The Cupid War (11 page)

20

F
allon emerged through the portal into the Cupid Center, his arms firmly held by his two minders. Owen walked along behind him, giving him a shove every few seconds for good measure.

Behind them, two Cupids carried Louis. It was dawning on Fallon that Louis had called for this team of enforcers during their little brawl. It was also dawning on him that he'd been galactically stupid, picking a fight with his boss. He'd acted on impulse—the man had attacked Trina, an innocent teenager.

Louis had also seemed very interested in not letting her speak.

But speak she had, silently. It had taken Fallon a few moments to work out what she'd said, then to process it:
“She died and came back.”

Fallon wasn't sure what Trina meant by that, but it raised some intriguing possibilities. What if Susan had once been a normal girl who'd been attacked by a Suicide? Supposing she'd killed herself, only to be brought back in a hospital? Was it possible that she'd become a Suicide before her revival?

That raised more questions. Was she aware of what she was doing, on a conscious level? She'd recognized him when she'd stepped in and drained him. Had her awareness come about right then, or had she always known that she walked in two worlds?

Interesting questions, but right now Fallon had more immediate concerns.

“So what is Limbo, anyway?” he asked, turning to Owen.

“You'll find out,” Owen replied, punctuating the thought with another shove. “Keep moving.”

“You said I should answer to the angels,” Fallon said, “before Louis pulled rank.”

“Normally that's what would happen,” Owen said. “But Louis says Limbo, so you get Limbo.”

“I see,” Fallon said. And he did. Suddenly he understood very clearly. Louis's attack had almost prevented him from learning what Trina had to say. And he didn't want Fallon pleading his case to the only beings whose authority was greater than his.

So Louis knew all about Susan Sides. And he wasn't going to do anything about it. And the only person who was any kind of threat to him was being sent off to Limbo.

“This place sucks,” Fallon said.

“Shut up,” Owen said, shoving him again.

They walked across the Cupid Center to the far side. During that walk, Fallon noticed how all the other Cupids were looking at him. Some stared in open contempt, others turned away and avoided eye contact. Some gave him smug looks, others had faces of pity.

One Cupid looked from Fallon to Louis and back again, then nodded and pumped his fist discreetly.

So they don't all hate me, Fallon thought with a smile. That's something.

When they got to their destination, Fallon recognized the spot; it was the area where he'd first entered the Cupid Center months ago, just after he'd died. There was a portal arch there, identical to the ones on the Center's far side. Fallon hadn't noticed it when he'd first come through, but its presence made sense.

They'd stopped next to Louis's huge Love cube; his two helpers brought him over and helped him feed. When he finished eating, Louis was able to stand without their aid.

“Let's do this thing,” he said, and walked over to the portal. Fallon noted with no small amount of satisfaction that Louis still looked weak and beaten.

“Anything you wanna say to me, Richard Fallon?” Louis said, activating the portal. Beyond it, all Fallon could see was white, empty nothingness.

“Yeah, I do,” Fallon said. “Is it worth it?”

“Is what worth it?”

“Whatever the Suicides are giving you,” Fallon said, “to keep Susan Sides a secret.”

Louis laughed, but it was forced. “Makin' stuff up ain't gonna help you,” he said. “Walt, Joe, put him in.”

The Cupids holding Fallon yanked him forward, toward the portal. Fallon struggled fiercely—he was terrified. He had no idea what would happen to him; was Limbo anything like Hell? Was it, in fact, Hell? He could still see nothing in there but emptiness.

Fallon looked around desperately, hoping to see Caleb or Alexander or even Jada rushing to his rescue. Word had spread—they must've known what was about to happen.

However, there was no help in sight. There was a small crowd, though; his punishment had drawn a lot of interest.

Walt and Joe kept a firm grip on him, resisting his efforts to escape. They pulled him up to the portal, then Owen tied a cord around his waist. What, Fallon wondered, was that for?

“Listen to me,” he said desperately. “I'm not making this up, I swear! Louis is putting you all in danger … ”

“Shut up,” Owen said, and booted Fallon hard in the rear. At the same moment, Walt and Joe let him go. Fallon fell forward into the portal, and a tingling sensation enveloped him …

He was aware of having no body. He looked up, and saw his body hanging by the cord from the portal. He tried to move toward it but couldn't; Owen pulled the empty body up and out.

