Predestined (12 page)

Sighing, I leaned against the wall
beside the sink and took a drink of the coke in my hand. I needed
to talk with Gee alone but the protective stance Miranda had taken
said she wasn’t going anywhere. So, instead I ate my candy bar and
shot warning glares in Gee’s direction.

“When, uh, is uh, Dank gonna be
back?” Miranda’s voice trembled. Gee seemed to find this
entertaining.

“Not sure, he’ll probably call
tonight.”

“You gonna tell him Leif is back?”
she asked cautiously.

Of course I was as soon as I saw
him. Better yet I could send Gee to tell him. I wasn’t sure I could
convince her to leave me with Leif so close now but I was going to
try my hardest.

“Sure, but it isn’t a big deal.
Leif broke things off with me before he left. He’s just friendly.
You know that.” I didn’t even sound remotely believable.

Miranda frowned and walked over to
the mirror and began fixing a few of her curls that she thought
were out of place. “Hmmm, well ex-boyfriends can be a problem. Even
nice ones like Leif.”

She had no idea. “I think
everything will be fine.”

Gee found this funny and I glowered
in her direction which only caused her to cackle louder.

Miranda glanced back over her
shoulder and frowned at Gee but didn’t say anything.

“Okay, I’m finished. My
blood sugar
should be
fine now. Let’s get to class. We’re probably late.”

Chapter Ten

Dank

The soul standing
beside me watched anxiously as the little boy standing over the
soul’s former body cried loudly. I didn’t like situations like
this. I needed a transporter immediately. However, I wasn’t going
to leave until someone heard the boy’s cries and came running to
check on him.

“Wake up Grandpa, come on wake up,”
the boy chanted, shaking the empty body lying in the field. Dirty
tears streamed down the kid’s face. Although he wanted to believe
his grandfather was only sleeping he knew the truth. The sobs
wracking his body were an indicator he’d already accepted the fact
his grandpa had passed on.

I peered over at the soul whose
face was tense with frustration. He didn’t like seeing the boy
upset.

“He’ll be alright. You’ve had
several years with him to make an impression on his life,” I told
the soul and his eyes lifted to meet mine. Some peace drifted over
him.

“Sorry I’m late, Dankmar,” Kitely
apologized as she appeared to the right of the soul.

I nodded but didn’t say anymore.
The transporter took the soul and left. But I waited. Leaving the
boy out here alone with his dead grandfather wasn’t something I was
comfortable with. Not that he would come to harm. His soul wasn’t
marked to leave the earth. His life would be a long one. But
leaving him to grieve alone was wrong. I watched him grab handfuls
of the old man’s shirt and burry his face into the fabric. His sobs
were growing quieter now. Acceptance always came easier to the
young.

“COLBY!” A shrill female voice
called out and I lifted my eyes to see a young woman with short red
hair come running over the hill. The fear was etched on her face,
her large brown eyes bright with anxiety from the cries of her
child. She was worried about her son and didn’t realize yet her
father was gone. I peered down at the boy once more as he lifted
his head and called out to his mother. My work here was done. So I
left them.

The house smelled of ammonia and
vapor rub. It was a familiar smell. All the houses of the elderly I
visited smelled the same. The old lady, tucked firmly into her bed
under several homemade quilts that were a mixture of brightly
colored patterns that I had no doubt she’d made herself, stared up
at me through cloudy eyes. She’d lived a long one. This had been a
good life for her. One hundred and five years on this earth was a
gift very few were given. Only the best, most honored souls were
given these lives.

“Well, it’s about time you got
here,” she whispered in a weak voice.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d
been waiting on me. The oldest one always were. They knew when it
was time. These were the easiest souls to take.

“I’m
here on time,
cher
, you’re just an
impatient one,” I teased her with the endearment her husband had
used when he’d been alive. I remembered him murmuring, “I’ll see
you in the hereafter my
cher
,” to her before
he left his body. She’d smiled through her tears. That had been
almost fifty years ago.

“Ah, you heard him,” she smiled and
the wrinkles in her face crinkled even more.

“I did.”

“Well, let’s get on with it, shall
we, I’m ready to see my man,” she whispered and a series of coughs
wracked her small frail body. I reached for her soft cold hand and
she gave me one small squeeze before I drew her soul
out.

* * *

Gee was sitting in the purple chair
that had once been where I spent my nights as I walked into Pagan’s
room. Shifting my gaze to the bed I realized it was empty. I glared
at Gee, “Where is she?”

“Snippy, snippy Dankmar. Do you
have low blood sugar too?” she drawled. What the hell did she mean
by low blood sugar?

“Where is she Gee?”

Gee sighed loudly and stretched her
legs out in front of her. For once she wasn’t wearing the tall
black army boots she was so fond of. Her feet were bare and her
toenails were a hideous shade of bright green.

“She’s in the bathroom,
jeez.”

I turned to stalk out of the room
when Gee stopped me, “Um, Dankmar, I don’t think she’ll appreciate
you barging in on her while she showers.”

She was right of course. I wasn’t
thinking. It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d seen her
and I was growing more and more frustrated by the minute. Leif was
completely off my radar and I was still at a standstill on how to
deal with him. I’d thought after I disposed of Kendra he’d show up
but I’d gotten no response.

“You missed an awfully fun day,”
Gee’s sing-song voice wasn’t something that I found comfort in. It
meant she was about to say something that was bound to piss me
off.

“What did I miss?

