by Abbi Glines
Hearing it explained like that was hard. Swallowing against the sudden lump in my throat I started to turn down my road when Leif grabbed the wheel.
“No. We aren’t done talking.”
I tried to turn but the wheel wouldn’t budge. The car stayed headed east toward the outskirts of town and the old East Gulf bridge.
“Okay, fine. You kept me alive. I got to live this life. I appreciate it but now I want to keep it and you don’t care. You claim to want me and need me but you couldn’t care less what I want. It’s all very selfish with you. It’s all about what Leif wants. You take no consideration as to what I want. You act as if I’m your possession and I should just be happy about it.”
Leif didn’t respond right away. I tried to turn the wheel again and couldn’t. I suspected if I took my hands off the wheel the car would drive itself. The idea that Leif might not let me go home began to set in. My heart rate picked up and I tried hard to remain calm. If that wasn’t his plan I sure didn’t want to give him any ideas.
“I’ve tried to make this easy on you. I’ve tried to make this transition one you could accept. I’ve sheltered you from the truth. I wanted you to make this decision because you wanted it. Not because I was forcing it but we’ve run out of time. There is something you need to know,” Leif pointed toward the side of the road right before the bridge, “pull over.”
I wasn’t sure if he was directing me or the car because I wasn’t about to pull over but the car pulled over and came to a stop without my help.
“What is it I need to know?” I asked hitting the stupid steering wheel for betraying me.
“You aren’t going to like this. I didn’t want you to ever know. But when you refused to accept that your soul was the restitution for the life my father granted you, my father decided he’d take his restitution elsewhere.”
What in the world did that mean? Did this mean he was paid in full and I could get away scot free now because if so there wasn’t anything about that I didn’t like.
“Pagan, look at me,” Leif ordered and I turned my head to meet his steady gaze.
“Wyatt’s death was only the beginning. Ghede will take more. Everyone close to you. He’ll take them one at a time until you either cave in and agree to come with me or there is no one else left to take.”
Numbness settled over me as I stared back at Leif. It was as if he’d just spoken in a different language. I’d understood what he said but the meaning behind it was almost impossible for me to accept. I wanted to push it back, shove it away. He couldn’t possibly have said what I just heard. There was no way that this restitution on my soul could affect others. Just me. Not... not Wyatt. No, I’d been there. I’d seen Dank. Leif was lying.
Shaking my head almost violently I yelled, “NO! YOU are lying. You are a liar. I saw Dank. I saw him draw out Wyatt’s soul. Dank would have never taken a soul for your father. He would have never--”
“Dank didn’t know.” Leif interrupted me. “Did he tell you about it beforehand? Did he prepare you for the death of your friend? No. He didn’t. Because Wyatt’s death wasn’t that of fate. My father used his power over your unpaid restitution to kill the body Wyatt’s soul inhabited. Dank was drawn there to retrieve the soul from the body because that’s his job. He was as surprised as you were.”
I had no response. Dank hadn’t told me. He never prepared me for it. Could this just happen? Could this spirit lord of the dead just take souls because I didn’t do his bidding?
“But... but you said my death and Wyatt’s death were to be the tragedies this school year. That would mean Wyatt’s death was fate.”
“I lied to you. I wanted you to be angry at Dank. I could feel your pain and I knew you were staying away from him.”
Lies. Leif only seemed to know how to live by lies. He wanted me with him so he’d lied every way he could to get what he wanted. And now, his father was going to kill innocent people I loved if I didn’t give in. Who would be next? My mom? Miranda? I couldn’t wait and find out. This would not happen again. Dank had said he was bigger than this. He could end this but it was too late now. Wyatt had already lost his life because of me. I couldn’t sit back and wait for someone else to die. The pain and guilt would be worse than an eternity with Leif. I let go of the tight grip I had on the steering wheel and my shoulders sagged in defeat.
“Okay. I’ll go with you.”
Leif didn’t respond right away. The car started and it pulled back out onto the road. I watched in a haze as it drove itself toward the bridge. Instantly, my head slammed back on the headrest from the speed of the car and I reached frantically for the steering wheel and began pumping the useless brakes.
“Leif! Help me!” I cried and the steering wheel made a sharp turn to the right as soon as we were on the middle of the bridge.
“I got you Pagan,” Leif’s voice was calm and even as the car broke through the railing and we went careening out over the ocean waters below us. There wasn’t even time for me to scream before everything went dark.
Dank
Gee appeared in front of me stopping me from going any further on my pursuit of voodoo spirits in their main mecca of New Orleans. I knew they had a portal here somewhere that led to Vilokan, the voodoo spirit afterworld. Only three places in the world had a portal. Over time New Orleans had become the most popular portal for the spirits. The humans here welcomed and celebrated them. Even the Catholics began accepting them and integrating them into their religion here.
“We have a problem,” Gee’s words weren’t laced with sarcasm or humor. She was serious. Which meant whatever the problem was, it involved Pagan.
Bracing myself I asked, “What?”
