pulled out a menu from behind the napkins and handed one to me.
“ When I asked Ehferea that, she told me we were indefinite .” He pitched his voice to match the low, melodic tones of the black harpy lady. I opened my menu but didn't look at it. I knew what I wanted.
“ Indefinite? ” I mimicked back at him. “What the fuck does that mean?” James buried his face in his menu like it was of the utmost importance and ignored my question. I tapped my nails on the Formica tabletop and studied the chipped purple nail polish.
“ You know,” he said after what seemed like forever. “Subject to no limitation or external determination, immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive, endless.” He closed his menu and grabbed mine, stuffing them both back behind the condiments. I frowned at him.
“ You sound like a dictionary.” He grinned.
“ Merriam-Webster,” he said. I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, voice pitched in a menacing whisper.
“ I know what it means ,” I said, putting all of the frustration and confusion I was feeling into my voice. “But what does it mean. ” The waitress approached us warily before we could finish and took our orders. She didn't look happy about it. I decided to leave her a big tip. It would teach her not to stereotype.
“ It means,” James said, his face droopy. “That we're here until whoever it was that decided we weren't ready to pass on changes their mind. It could be today, it could be next week, it might be never.” I sat back up, my spine stiff with fear. Forever? That was a long time to suffer alone. I sucked in a deep breath.
“ Okay,” I replied carefully trying to figure out which of my hundred questions I was going to ask next. “But why?” James smiled but it seemed forced, stretchy and pliable like rubber, like I could turn it back into a frown at any moment.
“ I told you,” he said. “To help people.”
“ But why?!” I slammed my hands on the tabletop, eliciting stares. I tugged my hood closer around my face and lowered my voice. “Why us? Why not someone else? Why not the harpies?”
“ They can't,” he said simply. He put on a real smile for the waitress and thanked her for our drinks. I tugged my soda against my chest and jammed the straw against the roof of my mouth.
“ Why?” James sighed.
“ Maybe you should talk to Ehferea or Nethel. It helped me a lot when I first started.” I shook my head. I wasn't ready to talk one on one with the harpies. Not yet. “They're not from here,” James said as he stroked his finger down the side of the plastic cup.
“ Not from where?” I asked as my skin broke out in goosebumps. I wasn't going to like this.
“ From,” James paused and took a shaky breath. His skinny chest rattled like he had a pneumonia. I thought about offering him my sweatshirt. “You know, like, earth.” I sighed and leaned my head on my arm. James stayed quiet until I lifted my eyes to meet his.
“ Go on,” I moaned and sucked down half of my Coke in one sip. Too bad it didn't have any rum in it. I could've used some alcohol but I'd drank it all the week Boyd died and I had no way to get more.
“ Well,” James began and sucked on his lower lip, his tongue playing across the bumps of his stitches. “They're from a place called the Akashic Library.” I stopped him right there.
“ Okay, you keep talking about this library and how it's so fucking important for souls or spirits or whatever to go there. Why? What is it? How could these harpies be from there? Isn't it just for dead people?” James shook his head.
“ Technically, it's just on another plane of existence. Anyone could go there, if they knew how.” I stared at him. He had just said 'another plane of existence' like I'd say New York. Yeah, it was far away but if you had the money for a plane ticket...
All I said was, “Fantastic.” We waited for our food in silence.
When the waitress finally arrived with our plates, James dug in like he
“ When I asked Ehferea that, she told me we were indefinite .” He pitched his voice to match the low, melodic tones of the black harpy lady. I opened my menu but didn't look at it. I knew what I wanted.
“ Indefinite? ” I mimicked back at him. “What the fuck does that mean?” James buried his face in his menu like it was of the utmost importance and ignored my question. I tapped my nails on the Formica tabletop and studied the chipped purple nail polish.
“ You know,” he said after what seemed like forever. “Subject to no limitation or external determination, immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive, endless.” He closed his menu and grabbed mine, stuffing them both back behind the condiments. I frowned at him.
“ You sound like a dictionary.” He grinned.
“ Merriam-Webster,” he said. I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, voice pitched in a menacing whisper.
“ I know what it means ,” I said, putting all of the frustration and confusion I was feeling into my voice. “But what does it mean. ” The waitress approached us warily before we could finish and took our orders. She didn't look happy about it. I decided to leave her a big tip. It would teach her not to stereotype.
“ It means,” James said, his face droopy. “That we're here until whoever it was that decided we weren't ready to pass on changes their mind. It could be today, it could be next week, it might be never.” I sat back up, my spine stiff with fear. Forever? That was a long time to suffer alone. I sucked in a deep breath.
“ Okay,” I replied carefully trying to figure out which of my hundred questions I was going to ask next. “But why?” James smiled but it seemed forced, stretchy and pliable like rubber, like I could turn it back into a frown at any moment.
“ I told you,” he said. “To help people.”
“ But why?!” I slammed my hands on the tabletop, eliciting stares. I tugged my hood closer around my face and lowered my voice. “Why us? Why not someone else? Why not the harpies?”
“ They can't,” he said simply. He put on a real smile for the waitress and thanked her for our drinks. I tugged my soda against my chest and jammed the straw against the roof of my mouth.
“ Why?” James sighed.
“ Maybe you should talk to Ehferea or Nethel. It helped me a lot when I first started.” I shook my head. I wasn't ready to talk one on one with the harpies. Not yet. “They're not from here,” James said as he stroked his finger down the side of the plastic cup.
“ Not from where?” I asked as my skin broke out in goosebumps. I wasn't going to like this.
“ From,” James paused and took a shaky breath. His skinny chest rattled like he had a pneumonia. I thought about offering him my sweatshirt. “You know, like, earth.” I sighed and leaned my head on my arm. James stayed quiet until I lifted my eyes to meet his.
“ Go on,” I moaned and sucked down half of my Coke in one sip. Too bad it didn't have any rum in it. I could've used some alcohol but I'd drank it all the week Boyd died and I had no way to get more.
“ Well,” James began and sucked on his lower lip, his tongue playing across the bumps of his stitches. “They're from a place called the Akashic Library.” I stopped him right there.
“ Okay, you keep talking about this library and how it's so fucking important for souls or spirits or whatever to go there. Why? What is it? How could these harpies be from there? Isn't it just for dead people?” James shook his head.
“ Technically, it's just on another plane of existence. Anyone could go there, if they knew how.” I stared at him. He had just said 'another plane of existence' like I'd say New York. Yeah, it was far away but if you had the money for a plane ticket...
All I said was, “Fantastic.” We waited for our food in silence.
When the waitress finally arrived with our plates, James dug in like he
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