Existence 02 - Predestined Read Free Page A

the world. Kids at school were slowly doing the same thing. No one brought him up much anymore. It was... weird.
    “So, did you study for that trig test?” Miranda asked smiling, as if she hadn’t just been worrying about Leif. Again.. weird.
    “Yep. Until late last night.”
    Miranda groaned and flipped her hair over her shoulder. It was one of her dramatic mannerisms that made me laugh.
    “If I fail my parents are going to lock me away in the attic for life. You’ll have to come slip me food under the door.”
    “I doubt it will be all that bad. Besides you did study, right?”
    She rolled her eyes over and glanced at me, “A little. Yeah.”
    “You watched Pretty Little Liars last night didn’t you?”
    With a deep sigh that caused her shoulders to move up and down she replied, “Yep. Last week’s show and this week’s. I can’t help it. I have a thing for Caleb.”
    Grabbing her arm, I pull her inside. “Come on. To the library. We have thirty minutes and you’re not going to get locked up in an attic for life.”
    Miranda beamed at me, “I love you.”
    “Ditto.”
    Hopefully, the library ghost would be somewhere else today. The soul who always wandered around in there was distracting.

    Dank

    I watched as Pagan led Miranda up to the library. She’d be busy for awhile and I had somewhere I needed to be. There was a soul I didn’t want to leave waiting for me. I needed to be there for this one’s actual death. Once Pagan entered the library and I knew she was safe for the time being, I left.

    Before Pagan, I hadn’t understood love. Before Pagan, taking souls had been easy. Now, I knew emotion. I knew pain and the feeling of loss and it made my purpose harder. Especially with the young ones. Even though I knew they’d get another life soon enough I understood their family’s pain as they lost someone they held dear. Because although the soul of that child would return it wouldn’t be the same. They wouldn’t know the child they loved was once again with them when the soul returned in a new life.
    “It’s time, isn’t it?” the little boy looked up at me as I entered his hospital room. I’d been to talk to him before. Several times actually. I wanted him to understand he would be dying soon but that if he followed my directions then he’d be given another life. His soul would live on. This life would just end. His bottom lip quivered as he stared up at me.
    “Yeah, it’s time.”
    “Will it hurt?”
    I shook my head, “I promised you it wouldn’t, didn’t I?”
    He nodded and pulled the dark green dinosaur closer against his chest tucking it under his chin. It had been a week since I’d last been here. His face was more drawn and the circles under his eyes were darker. The sickness was taking over.
    “Mommy thinks I’m going to get better. I tried to tell her I wasn’t.”
    The tightness in my chest appeared. This used to be so easy.
    “Those who love you don’t want to accept that your body in this life has grown too sick to continue. But remember: you’ll come back. You’ll be born into a new body and you will return to this family. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day but one day you’ll return.”
    He sniffed and rubbed his nose against the stuffed animal he obviously loved.
    “Yeah, but you said I wouldn’t remember this life. I’d forget who I once was. I don’t want to forget Mommy and Daddy. I don’t want to forget Jessi, even if she can be mean sometimes, she’s my big sister.”
    This was why Death wasn’t meant to feel emotion. I wanted to cuddle the kid up in my arms and make false promises. Anything to ease his fear but this was his fate. He’d be back soon. I’d already asked about his soul after meeting him the first time. His sister was sixteen. In six years she’d give birth to a baby boy who’d she name after her brother and this soul would return.
    “I know but you have to trust me. This is the way life works. You may not remember this life but