The Death of My First Assignment (Death Series)

by Ami Urban

  I shrugged. “I don’t know if I can, but I want to try. I have a friend back home who grew up hating her dad, and it’s what caused most of her issues. Serena’s behavior would improve if she just settled things with him.”

  The truth of the matter was that I couldn’t see how a father could just pick up and leave his only daughter. I just didn’t buy that he was jealous of her success. My bet pointed toward Serena as the reason.

  Marcus cleared his throat and picked up his pen once again. Pointing it at me, he said, “All right, look... The reason I moved Reenie out here was because this is where I figured Charles would go.

  “He met her mom here a year before they got married. I’ve tried reuniting them, Katie. But if you have some different ideas...”

  I kept quiet.

  He sighed and shook his head. “I have no idea where Charles is. I tried finding him and got nowhere. I honestly think it’s better to let bygones be bygones.”

  “Oh, well—”

  “But! I really want Reenie to know her father.” He sighed. “Charles and I used to know this guy named Chris Summers who went to Woodrow with her mom.”

  Marcus began writing.

  “Last I heard, Chris was still receiving a letter a month from Charles. If you really want to find him, I’ll give you his address.”

  He tore a piece of paper from the list and held it out. When I reached for it, he yanked it back at the last second.

  “Don’t get your hopes up.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good.”

  I snatched the paper from him and gave it a once over.

  “So, am I correct in assuming that you don’t really want to be a singer?” he asked.

  “Why would you say that?” I feigned innocence.

  “Because I know Serena, which allows me to know her friends even better.

  “That and something just tells me you’re not one to aim for the spotlight.”

  He gave me a wry smile.

  “You’d be right.”

  “Okay. Go to bed now, Katie. I may not be your real Dad, but I am your guardian for the rest of the week.”

  “Yes, Mr. Perry.” I scuttled out of the room.

  When my bathroom break was over, I felt the weight of sleepiness overcome me, and I thanked those alter-dimensional elders for some sleep.

  But when I stepped into the bedroom, who else was waiting there for me but Julian.

  “What are you doing here?” I snapped as the thing called Zowe began growling like crazy.

  Serena mumbled something in her sleep and turned on her side.

  “I came to check up on you both.” He crossed his fingers over his heart. “I swear.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Wha...? It’s the middle of the night, Julian. Why are you really here?”

  Zowe jumped from the bed.

  Julian bent down as the snarling creature threatened to latch onto the hem of his jeans. He reached out, clicking his tongue, and she backed away, seeming apprehensive.

  She gave a soft growl, and he rolled his eyes, bravely plucking her from the carpet and settling her in the crook of his arm.

  For a moment, both the dog and I were startled into silence. Zowe’s little black shark eyes were enormous—I could see the whites. She was looking at the ground like it had abandoned her.

  But when Julian began stroking her and cooing to her like Serena had, she melted, cuddling into him like she was a tiny baby.

  “Right.” He watched her with interest. “Sorry about that. I’m here because Kevin asked me.”

  I didn’t answer. I was too busy wondering what kind of sorcery he’d just used to calm the baby dragon in his arms. He looked up.

  “Hello?”

  I shook my head. “Why the hell does she like you and not me?”

  “It’s all about being gentle and loving, Katherine.” He smiled down at her. “I love these little third dimension creatures. Some of them are adorable.”

  “You find that adorable?”

  It growled at me.

  “Shh… She can hear you, you know.”

  “Yeah, who couldn’t she hear with those vampire bat ears?”

  “Why would Kevin need me to check up on you?”

  “I don’t know. Was he reading my mind again?” I dropped onto the edge of my bed in defeat. No way Kevin could have heard my plot from miles away.

  He frowned. “Not that I know of. He just said, ‘make sure Katie and Serena don’t have any midnight visitors.’ What would he mean by that?”

  A shiver ribboned its way down my spine. The caress I felt... Was someone there? If Kevin could sense them, was it a wraith?

  “I don’t know…”

  “Katherine...you can’t hide your thoughts from me, either,” Julian replied with a serious face.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Was there someone hear with you tonight?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “I woke up suddenly and thought there was, but...” I trailed off with a shrug.

  “Do you feel anything now?” he asked.

  I tried my best to sit still and put my energy out to see if I could sense something. But I came up empty, so I shook my head.

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry. If Kevin can sense them I can get to you in a matter of seconds. Erm...that is if you’ll permit me to forego the door rule.”

  I sat up straight. “Never.”

  He shrugged. “If you insist. So... What’s this I hear in your mind about a little adventure? Found Serena’s father, have you?”

  “Do you ever keep your psychic hands to yourself?” I demanded.

  “What do you think?” He tossed me a wink.

  The wheels began turning in my head. “Actually...you could be of some use to me.”

  “Oh?” He raised a dark eyebrow.

  “Mm-hm. I need to go downtown tomorrow to look for an address. There’s a guy Serena’s dad used to hang out with that may know where he is.”

  “Why do you need me for that?”

  “I hate going places by myself. Plus...if I get mugged, the whole Death’s Touch thing might come in handy.”

  * * *

  “Katie! Get up!”

