by Julie Hall
“But it sure doesn’t hurt.”
One side on her mouth turned up in a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ll give you that one.”
Romona gave herself a visible shake. “Let’s get out tonight. It’s not good for you to spend all of your time in this room or the training center. The afterlife is so much more than that. I think you need a little fun after the day you’ve had.”
“That is the best idea I’ve heard all day.” I headed toward my magic closet, determined to end the day well. It was time to change more than just my room.
Romona knew exactly what to do to get my mind off of training, fights with Logan, and my ongoing string of embarrassments. We had dinner with a couple of her friends at a place that resembled a 1950s diner. We sat in red vinyl booths and were served by waitresses on roller skates with foot-high beehive hairdos. But far more interesting than the venue were Romona’s friends.
One was a petite, redheaded girl with a great sense of humor, named Sarah. She looked even younger than me, but she said she had been here a while. She didn’t elaborate, but the way she said “a while,” I assumed she was older than me despite her appearance. She worked as a historian in the great library, which I didn’t even know existed. That alone proved I needed to get out more.
The great library not only housed all the books of the world but also the accurate histories of the ages. Sarah explained that she spent time making sure all the events on Earth were cataloged and recorded properly so everyone here could keep up with what was going on there. Most of the information was relayed to the historians through the angels, who frequently traveled between the two realms, but she also admitted there was another source she wasn’t allowed to talk about. She remained pretty tight-lipped about it, laughing good-naturedly at my unveiled attempts to pry more details from her. I made it my secret mission to get more information out of her the next time we met.
The other of Romona’s friends, Gary, was an equally interesting character in a completely different way. Gary was a black man who grew up in Georgia and actually lived through the American Civil War. He looked about forty years old. Gary’s Southern accent was thick, and he was quick to laugh at my “Yankee” accent, immediately making me feel comfortable. His work here had something to do with agriculture. He said it wasn’t exactly farming, but close. The next time I had a day off, he’d show me where he worked.
I stayed up late talking and laughing with Romona and her friends and woke up regretting it. Lethargy weighted my limbs as I dragged my feet through the training center hallways. But it wasn’t only the lack of sleep that had me moving slowly this morning. Logan had left a note on my door with special instructions for the day. Included was a list of needed items. Considering he’d chucked me in the pond the day before, I thought it was a joke—a bad one. Towel, swimsuit, sandals, and bag lunch. Luckily for Logan, Romona had stopped me from hunting him down to tell him exactly where he could put his list. She somehow even managed to convince me to bring everything he requested.
Logan was doing pull-ups with his back to me when I entered the gym. I didn’t bother to stop the door from banging shut behind me. The sound echoed loudly through the room, but it didn’t interrupt the rhythm of his reps. I waited for him to acknowledge me. The muscles in his shoulders and arms flexed as he smoothly pulled himself up and down. I was both jealous and impressed at the ease of his movements. I had struggled with just a few pull-ups the day before. He made it look effortless.
Logan finished his set before hopping down and bending over to grab his water bottle. From the state of the room, he must have been there for a while. The practice dummy was once again missing a limb that lay about seven feet away from the rest of the body. A pair of boxing wraps were unraveled next to the punching bag, and the room smelled. Eww.
Logan put down his water bottle, wiped his forehead with a towel, and finally jogged over to me. Apparently he did sweat. Kicking my butt must not be much of a workout for him. That prickled my already heightened annoyance. I was prepared to walk straight out of the gym if he said one word about my fainting episode.
“You know, if you’ve already had your workout, I’m happy to call it a day and come back tomorrow.”
“Ha, you should be so lucky. This was just my warm-up”
“Lovely.”
“Glad to see you’re in another one of your good moods, Sunshine.” He eyed my bag. “Did you bring all the things on the list?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” was all he said.
I let the shoulder strap slide, and the stuffed bag thumped to the floor. “So, speaking of, what do you have planned today?”
“It’s a fun surprise. I can tell you one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re going down today.”
“Down? Down where?” He’d lost me. There was only one floor to the training center. Maybe there was a basement I didn’t know about.
“Down down . . . down to Earth down.” He motioned and said the words slowly, as if he were speaking to a child. That was annoying, but I was too caught off guard to care much.
“Really? I mean, we can do that?”
“Of course. Where do you think we fight demons, anyway?”
Holy cow! “We’re going to fight demons today? That’s what you consider fun?” This guy was certifiably crazy.
“Nope, something better.” He read concern on my face, and his mouth split into a grin. “Oh come on, don’t you trust me?”
“No,” I answered flatly.
“Well, fair enough. I did dump you in a pond yesterday.”
“Yes, you did.”
“But didn’t we have a good conversation afterward? Didn’t you say that you would trust me?” He took a step closer, and I had to tilt my head back to look at his face. He was trying to manipulate me.
“Yes, but . . .”
“And didn’t we agree that you needed to be trained properly?”
