Cheating Death

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty

“Do you want to come over?” Jayden asked me, sometime later. “Just so we can be alone.”

            “Alone? Won’t your mum be at home?” I asked, resting my head against his shoulder.

            “No, she’s on some duty thing today. Not sure what it is but I know she won’t be at home,” he said.

            I looked out at the trees in front of us, swaying in the wind before nodding. I still felt like I was in a trance, which was not very strange, considering I was a dead-man walking. I had once felt like there had been hope, hope that I could once live like everyone else. There had been the slightest bit of hope in the back of my mind that maybe, one day, I could have children and name them. That I could buy a house and paint the walls. That I could be normal.

            That hope had been crushed.

            “Any...” Jayden’s voice was in my ear, soft.

            “Yes?” I answered, trying not to sound like I had just been thinking about my impending doom.

            “You seem distant,” he continued. He paused. “You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”

            “It’s hard not to,” I said as I lifted myself up from the floor. “Are we going to get to your house sometime soon then? I don’t have all year.”

            Jayden didn’t laugh at my attempt at a joke. For him, this was probably harder. After all, when I was gone, I didn’t have to miss anyone. I simply did not exist—that’s what I believed. The pain would still be present for Jayden.

            We walked to his house in silence, with Jayden now deep in thought. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking so hard about, but I did not think that question would be welcomed warmly. No doubt he would be incredulous.

            When we arrived outside of his house, I took his hand. “It’s going to be okay.”

            “No it’s not.” He shook his head. “It’s really not going to be okay and there’s nothing I can do.”

            I squeezed hand in comfort, even though I felt exactly the same as him. I was in no position to comfort someone in my position and emotional state but I could not bear to see that look on his face.

            “Shall we go in?” I asked.

            Jayden nodded and lead me to the front door, put his key in and then let us in. When the door was shut behind us, Jayden exhaled loudly.

            “Can’t we just stay here forever?” he asked. “Why does Death do this? Why?”

            I was fully prepared to answer in comfort again but my words were interrupted by the sound of shouting in the house. Jayden with a neutral facial expression, did not seem alarmed though I had almost crushed the bones in his hand.

            He sighed. “I guess it’s about time that you found this out.”

            “Found what out?” I asked. “I didn’t really think there was much else to find out.”

            “My mother—she, well, I guess you should see for yourself,” he said as he lead me towards the shouting.

            Still terrified, I wondered why Jayden was talking about his mother whilst leading me towards the shouting, when his mother was out on an errand.