A Time to Die (Elemental Rage Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter 9

~~ Zach ~~

Being a Death
Keeper could be a heavy responsibility.  By his fifteenth birthday Zach had
already culled his thousandth soul.  Carrying the souls of the dead across the
stream of midnight into the river of light took a special kind of person, someone
with empathy and yet the distance that allowed him to do the job despite the
protests and begging that sometimes came with it when a new soul crossed over.

The urgent
knowledge that he was needed struck Zach over a bowl of Cocoa Puffs. As with
any culling, he had no idea who or even where it might be.  Only that he was
needed.  Leaving his bowl on the breakfast table, Zach released himself into
the transformation. His body faded from the Earthly realm to appear in the
spiritual one wearing white robes. Zach never knew what he might be wearing
when he went to cull a soul.  Once it was swim trunks and a tank top, when he
helped a surfer who hit a coral reef too hard and never came up for air.

His spiritual body
flew above the houses and trees with a free-flowing speed that still gave Zach
a sense of wonder even a thousand culls later.  He hoped for someone across the
world so that he could fly longer.  It was disappointing when he dove down
after barely getting a good start.

Zach didn’t
recognize the house at first, not until he was dropping in through the roof. 
When he saw Jade standing by her body waiting, he thought he would die himself.

Don’t make me
do this.

Sometimes the
Universe or someone up there would talk him through a particularly difficult
culling.  This time, he heard silence.

Jade’s spirit was
sitting on the edge of the bed watching her Aunt Bertha mourn.  The poor Aunt
was practically lying on top of Jade, and Zach thought perhaps that she
wouldn’t be able to get up when she was done crying.

“What are you
doing here?” Jade’s spirit tilted her head and looked at Zach in confusion

“Um…” Zach
couldn’t think of how to put it delicately.  He was normally all business. In
and out, a spiritual catch and release program. Finally he said, “You’re dead.”

In death Jade wore
a forest green sundress with daisies and suns patterned all over it.  That was
the thing about death.  You really got to know a person from the inside out.
Now that Zach could see Jade’s spirit, he knew he made the right decision in
asking her out.  She was a beautiful soul, innocent and caring.

Jade’s hair was
loose and flowing. She seemed content to sit on the bed and watch Aunt Bertha
and her body.  She said, “I knew.  I bled everywhere.  Killed by an icicle.  I
never saw it coming.”

Zach stretched his
hand to her, “Most people don’t. Come with me. I’ll take you home.”

“I am home. I
don’t want to go,” Jade said, refusing him. Although the soul is a pure form of
life, Jade looked at Zach with suspicion in her eyes. Her purity in death
didn’t wash away the pain at knowing she had been betrayed. With hurt in her
voice, she said, “You’re a Death Keeper?”

“Yes.  I’m sorry,
I would have told you, but…” Zach didn’t finish the thought.  What could he
tell Jade that would make her feel better.  He was a spy. Plain and simple.
Sent to watch her and report back. Even the date he went on with her was
requested by his superior.

That was the thing
about death.  Spirits could read one another’s hearts. As his thoughts formed,
she saw his shame at asking her to date him at Harold’s request, his
embarrassment that the whole first date was a sham.  Even if she could read the
truth of his real affection for her, the shock of knowing that he had been
goaded into being with her stung deeply.

Not only could
Jade feel his heart-felt apology, she also felt the depth of his betrayal.

Her anger flared,
“I’m not going anywhere with you.  Get lost.  I don’t even want to see you
again.”

Zach couldn’t leave
her.  That wasn’t how death worked.  He had two options…return her soul to the
Light or return her soul to her body. If he failed, another Keeper would take
his place. Worse, his attraction now that he could see her soul was stronger. 
Her anger hurt his feelings.  He wanted to make it up to her.

A stray thought
crossed Zach’s mind.  He wondered what would happen if he returned Jade to her
body and did the healing.  The Universe gave the orders.  Death Keepers
followed them.  Breaking those orders was unheard of.  Zach didn’t know why,
only that no Death Keeper in the history of Death Keepers ever admitted to choosing
a soul’s path on their own.  They were always guided, even now.