Nothing existed now except the portal's opening. Fallon could see the Cupid Center beyond, but found himself unable to move toward it. If anything, he seemed to be drifting away.

Louis walked into view and looked at him. Fallon looked back; there was nothing else to look at. He half-expected Louis to offer up a smug smile. After all, he'd won.

However, Louis didn't. Instead, he gave Fallon a serious look. Was that regret, Fallon wondered? Was it possible Louis still had a conscience somewhere in there?

The portal began to close. Fallon panicked, and struggled to move, but the portal did not get any closer. In seconds it was gone, and Fallon was alone in the nothing.

There was only whiteness, in every direction. In fact, the concept of direction was meaningless now.

So was motion. There was nowhere to move to. Fallon realized he was going to get very bored, very fast.

And then he might just go insane. Maybe that was the point of this place.

If he let that happen, Trina and everyone at that school were as good as dead. Nobody deserved that. He had to get out of there and stop Susan. Of course, that was easier thought than done.

Fallon wanted to close his eyes and block out the whiteness, but he wasn't seeing with eyes now. He had no body, and his soul couldn't stop perceiving what was—or wasn't—around it.

He had no body. That realization was freakiest of all. He was nothing now, lost in a universe of nothingness …

No! As long as he could think, he existed. And if he existed, there was hope.

First, he had to find a way to stay sane. He would not let this place get to him. But what could he do to keep the emptiness at bay? Being here was even more boring than lying on the slab in the Healing Chamber …

And what, he asked himself, had he done to fight the boredom there? He'd meditated. And he'd contacted the Source. If he could do that here, he had a chance.

Fallon tried to focus. It was hard at first, since he couldn't close his “eyes.” Then again, there were no distractions. He found that if he concentrated on the nothing, his thoughts melted away into background noise.

In moments, he was one with the Source. Instantly his worries vanished, and peace wrapped around his soul. Fallon forgot all about why he was there, or the things that he had to do. All he wanted was to remain in this void with the Source.

Nothing else mattered.

p
AR
t 4

21

F
allon might have stayed lost in the Source forever. He was happy there. He felt safe. He wondered if he was in Heaven. He realized he didn't care. There was nowhere else Fallon wanted to be, and he couldn't imagine a heaven greater than where he was.

However, something compelled him back. Something nagged at him, a voice from within the Source. Fallon wanted to ignore it, but he could not. It was someone who had to be heard.

Ricky
.

I hate that name, he thought.

Why?

My mom gave me that name. Before she left.

She loved you.

Not enough to stay.

That's not fair, Ricky.

I said I hate that name! Don't call me that. Call me Fallon.

Your father's surname
.

Yeah, Fallon thought. I like it.

More than the name your mother gave you?

Why do you care?

Fallon found the conversation more than a little irritating. And personal. What happened to the peace he'd been enjoying up until now?

You can relax later, Ricky,
the voice said.
Right now there are people who need you.

There's nothing I can do, Fallon replied. They stuck me in here, and there's no way out.

There's always a way out, Ricky. You just have to ask.

Ask who? And stop calling me Ricky.

I like the name Ricky. I always thought it suited you.

Jesus! Who are you?

Not Jesus. And this is the wrong place for blasphemy, don't you think?

Whatever, Fallon thought. Just go away and leave me alone.

Is that really what you want?

Fallon thought about what he wanted. Memories came back, and he remembered Trina Porten, left alone in the world with Susan Sides. And he remembered Louis, and what he'd done to him.

He wanted revenge on Louis. He wanted to help Trina. He wanted to stop Susan.

That's a start,
the voice said.
But what do you really want?

Isn't that enough?

No, Ricky.

Stop calling me that!

Why?

Like I said, my mother called me that.

What did she do to you?

She left us, ran off with some jerk …

What do you want?

I want my mom back!

Fallon realized it was true. For all the anger he'd felt toward his mother since she'd left, he wanted her to be there for him.

“My dad told me she stopped loving us,” Fallon said.

That was a lie
, the voice told him, not unkindly.
I've always loved you
.

If he'd had a body, Fallon's eyes would have widened. He felt the presence around him—really felt it—and from that sensing came discovery.

