“How did you want to die?” I asked. It was a serious question, posed in a serious moment, but when Elliot jumped and clutched his chest, I chuckled.
His dark eyes sparkled with mischief, even though I knew he didn’t intend to cause trouble. Or maybe the intent was always there, waiting in the wings to unleash chaos. “Fuck, man. You scared me.”
“Elliot Coyne.” I wasn’t sure why I said his name. I wanted to hear how it sounded when it rolled off my tongue.
“Are you looking for me?” He stepped closer, away from the scene.
I willed everything to fall away, creating a smokescreen around us. I wanted him close to me, for it to be just us.
I cupped his cheek. “I am.”
“Why?” Elliot moved into my touch. Was he aware he had done it? I had my doubts. “Who are you?”
I didn’t want to answer either question. Would he understand the gravity of my role to him? Would he accept me?
Those questions came to the forefront of my mind. I took too long weighing whether to tell him about us.
“You’re an angel, aren’t you?”
But I held back the information and told myself it was for his sake. I didn’t want to influence his decision or bombard him with details. The weight of death was enough for him to carry.
I smiled. “Some might say so.”
“What would you call yourself?”
I would call myself many things. Stupid, because of what I was about to do. Flushing my career down the toilet wasn’t thesmartest thing I’d ever considered. There went Sector Two and a tropical paradise.
I was also smitten with Elliot. He was young and energetic. He had the stupidity of youth dogging every decision. That was why he’d risk his life and might still lose it. His mother had called him reckless. Perhaps that was a good word for it. But the recklessness didn’t come only from his age. Pain lay in the depths of his eyes. Loss created a lonely existence, even with a thousand people around. Everyone could love you, but all it took was losing someone you loved to change everything.
I might have taken for granted what happens to a person when the soul leaves a body. That person lived whatever existence they wanted in the afterlife. And maybe they saw their loved ones who had passed on. They were able to live eternity with them.
I could see the damage his mother’s death had done to him. It was the shadow in his eyes, casting just enough darkness for Elliot to want something to bring out the sun. But it always clouded over again once the fun was over.
“I’m here for you.” It wasn’t an answer. I knew that. All I had to do was say why I was there, but I put it off, not wanting Elliot to make a choice. If we stayed in the between, he wouldn’t have to decide, and I would have forever with him.
“Did I die?” Elliot already knew the answer. I could see it in the way tears pooled in his eyes. Elliot had already experienced a change with the death of his mother. He knew what to expect. Knowing didn’t make it an easier pill to swallow.
“You have a decision to make.” Saying it aloud made me wary. What would he do? “I can escort you to the door if you’d like, or you can go back to your body.”
Elliot frowned, taking a step back.
My hand fell away from his cheek.
“Why would I get a choice?” That was a great question. One I didn’t want to answer. I sighed and did it anyway. “You’re special.”
Elliot scoffed. “Yeah, right. Try again, Death Angel.”
Death Angel.I couldn’t help but smile at the accurate nickname. “That’s the truth.”
“Why me?”
Why indeed. I took a deep breath in, then let it out again, shoring up my courage.
He interrupted before I could answer. “Actually, what I would really like to know are the pros and cons. That’s a more important question. And also, why isn’t this death thing scary?”
“I don’t know why people aren’t scared when they get to the between other than it’s not a scary place. Neither is the afterlife.” I held Elliot by the arm, and we turned. Darkness faded into light. A door appeared ahead of us. I could keep the door at a distance for a bit longer. Sadly, not forever.
Elliot widened his eyes. “So people go...” He pointed to the mist-covered ground and shuddered, as if something ominous lay beneath our feet.
