Whispers of Death (23 page)

    He paused. "Why?"

    I pulled the scythe away from my body. "This is yours," I said, my breathing labored.

    He looked at my face, and a sadness filled his black eyes. "I'm afraid I can't take that," he said.

    I was taken aback. "What?"

    He sighed and sat back on the ground.  He looked at the stars and then off in the distance before resting his eyes back on me.

    "Amelia, you have defeated Fear, but he stabbed me with the blade.  My time as Death is over.  I can no longer control the power of the scythe; it belongs to you."

    Panic filled my entire body. "I'm still Death?" I managed to say after a few moments of shock.

    "Yes," he whispered.

    The tears built up in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks.  They would have fallen, but instead they froze to my skin.  The temperature had dropped significantly in the last few minutes, but I no longer felt cold.

    "What about my family?" I asked through the tears.

    He dropped his head. "I honestly don't know."

    I squeezed my eyes shut; the pain in my body felt numb.  The only pain I felt was my heart as it shattered within my body.

    "After you have healed, we will take you to see the Seer. He will tell us more." He sounded a little hopeful as he spoke.

    I didn't move.

    "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I wish I could tell you more."

    He didn't hesitate as he swept me off the cold hard ground.  The pain returned then; it shot through my body like a wave.  I gasped.  Apollyn moved quickly, but not quick enough.  With each movement he made, a new pain appeared.

    "Hold on," he said, “this is going to hurt.”

    He jumped.  Our bodies flew through the air, and I immediately knew what had happened.  My body felt the pressure first, then my lungs.  We had jumped into a portal.  The power of the vortex made me dizzy.  I screamed, the portal taking what little energy I had left.  I struggled to breathe. I didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

    "Almost there!" Apollyn yelled.

    It was too late; I felt my heart as it took its final beat. Darkness enveloped me as I felt my final breath leave my lips.

    ***************************************************

    I was uncomfortable.  I had been trying to move for the last several minutes but couldn't seem to be able to.  I had also tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't move.  I began to panic.  My heart raced inside my chest, and a beeping noise rang in my ears.  I stopped.  I recognized that sound.

    "Amelia?"

    The voice was strained, but I could hear the joy there.

    "Amelia, can you hear me?" the voice asked.

   
"Mark?"
I thought.

    "Amelia, please baby, open your eyes.  I'm right here. Come on sweetheart," Mark pleaded.

    I tried to obey.  I strained against the forces that held my eyes shut.  The dizziness came first, and then my mind went blank. Immediately everything went dark, and the sounds disappeared.

    ***************************************************

    "It's been two weeks," a quiet female voice said.

    "Why won't she wake up?" It was Mark.

    "She will wake up when she's ready.  Give her body time to heal," the female said.  "She has been through a great deal.  It takes time."

    I felt something soft touch my face; two fingers slid down my cheek and traced the outline of my lips.  I heard the shuffle of feet as someone moved closer.

    "Amelia my love, please wake up," Mark said softly.  He leaned forward on my bed. I could feel his body against mine. His lips pressed against my own.  My heart raced inside, and the monitor beeped wildly.

    His body moved quickly, sending a pain through my own.  I groaned.

    "Amelia?" Mark’s voice was shocked. "Amelia, honey, open your eyes."

    I could feel them flutter as I attempted to open them.  The light from the room blinded me and made my eyes blink quickly.

    "Amelia!" Mark said, his voice full of relief.

    I blinked; the room was too bright. "Lights," I croaked.

    "Turn off the lights," he said to someone in the room.

    The room went dark, and I was able to open my eyes.  My body didn't like me moving; even my eyelids hurt.

    "Where am I?" I managed to say.

    "Shh. It's okay honey.  You are in the hospital," Mark said soothingly.  He stroked my face with the back of his hand.  He had tears in his eyes, and he was smiling.

    I tried to move my head, but pain instantly surged through my body.  I cringed.

    "Don't move.  You almost broke every bone in your body.  The only thing you didn't break is your back and neck," Mark explained.

