CHEAT DEATH
[Published on 01/09/2018; word count: 3,057]
'Rachel? Rachel! Wake up!
Wake up already? I had just started dreaming! UGH!
'RACHEL!'
I jerked out of my reverie with a start, almost falling off my chair. My sleepy eyes focused on the person beside me, and I saw Luke staring at me, an apprehensive look on his face.
'What?' I asked him, making a face. 'What's wrong?'
'You.' Mrs. Henderson marched over from her desk, her hands on her hips, and her heels clicking on the floor, and I once again saw myself facing the person I disliked the most in this whole freaking college. 'I think you deserve The Nobel Prize Ms. Evans, now that you've managed to fall asleep in class twice in a row!' she shouted at me, a murderous look on her face.
'I'm sorry,' I replied, even though I didn't want to.
'Out!' she yelled, pointing her hand towards the door. I sat frozen in my seat, looking at her. 'I said get out of my class!' she shouted again. I stood up timidly and walked slowly to the door, careful not to mutter an angry retort. Huh, you may think of me as a total wimp, but I'm really not one! Trust me, if you knew Mrs. Henderson, you'd be scared too. Whenever she's angry, she looks like she's gonna start a knife throwing contest...... Get it?
'And be thankful it's not detention,' she screamed a final insult as I closed the door. I stood there for a few minutes, trying not to start daydreaming when suddenly the door opened and Luke walked out, closing it behind him.
'Luke?!' I stared at him in surprise. I mean, that guy was a model student! What could he be sent out for?
'Didn't finish homework.....' he said leaning on the wall beside me. 'Had to study for Physics.' I don't know how we became friends in the first place, much less best friends... We were so very opposite, to be honest! But really, he was THE best friend ever. Who else would help me geometry.....and Physics.....and history.....and....well, you know, let me stop right there, or else this list's probably gonna go on for some time.
'I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you.' I blurted out suddenly, not sure why.
'Well, you didn't laugh at me when I showed up with coffee stains on my clothes,' he grinned at me.
'That's all it took huh?'
'What can I say, I'm easily impressed.'
After Mrs. Henderson had marched away, after giving us a final look of hatred after the end of the class, we finally breathed a sigh of relief. The two of us walked down the hallway, talking, and setting off for History. Mr. Brown was much nicer.... But classes were boring sometimes. I kinda felt bad for him since literally everyone fell asleep in his class. But he didn't seem to care. Somehow, Luke alone could resist the soporific power of his words. Sigh.
The first thing that I heard as I walked into class was, 'I've finished correcting the answer scripts.'
'WHAT?!' I blurted out in surprise. There were quite a few mutters of 'Already?' and 'Wow...' around me as everyone stared at Mr. Brown after the pretty surprising news he had given us.
As I took my seat, Mr. Brown picked up the test papers from his desk. I closed my eyes in fear, my heart racing. 'Lisa Green.' He called out the first name, and I shut my eyes even tighter...........
-------------
'I still can't believe I got 79,' I muttered to Luke. 'Man, I'd expected 70 or something.'
'Hmmmm...' he nodded his head sadly.
'Oh come on! You got 95! That's like......TOO FREAKING AMAZING!'
Luke rolled his eyes. 'I was expecting 97 though,' He said, looking annoyed.
'HEY GUYS!' Lily plumped down on the bench next to me with a food tray in her hand. 'Guess who just got selected for the cheerleading team?!' she asked enthusiastically.
'Oh my god.....YOU?!'
'YES!' she shouted, hugging me happily.
'Nice! Congrats Lily!' Luke said, from beside me.
'Hey, stop water pollution?' a red faced, bespectacled girl ran up to our table with a notebook in hand.
'Uh.....'
'I've only got three signatures left!' she told us happily and shoved the notebook towards me.
'Um....okay.' I took it, signed and then passed it to Lily and then, Luke.
'THANKS!' she ran off excitedly, bouncing up and down.
'Couldn't she pick a time besides lunch to annoy us?' Lily took a sip of her ice tea. 'Ugh. This is so freaking horrible. I should've stuck with Chocolate Mocha.' She said, grimacing.
And the rest of the day was pretty much uneventful, unless you count me slipping over some ice tea and landing on my butt, and getting accidentally hit by a basketball in the face. Alex was lucky that it was accidental; otherwise he would've gotten it from me.
I took a little nap after classes came to an end and it would've been longer if I hadn't been woken by Lily. But I was kinda thankful that she did, or else I would've been late for the party! I quickly got dressed and then, Lily and I headed off towards the little suite on campus, where Bianca had invited us.
'Wow....you guys really went all out!' I exclaimed to Bianca as I entered through the door. Loud music blared from speakers, and the entire house was filled with dancing lights. Luke, Lily, Alex and I played poker for a while, then when I won, (Mwhahahahha!) the others got a kind of grumpy, so I left them to mingle. Lucy was there....she's nice to talk to. Unfortunately, Brian was too, and he bored me to death with all his nerd talk.
Bianca and I chatted for a while too, but our conversation was broken short when one of her friends pulled her to the dance floor and she was lost among the crowd....