“Well, let’s see, I found out Pagan
has low blood sugar and becomes a complete b--witch if she doesn’t
eat a candy bar during a stressful moment. And I found out that
Miranda does, in fact, love gossip and, quite possibly, Pagan more
than she loves the tall lanky boy she hangs all over,” Gee paused
and then grimaced when she heard my angry snarl. I wasn’t in the
mood for games. “Oh, and Leif has returned from visiting his
grandparents up North. The entire school was abuzz with
excitement.”

He’d returned to school. My
disposing of Kendra hadn’t sent him to me; it had sent him back
into Pagan’s world. I hadn’t expected that.

“Is Pagan okay?”

Gee stood up and threw an amused
smile my way before heading for the door, “Yes, of course. I was on
her like, um... I believe that old woman last week we took after
she’d burnt down her house cooking said ‘like white on rice’,” Gee
laughed. “That was one funny old lady. I hope I get to transport
her soul again the next time around.” Then Gee left the
room.

The pale pink dress hanging on the
outside of Pagan’s closet door caught my attention. The soft fabric
appeared almost precious enough to touch Pagan’s skin. I walked
over to it and picked up the dainty hem and rubbed the silky
texture between my fingers.

“Do you like it?” Pagan asked
before wrapping her arms around my waist.

“I love it. When will you wear it?”
I inquired turning around in her arms to gaze down at her and soak
in her features.

“Well,” she bit the inside of her
lip nervously then glanced around me to look at her dress. “I saw
it at the store and I just... liked it. I guess I need somewhere to
wear it...” she trailed off staring up at me hopefully. Was she
asking me to take her somewhere nice? Our last few weeks had been
anything but fun for her. We’d been dealing with Leif and his crap.
Other than the concert that ended horribly I hadn’t taken her
anywhere.

The door creaked and I lifted my
eyes to see Gee stick her head back inside. “It’s called
Valentine’s Day, you moron,” she announced. “If you’re going to
date a human, Dankmar, you need to remember their holidays.” Gee
gave me an exasperated look before closing the door once
more.

Valentine’s Day. I’d forgotten
about that holiday. Holidays usually meant more work for me.
Depressed people tended to end things on special occasions and
party goers drank too much and then got behind the wheels of
vehicles. But Valentine’s Day wasn’t too bad as far as suicides and
car wrecks were concerned.

“I’m sorry, Pagan. I’m not very
good at this, apparently. Can you forgive me for not thinking about
the fact I need to do more than just show up in your bedroom or go
with you to school? I’m a piss poor boyfriend aren’t I?”

“Ignore Gee. She just likes to give
you a hard time. Honestly, I didn’t buy this in hopes you’d take me
somewhere for Valentine’s Day. I just saw it and I remembered that
you wanted me to wear pale pink once, for the Homecoming Dance. I
thought I’d get it and maybe when we had time I could wear it
somewhere with you.”

I kissed the top of her head. Leif
was interfering in our lives and I didn’t like it. My mind was
focused so much on him and Pagan’s soul; I’d neglected her.
“Valentine’s we have a date and I definitely want you to wear that
dress.”

Pagan

Dank
was gone again today.
He’d
stayed the night with me or at least he’d been there when I feel
asleep. Last night he’d played my song. I’d missed hearing him sing
it.

There had been more words added
this time as if he’d perfected it. The desperate sound in his voice
had made me glad I was lying in my bed watching him. I was pretty
sure I’d have become a puddle on the floor if I’d tried to stand
up. His dark hair had fallen into his eyes as he looked down at the
guitar in his hands and strummed the beginning of the song. I’d
recognized it immediately. The words drifted through my head all
morning as I hummed the hauntingly sweet melody.

“You weren’t meant for the ice.
You weren’t made for the pain.

The world that lives inside of me
brought only shame.

You were meant for castles and
living in the sun.

The cold running through me should
have made you run.

Yet you stay holding onto
me

Yet you stay reaching out a hand
that I pushed away

Yet you stay when I know it’s not
right for you

Yet you stay

Yet you stay

I can’t feel the warmth. I need to
feel the ice.

I want to hold it all in until I
can’t feel the knife.

So I push you away and I scream
out your name

I know I can’t need you yet you
give in anyway

Yet you stay holding onto
me

Yet you stay reaching out a hand
that I pushed away

Yet you stay when I know it’s not
right for you

Yet you stay

Yet you stay

I can’t feel the warmth. I need to
feel the ice.

I want to hold it all in until I
can’t feel the knife.

So I push you away and I scream
out your name

And I know I can’t need you yet
you give in anyway

Yet you stay holding onto
me

Yet you stay reaching out a hand
that I pushed away

Yet you stay when I know it’s not
right for you

Yet you stay

Yet you stay

Oh, the dark will always be my
cloak and you are the threat to unveil my pain.

So leave, leave and erase my
memories

I need to face the life that was
meant for me.

Don’t stay and ruin all my
plans

You can’t have my soul, oh, I’m
not a man

The empty vessel I dwell in is not
meant to feel the heat you bring

So I push you away and I push you
away

Yet you stay

Ooooooh

Yet you stay

Yet you stay

Yet you stay”

“What has you looking all dreamy
standing over here all alone?” Miranda asked, startling me out of
my thoughts by slapping a hand against the closed locker beside
mine. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.

“Dank,” I replied.

Miranda raised her eyebrows and
fanned herself with one hand, “Girl, I don’t blame you, that boy
can wear a pair of jeans like nobody’s business.”

I laughed and shook my head.
Miranda truly appreciated men. She loved Wyatt but that didn’t stop
her from checking out the rest of the male population.