by Cindi Madsen
“To help her resolve some things before she dies, of course.”
Summer shook her head. “Okay, this is getting too weird.”
“I know it’s hard to grasp, but this is part of who you are. You get a person assigned to you, and then you help them before it’s too late. We call you Ciphers. You’re more like deciphers, but that’s simply too long, so we decided to go with the shortened version.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I assure you I wouldn’t joke about this. I take my job very seriously. You do the before stuff; I take care of the rest. So, here’s everything you need to know about your job in a seashell—”
“Seashell?” Summer asked. “Don’t you mean nutshell?”
“I knew that sounded wrong.” Gabriella shrugged. “Anyway, you find a way to solve problems for people before they pass on. That way, their deaths will be filled with peace. A big part of your job as a Cipher is bridging relationship issues so that people can deal with their deaths, while giving their loved ones closure as well.” She pointed one finger in the air. “It’s a win-win.”
“Yeah, except for the people who die. And their families. It sounds like a lose-lose.” Unexpected tears formed in Summer’s eyes as the words hung in the air. Death sucked. There was no closure. No help. Only emptiness and pain that gradually got a little duller with time. No one—not even someone who looked as harmless as cotton candy—was going to change that.
This had gone too far, and Summer decided it was time to end it. She cleared her throat, working on making herself sound as serious and firm as possible. “Okay, I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave.”
When Gabriella didn’t move, Summer darted toward the door.
The door slammed shut with a resounding boom. “I can’t,” Gabriella said. “Just like you can’t get out of this assignment.”
Summer grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It didn’t budge, which was impossible. Even if she locked the door, turning the knob released it. She threw her hip into the door, thinking that might dislodge it.
It didn’t, and ouch. Pain radiated from the spot on her hip, up her side.
“You see,” Gabriella continued, “I know all about you and your extra gift. Think about it, dear. You’ve felt it before. Sensed someone’s death coming.”
Summer released her grip on the doorknob and slowly turned to face Gabriella. She’d never told anyone her secret. Not Mom, Dad, any of her friends. No one.
Visions of the deaths she’d seen flashed before her eyes. At first it was only random encounters with complete strangers—nothing seemed certain. Then there was the one that changed everything. The one she couldn’t rid herself of. Because it had come true.
“Your silence is answer enough,” Gabriella said, breaking up the images flashing through Summer’s mind.
How could she possibly know about my visions? And how much about them does she know?
“You said you take people home. Home like…?” Summer couldn’t bring herself to finish.
“I collect them when they die. I’m like a tour guide, if you will. Only there’s no going back from the tour I take people on.”
“So what, you’re like the Angel of Death?”
Gabriella pressed her lips together, not confirming or denying.
“But aren’t you supposed to look scary? Like, have a black hooded cape and a scythe or something like that?” Summer needed a reason to dispute what Gabriella had told her. She’d grasp at any straw, regardless of how illogical.
“Where people get that idea is beyond me.” Gabriella shuddered. “As if my job’s not hard enough, looking like that would scare people to death. Of course, they are already dying, but we’d rather ease them into it, not shock the life out of them.”
Summer pressed her fingertips to her temples, her breaths coming faster and faster. “I’m going crazy.” It was the only explanation. “I need to go visit Peach Street.”
“No one needs to go to Peach Street. Now, we’re getting way off track, and I simply don’t have time for that. Like I said, you’re new, so you get someone who has more than a few days or hours left. Ashlyn and her mom have a very strained relationship. You need to get Ashlyn to make peace with her mom before it’s too late.”
“But I don’t even know her. How am I supposed to do that?”
Gabriella stuck a hand on her hip. “Well obviously you’re going to need to get to know
her.”
Yeah, act like I’m the crazy one.
Okay. I can do this. I can get to know this Ashlyn chick and see what I can do to help her.
Then Summer remembered the awful sensations that followed her visions, how even when she didn’t know the deaths were coming true, the graphic images left her disturbed for days. “I just want to move on with my normal life. I don’t want this job.”
