Reaping Me Softly

“Where are we?” she asked.

Chapter 10 FLAT LINE

NIKO INHALED THE PINE AIR, its freshness causing his lungs to spontaneously breakout into song. The lake stayed calm despite the breeze that ruffled his hair like a gentle hand. The energy he used to transport Arianne and himself to the lake still tingled over his skin. He tightened his hold on the earthbound angel who’d broken through his composed facade enough that he couldn’t bear witness to her upset. When she’d run out of the chem lab with glistening eyes, he thought his heart would explode.

She’d asked him something, and he returned his attention to her. “Pardon?”

“Where are we?” She met his adoring gaze with questioning wonder, presenting her lips like fruit ripe for the picking. It would be so easy to bend the last few inches and claim the lushness she offered. He mentally slapped the thought away, feeling its sting.

“I brought us to the In Between,” he said, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear then tracing his fingers down her cheek. She rewarded him with a shiver. Her bloodshot eyes still broke his heart.

“Are we still in Georgia?” She looked around. “And how did we get here?”

“As to where… that’s a little difficult to explain. As to how… I willed us here.”

“Explain willed.” She sandwiched the word in air quotes.

“I pictured this place in my mind and brought us here using my will.”

She hummed a long mmmm sound that thrummed in his gut. He hugged her tighter until she squirmed, and then he loosened his grip and let her push away. She stood and explored her surroundings, moving toward the trees then to the dock. He remained seated on the lakeshore, leaning back on his hands.

Arianne studied the water, teetering on her toes. “It’s so clear,” she said. “I can see all the way to the bottom. Are there fish?”

“Be careful,” he warned. “Don’t want you falling in.”

“Don’t worry, I swim. So, are there fish in here?”

Her smile went right through him like a lightning bolt. “Do you want there to be?”

Surprise opened her eyes wider like flowers in bloom. “You mean you can add fish to this lake?”

“Name the kind.”

“Goldfish.”

Niko shut his eyes and imagined her request. Even before he could open them again she squealed like a little girl and clapped her hands excitedly.

“How did you do that?” She bounced toward him and kneeled between his legs, hands on her lap.

“I control this place. Whatever I can think of, shall be. All I have to do is close my eyes.”

Mischief sparked in her lovely features. “A doe.”

He blinked and a dappled doe peeked out of the woods. Arianne beamed and rattled off a list: butterflies, puppies, a unicorn, a circus bear balancing on a ball, a pride of lions, geese. With each blink, Niko materialized whatever Arianne had asked for.

Soon, a veritable zoo covered every surface of the lakeside.

“Wow!” Arianne yelled over the cacophony.

“All we need is an ark.”

“What?” She pointed at her ear.

“I said…” Niko raised his voice then stopped. He blinked away the animals, bringing peace to the area once more. When he spoke again, he modulated his tone. “I said, all we needed was an ark.”

“Not funny.” His angel pouted, then shrugged. “Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I think the lions would have eaten the gazelle if you didn’t make them all vanish.”

“And then some.”

“But where did they all go?”

Niko tapped his temple. “Back here. Remember, in this place, my will is king.”

Arianne moved from between his legs to lie down on the grass beside him. She stared up at the sky before closing her eyes and sighing. “How long can we stay?”

“For as long as you want.”

“What about school?”

“For every hour we spend here, it’s a second in the real world.”

“Really?” She peeked out of one eye to watch him nod. “How cool is that! You’re definitely not human.”

“What gave it away? The fact that I brought you here or that you saw souls at my house?” Niko meant it as a joke, but the sadness that formed on Arianne’s face silenced his impending mirth.

Leaks escaped the tightly shut floodgates. “Normally, I wouldn’t be so affected.” She covered her eyes with her arm. Her voice had a watery quality. “I’d be sad, sure. Who wouldn’t when you know someone just left loved ones behind to mourn? I’d say a prayer and be on my way. But today, I couldn’t hold it in. Not for Tammy’s mom. When I saw her soul standing outside the chem lab…” Hiccups and sobs overpowered the rest of her words. She rolled to her side—hiding her distress from him—and wept in earnest.

“Ari,” Niko whispered. His heart bled for every hiccup and sniff. He kept reminding himself she needed to cry it all out. He wanted to gather her into the security of his arms again, but something told him it wouldn’t help. He fixed his eyes on the heavens, thankful that Arianne didn’t ask him for privacy. The last thing he wanted was to leave her.

Eyes sore, as though someone had shoved hot pokers in her sockets, Arianne watched fluffy sheep and plump bunnies glide across the never ending blue—an elephant and a whale would join in the parade every so often. The cotton-soft grass beneath her brought warmth and comfort like a shawl on a chilly day. Never before had she cried so much. It left her exhausted. But a part of her floated, weightless and worry-free.

The whole time, Niko remained seated by her side, rubbing the space between her shoulder blades. Her joy knew no bounds, erasing anything obsessive she might have felt for him at the beginning. The collection of emotions inside her went beyond a childish crush. The boy who wasn’t human had stolen her heart utterly, and she was frightened her to think about what would become of her if he played recklessly with it. Enjoy the moment. That’s what I’ll do. He’s here, I’m here. What more can I ask for?

Niko had his arms balanced on his knees, brooding—a dark beatific quality about him. She expected wings to unfurl behind him at any moment, so inhuman was his beauty. She should be freaked out by it; she understood that much. But she couldn’t find it in herself to panic. Not since she’d learned about the existence of dead people walking around like regular people. And certainly not when he sat beside her, so close that her every breath brought with it his minty scent mixed with pine—a new kind of freshness.

“How long have you been able to see the souls of the dead?” Niko asked.

Arianne didn’t startle at the sound of his voice, too relaxed underneath the blanket of sunlight. “A few years, give or take. All I know is, one day I couldn’t see them, and the next, I could. No big d—” She winced, remembering why her crying had nearly filled a bucket with saltwater minutes ago.

“Would you permit me to try something?”

The tentativeness of his request caused Arianne to match his stare with one of her own. “Something like what exactly?”

“I want to check how you’re able to see souls. All I have to do is go into your mind, establish a link, and have a look around.”

“You say it like I’m a circuit box you can open to find the burnt fuse.”

Jutting out his tempting lower lip, he said, “I’ve never heard anyone put it that way, but it works.”

“Will it hurt?”

He touched the middle of her forehead with his index and middle finger. “If you’ll let me, all you’ll feel is my touch on your skin. And I promise not to look into your memories. All I want is to reach the source of your Sight. Humans call it the Third Eye.”