Linger

Linger

  By Kodilynn Calhoun

  Copyright 2011 Kodilynn Calhoun

  Linger

  The latest pack of Voids stands on the corner of Main, their shoulders slumped forwards and their eyes downcast, yet they mingle, mumbling to one another. They’re almost like zombies; I say almost because they don’t eat human flesh. I don’t know what they eat, but they probably do it blankly, just like they do everything else. Voids are people void of emotion; the Takers have stolen their very Essence, their personality, stripped it from the velveteen strands of their soul. They still work like normal people, but they’re just…empty. They linger on for days—sometimes weeks—before their bodies give up and die. They gather in groups like this and just wait it out. I don’t know if they know they’re going to die or not, but they always do.

  This pack is more upper-class—Abercrombie jeans-and-polos kind of people. At first it was just the homeless and the squatters, people nobody would care about. Nobody who’d make the news, not even in this small town. The Takers are getting pickier. The worst part is, no one really knows what they are or where they come from. We just know that they take what they want. We don’t know how to stop them.

  I sigh a little and tug the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. My horoscope told me that something will be changing…and change and I don’t get along very well. I shoulder the glass door of Maury’s open and bask in the smells of lunch time in the grease-bomb of a family restaurant. I change into my uniform, punch in, and take the next round of tables. That’s when I pass him.

  Jaeger Lewitt is my best friend. He’s my opposite—a jock and a pretty-boy where I’m the dread-head wallflower hiding in baggy hoodies so nobody notices me. I’ve had a crush on him since sixth grade, since I saw him perform magic tricks in the hallway between classes. He sported a shaggy black mullet and braces back then and I still liked him. I liked him before he got popular. Maybe that’s why we get along so well, but it’s friends-only. I’ve never even met his family.

  Typically he’s a grinning fool. Today his face is blank, eyes downcast as he waits the table opposite me. I wave but he keeps on walking. I refill some lady’s Coke and hurry after him, grabbing his arm. It’s when he turns and I look into his eyes, their usual brilliance turned murky, that my stomach falls to my knees. “Jaeger?”

  “Hn.”

  I poke him—hard—in the ribs. He winces, as if he can feel the pain, but the annoyance he’d normally show doesn’t appear. No. Jaeger, my Jaeger, cannot be a Void. I won’t allow it. I grab his chin and look him in the eyes. I tell him the watermelon joke he made up to make me smile the day of my dad’s funeral. It’s never been rehashed by either of us, but I’ve never forgotten it.

  He doesn’t smile.

  “Jae, you can’t be a Void…” If he was Void, he would die and then who would I hang out with? My sister? I blink the tears back. People are staring, but I have to know for sure. Standing on my tiptoes, I kiss him—quick and searing. It makes my lips tingle and takes my breath away. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. He merely blinks.

  “Maybe this is just my destiny.” He shrugs.

  “The Takers took your grin.” A ball of anger coils in my stomach. “How do we get it back?”

  “There’s no point.”

  “I’ll find a way to get it back,” I say, but Jaeger’s already wandering off. His shoulders slump forwards a little, just like the pack-Voids on Main Street. How many days will it take before he seeks them out and joins them? I finish my shift with my head full of hare-brained schemes, but in the end, I have no idea what a Taker even is, or how to find the one who took his Essence.

  I find my pickup truck, more rust than red paint, in the parking lot. The engine rumbles to life and the heater warms up slowly. I curl my fingers into the sleeves of my hoodie so when I grab the steering wheel, it’s not like ice. Then I head home.

  Something shimmers at the corner, like hot pavement in the summer, but it’s the middle of November. One minute I’m sitting at the light and the next, my pickup’s slammed sideways as a silver van rams me. I hear glass shatter, metal squeal, and my head’s smashed into the side window. It happens almost in slow motion as blackness dulls the edges of my vision, but I feel a tickle in my mind, a mosquito on my brain. I want to slap it away, but my arms are leaden. It’s just easier to close my eyes.

