The Cupid War (10 page)

18

F
allon had been told many times before that he'd been wrong. He doubted very strongly that this would be the last. However, as he sat on the medical slab staring at Jada, he knew this was one of the many times that he was definitely—without any possibility of doubt—right on the money.

“No I'm not wrong,” he said. “Your buddy Owen messed up. Susan's a Suicide, Jada! C'mon, it's right there in her name.”

“No, Fallon,” Jada said. “Owen's dealt with more Suicides than most here. He would know … ”

“But none of those Suicides were inside a living girl,” Fallon pointed out.

“That's because there are none!”

“Until now.”

“Fallon, let it go,” Jada said. “What is this to you? What are you trying to prove? That you're better than the rest of us because you've discovered the first living Suicide?”

Fallon stared at her for a moment. “Is that what you really think of me?”

“No,” she admitted, looking away. “That's what Owen thinks.”

Fallon heaved himself off the slab. Instantly he felt groggy and weak, but he forced himself to stay upright.

“You tell that idiot,” he said, stumbling toward her, “that I'm concerned for the kids in that school. If I'm right, they're in danger. The same way I was in danger when I was her friend.”

“You … ”

“Yes,” Fallon said, standing right in front of her. “I knew her. And during that time I became very depressed. Suicidal, even. You remember when I told you I fell off a bridge? She's the reason I was there.”

“Oh,” Jada said. “But … ”

“I wanted to die that night,” Fallon said. “And right now Susan's after someone else, a boy named Ryan. I don't want fame and glory, Jada. I want Ryan to live.”

“Okay,” she said. “Okay, maybe you're right. But there's no way to prove it.”

“Yes there is,” Fallon said. “Check Ryan. Feel his heart, see what she did to him. And watch her. Watch how she acts. You'll see.”

“Okay,” Jada said. “I'll have to run it by Louis … ”

“No,” Fallon said. “He'll be no help here. Just go check it out. You'll see I'm right.”

“If Louis finds out, he'll kill me,” Jada said at last. “You owe me one,
Fallon.”

“Just go,” he said, and Jada turned and left.

The second she was gone, Fallon collapsed to the floor.

“I didn't think you'd last that long,” Alexander said,
helping him back to the slab.

“I'm surprised you didn't try to stop me,” Fallon replied.

“I didn't want to interrupt,” Alexander said. “You have a very strong soul, Fallon. For what it's worth, I believe your story.”

“Thanks,” Fallon said, sitting on the slab. “Look, do you think you could try and heal me faster? I've got to get back to that school myself.”

“Patience,” Alexander said. “There is nothing you can do right now that isn't already being done by others. Try to meditate again, and I will up your Love dose a tiny bit.”

“You're the best,” Fallon said, and he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind once more.

He focused on receiving Love from the Source. He pictured the Love like a red laser beam, firing down from the sky straight into him. All other thoughts he brushed aside, keeping his mind on that laser.

Warmth and peace surrounded him. It felt good … so good that he lost focus and thought about how awesome it was. It vanished in an instant, so Fallon concentrated and tried to bring it back. Then he realized he was concentrating on getting the feeling back, not on receiving Love.

He tried again. He felt frustrated, but he let that go. He was starting to understand how it worked now. He needed a clear channel open between himself and the Source. Thoughts garbled the signal. Fallon kept his mind clear and focused, focused …

The peace and warmth enveloped him again. This time he stayed with it, finding the calm center of himself. Fallon became aware of a presence, something alive in the energy around him. He was a part of it, a drop in its ocean. The entirety of the universe was open to him …

“Whoa,” Fallon said, breaking the trance and freaking out. “That's intense.”

“How far did you go?” Alexander asked, then he saw the look on Fallon's face. “Oh, I see. Well done.”

“What?” Fallon asked.

“Well, you look very moved,” Alexander said. “I have little doubt you'd be crying if our bodies had tear ducts.”

“Probably,” Fallon admitted.

“I doubt you'd be in such a state,” Alexander went on, “unless you've had an encounter with the Source.”

“I guess I did,” Fallon said. “It was … well … ”

“You don't have to explain,” Alexander said. “I've been there, Fallon. All the old Cupids have.”

“But not the young Cupids?” Fallon asked.

“The practice of connecting to the Source,” Alexander explained, “is not taught to the new Cupids. It is not encouraged, either.”

“Let me guess,” Fallon said. “Louis thought it distracted people from their work.”

“Got it in one,” Alexander said. “There was a problem for a while with some Cupids neglecting their work in order to meditate. Every organization has its bad apples. Louis decided the best way to handle the situation was to punish all Cupids by forbidding meditation. I disagreed, told him there are plenty of times when a Cupid has nothing to do. At night, for example, when everyone in a zone is asleep. Or early in the morning. But Louis would have none of it.”

“He really likes being a jerk, doesn't he?” Fallon said.

“He's … driven,” Alexander replied. “He has his good qualities.”

“Does he ever show them?”

Alexander laughed at that, but it was a sad laugh.

