“She’s already dead Ethan, they is no way you can do this.” Conner said, kneeling next to me.
“Then it’ll take more than just me to bring her back, now won’t it?”
“Ethan I hope you know what you’re doing.”
We both placed our hands over Violets dead body and began the process of bringing her back from the dead.
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Chapter 7
Ethan’s POV
It’s been nearly two months since Violet got shot at the quickie mart. She had been technically dead for an hour before Connor and I could revive her. Her brain had been shut off for a little too long, causing her to go into a coma, the doctors said that she died for three minutes on the operating table as well, and that the coma was because she lost so much blood, but I knew that the coma was a necessary thing to happen in order for her to become a Somniator. Her body and brain needed to adapt to the change as well as wake up from the death sleep she was in.
“I bet she made it to the river, that’s why you two took so long in the conversion.” Jonathan said, crossing and re-crossing his arms while we sat in Violets room with her little sister, just waiting and watching.
“She couldn’t have made it that far. She was only dead for five maybe ten minutes before Connor and I started the conversation.” We spoke in Latin, the standard language for our kind, so that Violets little sister wouldn’t understand.
Her sister was strangely mature for her age. When we first met, she refused to allow us into the room, she wanted to know why I was there at the quickie mart, what I was doing to Violet, how long I had known Violet, what were my intentions with Violet. She was really strange, she kept referring to someone named Lion Heart, and she said that if I hurt her sister I would have to deal with her. She was cute, and she had spunk, defiantly not one to mess with, nothing like… no, I won’t think about her, they may share looks, but they are nothing alike.
“Still it’s a little strange that it took such a long time to bring her round, it would make sense if she had reached the river.” Jonathan said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“But that still doesn’t make sense, how could she have reached the river that fast unless she had someone on the other side guiding her.” I said thoughtfully.
“Her da’s dead is he not?” Connor asked making us all realize that it could have been her father that was guiding her away from her body.
“Yes, yes he is. Died four years ago according to Vicky and Van.” Jonathan said sounding a bit worried.
“Let just hope she hadn’t –“
“But if she did, then her abilities as a Somniator would be stronger, because she had been in the river.”
“I already know that Jonathan.” I grumbled, “Can we please just drop this subject.” I said sounding a bit weary as I went to stand by the wall.
The worst part about this whole situation is the waiting. Waiting to see if the transformation worked, waiting to see how much she remembered of that night, waiting to see if she had indeed reached the river.
We were all quiet for a while, Lily was dozing off next to Violet, we were all lost in our thoughts.
If she did reach the River Styx, we can all just pray that D didn’t see her, that’s his dwelling, his domain and if she was submerged in the river, who knows what would be attracted to her.
““daddy.” A dry croaky voice said and we all turned towards the source, I saw Connor give me a knowing look, before he looked towards Violet.
Violet opened her eyes and raised her hand as if to block out the fading light of the day, squinting as she tried to make out our faces.
Lily hugged Violets arms tightly and said,
“Violet, you’re awake.”
“Give her time little one.” I said looking at her little face that had been for most night’s tear streaked. She nodded and pulled back a little, but never letting go of her arm.
“The light.” Violet said, still trying to see through the fading sunlight streaming through her window.
Jonathan closed the curtain and then slowly Violet took her arm away from her face to peer at us, her gaze ending on the little girl by her side.
“You’re alive.” Lily said sounding overjoyed. Violets mom was in the room as well, the nurse had to give her something to knock her out, because she was a tad hysterical, which wasn’t good for… her condition. They moved her room into Violets to calm her slightly.
I stared at Violet as she looked around in a confused daze. She looked a bit pale, but that’s to be expected in a Somniator, her eyes were a stormy grey and her hair was slightly tussled giving her that sexy bed look. She kept looking around and then her gaze landed on me. We stared at each other, her mouth slightly open.
”W-who are you? What happened?” She asked looking around, taking in the cold white walls. She swallowed a few times, no doubt her mouth was as dry as a desert. I walked over and poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.
“She doesn’t remember. Oh god what if she was under too long? What if this is brain damage? What-“ Jonathan started asking. He was going to blab out everything in his panicked state. He knows that her having memory problems is to be expected, but then again this was all new to him.
“Enough Jonathan. This is expected.” I turned back to her, she looked a little worried and about what Jonathan said.
“Violet, don’t worry you don’t have brain damage. Jonathan is being silly. What is the last thing you remember?” I stared at her, hoping she hadn’t reached the river. She took a few gulps of her water before she spoke.
“I remember a black river with no bottom.” Jonathan gasped and Conner said in Latin.