    I felt very restricted. "I'm so uncomfortable." I squeaked.

    Mark laughed. "Sweetie, you are in a body cast."

    I could feel the cast as it wrapped around my legs and torso.  It felt restricting and slightly claustrophobic.

    "Hunter, Abby..." I asked.

    "Everyone is fine.  They are with Olive and Peter getting some rest," Mark said.

    "What happened?"

    Mark hesitated. "You were in an accident."

    Mark had always been a bad liar. I moved my eyes to try and see who else was here.  A tall red haired woman stood near my monitors, a smile on her face as she read the paper streaming from it.

    "Mrs. Sable, I'm Wendy.  I'm your nurse," she said. "Try not to move, okay?  You have had quiet the accident.  The doctor is on his way to look at you."

    I cringed as I moved my eyes back to look at Mark. "I love you," I said.

    He smiled and kissed me softly. "I love you more.,” he whispered.

    I fell back to sleep as Mark held me in his arms.  For the first time in months I slept soundly, completely free of any nightmares.  When I woke the next morning, Hunter and Abby greeted me happily.  They carefully hugged and kissed me, telling me all about what they had been doing for the last couple of weeks.

    "I'm glad you're home," Olive said, smiling and giving me a tender hug. "I've missed you."

    James and Mindy were frequent visitors over the next few days, often bringing a new bouquet of flowers.

    No one mentioned what had happened, and that was okay.  I knew that I would eventually have my questions answered, but right now I just wanted to be with my family.  Apollyn never came to the hospital, and neither did Vanessa.  I had other visitors often that came, watched my interactions with my family, but never said anything.  I tried not to think about the future and what Apollyn had told me before he brought me through the portal.  I still didn't know how I had survived long enough for him to get me here.

    It was another two weeks before I was able to go home.  My body cast was reduced to two leg and arm casts, and my torso was wrapped tightly in a brace.  I couldn't walk and was told I would have to undergo intensive rehabilitation to get my body moving again.  Doctor after doctor visited with me before my discharge, each saying how incredibly lucky I was that I hadn't broken my back.  Mark happily pushed me out of that hospital in a wheelchair and carefully helped me into our car.

    As we arrived back at our home, I noticed several differences.  The roof had been replaced; a large tree was lying across our yard, sliced into larger blocks.  There were also a couple of windows that had been replaced.

    I inhaled sharply at the memory of the storm. "Is this from that night?" I asked.

    Mark looked around. "There was extensive damage.  The roof was completely torn off, and a few windows were shattered.  That tree missed the house by inches, but we were all safe.”

    "What do people think happened here?" I asked curiously, noticing only very minor damage on the houses nearby.

    Mark laughed. "The city is blaming it on a gas line explosion."

    "Is that what people think happened to me?" I asked. "Do they believe this is what injured me?"

    He looked at me. "Yes. I couldn't tell them the truth.  They would think we were all crazy."

    I knew how he felt.  For months I believed I was going crazy and knowing that if I told anyone the truth any number of things could have happened.  I cringed slightly as Mark helped me into my wheelchair and pushed me up into our house.  Olive, Peter, James, and Mindy were waiting inside, and as we entered they all yelled, "Welcome Home!"

    They opened small little bottles of confetti, and it all burst through the living room, raining down on me.  Balloons were strung all over the house, and my favorite flowers sat in vases all over the living room and kitchen.  We sat and talked for a while before James excused himself and Mindy to return home.  The sun had set a few hours earlier, and now the moon peeked through the window.  Olive gave me a big hug as she and Peter prepared to go home as well.

    "Olive," I said as she began to walk away.

    "Hmm," she said, turning around and looking at me, smiling.

    "Thank you," I said, "for taking care of my family."

    She gave me another hug. "Anything for my favorite sister."

    I smiled. "See you tomorrow?" I asked.

    "I don't know," she teased, "I haven't been shopping in ages.  I'm needing some serious retail therapy."

    I laughed. "I'm sure you do."

    "Wanna come?"