“I hope you'll get to see that side of him someday,” he said. “I assure you it's there, but after what happened to Sandra … well, I'm sure you can understand.”

Fallon nodded. He supposed he could.

Fallon went back to meditating, and hoped Louis would see him doing it. That would really make him mad! The thought made him smile. Yes, the guy had lost his daughter to the Suicides, but that didn't give him the right to ruin anyone else's life.

Fallon realized he was thinking, and brushed hi
s thoughts aside. He concentrated on receiving Love from the Source …

The scream cut through his awareness like a freight train through a cat. The scream was his name, and Fallon immediately knew the voice.

“Trina!” he cried, and he leapt off the slab.

“Fallon, come back!” Alexander called after him as he sprinted from the room.

The Cupid Center spun around him. Fallon felt dizzy, weak, but he didn't let that stop him. He leaned against a large Love cube for a couple of seconds; he'd been rash to rush off like that, but he had to get to Trina. Something was very wrong, and she needed his help.

Fallon looked at the cube of Love. There was a lot there, and this was an emergency …

He grabbed two fistfuls and stuffed them into his mouth. He felt better, but not perfect. It would have to do.

The portals were close. Fallon chose one and ran toward it, concentrating on an image of the high school. He felt the familiar shifting of worlds, and then he was back on the school's front lawn.

There was an ambulance and a police car in the main parking lot. Not a good sign. Fallon didn't run toward them. Somehow he knew—perhaps on a psychic level—that he was needed elsewhere.

Inside the main lobby, two ambulance attendants were wheeling a gurney through a crowd of curious students. Fallon ran straight through the onlookers to see the victim—it was Ryan. His wrists were bandaged and soaked with blood.

Fallon kept going. There was nothing he could do for Ryan, and he had to find Trina.

“Fallon?”

He looked up and saw Jada and a couple other Cupids standing nearby. Fallon ran past them.

Outside the boys' bathroom, he saw Trina slumped against the wall. She was holding her hands over her chest as if she'd been punched.

“Trina?” Fallon said, arriving at her side.

“Fallon?” Her voice was a choked whisper. “Where have you been?”

“Sick,” Fallon said. “Susan got me. I nearly … I'm lucky I made it.”

“Ryan tried to kill himself,” she said.

“I know,” he replied. “I saw. But don't worry about him. He's in good hands.”

“I found him,” Trina said. “Susan was waiting for him outside the bathroom. I sensed he was in trouble and ran in … found him on the floor.”

“Is that when you called for me?” Fallon asked.

“No, I called 911,” she replied. “I didn't scream your name until Susan touched me, right here.” As she spoke, she tapped her sternum.

Fallon felt rage boiling inside him. Having disposed of one victim, Susan had moved on to another.

“You'll be okay,” Fallon assured her. “I'll protect you.”

But he had no idea how he would do it.

19

F
allon and Trina went outside to talk in private as soon as the police finished their questioning. Classes had been cancelled for the afternoon and everyone was on their way home.

“You don't want to be with your friends?” Fallon asked her as they walked.

“I do,” she replied, “but this is more important. I have a lot to tell you.”

Fallon couldn't help but be amazed. Trina had just had a tremendous shock, and then she'd been preyed upon by the world's only living Suicide. Anyone else would want to take the rest of the day off, yet here was Trina, ready to work.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her.

“Like the world is pointless and I have no reason to live,” she replied. “Your friend really did a number on me.”

“She's not my friend,” Fallon said, surprising himself with the bitterness in his voice.

“Sorry,” Trina said. “I didn't mean … ”

“No, it's okay,” he said. “It's just, what she does to people … and my people don't think she's for real. They say there's never been a Suicide in a living body before. But she has to be.”

“Oh, I believe it,” Trina said. “I found out something about her that might explain things.”

“You have?” Fallon exclaimed. “Tell me! What is it?”

He really should have predicted what came next. The electric shock struck him in the back of the neck, sending him flying through Trina on his way to the ground.

He rubbed his neck and rolled over to face Louis, who was walking out of the school toward him and Trina. Trina, momentarily confused, sensed Louis's presence and backed away with a gasp.

Louis ignored her.

“I've tried playing fair with you,” he said as Fallon got back up. “You keep breaking rules, keep stealing other people's Love. And Alexander tells me you ran out on him.”

“Come on, Louis,” Fallon said. “Enough with the shock treatment, okay? Can't you just talk to me like … ”

Louis fired again, knocking Fallon on his ass once more.

“Obviously not,” Fallon muttered, rubbing his chest.

“Fallon!” Trina said, rushing to his location. “Are you okay? What's going on?”

“I'm fine,” Fallon replied, even though he was not. “Louis, this is my psychic friend, Trina. Trina, this is my boss, Louis.”

“The one you said was a complete jerk?” she said. “Oh, sorry … ”

“You made a living person aware of our existence?” Louis said. “Didn't Caleb tell you … ?”

“Look, Louis … ”

“No, you look!” Louis snapped. “You're not being protected by your buddy Alexander anymore, so … ”

“Fine.” Fallon walked right up to his boss. “Shock me. Get it out of your system.”