  ***

  When they open again, it’s to the blinding white of a hospital room. Mom sits in a chair, picking at a hangnail until it bleeds. Jaeger sits beside her, staring blankly ahead. I force a smile even through the pounding of my skull. Mom begins to fuss over me until the doctor comes in and tells us that I have no concussion, that I can go home, then she hurries off to pester him a little more. I turn to Jaeger. “Why’d you come if you can’t feel anything?”

  “It’s not like I can’t think. I thought you’d want me here, Evee.”

  I do, but not like this. “Tell me about the Takers.”

  “They aren’t like us.”

  “No, they suck out peoples’ souls; I’d put that at the top of the Not-Quite-Human list.” He doesn’t catch my sarcasm. “What are they then?”

  “Faerie.”

  I can’t help but snort. “The Good People feed on souls?”

  “It’s more like a substance they abuse. And they’re hardly good; they’re the dark Fae, Faeries cast from the Shining Realm for using humans for their own twisted pleasures.”

  I’m still caught on his words. “Faeries get high on people’s souls?”

  “Essence. But the soul needs it to survive.”

  “How long do you have?”

  He shakes his head. “Until my Essence wears out. A week, maybe two. I don’t know.”

  “Why you?” I reach for his hand, but he pulls away and my chest tightens.

  “Probably the same reason they took my mother.” But he doesn’t elaborate—he just walks out of the room. Mom signs me out and fifteen minutes later we’re headed for Taco Bell. Taco Bell is Mom’s comfort food; she’s relieved I didn’t get hurt in the accident and she’s showing the world, or maybe thanking God, by buying Taco Bell. I order a Nachos Bell Grande.

  “What would you like to drink with that?”

  “Mountain Dew.” My reply is automatic.

  The speaker-lady gives us our total and Mom pulls up to the first window. She gives me a stare that says ‘Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?’

  “What?” I blink.

  “You hate Mountain Dew.”

  “What?” But she’s right. I do hate it. It’s like drinking acid, so why would I order it? What was I thinking? “Maybe I have a concussion after all.” My voice is strained. I hear a giggle, but when I look at Mom, she’s stony-faced. “What’s so funny?”

  “I didn’t say anything.” One eyebrow rises up into her hairline and I sigh, flopping back against the leather seat and wrapping my arms around myself. Maybe I’m not hungry after all.

  ***

  It’s not until Monday that I realize something’s terribly wrong. My 15-year-old sister drags me to the mall after school to celebrate my health and as we’re going through a bin of designer socks, I instinctively reach for a pair and hold them up. Kadie blinks at me, curiosity lining her gaze. “You never wear colors.”

  I look at the pair of rainbow-striped knee socks clenched in my hand and frown. I don’t. I’m a black-white-and-grey sorta girl. Sometimes blue, on a good day. “I don’t even like rainbows.”

  “I like rainbows.” The voice is young, musical. I turn around to look for its owner, only to find no one there. The hair on the back of my neck prickles. “You should see my wardrobe at home. Jae says I’m Rainbow Brite!” The voice giggles.

  “Tell me you heard that.” I look to Kadie almost
pleadingly.

  “Heard what?”

  “The girl! The giggling one!”

  “Are you feeling okay, Evee? There is no girl.”

  “Yeah, there is no girl!” the voice mimics before bursting into laughter.

  “Who are you? What do you want?”

  “Mercy Lewitt, at your service.”

  Wait, Lewitt?

  “Evelyn!” My sister hisses at me. I glance around to see people looking at us, a crowd of curious watchers. I squeeze my hands into tight fists and feel my fingernails making indents in my palms.

  “Will you tell Jae I’m okay?” Mercy asks.

  “Jaeger Lewitt?”

  “Yup! He’s my brother.”

  “Where are you?”

  “In your head, silly! I stowed away after the accident. The Taker wants me back though.”

  “No. Just no.” I’m not crazy. Please, God, don’t let me crack. I promise I’ll change. “Get out of my head.”

  “She’s looking at us right now.”

  “Where?” I glance around wildly through a sea of people. Panic lodges in my throat. That’s right, Evee. Believe the voice in your head. Great.

  “Evee!” Kadie tugs on my arm, spooked.

