. I walk down the familiar beige hall. The closer I get to Gram’s room, the weaker my resolve. By the time I’m at room 200, I have no energy left. I cling to the handrail like a patient learning to walk again.
A nurse stops and grabs my arm. “Are you okay? Which room are you in?”
Just like I thought. I’m pathetic. I put on a fake grin. “I’m fine. Just slipped on the slick linoleum floor.”
She nods. “I keep telling the guy to stop waxing them so much.”
I straighten my T-shirt. Figures. I forgot it’s the one Gram bought me for my birthday a year ago. Must be a sign. I let go of the handrail and walk past rooms 201 and 202. Just as I’m about to walk by room 203, I slip and land on my ass. Crap, these floors really are slippery. Just my luck I’d break a leg and end up in the hospital too. I scrunch my knees up to my chest and lean against the wall. Why does my clumsiness always pick the worst times to kick in? Or maybe it’s another sign.
Nine Lives (The Katran Legacy) Page 6