“She had reached the river, do you think D knows about her and what if the dead are more connected to her. It has happened before. We need to get her out of this hospital before the forgotten finds out.” I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t think about D finding out about Violet and worse the forgotten where all around her in this place, they would be attracted to her. I clenched my jaw and said sounding a bit harsher than I intended. “Continue.”
“I remember a guy calling me into the light; he was going to pull me out of the river.”
I nodded my head that must have been her father. Usually a loved one will collect you at the river’s edge. I walked over to the wall and leaned against it, if her father was there to collect her, then she had been in the river for some time and had gotten much further than expected. Sometimes a loved one would meet you half way to ease the passing. We would need to protect her, Somniator’s usually never lasted long. The dead are very jealous of the living and when one of their own is free of death, you can bet they would stand up and take note. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts because I heard Connor answer a question I didn’t hear her ask,
“Well Violet, we attend the same school. I’m Conner, that there is Jonathan and that hunk of brooding mass is Ethan.” I couldn’t even look at her. If I had just forced her out of that damn convenient store none of this would have happened. This is partially my fault; I knew there was going to be a robbery, why didn’t I try to warn her, get her out of there somehow.
“You were… shot in a robbery and we were in the store at the time it happened. You hit your head pretty hard there lass an’ would be havin’ memory problems, but it’ll soon return. You scared us there lass an’ I wouldn’t be liking losin a friend so soon after meeting ya.” Connor added, trying to put on a friendly smile for her.
She gasped, seeming to be taking that in, staring down at her waist, like she just remembered everything that had occurred at the store. Her mind seemed to drift off, like she was thinking back to the event. She suddenly winced and glanced down at Lily, still clutching onto her arm. The kid must have shifted too close to the wound on her stomach.
“Whoa ther’ lass, you hurtin’ your sister.” At first Violet seemed confused then like a sudden light bulb had been switched on, her face softened as she stared down at her sister. Lily started to pull away saying,
“I’m sorry Violet, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“It’s okay kiddo, I’m just a little sore.” She smiled down at her and then Violet carefully wrapped her arm around Lily’s shoulders, careful not to let her touch the wound, Lily relaxed and snuggled into her side. She smiled down at Lily and faced us again.
“What did the doctor say… about me losing my memory? Will I get it back soon?”
We all looked at each other and I was the one to answer,
“It’s only a temporary thing; you will get it back slowly. Piece by piece.” She nodded and she looked like she was about to say something when all of a sudden there were loud shrieks. I was in front of Violet and Lily in less than a second, standing guard for whatever might attack them, but the only people that was at the door were her friends Van, Vicky and the doctor.
“Violet you’re awake… Why didn’t you call us?” Vicky asked Connor with a pout,
“Well er lass, she just woke up. I was a bout te and ye was here-“
“It’s okay handsome, but next time when something important happens and I need to be informed… let me know. Okay sugar?” She said patted his cheek and continued to saunter by him, Connor’s head tilted a little to get a better look at her butt.
I just shook my head at him. He was so far gone, he didn’t even know it, anyone could see he was falling for her. I just hope he knows when it’s time to leave he’ll be heartbroken. One of the first things you learn in this job is that you can never have anyone, never get attached, because when it’s time to leave, and believe me you will leave, then it’s never easy, and it will always leave a mark.
My phone vibrated with a message, it was from D:
Five parcels at St. Mary’s. Heard you guys like to hang out there now a days.
Will be waiting outside when you are done. Hope you kids brought your books.
D
Damn, that’s timing, I still needed to find out more from Violet, but I guess I won’t be able to ask her with her friends and the doctor around.
“Guy’s we got to go.” I waved my phone so that they would know what I was talking about and their faces hardened.
“Violet… Ladies.” I said with a nod and walked out of the room, I heard Connor and Jonathan greet and then they were beside me.
“What did it say? Does he know?” Jonathan asked sounding a little worried, but his face was expressionless like the rest of us. You can’t let D see any emotion, he wouldn’t hesitate to use it against you.
“I don’t know, but whatever you do, you say nothing about why we’re here and stick to the story that we are here because most of the time, most of the parcels are collected here.” I said as I handed them my phone to read.
“Why is he here to collect? He must know something’s up.” Jonathan asked after reading the text. D never personally collects, we always have to go to him and drop it off, I just hope he doesn’t know about Violet.
“I don’t know but for whatever the reason, it’s never good.” I sighed
“So I guess we’re getting’ the books out then.” Connor said and I nodded my head.