“Mom?” He asked, but only for confirmation. It was her, he was sure of it.

Yes, Ricky
, she said.
And I've one or two things to tell you
…

• • •

Fallon blinked. Then he realized he had eyes once more. He felt … heavy. He'd gotten used to being a spirit. Returning to his body was something of a shock.

He tried to get his bearings. He was lying on the floor of a small room—very small, it turned out. He could reach up and touch the ceiling with his hand. There was light; even the smallest of places on the other side were illuminated naturally.

Fallon looked right and left. There were bodies on either side of him, most likely the other prisoners of Limbo. There weren't many, Fallon was relieved to see. He wondered how long they'd been here.

There'd be time for speculation later. Right now, he had work to do. Fallon placed both palms on the ceiling, and concentrated.

The ceiling melted away, and the floor beneath him rose to fill the space. Fallon stood up, and found himself back in the Cupid Center, right next to the Limbo portal. It made sense to him; they wouldn't want to drag the empty bodies far.

Ahead of him were the rows of Love, starting with Louis's cube. Fallon smiled and walked forward, tore off a large chunk, and started eating.

Oh yeah. That would get his attention.

Fallon tore off a second chunk for good measure, then began the long trek across the Cupid Center. As he walked, the other Cupids turned and stared. It seemed like only yesterday those same faces had watched in pity as he'd been frog-marched to Limbo. Perhaps it had been yesterday. It didn't really matter.

He was about halfway across the Cupid Center when he saw Louis approaching from the other direction. He looked much healthier; clearly the Cupid boss had recovered from their last encounter and probably recharged his batteries.

Fallon smiled again. Time for round two.

“Who let you out?” Louis shouted, hands still at his sides. He's afraid, Fallon realized. Well, he should be.

“Hey, I'm talkin' to you!” Louis barked as the distance closed between them.

Fallon remained silent and didn't slow down. Louis stopped, trying to block Fallon's path.

“Who let you out?” he demanded, and his hands came up. When Fallon didn't answer, he fired.

Fallon raised a hand and blocked it. A shield of energy projected all around him, keeping the bolts at arm's length. All around him, jaws dropped. Louis's was one of them.

Fallon couldn't believe he hadn't been able to do this before. It seemed so obvious to him now. Like Louis's electric bolts, the energy came from his life force. Rather than draining his essence, however, the shield drew strength from the power of its attacker. The more Louis fired upon him, the more Fallon's shield sucked in the shock energy, and the weaker Louis became.

And Louis knew it. Fallon could see it in his eyes.

“Have you finished?” Fallon asked him. Louis didn't reply; he simply stared back, stunned. “Good.”

Fallon continued on his way, not even sparing his former boss a backward glance. It was a calculated risk—he wouldn't put it past Louis to shoot him in the back—but he needed the other Cupids to see he was unafraid.

It hadn't even occurred to Fallon to hit Louis. He was filled with such goodwill after his time with the Source, his anger had been set aside. All that mattered was getting to his destination, and doing what had to be done.

Because the Source had confirmed his suspicion about Susan Sides. She had indeed killed herself and become a Suicide, only to be revived. He'd need help to stop her, and he knew just where to go to get it.

Fallon reached the portals, thought of his destination, and stepped through.

Fallon stood outside Guildwood Mills High School. It was lunchtime. Divine timing, Fallon thought as he walked across the main lobby.

There they were. Fallon saw Trina and her friends having lunch in their usual spot by the main doors. There were two notable absentees: Ryan and Susan.

Fallon knelt beside Trina and waited for her to sense his presence. She turned immediately to look at him, and mouthed his name. He smiled, then put a finger to his lips. No need to embarrass her in front of the others.

“We need to talk,” Fallon told her. “Can you get away?”

Trina excused herself from the group and followed Fallon outside.

“What happened to you this time?” she asked when they were alone.

“Long story,” Fallon replied. “I'm … more than I was, Trina. Louis can't hurt me anymore.”

“Well, he sure hurt me,” she said. “He's not around, is he?”

“He'll be coming,” Fallon said, “but I'm more concerned about Ryan and Susan.”

“Ryan's taking some time off from school,” Trina said. “He'll be at home. And Susan … she didn't show up today! Do you think … ?”

“Yes, I do,” Fallon replied. “She's with him.”