swirl from the way the world had gone from moving to abrupt stillness. It was like riding a particularly fast roller coaster, without the benefit of having time to adjust to stopping and starting. Reaper put a hand on my elbow to keep me from falling.
“Told you it was a heck of a ride,” he said.
“I believe you now,” I said.
I turned to Sara who was looking at the forest in curiosity, obviously wondering why I had chosen this place of all places.
“What was that darkness?” I asked her.
Her eyes were on mine in a second. She looked startled. “You saw it?”
“Yeah…the moving darkness and those people whispering for me to stay…what was it?”
“Darkness?” Reaper asked in confusion.
“It’s the place between. The place I go through to reach the place I want to be.” Sara stepped closer. “You’re not supposed to be able to see that place, unless you’re a walker.”
“Oh, well, I’m a study in ‘not supposed to,’” I said.
She was confused, but her confusion gave way to a warning, “If you go there again, don’t listen to the voices. Keep walking – keep your destination in mind. It’s very important.”
Her intensity was off-putting, but I gladly accepted the warning in her voice. It was too real to ignore.
“Okay. I will,” I said.
She nodded, even more intrigued by me now that I had seen the world she traveled in. “Anything else?” she asked Reaper.
“I’ll call if you I need you,” he said.
“All right.”
Her eyes moved back to mine then, without a flash, puff, or poof, Sara disappeared. I stared at the spot she had disappeared from wondering about the darkness and her strange talent of travel.
“Well, here we are…” Reaper said grandly. “Where are we?”
“The forest,” I said, refocusing on our destination.
“Ah,” he said.
I looked up and saw the treehouse Daniel had built with Han and Jackson; a treehouse Daniel used to take me to, during our lunch breaks at school. It was the only place I had been able to think of that was safe; a place no one but my family knew of. It would be a safe place to start our search. I picked a stick up and prodded the rope stairs, so they would fall. They unfurled easily enough, and I started up.
“You live in a treehouse?” Reaper asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is just a safe place to work out of, until we know what the situation is at my house.”
“Oh. Good thinking.”
I blocked the door to the interior and looked him in the eyes. “You swear you’re legitimate, right? The real knight and shining armor, out to protect people and not hurt them?” I asked.
“I occasionally hurt people, and my armor is rusted and collected piecemeal, but I promise you, I am as legitimate a friend as you will find in this mess,” he said.
“I guess that’ll have to be good enough,” I said.
I finally let him in to the treehouse proper. His eyes were amused when he saw the well-dressed interior. It was the same reaction I’d had when I’d first seen the inside. I went over to the sofa and sat down, a million memories following me as I did. Reaper walked around the furniture, eyeing it with that same amused expression.
“This has the exaggerated flair of someone I used to know,” he said. “He would love this.”
“Really? Where is he now?” I asked, pushing out the memories.
“He died a very long time ago,” Reaper said in a low voice, his eyes sad.
“I’m sorry.”
He waved a hand, dismissing the pain. “How close are we to the place you want to check out?”
“My house is pretty close, but I don’t want to go there first. Not if it’s being watched. It’s too dangerous. Let’s go to the mansion first and see if my friends are there. We need a ride, though…it’s kind of a long way to walk.”
“You don’t lead a group of car thieves without knowing a thing or two about hotwiring,” he said. “If we can find a car, I can hotwire it.”
“So, we just drive up and see what we
“Told you it was a heck of a ride,” he said.
“I believe you now,” I said.
I turned to Sara who was looking at the forest in curiosity, obviously wondering why I had chosen this place of all places.
“What was that darkness?” I asked her.
Her eyes were on mine in a second. She looked startled. “You saw it?”
“Yeah…the moving darkness and those people whispering for me to stay…what was it?”
“Darkness?” Reaper asked in confusion.
“It’s the place between. The place I go through to reach the place I want to be.” Sara stepped closer. “You’re not supposed to be able to see that place, unless you’re a walker.”
“Oh, well, I’m a study in ‘not supposed to,’” I said.
She was confused, but her confusion gave way to a warning, “If you go there again, don’t listen to the voices. Keep walking – keep your destination in mind. It’s very important.”
Her intensity was off-putting, but I gladly accepted the warning in her voice. It was too real to ignore.
“Okay. I will,” I said.
She nodded, even more intrigued by me now that I had seen the world she traveled in. “Anything else?” she asked Reaper.
“I’ll call if you I need you,” he said.
“All right.”
Her eyes moved back to mine then, without a flash, puff, or poof, Sara disappeared. I stared at the spot she had disappeared from wondering about the darkness and her strange talent of travel.
“Well, here we are…” Reaper said grandly. “Where are we?”
“The forest,” I said, refocusing on our destination.
“Ah,” he said.
I looked up and saw the treehouse Daniel had built with Han and Jackson; a treehouse Daniel used to take me to, during our lunch breaks at school. It was the only place I had been able to think of that was safe; a place no one but my family knew of. It would be a safe place to start our search. I picked a stick up and prodded the rope stairs, so they would fall. They unfurled easily enough, and I started up.
“You live in a treehouse?” Reaper asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is just a safe place to work out of, until we know what the situation is at my house.”
“Oh. Good thinking.”
I blocked the door to the interior and looked him in the eyes. “You swear you’re legitimate, right? The real knight and shining armor, out to protect people and not hurt them?” I asked.
“I occasionally hurt people, and my armor is rusted and collected piecemeal, but I promise you, I am as legitimate a friend as you will find in this mess,” he said.
“I guess that’ll have to be good enough,” I said.
I finally let him in to the treehouse proper. His eyes were amused when he saw the well-dressed interior. It was the same reaction I’d had when I’d first seen the inside. I went over to the sofa and sat down, a million memories following me as I did. Reaper walked around the furniture, eyeing it with that same amused expression.
“This has the exaggerated flair of someone I used to know,” he said. “He would love this.”
“Really? Where is he now?” I asked, pushing out the memories.
“He died a very long time ago,” Reaper said in a low voice, his eyes sad.
“I’m sorry.”
He waved a hand, dismissing the pain. “How close are we to the place you want to check out?”
“My house is pretty close, but I don’t want to go there first. Not if it’s being watched. It’s too dangerous. Let’s go to the mansion first and see if my friends are there. We need a ride, though…it’s kind of a long way to walk.”
“You don’t lead a group of car thieves without knowing a thing or two about hotwiring,” he said. “If we can find a car, I can hotwire it.”
“So, we just drive up and see what we
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