Passion - By Lauren Kate Page 0,74

cry out Yes!, but something held her back. It was so easy to get lost in Daniel when his body was pressed so close to hers and she could feel the heat coming off his skin and the beating of his heart through his shirt. She felt she could tell him anything now--from how glorious it had felt to die in his arms in Versailles to how devastated she was now that she knew the scope of his suffering. But she held back: The girl he thought she was in this lifetime wouldn't talk about those things, wouldn't know about them. Neither would Daniel. So when she finally opened her mouth, her voice faltered.

Daniel put a finger over her lips. Wait. Don't protest yet. Let me ask you properly. By and by, my love.

He peeked out the cracked wardrobe door, toward the curtain. A cheer came from the stage. The audience roared with laughter and applause. Luce hadn't even realized the play had begun.

That's my entrance. I'll see you soon. He kissed her forehead, then dashed out and onto the stage.

Luce wanted to run after him, but two figures came and stood just beyond the wardrobe door.

The door squeaked open and Bill fluttered inside. You're getting good at this, he said, flopping onto a sack of old wigs.

Where have you been hiding?

Who, me? Nowhere. What would I have to hide from? he asked. That little costume-change sham was a wee stroke of genius, he said, raising his tiny hand for a high five.

It was always a bit of a buzz kill to be reminded that Bill was a fly on the wall during every interaction with Daniel.

You're really going to leave me hanging like this? Bill slowly withdrew his hand.

Luce ignored him. Something felt heavy and raw in her chest. She kept hearing the desperation in Daniel's voice when he'd asked her to run away with him. What had that meant?

I'm dying tonight. Aren't I, Bill?

Well ... Bill cast his eyes down. Yes.

Luce swallowed hard. Where's Lucinda? I need to get inside her again so I can understand this lifetime. She pushed at the wardrobe door, but Bill took hold of the sash on her gown and pulled her back.

Look kid, going three-D can't be your go-to move. Think of it as a special-occasion skill. He pursed his lips. What is it you think you're going to learn here?

What she needs to escape from, of course, Luce said. What is Daniel saving her from? Is she engaged to someone else? Living with a cruel uncle? Out of favor with the king?

Uh-oh. Bill scratched the top of his head. It made a grating sound, like nails on a chalkboard. I must have made a pedagogical boo-boo somewhere. You think there's a reason for your death every time?

There's not? She could feel her face fall.

I mean, your deaths aren't meaningless, exactly....

But when I died inside Lys, I felt everything--she believed that burning up freed her. She was happy because marrying that king would have meant her life was a lie. And Daniel could save her by killing her.

Oh, honey, is that what you think? That your deaths are an out for bad marriages or something?

She squeezed her eyes shut against the sting of sudden tears. It has to be something like that. It has to be. Otherwise it's just pointless.

It's not pointless, Bill said. You do die for a reason. Just not so simple a reason. You can't expect to understand it all at once.

She grunted in frustration and banged her fist against the side of the wardrobe.

I can see what you're all jacked up about, Bill said finally. You went three-D and you think you unlocked the secret of your universe. But it's not always that neat and easy. Expect chaos. Embrace chaos. You should still try to learn as much as you can from every life you visit. Maybe in the end, it'll all add up to something. Maybe you'll end up with Daniel ... or maybe you'll decide there's more to life than--

A rustling startled them. Luce peeked around the wardrobe door.

A man, around fifty, with a salt-and-pepper goatee and a small potbelly, stood just behind an actor in a dress. They were whispering. When the girl turned her head a little, the stage lights lit up her profile. Luce froze at the sight: a delicate nose and small lips made up with pink powder. A dark brown wig with just a few strands of long black hair showing