The book, also known as the book of the dead, is where the deaths are recorded. Contrary to popular beliefs, there are more than just one book, there has to be. One for each reaper, we each have one and it would update whenever there was a new parcel to collect. I had mine on me, the book only gave the time and place, never the name or age of the person that would be collected, this is so, that in case you have a sensitivity to say small kids dying, you wouldn’t know you were reaping a kid, until it was too late. Same with the name, in case you knew the person, and you tried to do what we did or not reap the person, this would also be kind of like a failsafe. Besides, D gets a kick out of watching when he sets you up to collect someone you know… I should know. The only reason we got away with it was because firstly D wasn’t watching because he didn’t know that we knew Violet and secondly, we had enough time for the transformation and there was a second person that took her place.
The book looks like a normal electronic book, to blend with the times. Back when I first started it looked like a leather bound journal, morphing to suite the times, but the only thing that remained the same was the reapers symbol and the black color. The symbol of the reaper is the triskele of life or sometimes known as the triple spirals, which is three spirals radiating from a singular center. It represents the circles of life, each spiral standing for a different realm, one being earth, the other Heaven and the last hell. There are many meanings for the symbol, but they all have the same foundation, it represents the continuous flow of life. So why is reapers walking around with the symbol for life, when we’re all about death? Simple, we are the center of the cycle, we are what keeps the cycle flowing, we are the gate keepers to the three realms, the only ones that have access to all three. You might be also asking how is it a continuous cycle if you die and go to hell or heaven? Well sometimes you come back as a reincarnate to right the wrongs. Most reincarnates are from hell, after years of torture, it’s like a parole type of thing, getting sent back to earth to be a good citizen. Being elected for a reincarnate is like a second chance to get to heaven. They wipe the minds clean, so you don’t remember anything and then you come back for round two. You only get to be a reincarnate once, if you fail again, you lose your chance and become a permanent resident of hell. It’s just the way it goes.
I took out my book and looked over the times as well as the locations. One was on this floor, three rooms down from Violets, the others were scattered on the various floors of the hospital.
“Connor take parcel three on floor2, Jonathan you take parcel five on the fourth floor. I’ll take the one on this floor. We meet up for the last two parcels on ground floor in the operating room.” They nodded then we split up. I headed straight for the room, automatically going into shadow mode.
Shadow mode is kind of like being invisible, we move with the shadows, blending until you can’t see us. Only a psychic or someone belonging to the world of the dead can see us. When you go shadow mode, you see the forsaken as well and believe me hospitals along with cemeteries and for some reason malls where crawling with ghosts. As soon as I went shadow mode, the hallway filled up, there was a nurse that was dressed in a nursing uniform, suited for the nineteen twenties, with blood covering her front. Then there was an old man in a hospital gown, limping past me. There was also a little girl with dark hair, plastered to her face and very pale skin and blue lips. I had seen her before, she had drowned ten years ago and whenever I saw her I always get a little uneasy; the feeling of having stones in the pit of my stomach that was just weighing me down and filling me with dread takes over. When the dead die they sometimes look exactly the way they did when they first died, especially if the victims that suffered during the death.
I walked pass the forsaken, keeping my face forward, most of the forsaken ignored me, but some begged to be take, to be collected, but I couldn’t. They’re forsaken and they need to find out what’s holding them here before I can take them.
I walked into the room and saw a young woman, barely in her twenties lying in the hospital bed, she seemed to be sleeping soundly, you would think she was just taking a nap, if it wasn’t for the vast amounts of tubes stuck into her. There were a lot of machines, one tube was inserted into her throat, it was a breathing machine and next to that was a heart monitor. She was surrounded by her grieving family and a doctor was standing by the breathing machine. The woman must be a vegetable and her family must have asked the doctor to pull the plug. I walked in; nobody noticing me and stood close to the woman.
“It’s time.” The doctor said, he looked a bit sad as he looked over at the family members.
The family said nothing but stared at the girl. Then he turned off the breathing machine, slowly turning off the other machines, until there was only one machine left… the heart monitor.
It beat at first erratically trying to survive, but soon slowed and then all that could be heard was the long continuous beep as the woman passed. The family then cried harder, the women turning to the men and to each other for comfort. The doctor writing on his clip board and checking his watch for the time of death. I reached out and touched the woman and felt the familiar shock and warmth of the parcel moving out of the body, and into my outstretched hand. I closed my hand, looking down at the parcel’s shining golden white light, visible only when in shadow form. She was a pure soul, untainted. You see the persons memories in that moment of collection, its like a fast slide show, revealing everything to you, the good and the bad. She was six when she was involved in a hit and run accident, the accident left her in a coma for nearly seventeen years and her family had finally given up hope of her regaining consciousness.
