I'm With Cupid (12 page)

Marcus was still in a daze as he and Lena made a quick stop at his house before heading to the hospital. His parents had wanted him to come right away, but he'd had to pick up the moon ship first. He'd finally finished the model last night, deciding to take a piece from one of his other ones to complete it. Almost as if he'd known that he was running out of time. He also slipped Grandpa's book into his pocket, knowing its presence would make him feel better.

As they hurried toward the hospital, he glanced at the time and sucked in a breath. It had been more than a half hour since his mom's message. He hoped Grandpa was still…

Marcus shook his head. No. He'd get to the hospital and see that Grandpa was fine and that the message Eddie had sent him was some kind of mistake.

He was so consumed by his thoughts that he barely noticed they were passing by Caspar Brown's house. Then he heard that unmistakable ape voice.

“Hey, Dumpus!”

Lena started to turn around, but Marcus shook his head. “Keep walking,” he said.

“Hey, where are you going?” Caspar called after them.

“Ignore him,” Marcus muttered, but he couldn't help the sinking feeling inside him. Why had he gotten careless? If they'd gone a different way, they could have avoided this.

“You can't run from Caspar forever, you know,” Lena said.

That was easy for her to say, but what was he supposed to do?

It seemed like they were finally safe when Marcus felt someone grab his jacket from behind. Caspar yanked him backward and spun him around. “Why are you ignoring me?” he asked. “I was just trying to talk to you.”

“Well, he doesn't want to talk to
you
,” Lena said.

Caspar laughed. “You're having your girlfriend stand up for you now? Does she go digging around in the trash with the rest of your family?”

“Shut up,” Marcus said, but Caspar only laughed again. Then his eyes lit up.

“What's that in your pocket?” He snatched Grandpa Joe's book before Marcus could stop him.

“No!” Marcus cried.

“What kind of crappy book is this?” Caspar asked, leafing through it. “It's like a million years old.”

“Be careful with that. It's an antique,” Lena said.

Caspar's grin widened. Then he took a step toward the pond, and Marcus knew what was going to happen. His book was going to wind up at the bottom like his phone had, and no amount of spicy rice would ever make it okay again.

“No,” Marcus said, his body suddenly pulsing with anger. No one was going to ruin Grandpa's book, no matter how enormous he was. He took a step forward onto the grass and then another. “Give that back now.”

Caspar's grin only grew bigger. “Or what?”

Suddenly, Marcus heard a strange crackling sound coming from his feet. He glanced down to see that all the grass around him, every single blade, had shriveled up and died.

Caspar's smile vanished. “How did you do that?”

“I-I didn't,” Marcus stammered, but it was too late to deny it. His secret—at least part of it—was out. Marcus's first instinct was to make a run for it. Maybe if he got far enough away, Caspar would think he'd imagined the whole thing. But one look at Caspar's face told him that the bully would never let him forget this.

“I knew you were some kind of freak,'” Caspar said, his gaze still on the dead grass around Marcus's feet.

Then something rustled in the bushes, and Marcus heard a pitiful meow. A second later, a ball of light darted out of the bushes and rushed at Caspar. The boy didn't see it coming, but as it collided with his leg, he howled as if he'd been zapped with electricity.

“What was that?” Caspar asked, jumping back. Then he whirled around, clearly trying to find his attacker.

Lena and Marcus exchanged looks as the cat turned back for another pass.

“If you keep messing with me,” Marcus said, his voice sounding stronger in his ears than it ever had before, “you'll find out. Now give me the book back.”

Caspar's eyes doubled in size, and he let the book drop to the ground. Lena scrambled to grab it off the concrete. Thanks to its new quilted cover, the book looked unharmed.

“You…you're such a…” But for once, Caspar couldn't seem to come up with an insult. And when the cat let out another yowl, Caspar yelped in fear and scurried back toward his house.

“Good kitty,” Marcus whispered as he watched the bully's front door slam shut behind him.

