Intrinsical - Lani Woodland [85]
As it lifted me in the air I felt cradled. I continued to inhale the length of the rope until I had swallowed all of it and was gently being set on the ground. One scent stood out from among the others. As my sense of self returned, I recognized it as Cherie’s perfume, Feu et Glace, permeating the air. It was the scent the rope carried and the liquid with which she had made the circle. I opened my eyes and found myself in a blue translucent bubble, and I was not alone. I was with Cherie. She smiled and all the pain on her face vanished.
She cleared her throat and wrung her hands together.
“Is . . . is that really you, Yara?”
“Who else would it be?”
My question erased her fear. She threw her arms tightly around me and I wrapped mine around her. She didn’t fall through me. It was as if I were made of flesh and bone once again.
“Cherie,” I cried, “I was afraid I would never see you again.”
A loud thud made us both jump. We wheeled toward it, grasping hands tightly only to find Brent’s concerned face peering in as he banged on the outside of the bubble with closed fists. I could see his lips moving and calling my name, but he seemed unable to see us. The tension in my shoulders relaxed as Cherie bristled.
“Br— Brent?” Cherie asked, stepping back, tugging me along with her. “Can he see us?”
I shook my head. “He is Brent, but not . . .” Cherie looked at me questioningly. I had so many things I wanted to say and I had no idea how long this moment would last. I knew the most important thing I needed to do was to make sure she was okay. “You need to stop looking into the curse, Cherie. You need to let my death go.”
“Why?”
I wanted to tell her the truth but I knew if I did, it’d only make her more determined to solve the case. In that moment I knew I was sacrificing others’ lives, other people who might be victims of the curse, to save Cherie’s life, but I didn’t care. “There is no curse. What you call the curse is really just a string of overworked desperate students. As for my death, it was nothing more than an accident. There is no one to blame but me, Cherie.”
Cherie shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“It was. You need to let it go and move on with your life.”
Cherie eyed me skeptically. “So, is there a Heaven? Are you an angel?” An image formed in my mind of her balancing on the edge of some great cliff and my words having the power to push her off or pull her to safety. Do I tell her the truth? That I’m stuck between worlds, forced to relive my death every night? No, I decided instantly, I offer her comfort.
“Yes, I’m an angel. It’s beautiful here.”
I saw some of the weight lift from her shoulders, and could almost see her take a step away from my imagined cliff. “I’m so glad. I was worried. If you weren’t okay . . . I don’t know . . .” She swallowed hard, and I knew my lie had been the right answer. “So, are you a guardian angel or something? Can I put in an official request to have you be mine?” Before I could answer she continued, “I was so mad at you, Yara. For dying and leaving me alone. But the truth is, I was really mad at myself for that stupid party.” I noticed she was eyeing Brent cautiously as he continued to walk the circumference of our bubble. “I still don’t trust Brent.”
“Stop it. Stop it right now. I won’t let anyone else take credit for my death. It was a stupid accident. It wasn’t your fault.” I forced her to look at me. I saw her hard blue eyes soften under my scrutiny.
“Really?”
“Really.” I let go of her face and she carefully studied the back of her hand trying not