could only handle so much. Something weird was going on, true, but summoner? Really? “If you keep up with this crap I might have to kick you out of my house.” James' face dropped. He'd been homeless for almost a year. Not a good joke. I thought about apologizing but realized I didn't have a light for my cigarette. It pissed me off enough to keep quiet.
You see, when someone you love dies, everyone tries to pretend like there's this huge, yawning gap that you spend everyday of your life standing at the precipice of, trying not to fall in. But really, it's a series of smaller gaps, little things that hurt the most. Boyd had always been my light, in more ways than one. I threw the cigarette to the pavement.
“ Now what?” I asked. “Do I get a gold star or something?” James chuckled. At least he thought I was funny.
“ We find another harpy and get our next assignment.” I spit at the ground.
“ Why?” James' face twisted in pain and he glanced away.
“ I don't know.” I threw up my hands and began to walk away from him. He caught up to me. “Because if we don't, somebody's loved ones will be trapped in purgatory.” James wrapped his cold, skinny fingers around my wrist. “If you don't send them to the Akashic Library, they're nothing more than ghosts.” I tried to pull away. “ Forever. ” I sighed.
“ Will I have to see him again?” I asked. Truthfully, when I'd snuck out last night to retrieve the cigarettes I'd left taped under the school dumpster, I'd also gone back to the trailer. Luckily, the Orangutan hadn't come home and found the destruction yet; everything was as we'd left it. I'd sat on the kitchen floor and cried while I'd watched Boyd and I bake cookies and stick mini M&M's on the tops. What I'd meant was, will I have to send Boyd to his next life? Will I have to touch his arm and watch him smile at me and then see him disappear from existence forever? Poof. Gone. My Boyd. My best friend. I sucked in a harsh breath.
“ Yes.” James chose not to elaborate. Simple seemed to work better for him. Last night, I'd barely gotten any information from him at all. The only things I knew were these: James and I were both dead yet somehow not at the same time, the bird ladies (there were men, too) were harpies that guided us to souls that needed help, and when I touched a person's ghost or spirit or whatever you wanted to call it, it either went to the Akashic Library (still no clue where or what that was) or it turned into a demon like the sandman, like Boyd. I sighed.
“ Let's go to Denny's,” I said abruptly and turned in the opposite direction. When I looked back, James had frozen in place and was staring at something across the street. I followed his gaze. Movement flashed down an alleyway like a shooting star. I blinked and it was gone. “What the hell?” James grabbed my arm and forced a smile.
“ I haven't been to Denny's in like, forever.” He tugged me away from the alley and down the street. I let him drag me several blocks before extracting myself from his grasp.
“ I'm guessing you're not going to explain that to me either?”
“ If you buy me a breakfast special, I might feel obligated to reveal the truth.” James flashed his hands in front of his face. He was pretending to be happy, to joke around, but even though I'd just met him, I could tell that whatever we'd just seen in the alley was bothering him. I let it go for the time being. We both needed an endless cup of coffee and a stack of pancakes. I'd stolen another twenty from Grandma Willa's purse before we'd left and James hadn't had a job in over a year so I guessed it'd be my treat. James had barely eaten since he'd died. He'd told me plenty about that when I'd let him raid my cupboards last night.
“ So,” I asked as we passed through the dirty glass of the front door and seated ourselves in a corner booth. “Can we like, starve to death or are we, uh, I dunno, immortal or something?” James shrugged as he
You see, when someone you love dies, everyone tries to pretend like there's this huge, yawning gap that you spend everyday of your life standing at the precipice of, trying not to fall in. But really, it's a series of smaller gaps, little things that hurt the most. Boyd had always been my light, in more ways than one. I threw the cigarette to the pavement.
“ Now what?” I asked. “Do I get a gold star or something?” James chuckled. At least he thought I was funny.
“ We find another harpy and get our next assignment.” I spit at the ground.
“ Why?” James' face twisted in pain and he glanced away.
“ I don't know.” I threw up my hands and began to walk away from him. He caught up to me. “Because if we don't, somebody's loved ones will be trapped in purgatory.” James wrapped his cold, skinny fingers around my wrist. “If you don't send them to the Akashic Library, they're nothing more than ghosts.” I tried to pull away. “ Forever. ” I sighed.
“ Will I have to see him again?” I asked. Truthfully, when I'd snuck out last night to retrieve the cigarettes I'd left taped under the school dumpster, I'd also gone back to the trailer. Luckily, the Orangutan hadn't come home and found the destruction yet; everything was as we'd left it. I'd sat on the kitchen floor and cried while I'd watched Boyd and I bake cookies and stick mini M&M's on the tops. What I'd meant was, will I have to send Boyd to his next life? Will I have to touch his arm and watch him smile at me and then see him disappear from existence forever? Poof. Gone. My Boyd. My best friend. I sucked in a harsh breath.
“ Yes.” James chose not to elaborate. Simple seemed to work better for him. Last night, I'd barely gotten any information from him at all. The only things I knew were these: James and I were both dead yet somehow not at the same time, the bird ladies (there were men, too) were harpies that guided us to souls that needed help, and when I touched a person's ghost or spirit or whatever you wanted to call it, it either went to the Akashic Library (still no clue where or what that was) or it turned into a demon like the sandman, like Boyd. I sighed.
“ Let's go to Denny's,” I said abruptly and turned in the opposite direction. When I looked back, James had frozen in place and was staring at something across the street. I followed his gaze. Movement flashed down an alleyway like a shooting star. I blinked and it was gone. “What the hell?” James grabbed my arm and forced a smile.
“ I haven't been to Denny's in like, forever.” He tugged me away from the alley and down the street. I let him drag me several blocks before extracting myself from his grasp.
“ I'm guessing you're not going to explain that to me either?”
“ If you buy me a breakfast special, I might feel obligated to reveal the truth.” James flashed his hands in front of his face. He was pretending to be happy, to joke around, but even though I'd just met him, I could tell that whatever we'd just seen in the alley was bothering him. I let it go for the time being. We both needed an endless cup of coffee and a stack of pancakes. I'd stolen another twenty from Grandma Willa's purse before we'd left and James hadn't had a job in over a year so I guessed it'd be my treat. James had barely eaten since he'd died. He'd told me plenty about that when I'd let him raid my cupboards last night.
“ So,” I asked as we passed through the dirty glass of the front door and seated ourselves in a corner booth. “Can we like, starve to death or are we, uh, I dunno, immortal or something?” James shrugged as he
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