Dead Girl in Love

That wasn’t a choice.

It was a death sentence.

And only I could offer a reprieve.

* * *

I slept uneasily that night, waking up only when Mrs. Perfetti came into my room to ask if I was asleep. That had to be one of the dumbest questions ever. She sounded kind of spacey, and I had a feeling I should get up to make sure she was all right. Instead I brushed her off. “Yeah,” I murmured. “I’m asleep.”

She apologized, then shut the door.

After that I couldn’t go back to sleep. Awake, tormented, thinking of everything that had happened and searching for a solution. There had to be some way out. But if I reported Gabe, he’d go after Eli. And if I did what Gabe asked, I’d lose more than my life.

I’d lose my soul.

What would it be like to be a Dark Lifer? Living a month at a time in stolen bodies, always hiding and afraid of being captured by the DD Team. I’d never go to college, become an entertainment agent, get married, have kids, or grow old. I’d live forever but never really live at all. And my own grandmother would add my name to the Wanted, Dead and Alive list of other-side enemies.

I smashed my fist against my pillow and sat up in bed. Gabe could not win! I wouldn’t let him. But I’d need help.

Glancing at my bedside clock, I saw that the illuminated dial read 5:13 a.m.

Sure it was early, but Grammy would understand.

It took three rings before she answered.

“Amber?” Grammy greeted sleepily.

“Yeah, it’s me.” My voice cracked and I had to swallow fast so I didn’t cry.

“Is everything all right?”

“Uh … sure. It’s just that I can’t sleep.”

“Is this about the Dark Lifer?”

I gasped. “You know about him?”

“I may be away from my desk, so to speak, but I’m still the overseer of Temp Lifers. I sent Cola to warn you, but I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t.” It was Gabe who scared me.

“Cola warned all the Temp Lifers in the area as a precaution, but it’s unlikely you’ll encounter a Dark Lifer. The warning was routine and nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not worried … well, not much. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Bad dream?” she guessed.

“It was more than a dream … ”

Here’s where I tell her the truth, I thought. She’ll be upset and contact the DDT, which will result in my being pulled off my mission. I’ll be safe. But would Eli? I’d seen only some of Gabe’s powers and suspected he was far more dangerous than anyone realized. Could I trust the DDT and my grandmother with Eli’s life?

“I had a horrible nightmare,” I told Grammy. “Sorry I woke you so early.”

“I’m always here for you. Make some hot tea or cocoa and you’ll feel better.”

I wish it were that easy, I thought with a sigh. “It’s good to hear your — well, my — voice. Can we just talk a while?”

“Sure, hon. Want to tell me about your nightmare?”

I wanted to tell her far more. “I guess so … it was about Dark Lifers.”

“The DDT will take care of them. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I know. But I wondered if any of them are dangerous.”

“Nah,” she said dismissively. “Most are just lost souls afraid of change.”

“But the one that Cola warned me about — the same Dark Lifer I met on the boat — isn’t lost or afraid.”

Grammy sighed. “Gabe Deverau is an unusual case.”

“He bragged about having unusual powers. Is that true?”

“Never believe a Dark Lifer.”

“But he … ” I shifted the phone to my other ear, hiding the catch in my voice. “He seemed capable of anything.”

“Don’t worry, honey.” I imagined her sitting in my room, swiveling at my desk chair or perched on the edge of my bed. “Dark Lifers can slip into bodies but that doesn’t make them powerful; in fact, switching bodies weakens them. Also, they can’t jump into a body without placing both hands on the person’s skin — which isn’t easy.”

“Do they knock their victims out, or drug them?”

“Nothing so dramatic. It’s not in a Dark Lifer’s best interest to damage a body they want to possess. They simply wait till their target is asleep.”

“I may never sleep again,” I said wryly.

“Sleep with no worries,” Grammy assured me. “It’s impossible for a Dark Lifer to possess a body occupied by a Temp Lifer.”

“Really?” This was news to me.

“The TL process is thorough. When you’re switched, there are powerful protections placed on the Host Soul’s body.”

“If I’m protected, why are you and Cola so worried and planning to pull me off the job?”

“I didn’t say an experienced Dark Lifer couldn’t hurt your body — he could do great damage if he gets close enough to grab you with both hands. He could drain your energy so you can’t speak, think, or even breathe. This has only happened once — with tragic results.”

A tremor quaked through me. Tragic — that meant death. To both Temporary and Host Soul.

Grammy must have noticed my shocked silence. “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said quickly. “Only to advise caution. Gabe Deverau has a long history of Earthbounder abuse. I can’t even tell you how many young girls have needed Temp Lifer replacements after he damaged their spirits. I want to believe there’s good in even the darkest soul, but I’ve seen no evidence of compassion or decency in Gabe Deverau. The sooner he’s captured, the better for everyone. But he always seems to know when the DDT is coming for him and is gone before they get there.”

“Then how can you stop him?”

“Leave that to the DDT,” she assured me. “Put him out of your mind, because the one thing we do know about Gabe Deverau is that he’s smart — too smart to come near you again.”

“You’d think so.” I frowned, glancing out the dark window. “But how can you protect the people he steals bodies from? Let’s say a Dark Lifer jumped in front of a moving train, but then jumped out of the body before impact. What would happen?”

“The Host Soul would die,” she admitted. “But nothing like that has ever happened.”

“Not yet,” I worried.

“It would take an enormous amount of energy for any Dark Lifer to leap from a falling body without damaging his own energy. Then he’d have only ten minutes to find another body, all the while eluding the DD Team which would have spotted his beacon light the moment he left the body. The Dark Lifer would be captured immediately. But if you’re worried, I can arrange for you to switch back right away.”

“But then you’ll switch back too, and I thought you wanted to fix things with Mom.”

“I tried already and it didn’t work out. Maybe we should both go back where we belong. What do you say?”

I considered this, tempted to just run home, but I quickly discounted the idea because wherever I ran, Gabe would follow. He would recognize me no matter whose body I wore. And I didn’t want him near my family. So I assured Grammy that I wanted to finish my assignment.

It was still early, and my bed looked so inviting that I curled up under the covers, missing the warm furry comfort of my cat Snowy, but suddenly so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

When I woke up, I felt an eerie sense of quiet in the house. And when I got dressed, I couldn’t find Mrs.