Ember X (Death Collectors) - By Jessica Sorensen Page 0,8
“I know and I’m trying, I promise, but no more drinks, okay?”
She pouts out her bottom lip. “Come on, Em. You promised.”
I fake an excited dance move, shaking my hips. “And I’m having a blast, I swear. Now go and dance. Have some fun for the both of us.”
Annoyance burns in her eyes as she puts her hands on her hips and glares at me. “Are you just being a pain in the ass because you’re here, or is your little death thing putting you in a bad mood?”
My gaze promptly sweeps the room and I hiss, “Lower your voice. Someone might hear you.”
She waves her hands in the air and rolls her eyes. She’s completely wasted and her split personality is coming out. “Oh, big news over here! Little Emmy can see death! Does anyone care?!”
I pour her drink into the nearest garbage can. “No more drinks for you.”
She snarls, about to spit foul words, but a lanky guy, sporting dark jeans and a black T-shirt, interrupts us. “Death is everywhere, my friends. And it will all eventually catch up to us, so what’s the point of running from it. Instead, we should live life to the fullest.” His green eyes are outlined with black eyeliner and crossbones tattoo his wrists. He drapes his arm around Raven’s shoulder and drunkenly staggers forward, inadvertently bumping his knee into mine.
A weighted mass takes over my body, floods my veins like cinders. Black water. Trees. Rain pouring down from the dark sky. Glass everywhere. Blood… they can’t breathe… they can’t breathe! Feathers fall to the ground. I gasp, nearly choking on how much it resembles my father’s crime scene where his car was found.
“Does that scare you?” His eyes scrutinize me, noting the gothic tone of my clothes. “By the looks of you, I wouldn’t think it would. But hey, maybe you’re just a poser.”
“You know, you shouldn’t judge people by their looks.” I let my hair screen my face and I close my eyes. I don’t want to look at him. His life is approaching the end, the last rose petal about to wilt from the fading stem. I tuck my hair behind my ear and sigh. “You got a ‘DD’?”
“What the hell’s a ‘DD’?” he slurs, stumbling, and spills his drink on the floor.
I rub the sides of my temples. Idiot. “Do everyone, including yourself, a favor and don’t drive home tonight. Okay?”
The guy lets out a sardonic laugh. “What is that, like an omen or something?” He holds up his hands. “Ooo, scary...” He pauses and the recollection clicks in his expression. “Hey, wait a minute. Aren’t you that girl who killed her dad?”
I swallow hard and take a step back. “No, I think you’re thinking of someone else.”
His glazed over eyes squint at my face. “No, I’m pretty sure it was you. Didn’t you, like, call the police and confess, then like run...” He trips over his feet and grabs my arm for support. Again, I’m blasted with the burden of his impending death. “Wait… what was I saying again?”
I slip my arm free and scoot back from the drunken idiot. “You were saying that you need to quit drinking.”
“Are you feeling okay, Em?” Raven asks, her voice laced with concern. “You look a little pale.”
“I always look pale,” I say, hugging my arms around myself. “And I have a headache.” Our code for I’m having a death episode.
“Oh, I get it.” She coils a strand of her hair around her finger and flutters her eyelashes as she conjures up a plan. “Oh! Okay, I got it.”
Goth boy looks back and forth between us. “Got what? Wait a minute? Are you two fighting over little old me?” He grins and I shake my head in irritation. “Don’t worry, ladies, there’s plenty of Laden love to go around.”
Raven’s hand falls from Laden’s chest and she pulls a face, no longer interested in him, but she puts on her game face. “Hey, why don’t you and I go dance.” She laces her fingers with his, and leans in to give me a quick kiss on the cheek and I wince. “I’m sorry for acting crazy.” She sways her hips as she leads Laden toward the dance floor. Before she vanishes into the crowd, she peeks over her shoulder and mouths: I’ll get his keys.
I lean against the wall, let my head fall back, and shut my eyes. “Breathe, Ember, breathe. You can’t stop death—it’s endless.”