Gabriella stepped forward and placed a hand on Summer’s shoulder. For someone who was supposed to be a hallucination or dream, the woman had a surprisingly solid grip. “Honey, no one wants this job. And no one can do it all. It’s too exhausting to be responsible for everyone. That’s why you get a case at a time. Look, I’ve got a complex schedule to keep, and I’m out of time. I know you haven’t been properly trained, but it is what it is.”
Gabriella patted her dress. “Now where did I put that…? I swear, they’re impossible to keep hold of.” She kept mumbling and searching the folds of her skirt and her sleeves. “Oh well, I’ll just have to get another.” She pinched the air, tugged down, and a brochure appeared in her fingertips. She handed it to Summer. “I want you to study this over the weekend…”
Summer glanced at the title: Repairing Friendships and Mending Broken Relationships.
“And I want you to make contact with Ashlyn as soon as possible. I’ll check back in to help whenever I can. Don’t take this assignment lightly. She’s going to die whether or not you do your job. If she leaves without resolution, that’s on you. It’s one of the worst parts of the job.” Gabriella sighed. “There are actually lots of unpleasant parts, but you have to remember the good that you’re doing, and how comforting it is to know you helped someone’s last moments be more meaningful.”
The jewel-encrusted watch on Gabriella’s arm chimed. “Oh heavens, I’ve really got to go. Study the brochure. Make contact.” With that, she started to fade, leaving a glittery outline before disappearing completely.
Chapter Two
Summer stared at the spot for a good minute, mouth hanging open. People didn’t evaporate into air. And while she would’ve liked to believe it was all an elaborate dream, the stupid brochure was still in her hand. Her thoughts spun, and her lungs didn’t seem to be expanding anymore. She tossed the pamphlet on her dresser and grabbed the doorknob. This time it turned, no problem.
In a daze, Summer drifted down the stairs. The kitchen seemed like a good place to find comfort, so she headed there. After downing several Oreos and a large glass of milk, Summer moved into the living room, flopped onto the couch, and turned on the TV.
As she stared at the television screen, she tried, and failed, to put the weird encounter out of her mind. Question after question ran through her head: Shouldn’t I be religious if I’m going to do this kind of thing? Why wouldn’t they pick someone more experienced? And the biggest question of all: How can I fix someone else’s life when mine’s such a mess?
Summer heard Dad toss his keys into the dish next to the door—somehow she’d missed the sound of him pulling into the garage. Knowing he’d come around the corner any minute, she pushed back the weird thoughts swimming through her head and focused on appearing normal.
Dad walked into the room and glanced at the television. “Whatchya watching?”
“Nothing really.” Summer picked up the remote and clicked off the TV. “I was about to make dinner. Is Tiffany coming over?”
“She has to work late tonight.”
Summer did her best to keep her face neutral instead of smiling at tha
t joyous bit of news. Dad’s girlfriend was a lot to deal with, even on a normal night when Summer hadn’t been told she needed to help out a soon-to-be-dead person. “I’ll warm up a can of soup and make grilled cheese.”
“Sounds good.” Dad pulled at his tie, sliding the knot away from his collar. “You going out tonight?”
“Yeah, Cody and I are doubling with Kendall and Jack. Cody’s supposed to be here about seven to pick me up.”
“He still driving that giant SUV?”
“I’m sure he is.” Summer already knew what was coming next.
“I’m glad you’ll be one of the biggest vehicles on the road, but those things have horrible blind spots.”
“I’ll help him check them. And I’ll make sure he doesn’t roll us either,” she added before he said anything about it. As an insurance claims adjuster, Dad’s job entailed studying and assessing wrecked vehicles. His lectures about driving safety were lengthy, to say the least.
