Misty Falls (33 page)

But how could he win against the dead weight of death dragging on me?

‘You can’t save her? Then damn you, Uncle!’ Alex launched himself at Johan.

Suddenly, Johan’s blanket barrier on telepathy vanished, and messages burst in on all sides. It had to be deafening to Alex but I only caught the echoes, the burble of a radio left on in a neighbour’s empty house. Nobody really at home.

Alex, where the hell are you?
That was Tarryn.

I’ve followed your history as far as the mountain road—I know you’re here somewhere,
called Uriel.

I’ve got him! Oh God, Misty—it’s Misty! We’ve lost Misty.
I recognized Crystal’s telepathic distress call.

Report, Alex—I need you to hold yourself together.
Victor’s demand shuddered through everyone else’s cries.

She’s not dead; I refuse to let her die.
Alex sounded closer to me. I was seeing what he was seeing because that was the only fraction of me still here: the part that was his. He was cradling my head in his lap. Johan was stretched out beside my body, a lump on his jaw where Alex had knocked him out.

Good one. I wished I could reach Alex to let him know I approved of his right hook but I wouldn’t now get the chance.

Time to go. The rest of me—and now I really was confused—the me that had accepted death was tugging at my sleeve, saying it was time to go.

Do not go gentle into that good night. Remember that?

Give me a moment.

Jason knelt beside Alex. ‘I learned CPR at scouts, Alex.’

‘Yes, yes, what am I thinking? Yeah, I know it too.’ Alex laid me flat. ‘You get ready to relieve me. We must keep oxygen getting to her brain. There’s nothing wrong with her—nothing.’

That was the problem—Nothing was what was wrong with me. Johan’s nothing.

‘I’ve called for the paramedics,’ said Roger. He had freed his hands on the fallen carving knife and quickly cut the bonds on his wife and son. ‘I’ll tie that up.’ He didn’t even give Johan a name.

Alex tipped my chin up and leaned over my face to give me the kiss of life.

I loved his kisses, but this one I couldn’t feel. I was in him, not in me.

Hey, Alex, look inside!
I shouted but I was trapped. He didn’t realize I was there. He hadn’t let me go but he had no idea that he was the only thing keeping me alive. My life support.

Keep doing the first aid. My team will be with you in five.
Victor sounded furious—angry with Alex for going off, angry at me for dying. Victor didn’t like losing.

Sorry, Victor.

Miriam cut my hands free. That was sweet of her. I hadn’t liked seeing myself lying there too much like a medieval tomb effigy.

‘When you’re tired, let me take over,’ she told Alex, her hand resting for a butterfly touch on his neck.

And so they carried on, doing it by the book: chest compressions alternating with mouth-to-mouth. If I’d been inside that body, I’d have come back, no problem, but I’d moved on. Even that little bit that Alex had was almost ready to go. He would give up soon and I’d slip away. I didn’t even feel scared any more. We all die. I was glad I’d saved Jason. I’d not done much in my chaotic short life, but I was proud of myself for that.

Ain’t that the truth.

Summer and Angel were going to be so cross with me for dying. Dad and Mum—oh please, don’t let this drive them apart. And Alex—hold it together like Victor ordered you, I beg you, darling.

The front door burst open and a medical team ran into the room, pushing Alex away from my body. They had one of those electric things to shock the heart. A defibrillator—the word bounced into my mind, frilly like a sea anemone. The medics clustered around dead Misty doing their thing, talking their code.

Alex crumpled against a wall. Jason tentatively put an arm round him. Miriam’s hand hovered at his shoulder then rested lightly on it. Roger stood over Johan, ready to knock him out again if he revived.

Uriel, Tarryn, Victor, Xav, and Crystal hurried into the chalet. Xav peeled away to join the medics. Victor took charge of Johan, feeling for a pulse in the neck, then adding cuffs to the flex Roger had used to secure him. Tarryn took over comforting Alex. I could hear her:

‘I’m sorry, Alex. I wish I’d been wrong. How I wish I’d been wrong but I saw this—so sorry, so sorry.’

‘You are wrong.’ His voice was low, a kind of chant against death. ‘You have to be wrong. She’s not dead.’

Crystal stood as close to my body as she could without interfering with the doctors. Her knuckles were pressed against her mouth, looking down rather than at Alex.

Hey, Auntie Crystal, you’ve got your back to me!

But like everyone else, she thought I was in that girl on the floor—or not here at all.

I was being ignored at my own deathbed—a funny kind of irony that.

The lead medic sat back on her heels and shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but there’s nothing.’

That’s what I was trying to tell them—there was nothing in that body because that was how Johan killed. But I was still something. If they just stopped and listened they’d hear me. Alex would hear me.

Alex, don’t give up. You are all that’s keeping me here.

‘Time of death,’ the woman looked at her watch, ‘fourteen twenty-two.’

Xav gently buttoned up the shirt that had been moved for the defibrillator pads.

Alex turned and punched the wall. I felt that even if he hadn’t—pain shooting up the arm. ‘No!’ he roared. ‘She is not dead. Crystal, you find her. She’s my soulfinder—you’re a soulseeker—you damn well find her!’

Crystal wiped tears from her face with the heel of her hand. ‘Alex … ’

‘No, just do it. I’ll believe you if you say she’s gone but I know she isn’t. Seek her out.’

Against her better judgement, Crystal crouched down beside Xav, touched my limp hand, dipping in for her inner sight. She started to shake her head, then her eyes opened and she turned back to Alex, letting go of my body.

