“Exactly. You’re the only one of us I know of who sees that kind as green. I knew when I heard your song that you would be able to do that. I just didn’t know who you were. That’s why I kept on looking until I found you. We need you.”
Mel looked at her right arm, the one that had turned into something as hard as stone. Rubbing a hand across her sleeve, she said, “The right arm of justice.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Someone has an odd sense of humor.” When Baby didn’t understand, she flicked her eyes heavenward and repeated, “Someone.”
“Oh, that someone. Yes, very twisty indeed.”
“Is that god? Or maybe Viking gods?”
“Nah, too much of a sick-o. Sick-o doesn’t match any description I’ve ever heard for god.”
“Then what?”
Baby lifted a shoulder, “Another kind of monster probably, except one higher on the food chain than we are. That’s another thing. I know you have a big fat stack of papers with lots of food to get, but be cautious and careful. If you get sloppy then that one will turn you into greasy ashes. Balance and caution are the keywords for everything we do.” She rolled her eyes heavenward and said, “That one has a sense of humor, but out of all the monsters, that’s also the one that can erase you in an instant.”
Mel should have been surprised, but she wasn’t. After all, whatever it was had marked her and did it without even showing up. She had questions, sure, but the words that stuck her brain were the plural ones. “More monsters? There are more?”
“Oh sure. There’s lots of kinds. Let me ask you a question. Have you seen any colors aside from blue, yellow, or green?”
Mel remembered the two women lit in grey. “Yeah, sort of. They were kind of grey, but lit up. Two pros on the stroll.”
“Did they see you?”
“One did.”
“What happened?”
“She looked sort of crazy.”
Baby waggled her eyebrows. “They are.”
“What was she?”
“Another kind of monster. The world is filled with monsters. We’re monsters too if you think about it.”
Mel shook her head, a little frustrated at the answer that didn’t answer anything. “But what kind of monster was she?”
“I don’t know. Different of our kind have watched them, followed them, tried to see what they do, but they just do what normal people do. Well, mostly. But they aren’t blues. And if you meet one, you’ll find out they don’t like you. They think they’re just people, but they’re not. You’ll rub them the wrong way if you meet one in normal life, but I don’t think they know why.”
“Then maybe they are just people.”
“Maybe, but I doubt it. And there are more of them lately, just like there are more of us. Some of our kind think they’re what comes next for humans. Instead of blue, they’ll all be grey someday. The Soulless is what we call them, but that’s not really right either. The world is filled with monsters, you know. All kinds of both sexes. You’ve got your oranges and purples, but they can’t hurt you. Watch out for the ones with deep red, though.”
Remembering the man with the bad liver, she asked, “What does pink mean?”
The girl looked flabbergasted. “You saw a pink?”
“Just the edges, like little threads of pink.”
“Wow. That’s rare enough. I’ve never seen a full pink. They’re kind of a myth. Pink in any amount means goodness. Not just doing good, but good right down to their core. Their soul and character and way of looking at the world. Not like a baby—those are always blue—but good despite seeing the bad of life. It means that person is truly good. Always help anyone with pink. They usually need it. Pinks don’t thrive in this world.”
“So, the bottom line is that the only good ones are white-light, blue-light, and pinks?”
Baby snorted. “Are you kidding? Pinks, yes, but there’s a reason a full pink is a myth. Do you think all humans are good?”
“Well, no, but they’re blue, right?”
“Here’s the thing, Mel. No one is good except a pink. We aren’t good.”
A little offended, Mel leaned away. “But—”
“No, just listen. In a way, I have it easy, because the kind that are green for me do something so unacceptable that no one would care if I eat them. But what about that doctor? I yanked his life, but he was a doctor, someone who’s entire life is focused on helping people stay alive. What’s the balance? There isn’t one. He was green to me so he was food.”
“Some things can’t be balanced,” Mel said.
“Sure, you say that, but what about your stack? Is everyone there so entirely bad that they deserve to die?”
Mel’s brow creased at that. She didn’t know much about those greens. In all honesty, she hadn’t even considered it. All that mattered is that they were in some way involved and that was good enough for her. Plus, green means go.
Baby touched her hand in sympathy, then said, “It’s not always so clear cut. There’s one of us here locally that only sees swindlers as green. Con artists, cheaters, financial criminals. The last financial crisis with all those bankers was great for her, but most of the time she survives off life hits from other Valkyries. Does every used car salesman selling jacked up cars deserve to die for it?”
“Well, obviously not.”
“See. It’s not always black and white. The answer is that we aren’t good or