I slowly lowered my closed hand, allowing the soul to be absorbed for safe keeping. Sighing as I turned from the room, I made my way down stairs to the operating room. I picked up speed as I spotted Connor and Jonathan, waiting just outside the operating room. They didn’t look happy, then again they never do after a collection. They looked up as I drew nearer and silently we went into the room. There were two people, a man and a woman, they appeared to be in their mid-forties. They were badly bruised and cut up.
“An accident.” Jonathan said and I just nodded. Most accident victims looked like this, all broken and bloodied. I reached out and collected the woman, while Connor collected the man.
It was as Jonathan said, an accident. The man lost control of the car and crashed into this woman’s car head on, at top speed.
I closed my palm around the parcel and then left. I try not to pay too close attention to the images, the memories, because sometimes those memories or images haunt you.
Connor and Jonathan where right beside me as we walked outside to the parking where D was waiting by his black ford mustang GT, leaning against it with his arms crossed. Before it was a black horse, sometimes you could still see the horse in the car. The car wasn’t a normal car, in fact nothing D owned was normal. The car was in fact THE BLACK HORSE, in disguise. Sometimes when I blinked, I can actually see the image of the black horse, like a mirage, then before I can blink again it would be gone, back to the car. It was alive, it just appeared to be a car to suit the times, kind of like the book of dead, band if you tried stealing that car, you would be in for a nasty surprise. In fact I think that D sometimes parks his car in dangerous neighborhoods hoping that someone might try to steal it, and believe me you don’t want to see that.
As we neared we saw D leaning against the car arms crossed, smirking at us.
“You kids have fun in there?”
“We got the parcels.” I said, trying not to get into a conversation with D. He’s not one of my favorite people in the world and to piss him off would be an eternity of regret and an eternity is a very long time, especially with someone as bored as D.
“All business and no play makes Ethan a dull little reaper.” He joked, he knows I hate the fact that I’m a reaper and he never fails to remind me what I am.
I handed over the parcels and D’s smirk grew when I handed over the girl that was in a coma,
“Ahh… sleeping beauty. I have been waiting a very long time for you my dear. I would have had you a long time ago if it wasn’t for machines.” He sighed as if the girl disappointed him by not dying seventeen years ago.
“You remember a time without machines Ethan? A pity it wasn’t around when you died, it could have save you and your sister’s life. Would have saved your parents a heap of pain and a life time of torment.” He clucked his tongue and shook his head like it was something he disapproved of. I clenched my fists in anger,
“I’m in this mess because of you and they suffered because of you.”
“You cannot blame me Ethan. Wherever there’s life, there is also death. It’s just the way it is.”
“No I cannot blame you for their deaths, but you had contributed to their pain.”
“That’s true, but hey life goes on.” He smiled at me like making my family suffer wasn’t a bad thing. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I knew it was Connor telling me to relax D was being D and looking for some sort of entertainment. I took in a few deep breaths as Jonathan handed over his parcel.
“Jonny, how was collecting the suicide? Bring back any memories?” D smirked you could see Jonathan’s jaw twitch. Jonathan’s mother killed herself after his death. She was driving the car they were travelling in that took his life.
Jonathan said nothing and just stepped back allowing Connor to hand over his parcel.
“Boring.” D said and I saw Connor’s eyes harden.
“I wouldn’t call a young girl being beaten to death by her father boring.” I heard Connor say under his breath as he stepped back.
“Right you kids run along while I have a little chat with Ethan.” D said, shooing Connor and Jonathan off. They both gave me a look before they walked off.
Once they were out of ear shot D turned to me.
“So a little birdy told me that you have a crush on a certain blue eyed blond haired beauty and that’s why you and the rest of your boy band over there are hanging out here so much.”
“I don’t have a crush on her. She is my class partner, and we need to fit in if we are to remain unnoticed.”
“Class partner? You sure that’s all she is?” D asked raising his one eyebrow.
“I’m positive. She means nothing to me, just another waiting death to happen.”
D stared at me trying to see if I was telling the truth. I kept my face perfectly blank, allowing nothing of what I was really feeling to get through. He seemed to believe me, when his smirked returned.
“Pity, would have been interesting if you had a girlfriend.”
“I don’t have time for girls. They’re just a bunch of dead weight” D laughed at that and slapped me hard on my back, making me stubble a bit.
“I had forgotten how funny you are Ethan. Dead weight. That’s a good one.” He got into his car and waved, calling,
“Don’t be out too late you hear? I’ll be waiting for the rest of my parcels from you kids later.” Then he sped off down the street.
I sighed, as I watched him drive off down the empty street. So he knows something is up, I just hope that I had bought us some time. We need to distance ourselves from the girls before he figures it out.