“I went to check on her like you said. There were cop cars at her home. Her mother is very close to an emotional breakdown, if she hasn’t already suffered one, and there are rescue boats, helicopters, and ambulances swarming the East Gulf Bridge. Pagan’s car was found a mile or so down the river. There are skid marks on the bridge and a car sized opening on the railing where her car crashed through.”
“She’s not drowned,” I stated, knowing Pagan’s body was not dead. I’d not been summoned.
“Of course she isn’t. But they all think she has. She brought Miranda home last night and Miranda was drunk. Leif helped get her to the house according to Miranda’s mother. They’re now guessing that she was probably intoxicated too and of course Leif is also missing, again, and they think both of them were in the car when it drove off the bridge.”
“Vilokan,” I growled. Leif had taken her to Vilokan. It was known to be an island under the water. But only voodoo spirits could enter through the bottom of the sea. The portals were the only way for anyone else to get in.
“That’s what I thought too but he couldn’t take her if she refused to go.”
He’d told her. Leif had told her about Wyatt and of course she went. She’d do anything to save those she loved. I’d seen her give herself up for me without question. My beautiful soul was once again sacrificing herself. Damn Ghede. He’d pay for this. He’d pay for it with the extinction of Voodoo. His world would be sealed off from this world. I’d make him wish he’d never come near Pagan.
With a roar of fury, I shoved the lamp post beside me hard enough to send it flying forward toward the center of the busy street. Glass shattered and people ran screaming as car horns blared.
“Brilliant move, Hulk. Go and kill somebody that isn’t meant to die today, why doncha? As if the Creator isn’t pissed enough right now.” Gee grumbled before shoving past me and stalking away angrily.
I hadn’t killed anyone. The most I’d done was caused some damage to a few cars and the lamp post. The chaos I’d created hadn’t been intentional but it would come in handy.
Chapter Nineteen
Pagan
Black chiffon floated above my head as I opened my eyes. This was familiar. I’d done this before. Blinking several times until I could focus, I studied the delicate fabric draped over
my head. It was lovely yet creepy. Candles on all different kinds of silver candle holders filled the furniture around the room. Flames filled the room with a soothing glow. I’d been here before. Trying hard to concentrate I sat up and took in my surroundings. Stone walls surrounded me giving the large room an even darker feel. A large crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room. The ceiling was high and made of stone just like the walls. Slowly, my mind began working and I remembered this was Leif’s room. He’d brought me here before. I was in New Orleans. This was good. There was a hidden door somewhere along this wall that would put me out onto Bourbon Street. I’d get out there and call for Dank. He’d come get me; I’d be fine.
I stood up and froze as more memories began to flash in my mind. My car flying down the road. I’d been unable to control it. Leif had been controlling it. He’d turned the wheel and we’d crashed through the railing and then we’d... then we’d...
“You’re up,” Leif’s voice broke my concentration and I spun around to see him entering through a hidden door. It was on the other side of the room. Not the same one I remembered. How many doors were in this room?
“We. You, ran us off a bridge. Over the ocean.”
Leif’s easy smile fell some and he nodded slowly. He looked regretful at least for driving us over into the Gulf of Mexico.
“Yes, I did. I’m sorry but that was the quickest way to get us here without my having to apport you. Last time it really exhausted you but I had to bring you here in your human form. Trying to extract your soul would be impossible considering Death would never do that to you so I had to bring you to Vilokan via the closest route.”
“Vilokan? What’s Vilokan? Aren’t we in New Orleans? And driving me off into the ocean is the closest route to where?”
Leif chuckled and sat down on the edge of the bed. I wanted to be angry with him but something in the back of my head that I was supposed to remember didn’t allow me to blame him. “I’m sorry. Vilokan is my home. It’s the spirit world in the voodoo religion. It’s located under the water. It’s a beautiful island. I can’t wait to show it to you.”
Shaking my head, I walked over to the door that last time had lead straight onto Bourbon street. “I’ve been out that door. I know what’s out there. We aren’t underwater. We’re in a building on Bourbon Street.”
Leif stood up and walked over to the wall and pushed on it, “No door, see.”
“But I’ve been out that door,” I insisted.
“Yes, when I made a door there you went out of it. But unless I make a door there then there isn’t one. You went through a special portal that only voodoo spirits can create. We have three. One in New Orleans, one in Haiti, and one in Togo in Africa. All of those locations have the largest populations of believers. Our spirits are called there and we have the portals to bring humans or souls from those cities into Vilokan.”
“Are you keeping me here?” The realization that this time I might be stuck in this underwater island began to sink in.
Leif frowned at me then understanding seemed to dawn on his face. “You don’t remember. I should have guessed the travel would have messed with your head a little. It’ll all come back to you but I won’t make you sit around and wait for that.”
Standing up, Leif closed the space between us and I started to back up when he placed his hands on each side of my head. Warmth radiated though my skull and slowly images began flashing in my eyes. Then, as if a movie screen was set up behind my eyelids, I remembered everything. Every awful detail.