Whatever force
guided Zach told him to cull her, to take her into the Light and leave her for
the Universe.  It seemed like such a waste.  He could see Jade’s thoughts, her
longing to watch one more movie with Mindy, her desire to test Fire with Water
in a Claire and Jade training session now that she finally had an Element of
her own.  She just never had the time.  Her regrets, so many for a young life,
stacked one to the other.

Zach grabbed her
hand.

Jade yanked away,
but he pulled her to him, holding her fast.

He kissed her hard
on the mouth.  Even a spiritual kiss is a kiss. More innocent and true, but
still a kiss. He felt her soar with emotion while annoyance and anger sat in
the back seat watching.

As the Universe urged
him to pull her up and toward the light, Zach pushed her into her body, sending
every ounce of energy he possessed in with her. He could see the dancing
Universe knit her vessels and skin together, a cosmic song that ended with a
heart beat and a gasp.  He reeled back exhausted, pulled like a dog on a  leash
back to his body.

He flew back, but
there was no joy in it.  The Universe shoved him hard, clearly angry with his
choice.  He found himself somersaulting down to his body and then He was gone,
all connection to the Universe terminated.

Zach found himself
back at the kitchen table, staring at soggy Cocoa Puffs. “Universe?  I love
her.  You can’t ask me to reap a girl I love.”

It was an excuse.
He knew even as he spoke the words that he would have done the same thing,
would have committed himself to the same wrong again and again, regardless of
the Universe’s wishes.  Yes, he wanted to be forgiven.  But he truly wasn’t
sorry.

The Universe was
silent.  Zach swallowed, feeling a strange sense of loss and awkward
loneliness.  He kept thinking that his connection would pop back. 

When it didn’t he
said, “I’m sorry.  I won’t do it again.  Please talk to me.”

The absolute
emptiness of the reply wounded Zach to his core. He had thrown away his gift.  Right
or wrong, it was gone. Grabbing his jacket, Zach shoved his keys in the pocket,
and stepped into the bitter cold, autumn morning. His dad was in the garage.
His brothers away at college.  He slipped outside, grateful for the chance to
hide before his Dad discovered what he had done.

Zach didn’t want to
interact with anyone.  He felt lost.  Without a note or a word to his dad, he
drove to Jade’s house.  He needed to know that she survived.  He needed to know
that he didn’t lose his gift for nothing.

He pulled into
Jade’s driveway expecting ambulances, maybe a hearse.  The Gray family cars
were parked in the gravel in front of the house, but nothing unusual seemed to
be going on.

Frowning, Zach
parked. The sky was a brilliant blue and somehow seemed to jeer him.  The
Universe remained silent.  Not just silent, but empty, gone, as if He had
completely moved out of Zach’s mind.  He was so used to the interaction, even
banter with the Universe that he still felt a sense of shock and loss when he
reached out to find nothing.

Ringing the
doorbell, Zach was surprised when Raven answered. Her hair was a rat’s nest,
and there were dark circles under her eyes.  She stared at Zach like she didn’t
know what to do with him.

Raven cleared her
throat, “I’m sure Jade would like to see you.  It’s just that we went to bed
late and you’ve come at a really bad time.”

So Jade hadn’t
told her yet. At least she was still alive.  Raven’s excuse had confirmed that
much. Zach wanted to push his way through, storm the house and find Jade, make
sure she was really okay.  He itched to move as he stood politely at the door
and said, “I really need to see her. It’s important.”

Raven wore blue
plaid pajamas and slippers that had dogs’ heads on them. She stood back and
held the door open with a sly smile, “She is totally going to kill me for this,
but sure, come on in.”

It was still early
morning and the house was eerily quiet.  Mindy and Claire huddled at the
kitchen table over pancakes, but they ate in silence.  Raven tilted her head
toward the back hallway, “Come on back.”

Zach didn’t know
what to tell Jade.  He didn’t want her to develop a strange case of
hero-worship and make their relationship awkward.  If he told her how he saved
her life, she’d probably moon over him like a puppy, following him around and
telling him how great he was.  Still, if he didn’t tell the truth, and they
lasted, at some point she would figure it out. Then he’d be in trouble for not
telling her everything.  When Raven opened the door to Jade’s bedroom, Zach
still hadn’t decided what to tell her.

~~ Jade ~~

Jade wanted most
in the world to be left alone.  Aunt Bertha wouldn’t leave her side.  A little
weak and in need of rest, Jade felt fine.  Bertha was shaken by her near-death.