“Will you two stop it!” Trina snapped. “I've been through enough for one day! I don't need to be referee to a couple of ghosts.”

“Little lady,” Louis said, “this isn't any of your concern. You shouldn't even be aware of us. Best if you left here.”

“He's right,” Fallon said. “Louis might accidentally hit you, and I don't know what that might do to a living person. I don't want you to get hurt.”

“I'm not leaving,” Trina said. “You two are going to stop this, and you are going to listen to what I have to say.”

“You had your chance,” Louis said, and he blasted her. Trina screamed, flipped in the air, and landed on the pavement with a thump.

“Trina!” Fallon rushed to her side. He tried to touch her, but his fingers went straight through. He was desperate to help her, but he couldn't do a thing.

“You bastard!” he roared, rounding on Louis. His boss was ready for him; the blast hit him hard in the chest, hurling him backward.

“We're gonna … we're gonna settle things, you and me,” Louis said. He walked toward him.

And faltered. It was just a misstep, but Fallon saw it.

“You're right about that,” he said, forcing himself to stand. It hurt to do so—the multiple shocks had done a number on his body—but he did it anyway. “Let's do this.” He braced himself for another shock, and was not disappointed. It hit him in the gut, throwing him backward once more.

Louis advanced, then stumbled. He regained his composure and resumed his march.

He stumbled again.

Fallon hurt all over, but he forced himself to his feet. He looked at Louis, who had stopped and bent over, panting.

“You're running out of juice,” Fallon said. “Aren't you?”

The look on Louis's face told him he was right. His boss looked exhausted, confused, and suddenly very afraid.

Louis raised his arm and fired. Fallon ducked under the blast, then threw himself at Louis with all his strength.

“Oof!” Louis cried as Fallon slammed into him. They fell through the nearest wall, back into the school, straight into an empty classroom.

Fallon straddled Louis, pinning his arms to the ground. He wasn't about to take any chances with him. Satisfied that his boss was helpless, Fallon rained blow after blow down upon Louis's face.

It felt good. He'd wanted to fight back against his tormentor ever since he'd met him. And after what he'd done to Trina …

Trina! Fallon leapt off of Louis and ran back through the wall. If she was dead …

She wasn't. She stirred when he approached, rubbing herself where Louis had struck her.

“I can't believe he did that to you,” Fallon said. “I'm so sorry, Trina.”

“Don't be,” she replied. “That guy is one serious freak.”

“Can you walk?” he asked.

“I think so.” She turned toward the sound of his voice. “It hurts, but … ”

She stopped. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.

“What?” Fallon asked her. “What's wrong?”

“I … can see you,” she said.

“Really?” he said. “Oh. Wow. Um, so … what do I look like?”

“Like you're half-here and half-not,” she said. “And … is t
hat a heart on your chest?”

“Yeah, I'm not crazy about that,” Fallon said.

Suddenly, Trina's eyes widened again. “Look out!” she cried, a second too late.

The blast hit Fallon in the small of the back. It hurt, but it did not throw him forward—there wasn't much power behind it.

Fallon turned and stood. Louis stood behind him, looking exhausted and beaten. He fired off another shock, but it barely reached a meter beyond his fingertips before fizzling out.

“You're done,” Fallon said. He strode forward and punched Louis hard in the face. His boss staggered backward, fell to his knees, tried to rise, failed. Fallon had him.

“Are you ready to listen now?” Fallon said, then chuckled. “It seems if I want you to shut up and pay attention, I have to … ”

Someone slammed into Fallon from the side. He fell sideways to the ground, another Cupid on top of him.

“Hey!” He turned to see his attacker. It was Owen, and his fist connected solidly with Fallon's jaw. Fallon tried to raise his arms to ward off any further blows, but suddenly he found his arms and legs pinned by more Cupids.

Owen punched him again and again and again. Fallon struggled hard, but he could not free himself. His vision was starting to blur, but he could make out two Cupids helping Louis to his feet.

“I knew there was something wrong with you,” Owen said. “Never figured you'd break our biggest law, though.”

“And what would that be?” Fallon asked.

“Assaulting the Cupid Leader,” Owen told him. “You're in big trouble, mister.”

“He was trying to protect me,” Trina said, and the Cupids looked at her in surprise.

“Louis attacked her,” Fallon said. “She can see and hear us, and was about to … ”

“Shut up,” Owen said, and he thumped Fallon again. “We're taking you back. You can answer to the angels.”

“No,” Louis said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Put him in Limbo.”

“Limbo?” Owen asked, frowning. Fallon thought he looked conflicted, but it only lasted a moment.

“You heard the man!” Owen told the assembled Cupids. “Take him to Limbo.”

Fallon had no idea what Limbo was, but from the way he was grabbed and hauled up by the other Cupids, he guessed it couldn't be a good thing. He tried to struggle, but all that got him was a punch in the gut.

“Don't get cute,” Owen said.

He caught Trina's eye. She mouthed some words at him. Then the Cupids dragged him away.