Before he decided to start one, she headed to the kitchen to prepare a meal that passed for gourmet in this house. A meal Tiffany would scoff at or somehow try to turn into a five-course meal. She wished her dad’s girlfriend didn’t bug her so much—that she could be happy her dad had someone. But she didn’t like the fact that he was dating at all. And if he did have to, she didn’t want to witness it.
The phone rang while she was slicing cheese. “Why aren’t you answering your cell?” Kendall asked. “I’ve been trying to call you for, like, an hour.”
“I left it in my car.” Summer tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could finish assembling the sandwiches while she chatted with her best friend. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to tell you to wear something special tonight.”
“And here I was planning on wearing my un-special outfit.” Summer placed the sandwiches in the skillet.
A couple seconds passed before Kendall said anything. “You know what I think of your sarcasm,” Kendall said, and her annoyed expression popped into Summer’s head. Kendall’s idea of funny didn’t exactly coincide with hers. “I also wanted to ask your opinion on movies to rent, but since you didn’t answer your phone, I had to do my best. We probably won’t end up watching it anyway. So, did you see what Lizzie Harris was wearing today? I feel so bad for the fashion-challenged.”
Summer pictured Lizzie’s too short pants with her electric blue heels. “It’s like she was trying so hard, but didn’t quite get it.”
“I know. It’s sad how hard people try to be cool. You really can’t force it. Speaking of fashion, I was thinking about wearing my new necklace. The one I got at the mall last weekend. What do you think?”
Summer tried to inject enthusiasm into her words. If she didn’t sound excited enough, Kendall accused her of not caring. “I think it would look awesome with that pink shirt you bought.”
“You’re totally right.” There was a pause. “Hey, I’m getting called down for dinner. See you in an hour.”
Summer hung up the phone and moved the bubbling soup off the burner. As she grabbed a couple of bowls and started dishing up dinner, her thoughts moved to tonight’s plans. With any luck, hanging out with everyone would get her mind off the thing she couldn’t stop thinking about. Death wasn’t exactly a good party topic.
***
Cody turned down the radio. “You okay, baby? You haven’t said much since I picked you up.”
Summer’s attention turned from the palm trees she’d been watching whiz by outside the window to her boyfriend. He got upset if anyone called him a pretty boy, but his full lips, baby blues, and the blond hair framing his face didn’t exactly dispute the pretty title.
Summer reached over and grabbed his hand. “I’m okay.”
He lifted their hands and kissed the back of hers, then turned down the road to Jack’s place. She wanted to be able to tell Cody about the encounter she’d had with Gabriella—to have someone listen and help her sort it out. But knowing how crazy her story would sound, she decided to keep it to herself. Cody was a good boyfriend for the most part. He said sweet things, called when he said he’d call, and when Jenna Cambell had thrown herself at him, he’d resisted her advances. Sometimes she wished she trusted him on a deeper level, that she could tell him her innermost thoughts and feelings. That was a lot to ask of anyone, though, especially of a boy whose life was focused on the next big game.
He parked in front of Jack’s house, then hurried around the vehicle and opened the door for her. When they reached the front door, Kendall opened it before they even rang the doorbell. “Come on in,” she said. Her long platinum hair was secured with a barrette that matched the necklace she was wearing. Both sparkled as they caught the light.
“That necklace looks great with your new shirt,” Summer said. The compliment was more required than sincere, though her friend did look nice. “You look awesome as usual.”
“You, too. Glad I talked you into buying those jeans.” Kendall wrinkled her nose. “So much better than that first pair you picked out.”
Jack showed up behind Kendall and tucked his chin on her shoulder. “As fascinating as this fashion-tip session is, baby, I think it’s time for dessert.” He kissed Kendall’s cheek, and Summer wondered if he meant he was having her for dessert—they had no problem with letting everyone know how they felt about each other. But then his gaze moved back to Summer and Cody. “My mom made a chocolate cake. You guys want some?”
Summer’s stomach growled, like it’d heard the suggestion and wanted to announce its intentions. “You know I won’t pass up cake.”
