Dead Girl in Love

TL program, she had the power to save him. I couldn’t blame him for this; I even admired his resourcefulness. It seemed fair, anyway, for me to connect him with Grammy since he’d connected me with Alyce. It was the kind of strategy my book Getting the Goal advised for achieving success.

Only I doubted Grammy would help Gabe — not even for me. I’d been procrastinating all day about asking her. Grammy had a quick temper when she’d been alive and I was sure she still had it in her afterlife. She was not going to be happy to find out I’d been hanging out with a Dark Lifer — especially a wanted criminal.

Still, I had to call and confess everything.

Not going to be fun.

Gulp.

So after checking on Alyce’s mother, who was still snoring softly on the couch, I went down the hall to the bedroom where I’d left the cell phone. I took one step inside the room — and gasped. A shadowy shape crouched on Alyce’s bed! His curled tail wagged, his black eyes shone with affection, and a spinning Duty Director glowed like a holographic collar around his furry black neck.

“Cola!” I cried out, grinning.

My favorite dead dog was back.

* * *

When I was little, Cola followed me everywhere: outside to play, over to friends’ houses, inline skating, and even into the bathroom if I wasn’t quick enough to close the door. During meals he’d lurk under my chair, covertly gobbling down scraps of food. My mixed-everything beloved mutt was my first best friend. So I was beyond thrilled when we’d reunited a few weeks ago on the other side.

Even more astonishing then meeting my long-dead dog had been finding out that I could hear his thoughts in my head. We’d talked a lot when I was little but it was all one-sided: my jabbering away while he stared at me with adoring eyes and wagged his tail in what I imagined was a secret doggy language that only I could understand.

Now Cola was more than a loyal pet. He had an important job as a Comforter, where he could change into the shape of any animal to ease a dying person’s final moments. Once I’d watched him change into a Siamese cat, which had seemed like a miracle. The old man he’d “comforted” recognized him as a beloved pet, which made his passing from this world to the next peaceful. To me, it had all seemed amazing and miraculous. I couldn’t be prouder of Cola.

So my first reaction to finding him on Alyce’s bed was to wrap my arms around his fuzzy body in a big hug. He lapped my face and in my mind I heard him say how good it was to see me again.

“It’s great to see you, too,” I told him.

Then I noticed that his Duty Director (a computerized collar energized by a higher power) whirled with images in a speedy blur. It was like trying to look at a rainbow while riding in a Ferris wheel. And I wondered why he was here.

He stopped wagging his tail, and reached out a paw as if holding my hand. In my mind I heard him say, Amber, I’ve come with an urgent message.

“Is something wrong?” My heart skipped.

There is a problem, he admitted.

“Is Grammy all right?”

She’s fine — but this problem affects her, too.

My gaze lifted to the dark ceiling with all the painted stars on infinite black, and I felt as if the darkness stretched down to swallow me whole. “It must be something huge for you to come all the way here from the other side.” He lapped at me with his wet doggy tongue and I patted him on the spot between his ears where he loved to be scratched. I came to warn you. I wanted you to hear this from a friend, not a random Temp Lifer. You’re vulnerable because of your recent contact with a Dark Lifer.

Recent! Did that mean he knew about last night?

Don’t be afraid, he assured me, clearly misreading my anxiety. The DD Team is working on the situation so it should be resolved soon. You’ve done a remarkable job as a new Temp Lifer — following the GEM rules and reporting the Dark Lifer when you encountered him on his boat.

Oh … the boat! Relief swept through me. Cola was talking about what happened when I’d been in a different body, on spring break in Venice Beach. He had no idea about my more recent Dark Lifer encounter — and I wasn’t about to tell him.

“What’s going on?” I asked my dog.

Nothing yet, but we’re on high alert, Cola mind-spoke to me. Although Dark Lifers can be dangerous, it’s rare for them to harm a human. Acts of violence drain their energy, making it easier for the DD Team to apprehend them.

“So a Dark Lifer can’t really hurt me?” They can if they touch you with focused energy. But there’s only been one occurrence ever, and that was partly the Temp Lifer’s fault for breaking rules.

I glanced over at Monkey Bag lying on the floor, imagining my GEM book inside and those nine rules — I’d broken at least three. “What happened to that Temp Lifer?” Not important. Cola’s dark eyes clouded over. Still, don’t go anywhere alone and immediately report anyone you suspect could be a Dark Lifer.

I didn’t suspect Gabe — I knew what he was. So, technically, I wasn’t lying to Cola when I nodded. Still, I couldn’t quite meet his gaze and glanced down at my hands.

“Anyway, I doubt I’ll meet another Dark Lifer,” I said evasively.

I’m more concerned with the one you already met. Gabriel Deverau isn’t an ordinary Dark Lifer. He’s the most wanted DDT criminal. He’s been a fugitive for generations, but he can’t hide forever.

“It’s been almost a week since I saw him on the boat.” Yet his essence still remains on you. Cola tensed like a hunting dog on alert, his fur bristling as he sniffed me. This is very odd. The smell should have faded by now, but you still stink with foul darkness.

I sniffed but didn’t smell anything except Cola’s doggy breath. Not pleasant, either. And he had the nerve to say I smelled bad?

“I can’t help how I smell,” I said defensively. “Besides, Gabe didn’t seem dangerous. I actually felt sorry for him. Maybe Dark Lifers aren’t all that bad.” How can you say that after what you’ve been through? Or have you forgotten your first encounter with a Dark Lifer?

“No, I’ll never forget.” I frowned. “But I got away and nothing terrible happened.” Only because the Dark Disposal Team captured him before he could steal your energy. If he’d touched you long enough, your essence would have spilled out like blood from a deep cut. You could have lost your mind and soul, which is worse than death.

“He was horrible,” I admitted. “But it’s not fair to say that all Dark Lifers are evil. Maybe some are just misunderstood.” Don’t waste sympathy on the soulless ones who abuse humans. His sharp teeth flashed in a growl that sent shivers through me. Gabe Deverau is soulless and dangerous. But the DDT is closing in on him and soon he’ll no longer be a threat in any world.

“So all Dark Lifers deserve punishment? Haven’t any of them ever been reformed?” Never. He shook his head, ears floppy like an ordinary dog, but the cold chill in his gaze froze all hope. If my own dog felt this way about Dark Lifers, how could I hope to convince my grandmother to forgive Gabe?

Cola was sniffing again, his Duty Director sparked with red lights like flares in the night flashing danger. Your dark odor worries me. Why is it so strong?

“I need to use a different brand of soap?” Do not make jokes. This is far more serious than you realize.

Oh, I realize it’s serious, I thought anxiously. But I couldn’t let on or the DD Team would capture Gabe. He’d made mistakes, but I knew he wasn’t really bad. There was always hope for change. And I was determined to give that hope to Gabe.

Amber, listen to me. Cola’s mind-voice was both stern and gentle. My fur is bristling in a warning of trouble. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Our roles have changed since my Earth life, but I’m still your faithful and loyal friend. I’d give my soul to protect you.