At that moment, his phone started buzzing in his pocket, telling Marcus he was running out of time before his assignment. He swallowed the sick feeling in his throat and turned to Lena. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to stop running.

“Let's go,” he said.

Lena stopped in the hospital lobby and glanced over to find Marcus frozen in front of the elevator. He'd been eerily quiet since their encounter with Caspar, but now he suddenly looked like a panicked animal.

“It'll be okay,” she told him, pressing the elevator button.

“I can't do this!” he erupted. “I thought I could stop running from stuff, but this… It's too much, Lena. I can't!”

When the elevator door opened, Lena went inside, but Marcus didn't move. “You have to at least go see him, don't you?” she asked.

Marcus's shoulders drooped, but he followed after her. They came out on the fifth floor, directly in front of a room with the words “O. Monroe” written on a whiteboard by the door.

“Hey, look,” Lena whispered. “Do you think that could be Olivia?”

They peered in, and sure enough, the young woman from the park was lying unconscious on the bed. A mystery novel sat on the table beside Olivia's bed, as if someone had been coming by to read to her.

“She looks better,” Marcus whispered.

Lena nodded. Even though the woman was still unconscious, she seemed to have more life to her than when she'd been rushed off in the ambulance.

As Marcus turned away, Lena thought she saw a hint of a love spark fluttering near Olivia's heart. But that was impossible, wasn't it? It must have been a trick of the light.

When they got to the end of the hall, Marcus froze again. “It'll be okay,” Lena whispered. She watched him take in a shaky breath and then give a little nod of his head.

They went into the room to find Marcus's parents and his sister sitting by the hospital bed. An old, frail man was asleep in the bed, hooked up to wires and machines. Lena didn't need her soul-collecting powers to know that he didn't have much time left.

“Marcus, there you are,” a man who had to be Marcus's father said. “What took you so long?”

“I had to stop at home to pick something up,” he said. “Oh, um, everyone, this is Lena.”

Normally, she would have felt awkward meeting a boy's parents, but that was the least of her worries right now. His family looked at Marcus with confused expressions on their faces. Most guys probably didn't bring girls to their dying grandfather's hospital beds.

“I'm here for moral support,” Lena explained.

“She made Grandpa a quilt,” Marcus said, pulling it out of his backpack.

“Thank you, Lena,” his mom said with a tired but warm smile. She turned to Marcus. “Grandpa hasn't been awake since we got here. They don't know if he
will
wake up, honey. But they said there's a good chance he can hear us, so if there's anything you'd like to say to him, now's the time.” She looped her arm through Ann-Marie's. “We've already said our good-byes.”

Marcus nodded. “Can…can I have some time alone with him?”

“Of course,” his mom said.

When Marcus's family was gone, he slowly walked to Grandpa Joe's bedside and spread the quilt out over him. When she'd been frantically working on it the night before, Lena had hoped that the quilt would bring Grandpa Joe some comfort, but it seemed that Marcus was the one who needed comfort now.

“What do I do?” he asked Lena when he was done.

“Talk to him,” she said. “Let him know you're here and that you'll make sure he'll be okay.”

He nodded, but she could tell that he was still hesitant. “Do you want me to go?” she added. Maybe it would be easier for him to do this without her watching.

“No! Please stay. I can't do this by myself.”

“Okay. I'll be right here.”

He took a long breath and sat down beside the bed. “Hey,” he said softly. “Um, I'm here, Grandpa. It's Marcus. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I'm sorry I've barely come to see you at all these past few weeks. I was scared.” He laughed softly. “I still am scared, but I'm here.”

He glanced at Lena, as if looking for reassurance that he was doing things right. “Keep going,” she said.

“I'm not ready for you to go, Grandpa,” Marcus said. “There was all this stuff we were going to do. Remember that trip to Philadelphia that we kept talking about? You said I couldn't go through life without seeing the Liberty Bell at least once. You said it was the only broken thing worth looking at.” He laughed softly. “I'll still see it though. I promise.”