The worst was that
Jade was convinced that she was supposed to be dead.  She had seen the light. 
She’d seen a much younger Grandma, and Grandpa, Great Aunt Juliet, and people
she didn’t know, all welcoming her into the new world.  Zach wouldn’t take
her. 

He was a Death
Keeper.

Jade couldn’t even
cry with Aunt Bertha sitting right there.  She felt betrayed.  Zach had been
spying on her all this time.  He probably wouldn’t even take her to her proper
rest because the Keepers didn’t know where their precious gift of Time was.  To
think she actually thought he liked her. 

She KISSED HIM.

The doorbell
rang.  Jade could hear Raven and then she heard Zach’s voice.  It made her
cringe.  Surely he wasn’t planning to continue the charade. Raven pushed the
door open and poked her head in, “Everybody decent?”

“NO!” Jade
growled.

“Yes,” Aunt Bertha
said, in a small exhausted voice.

“You’re decent,”
Raven said and pushed the door all the way open. She stepped past Zach and
disappeared down the hall…the traitor.

Zach stood, hands
in his pockets, looking like he wanted the Earth to swallow him whole.  Jade
could arrange that…with a little help from Mindy.

“What do you
want?” Jade was hurt.  He could have told her he was a Death Keeper from the
beginning and let her decide what to do.  He could have waited to ask her out
until they were better friends.  He wormed his way into her affections, made
her like him, made her trust him, the lying creep.

Zach swallowed, “I
wanted to see how you were.  I saw what happened.  Do you remember…any of it?”

“Every last bit.”
Jade said, “You couldn’t find the time once during class to mention that I am
your enemy, that maybe, just maybe I should flee for my life?” Jade clutched
the blankets as if she would choke the life out of them.

Fire whispered,
Do
you want him to burn?

It was tempting…so
very tempting.  In her mind, Jade said,
Not yet.

“I knew what you
would say.  I was planning to tell after a few more dates, when things got
serious,” Zach said.  He didn’t even look properly guilty.  It was just a
surface excuse.

Jade set her jaw,
“When things got serious?  I kissed you.  How many guys do you think I’ve
freakin’ kissed in my life.  Get out.  Get out and don’t come back. I never
want to see you again!”

Zach didn’t leave.
He stood there staring at her, as if he couldn’t quite get past her anger.  He
said, “I saved your life. If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead.”

“I saw my Grandma!
I felt the light and the peace and the warmth. It was my time.  Why would you
stop me?  Did you want your precious gift?  Well, guess what? I don’t have it. 
And if anyone in our family does, I don’t know who, so you played your little
game for nothing. GET OUT!” Jade was so angry that she shook. 

She wanted to
storm off, but she was afraid she’d fall if she pushed herself out of bed. 
Plus, Aunt Bertha was in the chair, tight-lipped and looking from Jade to Zach
as if she might interject a word of advice at any minute.

Zach spun on his
heel, storming down the hall, through the kitchen, and out the door. Jade heard
all three girls say goodbye. She heard Raven tell Zach, “Don’t worry, she’ll
come around.”

Jade punched her
pillow.  She hated herself for it, but she really needed the silence.  She
said, “Aunt Bertha, I’d like to be alone.”

 Nodding, Aunt
Bertha said, “I understand.”

Aunt Bertha didn’t
move.

Jade waited.

Bertha finally
gathered herself to lift up from the chair.  She stood for a second and then
sat right back down, “I need my cane.”

Just a few months
ago Aunt Bertha could walk short distances without her cane.  Jade frowned,
“Did the Void hurt you?”

“No.  It’s just
been a rough day.” Bertha said, her voice cracking with effort.

“Do you think I
did the right thing?” Jade asked.  She was sure that she had, but it would be
nice to have Bertha’s support.  Just in case, she clarified, “With Zach?”

“Honey, that boy’s
a bundle of nerves right now.  He may be a Death Keeper, but he didn’t come
here to hurt you. Not all Death Keepers are bad.”

The sun’s light
pushed through the window, giving the room a cheery look.  It felt so
unnatural. Jade wanted everything to stop. Even if Death Keepers weren’t all
bad, Zach
knew
that Death Keepers were after her family.  And he kept
his involvement a secret.  Jade couldn’t believe her own family was backing up
a Death Keeper over their own sister and niece.