“Boy, do I know,” Kendall said. “I have no idea how you eat as much as you do and still stay skinny.”
Cody wrapped his arms around her waist. “It just all goes to her boobs.”
“Cody!” Summer glared at him over her shoulder.
“What? I’m not complaining; I like it.” His hands drifted up to the assets he’d just mentioned and she pulled away. He shrugged and aimed his next comment at Jack. “She’s in a bad mood. Nothing some chocolate won’t fix.”
Teeth clenched, Summer moved for the kitchen. She’d love to be joking around, but he was right about the bad mood. Thinking about death all afternoon could do that to a person. It also confirmed that Cody wasn’t someone she could open up to about it.
Jack grabbed forks out of a drawer and tossed all but one of them onto the table. Using the fork in his hand, he dug into the pan.
Kendall smacked his hand, and the bite of cake fell off his fork. “Could you at least pretend to be civilized and get some plates?”
Jack stared into the pan, a frown on his face. “You made me drop my cake.”
Kendall shot him a look that made him walk across the kitchen and retrieve the plates, then played hostess, dishing everyone out a piece.
The guys scarfed down their pieces in a few bites. “We’re going to go get the movie ready,” Cody said, a smear of chocolate still on his lips. At one point in their relationship, Summer might’ve walked over and licked it off for him. Now he took those gestures to mean she was ready for things she wasn’t.
“You girls take your time,” Jack added before the two of them disappeared into the other room. Summer knew they wanted to hurry and get a few rounds of videogames in. It’s not like it took twenty minutes to get a DVD ready.
Kendall nudged Summer with her elbow. “Aren’t our boys the sweetest?”
“Yeah, the sweetest,” Summer mumbled.
“What’s up with you? You’re not mad about Cody talking about your boobs, are you? Because he was just flirting with you. Jack and I don’t care if you guys show a little PDA. In fact, we plan on showing some of our own tonight.” She grinned her man-eating grin, and Summer knew she’d see more of Jack and Kendall making out than she wanted to tonight. Or any night, really.
“It’s not that. I mean, it’s a little bit that, but…” All the ways someone could die kept running through her head. Even a shark attack, which seemed unlikel
y, mixed in with the more common ways, like choking and car wrecks. “I’ve just had a rough day, and I feel really weird.”
“Well cheer up already.”
That was Kendall’s solution. As if you could simply tell yourself to cheer up and all your problems would melt away. Of course, if Summer told Kendall the same thing when she was upset, she’d be furious. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Good,” Kendall said. “Now, let’s go tell the boys it’s time to kill the videogames so we can watch the movie.”
The four of them squished on the couch in the living room and started the movie, a romantic comedy that had both guys groaning. It was bad enough, Summer wasn’t all that impressed either.
About thirty minutes in, Jack and Kendall disappeared into one of the bedrooms.
The second they were gone, Cody turned and kissed her, no longer keeping it to small pecks, but lots of tongue and groping. She closed her eyes, trying to let his kisses and the sensation of his fingertips on her skin carry her away.
They ended up horizontal on the couch, his weight pressing into her. But every time she closed her eyes, she relived all the deaths she’d seen: The lifeless eyes; the bloody, broken bodies; the last, shuddering breaths.
She broke the kiss and locked eyes with Cody. “What would you do if you knew you were going to die?”
He kissed her neck and ran his hand up her back. “I’m getting to that.”
She pushed both hands against his chest. “I’m serious.”
Cody’s eyes were half-lidded, his voice husky. “Baby, I want to take things to the next level. I don’t want to talk.”
A riotous mixture of hurt and anger rose up in her. “Funny, because I think talking is a better way to take things to the next level.”
He ignored her and moved to unhook her bra, pressing a kiss to her lips.
“Stop,” she said. He wasn’t the best listener, so she had to shove him. Hard.
He blew out a heavy breath, frustration coming off him in waves. “Come on, baby. We can talk about anything you want later.”
