by Nicky Graves
“What else?” I asked.
She thought for a moment. “Maybe take some lessons.”
“Like what?”
“I always liked to play the piano when I was a kid, but my parents didn’t have the money for lessons. I might want to try that.”
I never knew that about her. Didn’t really know too much about her as a kid or young adult. Once she found out she was pregnant with me and had no idea where the father was, her parents turned their backs on her. Never did meet my grandparents. But maybe it was for the better. It wasn’t like they had ever tried to meet me or David.
“I definitely want to see you both graduated and married,” she said. “That’s if you want to get married,” she added. “No pressure.”
I wondered if she added that last bit because my dating life was nonexistent. Maybe she didn’t want to make me feel bad that I was a failure in that respect.
She shrugged. “I really don’t have many things on my list, I guess,” she said. “I’m happy. Sure, it would be nice to win the lottery and not have to worry about bills. But that’s not really something for a bucket list. That’s more like a fairy-tale wish.”
“What about skydiving?” I asked.
“No way. And don’t get ideas about skydiving. It’s dangerous.”
“So is the bathtub,” I said.
“What?”
“Never mind,” I muttered. “How about skiing? Winter is coming up. Do you want to try that?”
She thought for a moment. “We’d have to rent equipment and get lessons. And the lift tickets. It might be a little too expensive.”
I put it on my list anyway. It wasn’t like I had a lot going on. I even added skydiving—although I’m pretty sure my fear of heights would put a stop to that.
“How about ice skating?” she asked.
“Okay.” I said, adding that to the list.
“You know what I’ve always wanted to do?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.
“What?”
“See a comet. I always find out about them after the fact, or I’m in an area that has too much light.”
“That’s not a bad one,” I said, adding it to my list.
I made a mental note to talk to Larue and see if she had anything to add. I wasn’t going to ask David. He’d probably just say he’d want to discover a buried treasure.
9
The next day while I was sitting in Larue’s bedroom, I asked her what was on her bucket list.
“I definitely want to get a college degree,” she said.
“And?” That wouldn’t be added to my list. I was having a hard enough time trying to train and go to high school.
“Well, I already went on a date to the dance, so that’s been checked off.”
“That was on your list?”
“I don’t really have a list, but it was something I wanted.”
“Oh, okay. Go on.”
“Well, there’s prom. I definitely want to go to prom.”
I looked at my notebook. It seemed like a silly thing to write in there, but I’d been told going to prom was something people look back on as a good thing. So, I jotted it down.
“What else?” I asked.
“What are you doing?” she asked, staring at my notebook.
“I’m writing a bucket list.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” I said, not coming up with an excuse I could tell Larue. “Other people do it. Just tell me what else you want to do before you die.”
She twisted her mouth when she thought. Her pink, glossy lips looked puffy and distorted when she did that. I wondered if I should wear lip gloss. Larue was forever telling me to wear makeup, but it seemed a waste of time and money to slather on a face when I already had a free one. And it wasn’t a horrible face either. It wasn’t too round or too oval. Nothing protruded where it shouldn’t. I liked it. David had called me butt-face many times, but that was to annoy me.
Still, I needed items for my list. So, I wrote down to wear makeup, but I knew I probably wouldn’t make too much effort to check it off.
Seriously, was I the only one who didn’t have any ambitions?
“I guess I want to get married.” Larue twisted her honey-blonde hair with her finger.
I realized that wasn’t an option for me. How could I explain to my future husband that when I died, I’d come back to life and then never grow old?
No kids.
No grandkids.
I was okay with all of that. I mean, at seventeen I wasn’t looking for a husband, let alone kids. But it did make me realize how a traditional life might never be in the cards for me.
I didn’t want to think about it, so I asked, “What else?”
She sighed. “Riley, I don’t know. I guess I want what other people want in life. Good job, happy family, maybe see a bit of the world.”
“That’s it?”
She shrugged. “What else is there?”
“Skydiving?”
She frowned. “We’re both afraid of heights.”
“I know. I just can’t think of anything else.”
“Maybe you should put down on your list to buy a car. Wasn’t that why you took the summer job at that landscaping place?”
“I didn’t make as much as I’d hoped,” I said. “However, there’s a patched-up motorcycle at the junkyard I might be able to afford.”
“You don’t know how to ride a motorcycle. And it’s dangerous. Your mom will say no.”
But I wanted to learn, and it would be a great addition to my list.
Boomer materialized next to me and plopped down on the bed as if he’d been invited.
“What are you writing?” he asked, peeking over my shoulder.
I quickly tucked the notebook into my pocket.
“Come on,” he said. “I was only curious.”
Larue stretched, and Boomer’s gaze shifted to her. I imagine it had to do with her shirt pulled tight against her breasts. She was what some might term “stacked.”
“Larue, what would you say if a hundred-year-old man was interested in you?”
“Eww! Why would you even ask that?” She shuddered.
“Not cool,” Boomer said.