    I looked at Mark.  He sat on the couch, his eyes closed, Hunter and Abby asleep on his lap.

    "Not this time," I said.

    She smiled. "Your loss," she said, walking to the door. "See you tomorrow."

    I smiled as she walked out the door.  As their car backed out of the driveway, the lights flashed through the windows, shining on a balloon in the far corner.  Apollyn stood there, watching quietly.  He tried to give me a quick smile, but I could tell it was forced.

    "I'm going to put the kids to bed," Mark said, startling me.

    I nodded.

    He followed my gaze. "Everything okay?" he asked.

    I looked up at him and smiled. "Yes, sorry.  Just thinking."

    He kissed me softly on the lips before carrying Abby down the hall, Hunter shuffling behind.

Twenty-Two

    "How are you feeling?" Apollyn asked.

    I stared at him, afraid of why he had come. "Good," I finally answered.

    "Sorry I didn't come see you in the hospital. I had a lot of things to take care of," he told me.

    "Apollyn, what happened that night?" I asked. "My memories are still a little foggy.  How did I get to the hospital?"

    Apollyn glided across the room. "I actually brought you here.,” he explained. "When we went through the portal your body couldn't take the pressure a second time, and it crushed the rest of your bones.  I shielded your back and neck as much as I could, but you will have problems the rest of your life.  You blacked out just as we were about to step into your world, so I came here.  I placed you next to the tree outside and explained to Hunter where to find you.  Mark performed CPR when he realized that you weren't breathing and saved your life."

    He turned to look at me; his eyes were full of a sadness I couldn't explain. "He loves you more than you know," he said, bending down to look me in the eyes.

    I looked down the hall. "I know.  He is a great man," I said. "I won't leave them again."

    It wasn't just a statement; I had made up my mind.  I couldn't leave my family, not yet.

    Apollyn gave me a half smile. "I know," he said.

    "What about my responsibility as Death?" I asked, confused at how quickly he had agreed.

    Apollyn rose from the floor and walked back toward the window.  He stared out for a few moments before turning back to me.

    "After your family is asleep, I will need you to come with me for a little while," he said.

    I opened my mouth to protest, but he put his finger in the air to stop me.

    "It won't be long, just a couple of hours.  You need to visit the Seer."

    "You promise I will come back?" I said nervously.

    "Yes," he promised.

    I nodded.

    Mark came around the corner a few minutes later.  He smiled as he saw me. "I'm so glad you’re home," he said, kissing me.

    "Me too," I agreed.

    Mark and I stayed up for quite awhile talking.  He asked me a lot of questions about the night Fear had come, but I found I couldn't answer anything after I’d jumped through the portal.

    "After Hunter took Abby from you and started showing her pictures, you ran forward and disappeared, and the storm went silent.  I searched the entire house for you.  Vanessa told Hunter that you had pulled Fear through a time portal, but she didn't know what happened to you.  Hunter said she stayed long enough to make sure we were okay, and then she left," he explained. "Amelia, where did you go?"

   I looked at him. "I don't know," I answered honestly. "Everything is a little fuzzy.  How long was I gone?"

    "You were gone for nearly five hours," Mark said. "I was beginning to think..." His voice trailed off.

    "I'm here now," I said, trying to console him.

    "Yes, but for how long?" he asked.

    I raised my eyebrow and stared at him. "What do you mean?"  I already knew what he was asking but decided to stall so I could think of something to tell him.

    "Amelia, you told me that you were Death.  What does that mean?" he asked.

    I sighed; I didn't know how to answer him.  What
was
going to happen now?

    "I don't know what is going to happen," I answered. "For now, I'm here and that's all that matters."

    He smiled slightly, but I could still sense his fear that I was going to leave at any moment.

    He held my fingers as they stuck out from my cast, kissing each one slowly. "Yes, you are here now, and I love you more than ever," he whispered.

    I knew that this conversation wasn't over, but I was grateful that he seemed to be putting it aside for now.  I wondered if I should tell him that I would be going with death tonight, but I decided against it.  He would never forgive me if I told him.