  I rolled onto my back, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. It had taken hours to go back to sleep the night before.

  My brain wouldn’t stop thinking about visiting this Chris Summers fellow and taking Julian with me while trying to think happy thoughts in front of Kevin. But most of all, I was scared—scared that whoever had touched me in the night would be back. Just before five a.m., I’d drifted off.

  And at six, Serena was shaking me awake and yelling that I get up.

  “School doesn’t start for another two hours.” I yawned. “Why are we in such a hurry?”

  Serena tossed a uniform at me. “Because Tuesdays are free breakfast days in the cafeteria and I’ll be damned if I miss out because you’re lazy!”

  I tossed her a glare as I buttoned my long-sleeve white shirt. I shrugged into the vest and pleated skirt.

  But in my nervousness about my first assignment, I’d forgotten to pack tasteful shoes.

  “Crap. All I have are my Vans. Can I borrow a pair of your shoes?”

  She stood at the door to the room, looking at me like I was insane for asking. I took the hint and laced up my shoes. Way to look even more like a reject, Katie...

  “I’d never seen someone so enthusiastic about a free breakfast,” I muttered as Serena pulled into a parking space in the student lot.

  “I’m thinking more for your benefit,” she admitted. “Free breakfast and coffee means non-cranky friends. Face it, we need them on their best behavior when I force you on them.”

  She unbuckled her seat belt and slammed the car door on her way out.

  “And here I thought this was my chore.”

  I took a deep breath before removing myself from the car.

  Serena was tapping her foot, waiting for me on the front step.

  Students wer
e all over the place that morning, pushing each other and filing inside.

  Free Breakfast Tuesday was a nice choice. Way to get the students in early.

  “Hurry up!” Serena had her arms folded over her chest.

  “You don’t need to force me on anyone, you know. I’m perfectly—”

  I stopped short when I felt something wasn’t right. I halted just before the entrance. Serena sighed.

  “What now?”

  “I...” That feeling was crawling up the back of my neck again.

  Either Kevin was calling for me—which was doubtful seeing as he was probably busy setting up for class—or a wraith was nearby. I started to scan the crowd of students in the grass.

  “What’s the matter?” Serena wondered. A slight lilt of fear laced her words.

  “I don’t—”

  That’s when I spotted him. He was a totally normal looking kid with dark hair, brooding eyes of the same color, and a smile that creeped me out to no end. But, otherwise, absolutely nothing stood out about him. He was leaning against the High School’s sign.

  The only reason I knew he was a wraith was because the feeling of being read intensified when our eyes met.

  Serena followed my gaze. All at once, she let out an “Ooohh...”

  “I couldn’t have put it better myself,” I muttered.

  “No wonder you’re speechless.”

  I turned to her, letting the sensation of pins and needles up my spine subside. “You feel it, too?”

  “Who wouldn’t?”

  “I doubt he wants everyone in the school to know what he is.” I turned my attention back to him.

  A smile tugged at the corners of his tight mouth.

  “They already do.” Serena slung her purse over one shoulder.

  “What?” How could they possibly?

  “That’s Andy Bowdry. He’s quarterback for the football team. Duh...”

  What the heck was going on? Andy Bowdry was not a student, a quarterback, or a human! At that moment, he was a wraith. Had he always been a wraith? Because if not, the real Andy Bowdry was dead. You couldn’t fit two souls in one body.

  I opened my mouth to tell Serena that she was sorely mistaken, but she continued without looking. “Maybe you should go talk to him before all this sexual tension explodes.”

  “I—”

  Sexual tension? She was mistaking severe anxiety and sanity threats for sexual tension? No wonder she got into so much trouble all the time. When I made no move, she turned to look at me. With an exasperated sigh, she grabbed my wrist with her female claws.

  Then, to my horror, she signaled at the wraith, heading off with an enthusiastic, “Oi, you want her? Come get her?”

  And at that moment, I really believed Serena could make a living as a human target. If this wraith was after my soul or hers, we were in trouble. I’d been hoping none of them would get to her so soon, but I learned that I shouldn’t leave my guard down...ever.

  The wraith and I locked eyes again as Serena pushed me gently down the steps. I watched him beckon to me.

  “Go have fun, Katie,” Serena said.

  “You might want to reconsider—”

  “Bollocks. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve seen that look before. The boy wants you; you shouldn’t turn him down, either. By the looks of it, you need to live more than I do. And I’m dyin’!”

  “Not so loud!” I whispered, looking around at the other students.

  “Who bloody cares? For all they know, I’m suicidal!”

  Even though there were too many kids around piling inside to get a free meal, I was happy for the public.

  The wraith would have to either get us somewhere private or risk being seen by many.

  Wraiths weren’t that stupid.

  Serena pushed me again, but I tugged out of her grasp. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just—”

  “Ah... You want some time alone. All right, then. I’ll just go inside and have a bite. I won’t bother you at all. Meet me in there when you’re...done.” She winked before slipping into the school.

  I stared after her for a moment, the fear of being alone with the wraith tugging hard at me.

  I felt his fingers wrap around my wrist, freezing me to the bone.