The evening progressed this way, and I found myself enjoying quite a lot! And to think I wanted to sit and study...Nope.
'Hey, did you see Bianca?' Lily came up to me, a glass in hand, sometime in the evening.
'No...last I saw her, she was dancing.' I replied.
'Well, if you see her, let me know.' Lily told me and sauntered off. I nodded and then, turned to sip my drink when my eye caught Bianca climbing up the stairs, to the first floor. I turned my head to tell Lily, but she had already vanished.
'Ugh.' I grudgingly got up from the sofa and started climbing up. Meanwhile, Bianca disappeared from view. I climbed, gripping the railing and leaving the party behind me. I turned right when I reached the first floor, and proceeded towards the door in front.
I grasped the doorknob and opened the door quietly. 'Bianca? Are you---- OH MY GOD!'
My question was turned into a scream, for on the floor lay Luke, in a pool of his own blood, his eyes still and unmoving and a pained expression etched across his face.....
----------------------
A day later.......
'He was probably the smartest person I knew....' I spoke, trying hard not to cry. 'Whenever I needed a shoulder to cry on, he was there. He was the one who got me through the toughest times. And I miss him a lot. He didn't deserve what happened to him. And I hope justice will be brought to him.' I got off the stage and resumed my seat, tears glistening in my eyes. I cried my napkin to a pulp, not listening to any of the other speeches.... I couldn't bear it all. Luke couldn't be gone.......
As the funeral ended and everyone started to disperse, I went up to Luke's mom and gave her a big hug. 'It's ok....it's ok.' She patted my back, sniffling. And the next second, both of us were crying into each other's shoulders.
Later, I walked outside, my eyes red and puffy from crying and tear marks on my cheeks. 'About time we met Rachel Evans!' I whirled around in surprise and spotted a man leaning against the wall next to the gate.
'Do I know you?' I asked, annoyed.
'Not yet, but I definitely know you...' the man said with a smile. He was dressed in black, with sunglasses, jeans and a leather jacket over a black T- shirt.
'Who are you?' I asked, raising my eyebrows.
'Death's minion. But you can call me Orion.'
'Excuse me?!'
'Yes you heard me correctly, Rachel.'
'Death.....what?' I asked raising an eyebrow.
'Sigh.' He rolled his eyes dramatically. 'The king of the underworld, of course.' He said that as if it was very obvious. 'Come with me, we have to talk.' He said, striding forward quickly. I stood rooted in the same spot, staring after him. 'I said come!' What happened next was beyond my comprehension. One minute he was quite a few paces ahead of me, and the next moment, he was standing right in front of me.
He grabbed my forearm and started to pull me forwards. I yelled as I struggled against his grip. 'Aaahhhh!!!! Help!' I shouted, trying to break free when he whirled around to face me, an annoyed expression on his face. 'Seriously? Do you think I'm gonna kill you or something? I would really appreciate if you kept quiet. We have something very important to discuss.'
'What?' I asked, wrenching my arm away, as his grip loosened. 'I don't even know you! Now back off before I call the---'
'It's about your friend, Luke.' His words hit me like a hammer, a drastic change of expression coming across my face.
'W-wha-at?' I asked, sounded terrified.
'Come.' He grabbed my arm again and before I could say anything, he pulled me ahead, breaking into a run. That was the last thing I could properly comprehend before I felt something happening. I was in pain, my body felt as if it was dissolving.... And then, the entire world went dark.
'Well, hello.' I woke up to find myself, lying on the floor of some room, Orion standing in front of me. 'Finally you wake up.'
'Oh god....what happened?' I asked, lifting myself up but the fact that we were inside a very familiar looking classroom, made me stop before asking any other questions. And it looked exactly like..... 'Mrs. Henderson's class?' I blurted out, looking at orion.
'Yes.' He said solemnly. ' I have a job for you. Tell me, will you accept?'
'And it's about Luke?'
'Finally, you get it.'
'How....how did you bring us here?!'
'I told you, I'm one of death's minions. I have a few special skills...'
'Death.... is a person?!'
'Weren't you listening earlier? He's the king of the underworld.'
'Okay... this is starting to scare me...'
'If this scares you, then I can't imagine how you're gonna do what I want you to.'
'I crossed my arms over my chest. 'What is it?'
'You need to save your friend, Luke.'
'Excuse me?!' I felt like I would pass out any second.
'Death is never fair....Like you said in your little speech, Luke didn't deserve it. It wasn't his fault that someone had a grudge against him. And now he's gone.'
'DO YOU REALLY NEED TO REMIND ME?!' I shouted, my eyes stinging with tears.
Orion plainly ignored me and continued on. 'Rachel Evans, do you want Luke back?'
'What kind of question is that? Of course I do!'
'All right. You can have him back.'
' What?! How?'
'Listen very carefully... I'm going to send you back in time, to the day of his death. And your goal, is to find out who killed Luke, and stop him.'
'What?'
'Do you accept?'
I had no idea what exactly was happening...but I already knew I was going to do it. I was going to save Luke. I had to.
'Yes.'
