Fate's Revenge (Twisted Fate, Book 4)

Chapter Eighteen

Glory Academy was a lot like high school, but when students were already dead, the whole, "Don't run in the halls!" taboo didn't hold much merit—nobody could get hurt. Even if it was a possibility, like someone slipped and smashed their head into a wall until they were dead-dead—as in no after-afterlife—you don't get in trouble when you're with the administrator. That was doubly true when he was the instigator.

Gabe was a lot of things, but fun hadn't fit his persona until today.

I liked it.

Why hadn't he been this fun when he was pretending to be human? Was he too busy worrying about protecting me? Out of his comfort zone?

"Ready?" he asked, grinning and looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

I beamed back at him with anticipation. We were both poised in a runner's starting position at the end of the hallway opposite the Great Library. On the count of three, we would race to the other end and then back, the first to slap the wall the victor. Since we'd found Mike teaching and Suzie sitting through Raffy's put-me-sleep lecture, there was no risk of running into them, and I wasn't at all tired. It must be the freedom of feeling like I didn't have to hide that I gained energy from, but I hadn't felt this good since we'd arrived in Heaven, before I'd taken my first ill-advised trip to Hell's Fire.

"Okay," Gabe said, and hunched down further so he could thrust up on the count of three. "One—"

"Wait." I stood straight and turned to face him. "What's the bet?"

"Bet?" Gabe slowly stood, looking at me like I'd just spoken the first word of a new language.

"Yeah. This is the third race. The tiebreaker? The first two were just for fun. You know, like we goofed around, and you won. Then I won because I'm better than you. Now..." I shrugged, smiling with a crooked grin. "Unless you don't want me to prove how easy it is for me to crush you again?"

He laughed. "So, this will prove who is better? That isn't that reward enough?"

"No." I shook my head, not losing my smile.

When was the last time that I felt this carefree? When I was in the Mortal Realm? No. The last time I felt like this was when I first came to Heaven and Suzie and I were playing with the cloud of our bed. I shook my head, clearing it of those thoughts, and focused on Gabe once more. Even then, thoughts of David had plagued me. The last time I'd felt this free... had been on the train tracks with David before he'd died. Now, with Gabe, I didn't even care if I saw Mike or Suzie, and I doubted seeing them together would even hurt. Much.

"You really want to place bets?"

"Too sinful for you?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked. Freaking angel. "If so, you might as well forfeit now. I'm gonna win and that's gonna make you want to hit a girl."

"Right." He rolled his eyes. "And what do you want if you win?"

I sobered, becoming serious. "I want to go home."

His smile faded. "Alyssa, I can't make that promise."

"Yes, you can. You run the school! And you said you regretted bringing me here, remember?"

"I can only, uh... I can only promise to try." He shook his head like he couldn't believe he'd just said it, but after two more shakes and a nod, he repeated it with confidence. "If you win, I promise that I will try to take you home. At least for a visit."

"All I need is for them not to be sad. I need to see my parents moving on, Gabe, or I'll never be happy. Not in Heaven or Hell or-or... Zimbabwe or whatever. Promise me that you will do everything in your power to try to take me home to see my parents."