  I spun around to face him, anticipating that intense bug-crawling feeling again.

  But when I looked at him, it was gone. I felt only relief and maybe a little heat.

  Was that me?

  He didn’t even have to say anything.

  All he had to do was tug a little, and I followed him like a diligent and loyal puppy.

  He pulled me around the side of the building, away from the noise, but still halfway out in the open so people knew we were there. My nerves unwound even more.

  “I know what you are.” I dropped my voice to a low whisper. “And I know what you want. You won’t get it.”

  He smiled, searching my face. My cheeks badly wanted to go red, but I swallowed it.

  I was done being afraid and mousy. Kevin and Julian just wanted to coddle me because they didn’t think I could look out for myself. Well, I was going to prove them wrong, even if it...killed me.

  But still, he didn’t answer me. He just stared as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  And just like that, I felt naked. I knew he could see into my soul, knowing I was a Siren right away. He could see things no one else could. What was more, I felt like I knew him.

  “Who are you?” I asked as bravely as I could.

  A smile curled his lips at the corners. “You know who I am, Lamb...”

  I gulped.

  My first thought after the whisper flowed from his mouth was, nope.

  And that’s about as far as my thoughts got, because after that, they went verbal.

  Irish Moses chuckled. He was in a different body now.

  He had no accent, but somehow it still sounded like that old Éire I knew.

  But he no longer had the red hair and freckled face I remembered. Yet, I recognized him.

  “Didn’t you learn last time? You can’t have my soul!” I said, regaining what little of the courage I had in reserve.

  “Your soul doesn’t belong to you anymore, Lamb. It belongs to them. No wraith would be stupid enough to risk being tethered between dimensions for a silly Siren’s soul.”

  I skipped my obvious question about what being tethered between dimensions meant because I didn’t want to look like an amateur.

  “How’d you get back? And what have you done to the kid whose body you took?”

  His smile was replaced by a threatening frown, his eyes going dark. “It was time-consuming to find a suitable body. I simply decided to take one.”

  “You killed him...”

  He rolled those ominous dark eyes. “Sacrifices have to be made sometimes, Lamb.”

  “Yeah? Well, I hope you know how to play football,” I shot. “If you didn’t come for my soul, what did you come back for?”

  “I came for revenge.”

  “Revenge? Revenge against whom? Certainly not me. I didn’t do anything to you.” I was rambling. “And if it’s Serena you’re after, you’re barking up the wrong tree, Pal.”

  The mischievous smile appeared once again, along with what seemed like a bit of surprise in his dark eyes.

  “It’s not you, or even that pathetic excuse for a human soul you’re helping I want revenge upon.”

  “Then who?!”

  “Your friend the psychopomp.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He’d said the word psychopomp like it was poisonous. To his admonition, I laughed. But when he looked at me like he wanted to rip my soul out, I stopped short.

  “What could Julian possibly have done to you to make you hate him so much?”

  “As...cute as I think it is that you’ve named the little demon, I must insist you hand him over to me.

  He denied me entrance into my dimension and I have been forced to travel between
worlds without energy, without a source of power, and without a body. I will see to it that he repays this…treachery,” he said.

  “Well, I don’t know where he is.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “I think you do, Katie Bunny.”

  “What am I, his watchdog? I do not have control over him. If you want him so badly, you find him.”

  Irish Moses’s dark eyes narrowed into slits, but that knowing smile betrayed him. He took a step back, holding out both arms.

  “I may do just that, Katie Bunny.”

  * * *

  The cafeteria was full to the brim with high school students, pushing each other in line for the next pastry and cup of coffee.

  I searched the room and spotted Serena and her friends in a corner against the back wall. I made a beeline for their table.

  I had to distance myself from Irish Moses as best I could. He was now a student at the same school. Andy Bowdry was dead, and I’d been talking to his reanimated corpse.

  Someone else’s soul was in there.

  As much as those facts made me want to vomit continuously for the rest of my life, I had to act like nothing was wrong. And I had to make new friends.

  I dropped into a seat next to Serena just as six sets of cold stares came my way.

  Serena pushed a tray in my direction with a nice pastry on it. Too bad my appetite was non-existent.

  Kinda like Andy Bowdry.

  I stifled a flinch and picked up the breakfast treat anyway, picking away the top layer of flaky dough.

  “What’s she doing here, Reenie?” Justine demanded from in front of me.

  “She’s my new friend, and if any of you have any issues with that, tell me now.” Serena stared them all down. No one said a word. “Good. Now, what were we talkin’ about?”

  “Your other new friend, Joseph Bateman,” the tiny-voiced girl to my left said.

  “Oh, yeah.” Serena smiled. “So, Friday night, yeah? I’m on the out with Marcus because he’s bein’ a royal pain in my arse, so I decide I wanna have some fun. So, I go to that new club in downtown, yeah?”

  “But, you’re only eighteen…” the girl said.

  “Yeah, Mary, I know. In London, birds and blokes can drink at eighteen. Sometimes, I forget the rules.”

  She tossed me a faux wink. I smiled, but Justine glared at me. I wanted to badly to roll my eyes in her direction, but I controlled it.