'Very well.' Orion smiled, and asked me to hold out my hand. I did, and he took off a little..... Locket from around his neck and placed it in my palm. 'Take this. This will take you back in time.' He said firmly. 'All of have to do is press it tightly and murmur the words which I tell you.'
'Yes?'
'Cheat death...' He told me, in a loud whisper. 'Remember, if you do this, Death will come for you. I'll hold him off for as long as I can. But still, you don't have much time.... maybe just enough for five rounds....' He said sadly.
'Five rounds?'
'Yes...You'll only have a day's time to do this, but if you fail once, you can still use the locket to turn back time again. But this is a dangerous mission... do you really think you can do it?'
'Well, if you didn't think I could do it, you probably wouldn't have given this to me...'
Orion smirked broadly. 'Attagirl.'
'But, there' still so much I don't understand....'
'Alright, what do you want to know?'
'Why are you doing this.....why are you helping me? If you're really one of death's...minions, then shouldn't you be like, helping him?'
Orion smiled sadly. 'You know, I was once human. And when the time of my death came, I was picked up by death himself in his little race car and----'
'In a car?!' I gasped in surprise.
'Pay attention. Yes, so I was picked up by death himself, and he told me, that he wanted me to be his newest minion...'
'And you did?' I asked, drinking in every word of his.
Orion nodded. 'I have served him for over a century.... I have realised that truly, death is never fair. I hate it....so many die every day and only a few of them really deserve it. That's why I'm doing this. That's why we are doing this- I and all the other minions of death. We no longer serve him. And that is why I'm here..... Giving you a chance to cheat death and bring back your friend.'
'How will you hold him off....you know, if he comes?'
'I have my powers. But I can't do it for long. The last time......' he shuddered and rubbed his wrist.
'What happened?'
'A lot of bones breaking....you don't want to hear about it, trust me.'
'How did that happen? Breaking bones? I mean, you're not exactly human are you? So......'
'So why did I still get hurt?' He finished, smiling sadly.
'I'm still human enough to feel the pain.....I do regenerate rather quickly, but still.... Listen, even though I may be able to hold him off, death is stronger. Sooner or later, he will reach you. And your job is to save your Luke, before he gets to you.'
'I understand....' I nodded firmly.
'Then you're all set to go.'
'Wait.....how am I supposed to do it all?' I asked him quickly.
' I'm afraid I can't tell you that... I don't know anything about the murderer myself... That's for you to find. I can only advise you to be cautious, and use that big brain of yours.'
'Great.'
'Good luck, you'll need it.' He smiled warmly and I smiled back, before throwing the locket around my neck, and squeezing it tightly. Instantly, my head starting spinning... In fact, the entire world was spinning.
'You can do it.' My mind could barely comprehend Orion's words as I felt like I was being lifted into the air, and then, the world dissolved into nothingness and it all went dark.
-----------------------
'Rachel? Rachel! Wake up!'
Not again......Ugh. Wait, that voice...... I opened my eyes to see myself seated on a chair, behind a desk, and Luke staring at me.
'LUKE?!' I shouted and pulled him into a bear hug, tears glistening in my eyes. 'I missed----'I stopped short as I realised what I was doing... Even though Orion hadn't exactly elaborated, it was kinda obvious that I couldn't tell Luke that he had died....' I quickly jumped back and found the entire class staring at me, including...Mrs. Henderson.
'Oh my......' It was really true. I was really back in time, two days earlier....... It was exactly what had happened. Luke had woken me up when I'd fallen asleep in Mrs. Henderson's class. And on that note..... She marched over to me, her hands on her hips and a frown on her lips.
'I think you deserve The Nobel Prize Ms. Evans, now that you've managed to fall asleep in class twice in a row!' she shouted at me, her eyes narrowed.
I was too startled to reply. 'Get out!' she screamed, pointing her finger at the door and I pretty much realised that I would have to relive the entire day again, even the bad parts..... I got up slowly and walked to the door, wrenching it open and standing outside. This was going to be be a long day......Well, at least I knew what I was gonna get for chemistry right?
'Focus Rachel...focus!' I muttered to myself, slapping my face. This wasn't a dream. Luke's life was resting on my shoulders...I had to save that guy and I didn't have much time.... I really had to start evaluating my choices. Luke was killed at the party..... It could be just anyone who had been there. How was I going to do this? I was considering making a suspect list or something when the door opened and Luke joined me outside.
'Hey.' He muttered softly.
I looked at him slowly, and tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I remember how he lay....still and unmoving. I remembered how his mother cried into my shoulders at his funeral. I remembered how I cried. I had to save him, no matter how hard it was, I just had to.
'Are you okay?' Luke asked me, looking concerned. 'You look......'
'I'm fine, just fine.' I replied, blinking back tears, and giving him a warm smile.
'You're coming to the party right?'
'Wouldn't miss it. I've got big plans for tonight.' I told him, nonchalantly.
'And what might that be?'
'Secret.'
'And..........what is it?' he asked.
'If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, duh.'
'Uh huh.' He replied grinning. 'You seem all fired up for it!'
Yep, absolutely fired up to cheat death.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------