  “There. The pretty one with blond curls.” Mercy’s voice is timid now. I see the Taker, a Greek goddess in a flowing black dress. Her features are perfectly sculpted. Definitely Fae. People give her a wide berth, probably because of the crazed expression on her face. “Find Jae. Takers can’t take me if I’m around a Void.”

  “And if she does take you?”

  “She’ll take me, but she’ll take you, too.”

  I leave my sister’s howl of confusion behind as I bolt, sprinting across the store and skidding on tile. The Taker is racing after me—I can feel the energies surging in the air around her, but her footsteps are silent. I find my way out, find my truck, and drive like hell. I don’t know if she’s following me or not. “Where do you live?”

  “343 West Street!” As she says it, it’s like I know how to get there by heart. My tires toss gravel as I slam the car into park and head up the steps. I begin to pound on the door. Jaeger opens it with a bored look on his face.

  “Jaeger, I know this is going to sound insane, but I think your sister’s sharing my body and now there’s a Taker trying to take her back,” I gasp out, pushing past him and collapsing onto an overstuffed chair.

  His eyes widen. “Mercy?”

  In my head, Mercy begins to sniffle. “Jae, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so careless!” I relay this to Jaeger quickly, no longer caring if I sound crazy. “Why does she want us? Is it because of our power? Do we taste extra-good or something?”

  He turns his face away when I look at him. “What power?”

  “Nothing.”

  “A druggie Faerie needing a fix is stalking us. You owe me an explanation.”

  Jaeger doesn’t get the chance. “We’re psychic!” Mercy says quickly. “Jae doesn’t accept it, but it’s true. I can sometimes see the future.”

  “We’re Gifted,” Jaeger mutters. “And our Essence is more potent or something. It lasts longer in the Taker’s system. Mercy, how did you get away if she took you?”

  “She used a little…extractor-gun-thingy. She called it a Lifevial.” I speak Mercy’s words for her. “She was saving me for later, when your Essence wears off.” There’s a shadow in the window and I shiver, but Mercy doesn’t seem scared. “She can’t get us if we’re around a Void. They block her power, somehow.”

  “So your Taker is the same one that took Jaeger’s Essence?” I ask.

  “Yup. I saw it when she touched me.”

  “And if Jaeger’s still alive, it means she hasn’t used it up yet? Can we get it back?”

  “Evee—” he begins, but I hold up my hand to cut him off.

  “Look, we can’t just hole up in here forever. We’re safe for now, but you’re gonna die sooner or later and then we’ll be free game.”

  “If you got his Essence back, I don’t think the Taker can take it away again,” Mercy says thoughtfully.

  “Then how can they take you back?”

  “Because it’s not the same body that they took it from.”

  “How do you know this?” I rub at my eyes, blinking away the stars I see.

  “When she touched me, I knew what she knew.”

  I turn to Jaeger. “Do you know this too?”

  He shakes his head. “I realized the Taker was a Faerie, but that’s all. Mercy’s powers have always been stronger than mine. I doubt most the Voids ever realize what happened to them.”

  “If we get Jaeger’s Essence back and I return you to your body, they won’t be able to take you back? Wait—how did you get in my head in the first place?”

  “The Taker was driving the car that hit yours,” Mercy says. “You were knocked out and the tube-thingy broke on impact so I just kinda…willed myself into your mind. Sorry for intruding. I didn’t know she’d still be able to track me.” She sounds a little sheepish.

  “Okay. So now we have to—”

  “Evee, just drop it, okay?” Jaeger’s voice is calm, emotionless, but I know he’d be angry if he had it to spare. “I refuse to let you risk your life to save mine. You have to get Mercy back to her body. She’ll be safe there.”

  “What about Mercy?” I get angry for the both of us, lunging to my feet and wavering there. “When you die, where will she go? You have to make it too! You have to be there for her.” I reach for his hands, squeezing them. He takes a deep breath. Mercy is silent. “You have to get your Essence back.”

  “Fine. Any idea of how to do that?”

  “I have an idea!” Mercy pipes up and when I hear it, I groan. My horoscope should’ve warned me that the changes in my life would suck.