I glared at him. I had serious reservations about going back to Earth, even if I wasn’t sure why.
“So we can go back, just like that?”
“Yep, just like that.”
“We don’t need a permission slip or something?”
“Nope.”
I met his eyes and tried to look serious. “Are you sure this isn’t your evil plot to get rid of me once and for all? Go to Earth and leave me there to wander for the rest of eternity?”
“No, Audrey. I promise.” He had the serious face down better than I did. All the earlier teasing was put aside now.
I chewed on my lower lip. Thinking of going back to Earth caused a knot to lodge in my stomach. And maybe I did know why. Going back would mean I would have to admit to myself that this was all real. Was I really ready to start moving forward? So far everything had been new and weird and different, but it certainly didn’t feel like real life—or rather, real death. More like a really long and weird dream.
“Oh, come on, Audrey.” He was close enough there was no need to speak loudly. It felt like a whispered dare. “What are you so afraid of?”
His stare was so intense I wanted to squirm. I suppressed the urge and swallowed my remaining reservations.
“Okay, then. How does this work?”
The words escaped my lips as a chill slid down my spine. I didn’t have to be a prophetess to see change coming. It encircled and tugged me forward like a rope tied at my waist. The way I saw it, my only options were to either concede to the change and walk upright toward it or plant my feet and be dragged. Either way, change was coming.
9
Riding the Waves
Logan led me across the training center to a room that must have been based on stolen blueprints for the Star Trek transporter room. Focused technicians stood behind counter-height panels punching buttons, barely sparing us a glance. In front of them and to our right was a raised, rounded platform with lighted pads just large enough for a human to stand on. I swallowed a giggle.
I stepped up. Clearing my thoughts was harder than expected. Nervous fingers of apprehension skimmed over my body. I’d been told not to talk, so I was left in the blackness to silently wonder what was next.
“She’s a little worked up, but it shouldn’t be a problem. You’re a go for transportation whenever you are ready, Logan.” Suddenly a blast of warm air hit me from all sides, then began to swirl like a tornado, blowing my hair in all directions and muffling my surroundings. I experienced a moment of weightlessness right before the whirlwind stopped.
I squinted against the sudden brightness behind my lids. Tears welled in the corners of my eyes as I forced them open and the world slowly came back into focus. I smelled the salt in the air and heard the rhythmic sounds of the tide flowing in and out before my eyes adjusted enough to see a strip of beach stretched out on either side of me.
Seagulls were calling above, and I smiled. In that moment I discovered something else about myself. I loved the beach. I loved the feel of the sand beneath my feet and between my toes, the warmth of the sun on my skin, and the coolness of the water. I loved the weightless feeling of the tide sweeping the sand from beneath your feet as the waters recede back into the ocean.
With a laugh, I stripped off my shoes and ran into the surf. It was as cool and refreshing as I had hoped it would be. I waited with my toes buried in the wet sand to feel the pull of the tide and lifted my face to the sky to soak in the warmth. Inhaling a deep breath I absorbed the peace of my surroundings. There was nowhere else I wanted to be.
And then I was attacked.
I shrieked in surprise when a large, wet, and furry being jumped on me. I lost my balance and landed butt-first in the sand with the creature on top of me. My hands came up in defense as the thing goobered me with its tongue. The sun was so bright and I was so startled that it took me a moment to recognize that a very large dog was on top of me, licking my face as if his life depended on it. Some demon fighter I was! Rendered useless by a family pet.
Realizing I wasn’t in any immediate danger, I started to laugh again. The dog licked me with increased fervor. In my defense, the thing must have weighed at least a ton. I struggled to get him off me between mouthfuls of laughter. Why is it always harder to move when you’re laughing?
Mercifully, someone yelled, “Peanut! Come here, baby, what are you digging at over there?” The girl calling from down the beach was a petite brunette who didn’t look at all as if she could handle an animal his size. “Come here, boy, I’ve got a treat.”
At the word “treat,” the dog lifted and turned his head toward the voice, his overgrown apricot coat blowing in the breeze. He sniffed the air as if it testing the validity of his owner’s promises.
“Come on, boy, let’s go home.”
With that, the dog stepped on my throat before bounding off after his owner. I was left on the ground covered in sand, seawater, and dog saliva, but it was the happiest I’d been since I’d woken up dead.
“Some animals can see us, but the people here won’t.”
Logan’s voice jerked me out of the moment. I bent my head back to see him standing a few feet behind me with a relaxed smile on his face, looking off in the direction of my furry friend. “His owner probably just saw him pawing at the sand.”
“Yeah, well, I appreciate the chivalrous rescue.” I couldn’t sound too serious with the big grin on my face.
Logan certainly didn’t look offended. “And stop the love fest that dog was giving you? Never!”
He gracefully seated himself on the sand next to me. I was intrigued by the information he’d just given. “So none of them can see us, huh?”