He put his head down, and Lena thought he must be crying. But when he finally glanced up again, his face was dry. “You know that book you gave me? I think it helped. So thank you. For that, and for everything. I…I don't know what else to say. Except that I brought you something.” He dug in his bag and pulled out the moon ship. “I wanted you to have this. I…I thought it might make you smile.”

As he gently placed the model on the table by the bed, Marcus's phone beeped, telling him it was almost time. He let out a long breath and looked at Lena. “I don't know if I can do this,” he said.

“You have to, Marcus. Once the soul is assigned to you, you're the only one who can collect it.”

Marcus jumped to his feet and went to the window. He struggled to open it, but it wouldn't unlock. “It's not fair. Why would they have me do it? I'm his grandson,” Marcus said in a hushed voice, clearly not wanting Grandpa Joe to hear.

“You're right,” Lena said, going over to him. “It's not fair. It was probably supposed to be my assignment, but now that you have my powers, they gave it to you.”

Suddenly, Marcus's face brightened. “I know, you can zap him! A love boost will give him extra time like it did with Mrs. Katz.”

Lena shook her head slowly. “Remember what Eddie said, it's only temporary. And for all we know, the only reason that worked was because the mailman showed up at the right time.”

“We'll find a nurse and have the two of them fall in love. If it keeps him alive, then—”

“Marcus,” Lena said. “You might give him a few more days, but that's it. I know you don't want to let him go, but it's selfish to keep him here when his soul is ready to move on. It's his time.”

Marcus stood there not moving or speaking. She wasn't sure he was still breathing. “I know it doesn't feel like it,” Lena added softly, “but you're helping your grandpa. I promise.”

He whirled toward her, his face bright red. “How can you even say that? I'm not helping him. I'm
killing
him,” Marcus said in a fierce whisper. “Can't you see that? You're like an emotionless robot. No wonder you didn't get into the play.”

Lena stared at him in shock. How could he say that to her? She'd thought Marcus really cared about her, but clearly she was wrong.

“You know what?” she said. “Do whatever you want. You're on your own.”

She turned to leave the room, but Marcus jumped in front of her. “No, please,” he said. “I'm sorry, okay? I don't know why I said that. I didn't mean it.” His face crumpled. “Please don't go. I can't…I can't do this by myself.”

Lena hesitated. No matter how betrayed she felt, could she really leave Marcus to do this collection on his own? If he chickened out, Grandpa Joe's soul would drift around, totally helpless and confused. She'd never met the man before, but from hearing Marcus talk about him, she knew he was something special. She couldn't let that happen to him.

“Fine,” she said. “I'll help you.”

His phone started beeping incessantly. Marcus turned it off and went back to his grandpa's bedside. “Okay,” he said softly. “What do I do?”

She went to stand beside him. Her anger at what he'd said was still bubbling in her chest, but she pushed it down. He'd been upset, that was all. Maybe he really hadn't meant it. And besides, she had more important things to think about right now.

“Call up your energy.”

He did as she said, and a moment later, his fingers flared purple.

“Now, put your hand on his arm and imagine his soul going off somewhere calm and peaceful. Imagine that you're sending him off on the best vacation ever.”

Marcus smiled sadly. “The biggest golf course in the universe. He'd love that.”

“Perfect,” she said.

She watched as his glowing fingers crept toward Grandpa Joe's hand. Then, slowly, the energy flowed into the old man's skin and disappeared.

Marcus pulled his hand back and slumped, clearly exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Lena asked.

He nodded but didn't say anything.

“It'll happen in the next couple of minutes,” she said. “You don't have to be here to see it if you don't want. You did your part.”

Marcus shook his head. “No, I want to stay with him…until the end.”

He gently took his grandpa's hand again and held it, talking to him in a low murmur that Lena could barely hear. As she watched Marcus saying good-bye, she was surprised to feel tears rolling down her face. She couldn't remember the last time she'd cried, really cried, since her mom had left. That time, she'd been crying for herself. But this time, her tears were for Marcus.