Stepping back out of his grasp I covered my face with both my hands. I was here. Forever. Wyatt was gone because of me. Miranda had lost both of us because of me. And Dank, he’d never know what happened to me. Could he even find me down here?
“I’m sorry, I had to remind you. Last night you only had to deal with this knowledge for a few short minutes before we went under. In time you’ll heal from this. I promise,” Leif’s soothing tone was so out of place with the words that were coming out of his mouth. Did he even realize he’d just told me that I’d get over the fact my friend was DEAD because of ME? There was no getting over that. There was no getting over the fact I was stuck here for eternity with him while the guy I loved walked the Earth searching for me. My mother would mourn me. Miranda... ohgod I didn’t want to think about Miranda. She wasn’t emotionally stable. This wasn’t something she was going to handle easily.
“I know it’s a lot to take in right now. But all those things are of that world. You have to let go of the life you knew.” Leif flashed a bright smile and spread his arms out wide as if offering me the world, “Pagan you can live here as you have never lived before.”
I had no response for that. He truly didn’t understand. The humanity I’d always thought he possessed, even in small amounts, really had all been an illusion. Leif’s emotions and thoughts weren’t that of a normal human. He believed he was offering me this wonderful world that was far greater than the world he’d taken me from. But I was a prisoner. I’d always be a prisoner. I was here because I couldn’t allow his father to take any more souls. It was my soul that had been damned. It was my soul that would pay.
“Come with me. Let me show you the island. It’s beautiful here. You’ll love it. It’s like no other paradise you could have imagined. We’ll walk along the whitest shoreline and the water is a crystal clear blue. Then there is my father. He wants to officially meet you. And--”
“I’m not leaving this room.” He may have the power to force me to stay here but that didn’t mean I had to appease him. I wasn’t a freaking pet he could play with. I was staying right here. Maybe I’d lose my mind and start talking to imaginary friends. That would be much more preferable than reality.
“Pagan, please don’t be this way. You’ll grow so bored in here. I want to show you all the things there are to love about Vilokan. It’s your home now. Please, come with me.”
No way in hell. I shook my head and walked over to sit down on the bed. “Do you have any books here? I’m doubting my iPhone works,” I reached into my pocket to see if my phone was where I’d last stuck it. But, of course, it was gone.
“We have an entire library. Full of anything you could possibly want to read. Come with me. We’ll get you so many you can’t carry them all.” The hope in his voice only ignited my fury more.
Shaking my head I snarled, “No thanks. I’ll just sleep,” I informed him, laying down on the black satin sheets, I turned my back to him. I wasn’t going to be able to go to sleep but maybe if he thought I was I’d be able to get rid of him for the time being. Having him here wasn’t helping me cope with things. The door behind me opened and closed and I let out a sigh. Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the black chiffon and tried to imagine my eternity. It looked very bleak. Hopefully, insanity would claim me quickly.
I must have drifted off to sleep because the sound of the stone door moving startled me awake. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and watched as Leif walked into the room.
His smile was tentative when his eyes met mine. Good, I’d made him nervous to approach me. Maybe I’d be the worst “companion” ever and he’d let me go and find a new playmate.
“You feel any better after your nap?” he asked, stopping at the foot of the bed.
No, I’d never feel better again. I didn’t even give that question a response it was so ridiculous. Leif accepted my silence without much concern. He was dealing with my attitude entirely too well. And why was he wearing a tuxedo?
“Father would like for you to join us for dinner.”
“No.” Not ever.
“Pagan, you can‘t refuse Ghede. I can’t protect you from any punishment he might decide you require. Please don’t disobey him.”
He has got to be kidding me. I’m stuck in the voodoo version of Hell and he thinks I care if I piss off his stupid daddy. “No,” I repeated.
Leif’s cool resolve began to crack a little. I could see the frustration in his eyes and I wondered if I actually could ann
oy him until he was begging to get rid of me. Of course he might not send me back to earth but throw me in their fiery pit or something. Did they even have one of those?
“Okay, listen. If you do this for me I’ll... I’ll send Wyatt’s soul to you. You’ll even be able to talk to him. His soul is different when it isn’t on the earth. Once a soul without a body leaves the earth and dwells in the afterlife it can speak. It is only on earth that it requires a body for communication. However, when he speaks to you it will be different. He won’t do so with his mouth. His voice will be in your head. His soul will speak to your soul.”
Wyatt. I could see and talk to Wyatt. I stood up and walked around the bed toward the door. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Leif laughed from behind me, “I must make a note of this. I just have to find the correct incentive to get you up and moving. Wish I’d thought about Wyatt earlier. And you can’t wear that to dinner. Ghede requires proper respect. You’ll need to dress according to his wishes.”
“Well, Ghede will have to get over it because when you drove me off the freaking bridge I only had a pair of jeans, a sweater and a leather jacket. I didn’t exactly pack for this excursion.”
Grinning, Leif gave a small hand gesture that looked more like a pathetic attempt at waving off a fly. “There, you look lovely and father will be pleased.”