“Nope. They just see currents in the water or wind blowing the sand.”
“So will they, like, just go through us like ghosts? Because I’m going to say right now that I think that would be a major violation of my personal space.”
“Well, first of all, there’s no such thing as ghosts, but to answer your question, no. When we’re on Earth, the people living here have a sixth sense to avoid running into us. Watch this.”
He pointed off to the right, where a family of six was walking along the beach with arms full of beach gear. Mom and Dad were trying to corral three young boys and a girl right toward us. When they got within about five feet, the mom pointed at a spot on the beach near the water, and the whole lot of them veered off before stepping right on Logan.
“So what happens if we bump into them?” I asked.
“They trip.”
The family was busy setting up their beach chairs and cooler. “So what else should I know about being back on Earth? To actually hunt and fight demons, this is where we need to be, right?”
“Yep, this is the battleground. We usually come down in rotations. We do most of our training back in our realm and then spend time down here protecting, patrolling, and sometimes following up on leads. But we don’t stay down here for too long. The longer we’re on Earth, the weaker we get—both mentally and physically. We’re not made for this realm anymore, so it takes a toll on us. It can be pretty dangerous if we’re here for too long.”
“How long is too long?” I asked.
Logan shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know exactly. We usually try not to stay for more than a few days at a time. Even that is hard. You’ll see what I mean.”
He picked up a shell in the sand and threw it side-handed into the ocean. I watched it skip across the water before pressing him.
“But what happens if we stay longer?”
Logan’s silence was telling. Apparently he wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet.
“There are other interesting things about being back on Earth,” he told me. Without warning, he picked my hand up from the sand and held it between both of his. I was so taken aback that he was holding my hand that I didn’t notice the point he was trying to make. Logan was always so careful to avoid touching my skin.
My hand was so small between both of his. His fingers were long and graceful, more like a painter’s than a fighter’s. They were a lot softer than I would have imagined them to be as well. Not that I’d ever imagined them to be anything! With that thought, my cheeks started to heat up. Thank goodness for the warmth of the sun.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
Was he talking about holding my hand being pretty cool?
It was only after he dropped mine and went on talking that it registered that I hadn’t felt anything from the empathy link. I had been feeling too much of my own stuff to realize I wasn’t getting anything from him. That thought made me shift uncomfortably on the sand, putting a few extra inches between us.
“None of us have the empathy link with each other here. It feels the same as when we were alive. But more importantly, you need to know that we can link with the demons.” The muscles in his shoulders tightened, and he sat up straighter. The talk was getting serious.
I finally found my voice. “The demons?”
Logan nodded gravely.
“But why would we want an empathy link with a demon?”
“Exactly. We don’t. But they do.”
As usual, I wasn’t following. My brows came together in confusion. “You see, the demons are filled with everything dark in the world—all the hate, wrath, lust, greed, jealousy, and just plain blackness out there. If they get hold of one of us, it’s as if we absorb what they are feeling, and it’s incapacitating. Not only that, they feed off our emotions. It’s similar to the myths of vampires sucking blood from their victims.”
I jerked another inch away, creeped out by the thought. “Eww, you have got to be kidding me. That is nasty!”
“Afraid not. Of course, they can’t ever really suck what’s good in us away unless we let them, but it’s something I hope you never have to experience.”
>
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he’d ever experienced it, but the way he talked about it, it felt too personal a question to ask.
“Demons grow stronger by destroying the people here on Earth. They latch onto people and encourage them to do all sorts of things that ultimately hurt them in the end. The more lives the demons ruin, the greater they grow, but their hunger doesn’t stop with the living. If the lives of the living are food to them, then we’re a drug. Sometimes they even seek us out because of it . . . like an addict looking for his next fix. It makes some demons very unpredictable and even more dangerous.”
That sent a chill down my spine. “I hadn’t heard that before.”
“There’s a lot you still don’t know.” Logan stared at the waves. A faraway look had captured his eyes. I felt comfortable studying his silhouette because he was so focused on the unseen. “That’s why it’s so important for you to get all you can out of this training. We try to work in units as much as possible, but you need to be able to defend yourself alone if it ever comes to that. What we do is important to the people we are protecting, but it’s also dangerous to ourselves—perhaps even more so for you because they might see you as weak.”
I would have been offended by that last comment if he hadn’t said it so matter-of-factly. And it wasn’t like I could disagree. I’d already admitted more than once that I was a pretty pathetic hunter.
We were both quiet for a few more minutes. I couldn’t feel the sun warming me anymore. It felt as if a ball of ice had lodged itself in my throat, preventing me from swallowing. I had to break the tension somehow.
“So did you bring me out here to teach me to swim or something? Because you know, I already figured out that I can swim thanks to the pond you dumped me in yesterday.”
The corner of his mouth went up. Now that we weren’t in the heat of the moment anymore, even I acknowledged the humor of our fight.