  ***

  I scurry across the street after midnight coats the town in a blanket of darkness. I stuff my hands into the pockets of my hoodie, feeling the cool steel of the gun hidden there and I force my breathing to slow down. Relax, Evee. It’s just a crack-head Faerie who wants to steal your personality, nothing to worry about. I almost laugh at the absurdity of it. All of my life I’ve been the weird girl because I have dreadlocks and dress in dark clothes…now I’m a Faerie-hunter with a voice in my head.

  I keep moving. Jaeger gave me the gun ‘just in case’. Just in case the Taker gets close enough to take my Essence—and Mercy’s too—while we’re luring her out. “Aim for the head or the heart,” he’d instructed, but I don’t know if I can do it if it comes down to that. If I kill the Taker, Jaeger’s Essence will slip away and he’ll die. I’ll have murdered my best friend. I’m not sure I can handle that.

  I don’t hear the Taker, but I have that dreadful feeling in my gut that warns me that she’s coming. I walk a little faster, slipping down the mouth of the nearest alley. Then the air shimmers right beside me and the Taker steps through, beautiful and deadly, a smile on her lips. Her wild eyes betray her calm demeanor. She looks like a tweaker coming down off of a high. I step back, fingers tightening around the handle of the pistol, and she lunges at me with an animalistic snarl.

  “Watch out for her gun-thing!” Mercy’s voice is shrill in the silence.

  The Taker’s long fingers tighten around my wrist, burning hot like fire. Heart lodged in my throat, I jerk away, stumbling backwards. She’s nearly on top of me. I yank out the gun and cock it. My hand shakes a little—I’m sorry Jaeger—and I fire it right into the Taker’s chest just as Mercy shrieks, “The head! The head!” But it’s too late. She stumbles back, violet-red blood billowing out in torrents, but obviously not insta-dead like she should’ve been.

  “Shit!”

  “No heart, sweetie,” the Taker leers. She twists my wrist and the pistol falls and skitters across the pavement. I feel the press of a metal instrument against my neck, feel the death that’s coming for me, hear Mercy’s scream—but only for a moment. Then Jaeger’s tackling the Faerie to th
e ground, his hands wrapping around her throat. They wrestle on the dirty, blood-slick asphalt and my heart thunders. As the Taker weakens from blood loss, Jaeger’s also slowing down, his movements sluggish. The Taker catches his chin in an uppercut and Mercy yells out a curse that I don’t dare repeat.

  It’s happening. Jaeger’s Essence is fading.

  He grabs for the Taker’s shirt as he sinks down to his knees, dragging the Faerie with him. Before the Taker has a chance to react, Jaeger jerks her close. My eyes widen as he does what Mercy told him to do—without a moment’s hesitation, he presses his lips against the Taker’s pale mouth in a kiss. Then the Taker’s eyes widen as Jaeger begins to suck the air from her, sucking the Essence back out the way she’d stolen it from him.

  Then they both collapse. The Taker seizes, mouth gasping for air. She reaches for me, her long fingers curled like claws that contort and tremble as she clings to her last shred of life. Then she falls still.

  “You were right.” The Taker had been so high that the abrupt loss of Jaeger’s Essence had thrown her into withdrawal. Talk about DTs from Hell.

  “Of course I was!” Mercy boasts. “I saw it in her mind—it was her greatest fear.”

  “That which I fear has come upon me,” I quip softly, then drop to my knees beside Jaeger. “Jae, look at me. Talk to me.” I slap at his cheeks gently and his eyes flutter open. They don’t sparkle as bright as they used to, but they sparkle enough. He has enough Essence left to survive. He offers a tiny smile, as if that’s all he can muster, but I’m so happy to see him smile again that I don’t care.

  He props himself up on one elbow and uses his free hand to rub at his temples. “I feel like shit.”

  “Well…” I suddenly feel awkward. He’s looking at me so intently. “Glad you’re alive and all, but what do we do about her?” I point to the Taker’s corpse. Shouldn’t it turn to dust and float away? I poke at it with the toe of my shoe. No such luck.

  “I have an idea.”

  The streets are strangely abandoned. I end up carrying the body and, surprisingly, I’m not as disgusted as I should be. She’s not human, so it’s not illegal to parade a corpse around town, right? I chant that to myself until I believe it.