I raised a brow at him.
“We have to go,” he said. “Lawson got his hands on a tripped-out crystal. He thinks it will help with training.”
“Larue, I have to go,” I said.
“But you said we could do research for our paper together.”
“I’ll have to do it later. I forgot I was supposed to watch David,” I lied.
“Oh,” she said with a frown. “Well, call me later and we can try to do it over the phone.”
I gave a nod as I picked up my backpack and swung it on my shoulder.
As soon as I walked out of her bedroom and closed the door, Boomer touched my arm and we were pulled to the dead zone.
I followed Boomer to a silver pod that looked like all the others.
“Aren’t there any addresses on these things?” I asked.
“This isn’t Earth.”
“But how do you know which pod to go to?”
“You just do.”
“I don’t.”
“You will.”
“When?”
“Probably when you die.”
“I don’t know why anyone would want to live here. Everything looks the same. It’s like a continually dismal day.”
He shushed me. “There are ears everywhere here.”
“Now I have to worry about ears? Whose ears?”
“That’s not all you have to worry about.” He pressed his hand against the outside wall and waited a moment. Eventually his hand pushed through and he stepped inside, taking me with him.
My first view was of Lawson and Ranger standing near a small wooden table off to the side of the living area. I then saw a bluish glow coming from the table. Boomer pushed me past the sagging sofa toward the table.
“Stop pushing me,” I said, swatting at
his hand.
“You’re taking too long.”
“I’m sorry, but there is a glowing thing on the table that I wasn’t prepared for.”
When I was close enough to see better, I realized it was a blue crystal. At least, it looked like a crystal. It was about the size of a lime and jagged in areas.
“What is it?” I asked, dropping my bag to the floor.
Ranger scratched his jaw. “It might help you shift.”
“Shift?” I asked.
“You called it teleporting before,” Boomer said. “Reapers call it shifting.”
“This thing is supposed to make me do that?” I asked.
“Yes,” Lawson said. There was hesitation in his voice.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.
“We don’t know for sure if it will work.” Ranger crossed his arms, making his abnormally large biceps look like basketballs. I wondered if his large muscles had anything to do with his demon side or if he just liked working out. Was there a gym in the dead zone? Did demons even need a gym?
“So this thing could be useless?” I asked.
“We can’t test it since we already know how to shift,” Lawson said.
“If I test it, what could happen?” I asked
“Well, you could end up in another dimension or realm,” Lawson said. “Ranger should be able to find you if that happens.”
“Should?” I asked.
“It might take a while,” Ranger said.
“How long?” I asked.
“You might be dead before it happens,” he answered. “But that will solve your problem.”
“Because being alive is a problem?” I questioned.
He nodded.
“What else might happen?” I asked, knowing there was more to it than getting lost.
“You could die right away,” Lawson said.
“Which will also solve your problem,” Ranger said.
“Being alive isn’t a problem for me. Only you guys have a problem with it.” I didn’t want to glare at the big demon guy who seemed to want me dead, but I did glare at Lawson.
“You don’t have to do it,” Lawson said. “But it’s the only thing the Supreme Elder could find that might allow you to shift.”
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” I asked Lawson.
“You are talking to him,” Boomer said.
“She means alone,” Ranger said, and then he disappeared . . . no, shifted.
Boomer shifted a moment after, leaving Lawson and me alone.
“I know I’m asking a lot of you,” Lawson started. “But this could be a good thing. The Supreme Elder wants you to try it. However, I’m not going to make you do this.”
I glanced at the crystal. “It could kill me?”
“We don’t know what to expect from it. We’ve never been in this situation before.”
“If I die, how painful will it be?”
“I have no idea. But you won’t remember the pain after you’re given life again.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know.”
“You had a painful death?”
“Yes. And I don’t remember the pain.”
“How did you die?” I asked.
He pressed his lips together. “If the crystal kills you, I’ll tell you the story.”
“Hardly seems worth it, especially since I’m working on a project right now.”
“What kind of project?” he asked.
I didn’t want to go into the details of my sad excuse for a list. Nothing on there would matter whether I was dead or alive.
“Do you know how to ride a motorcycle?” I asked.
“Yes. Why?”
“If I do this, will you teach me?”
“We don’t have the luxury of time.”
“But if I’m able to train properly, then you’ll have a new reaper twenty-five years ahead of schedule.”
He thought about it for way too long, and I knew he’d say no, but he surprised me. “Okay, deal.”
The crystal began pulsing. A blue hue cast along the white walls.
Ranger appeared at the table. “You either have to bond with it or Lawson needs to bring it back to the Supreme Elder.”
“How do I bond with it?” I asked.
“Pick it up and hold it,” Ranger said.
“And then what?” I asked.
The crystal pulsed again.
“Pick it up!” he ordered.
