Becoming Death (25 page)

He answered me with another stab of pain to my chest and I collapsed into the road. I saw him in front of me, Aaron, standing on the other side of the road, waiting to cross. I tried to stand, call out to him, but I was too weak.

“Madison!” he screamed, leaping into the road and running across the street.

Time slowed as a black pick-up truck headed straight for me. I tried to move but my legs were frozen in place. I was paralyzed again, like I had been with the trunk. Suddenly Aaron was there, throwing me onto the sidewalk and blocking the path of the truck. His hands touched the bare skin of my arms. I felt the shiver flow through me and Aaron’s memories flashed before my eyes. No, no, no. Us as children playing on a swing set, passing notes in math class, him watching me twirl in my prom dress, his dad crying when he showed him his acceptance letter to college, our first kiss.

“Aaron, watch out!” I shrieked as the truck sped down the road.

I had never guessed I’d be the reason Aaron would die, but when he touched me I knew this is what Death had planned all along. Death was playing with me. He wanted me to watch. Aaron turned around just in time to see the truck’s headlights flash before it plowed into him. He flew across the hood, smashed into the windshield and rolled across the road until he landed a few feet from me. His head cracked against the sidewalk and blood pooled around him.

“Aaron,” I sputtered, feeling helpless as I watched him.

The truck didn’t slow down as it drove off and disappeared into the distance. Time finally caught up. My trance was broken but I was still unable to stand so I crawled to Aaron. His eyes fluttered at me as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

I quickly tore the end of my robe and tied the cloth around a gash on his forehead. “You’re going to be okay,” I muttered, not believing my own words.

“Liar. I’m dying.” He coughed.

I held my lips together. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what to do.”

His eyes scanned over me in disbelief. “Mads, are you a grim reaper?”

Tears built at the corners of my eyes as I burst out with a happy laugh. “Yeah, I am.”

“Those professional mourners think of everything.” He tried to smile at me but he winced instead. He wheezed, blinking quickly, each time his eyes narrowing until he closed them completely. I held my mouth as I turned away from him and focused on a clean piece of sidewalk. I was too late.

I shivered violently, rocking against the sidewalk. The pain eating away at me got the best of me and I lay down next to him. My insides felt like they were burning and I wiggled on the ground unable to stop it. Holding my stomach with one hand, I pulled out my phone with the other.

I grunted through the pain into the receiver, “Send an ambulance please.”

Dropping my phone, I reached for Aaron’s hand and squeezed it. “You’re not allowed to leave me.”

His eyes opened again and they drifted to me. “You either,” he answered as we both heard sirens in the distance.

I spent the rest of the day in the hospital. My mysterious pain had started to subside as soon as I was loaded into the ambulance. At the hospital, I was examined but the doctor’s couldn’t find anything wrong with me other than my strange choice of wardrobe. The nurses were convinced I had been on my way to a costume party, so I didn’t correct them. I was normal again, with a heartbeat and pulse.

Aaron hadn’t been so lucky. He had been rushed off to surgery to treat his multiple injures and internal bleeding, but the doctor’s assured me he would live. I felt different, like me again. That’s how I knew we had been successful. I had defeated Death at his sick game. It was over. I was no longer a reaper and Aaron was going to live.

After hours of surgery, Aaron was wheeled out with a broken leg, stitches in his skull and in a medically induced coma. I waited in his room, nervous about how much he would remember about the accident.

My mother leaned against the hospital room door. “Any change?”

I shook my head, putting down the latest issue of
Skye Hawke
. “They’re hopeful he’ll wake up today but the trauma could keep him asleep longer than normal.”

She held my face. “You look so different.”

I touched my chest, feeling movement inside. “It’s weird. I had gotten used to it not beating anymore.”

She hugged me, resting her chin on my head. “I’m just glad to have you safe.” She glanced at Aaron. “I’m glad that both of you are safe. In all honesty, I wasn’t prepared to lose another member of the family.”

I leaned back in my chair. “Death nearly got both of us. I think that was his plan all along, but he didn’t expect me to be walking around in my uniform.” I patted the family robes folded on the table.

“Your robes saved you?”

“Yeah, I guess they did. When I crawled over to help Aaron, he asked me if I was dressed as a grim reaper,” I explained.

My mother’s face softened. I knew she wished she had realized the answer to saving my father had been so simple. “You’ll have to be more cautious now. You’re mortal again and Death will be upset about missing his quota.”

“Let him be, it’s about time we started winning anyway.”

“Madison?” Aaron asked, his pupils wide and alert as he watched me from his hospital bed.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” my mother said, retreating from the room.

He coughed and winced, reaching for his side. “Where am I?”

“You’re in the hospital. You were in an accident. Don’t try to move too much,” I explained, pouring him a glass of water.

“What happened?” He ran a hand over the bandage on his forehead.

I sucked on my lip before saying, “You were hit by a pick-up truck.”

“Yeah, the truck, I remember that much—and that you were there,” he said. He took a drink. “I remember I thought you were hurt.”

I shook my head, my eyes cloudy. “I’m fine, don’t worry about me. You’re the one in the hospital.”

He took another long sip of water. “When I saw you hurt, I was worried that I might not get to tell you I lied.”

“You lied? About what?”

“I didn’t invite Becca over for a date. I invited her over to find out what was going on with you, why we had broken up. When I saw it made you jealous, I went along with it, but nothing happened, I promise,” he said.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “We just needed a break, really, but when I saw what you did—”

“You changed your mind?”

“Well, I can’t really turn down a guy that jumps in front of truck for me,” I told him, rubbing the top of his hand.

“I admit, it wasn’t one of my better plans to win you back but it did kind of work. I couldn’t let you get hurt. You’re the one person that matters to me. I couldn’t lose you.”

“I couldn’t lose you either.” I squeezed his hand. “But no more jumping in front of traffic for me, okay?”

“As long as doing it once was heroic enough to be your boyfriend again,” he asked.

“I can’t think of any reason to stop us this time,” I assured him with a kiss to his temple.

“Why were you dressed as a grim reaper anyway?” he said, pointing at the fabric on the table. “Were you going to a party or something?”

My mouth hung open, morphing into a smile. “You don't know.”

“Know what?”

“About my secret identity.”

“What are you some kind of superhero?” He laughed.

“Not quite. I'll tell you but you have to promise not to freak out.”

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