I grabbed the crystal, holding it tight in my hand. My vision flashed blue, and then I felt something. I was being pulled away, but I couldn’t let go of the crystal. My hand refused to drop it. After a jarring yank and darkness, I knew I was being shifted somewhere. While shifting to the dead zone was uncomfortable, this was painful. It went from a nagging ache to feeling like something was trying to tear my skin off.
And then, when I thought for sure it was the end for me, I was dumped on dry, dusty land. Lying flat on my back, I stared up at the sky and knew I wasn’t on Earth or the dead zone. Two suns blazed down at me. I drew in a ragged breath and then another as I waited for the pain to subside.
When I caught my breath, I sat up and scanned my surroundings.
The rock I was sitting next to was smooth, as were the others that laid scattered among the tan terrain. No trees or cacti. No animals or people that I could detect. In the distance there was nothing but jagged rock that jutted angrily to the pale orange sky.
Ranger had better find me soon. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to survive on this inhospitable land for long.
Opening my hand, I looked at the crystal. It was no longer pulsing. It was no longer glowing either. It looked like a blue chunk of glass.
“I don’t suppose you’d take me home,” I said. “Or even to the dead zone.”
Nothing happened. Obviously it wasn’t voice-activated.
I held it tight and wished for home. But when I opened my eyes, I was still on the scorching planet.
“How about food?” I asked.
Nothing.
Maybe I needed to chant to it or kiss it. Seeing as there was no one to witness, I tried both. I even danced with it. Pleaded with it. Prayed to it. Cried and cursed to it.
Still, it just sat in my hand.
Maybe I had to sacrifice a pint of blood . . . I’d wait on that.
I sat cross-legged on the ground and stared at the useless crystal.
It remained lifeless.
Just like this planet.
I scanned the terrain, wondering if I was truly alone here, or if there was something terrible lurking behind the never-ending land of jagged rock.
I couldn’t wait to leave. But when would that be?
10
I wilted to the ground as the heat pounded down on me. Not being able to walk a step more, I glared at the craggy rocks that jetted up to the sky. They were still out of my reach. All I had wanted was the shade the mountain range provided from the two brutal suns that never went away. I felt like I had been under their angry rays for a week.
Kicking off my shoes, I peeled off my blood-stained socks and winced at the sores and blisters that made my feet look like an unappetizing version of pepperoni pizza.
I tried to swallow, but the dust that coated my tongue and throat made me cough. My lips were cracked the width of the Grand Canyon. I licked them to attempt to hydrate, but all I ended up with was more dust on my tongue.
My eyes itched as though made of sandpaper. Closing my eyes relieved them slightly. I used the time to attempt to calm myself.
Panic had set in multiple times. Fear. Dread. Sadness. There were times I deluded myself into thinking this was just a really bad dream and I’d wake up. But then hunger pains would tell me otherwise.
And I was pretty sure I hallucinated at one point. A shadowy figure had appeared. He was cloaked in black. But the shadows weren’t really shadows. It was more like smoke that billowed from the cloak in the form of snakes that reached out, hissing their anger.
<
br /> Now that, I knew had to be a dream.
But it seemed real too. I couldn’t get the cloaked figure out of my mind. At one point I had drawn a sketch of the snake man in my notebook behind the bucket list.
Pulling the notebook out of my pocket, I flipped to the amateur sketch. I had never been the artistic kid in art class. I stared at the drawing, wishing I had had my phone in my pocket instead of the notebook. But sadly, I realized I had left it in my backpack, which I didn’t think to grab before touching the crystal.
“Hey, kid,” someone said.
I was sure I was hallucinating again, but I looked over anyway.
It was Ranger.
Slowly, I stood, wincing as my aching feet supported me. Reaching out, I poked his arm, making sure he was solid and not imaginary.
“Yeah, time to get you out of here,” he said.
He slung his arm around me, and I’d like to say I gracefully fell asleep in his arms like some sort of fairy-tale princess, but I passed out.
The next thing I remembered was Ranger gently slapping my face . . . if one could be gentle while slapping a person awake.
“Ow,” I said, knocking his hand away. I sat up on my bed and looked around my bedroom. “I’m not hallucinating, am I?” My voice was brittle, and my throat was scratchy.
“No, little reaper. You’re home.” He handed me a bottle of water. I grabbed it and chugged it down and then wished I had sipped it instead. The water hit my parched, empty stomach and did funny things to it.
“I thought I was going to be stuck there forever,” I said, ignoring the nausea the water caused.
“You could have been. I only looked for you there because of a hunch.”
“Your hunch could have come a little quicker. How many days have I been gone?” I asked.
It felt like it had been at least a week. But even missing a day would be enough to get me into serious trouble with my mom.
“In Earth time, you were only gone four hours,” he said.
I hobbled over to look in the mirror above my dresser. “How am I going to explain my cracked lips? And my red, patchy skin?”
He shrugged. “You’re a girl. Wear makeup. I have to go.” But then he looked at me funny. “You didn’t happen to see anyone on that planet, did you?”