Finally, someone understood.

‘Alex, she’s not there … she’s in you.’

‘What?’ Tarryn moved to protect Alex.

‘I know, it doesn’t make sense. But I can see your soulfinder bond as clear as anything and there’s a little thread of it still in you. Somehow, God knows how, Misty hid something inside of you before Johan killed her.’

Alex pressed his hands to his chest as if trying to keep me inside. ‘What do I do?’

Crystal’s eyes darted to Xav. ‘I don’t know. I’ve not met this before. Can we put her back in there?’

Xav beckoned the medics to return from where they stood by the door. ‘Guys, keep this body viable. There’s some weird shit about to happen here but she’ll need it.’

The head medic looked on the point of protesting.

‘Do it,’ snapped Victor.

They jumped to obey.

Crystal thrust her fists into her hair and pulled. ‘OK, OK, how do we do this?’

Uriel touched her shoulder to get her attention. ‘Let me try with Tarryn—together we can trace her history from her last moment. Tarryn can see that—I can do the rest. We’ll lay a path.’

‘You think I can do this?’ asked Tarryn doubtfully.

‘I know you can, sweetheart.’

Tarryn knelt beside my body and covered with her palm the splayed fingers that had felt Johan’s death touch. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and sought out my ending. Uriel crouched beside her and put his hands over hers. It reminded me of ‘Rock, paper, scissors’—his hand engulfing hers, covering mine; their ‘paper’ trying to defeat the rock-death of Johan.

‘Rock, paper, scissors,’ murmured Alex. He clutched his chest. ‘I can feel her—hear her very faintly. She’s thinking of the game.’

Victor stood close to Alex. ‘That’s good—really good. Keep talking to her.’

I wouldn’t play against Victor. He’d pull my next move from my head before I knew it.

‘She’s thinking you’d cheat so she won’t play you,’ Alex said, eyes blazing with fierce pride.

‘Tell her I challenge her to a round and I promise not to cheat if she gets back to us.’

You’re on.

‘She agrees. I should warn you, she’s very competitive.’ Tears shone in his eyes.

You bet, partner.

‘Oh God, Misty, just hang on, hang on. I’m not letting go.’

Then the atmosphere changed again. A little cold wash of doubt flowed over me; I’d been technically dead now for almost fifteen minutes. Death felt like the moon, pulling me with its gravity to turn tide. I had been in the slack water of indecision for too long.

‘No. Forget death, Misty. I’ve got you.’ Alex collapsed and curled up on his knees as if he could hold me there, like a ball just barely caught by a fielder.

‘We’re losing her again,’ warned Victor.

‘I’ve got her history—I can make the path,’ said Uriel. ‘Crystal, come here.’ He held out his hand and gripped my aunt’s fingers tightly. ‘Can you see it?’

‘Yes, but how do we use this? Damn it. I wish I knew more about how my gift works!’

Poor Crystal, feeling responsible again.

‘Alex, you’ve got to persuade her to reverse her course,’ said Victor. ‘Her mind has set course for the horizon; she thinks it’s inevitable. You have to bring her back to port. Crystal will pilot her in.’

Alex nodded. They all shifted to telepathy, sharing a common space in their minds. He took Crystal’s hand, the third in the chain starting at Tarryn and my hand. I couldn’t quite see what they were doing; they were fading. Victor was right. I was travelling on despite my wish to stay. Wind in my sails.

Misty, don’t you dare take another step away.

Where was the smooth talker who could charm the fish from the sea? I had an angry soulfinder hot on my heels.

Too damn right. You get the sweet talk when you get the hell back here and inside that spectacular body of yours.

I took a little moment to preen with pleasure—he thought me spectacular.

Yeah, I do, so don’t waste it.

But it’s too late.

You can’t let that loser defeat you. If you do, you’re not the girl who came all the way to South Africa to kick this champion’s butt on the ping-pong table. Come on, bokkie, it’s your serve. Time to get back in there and wake up.

It’s too hard; life only goes in one direction.

Says who? Not me. Reverse course now or I’ll lie and tell everyone you were rubbish at table tennis and I let you win.

You did not!

I felt his heart leap. He really could hear me this time, not just catch the impression of what I was thinking.

That’s right, bokkie, come closer. Without you to set me right, I’m gonna lie and swear you couldn’t win even if I had my arms tied behind my back and held the bat in my teeth.

The image made me laugh.
After the creeping cold, I began to feel a little warmer.

But you can’t play from inside me—that’s kinda weird even for us—so hop back in there and prepare for a rematch.

Where?
I was still lost in the fog.

Misty, come home.
That was Crystal. I couldn’t see her but I could sense a trail, a line of shining white stones laid by Tarryn and Uriel; Crystal was holding them up for me to follow.

I came nearer. Uriel and Tarryn’s fists still covered mine. One potato, two potato … I remembered playing that silly game with my little brothers and sisters, seeing who would come out on top of the pile. Not Johan. Not that Nothing Man. Alex was right; no loser would beat me.

But how to get back inside yourself? All very well for everyone to tell me I had to do it, but it was like un-peeling an orange, or putting peas back in a pod.

You fit so naturally in me, bokkie; just slip back inside yourself that way. Look, I’ll show you.
Alex remembered kissing me on the bench in Cambridge, that sense of completeness, flying with the stars. Magic dust.

Glide in through the nursery window. Landing on the rug.

Between the sheets.

I was back.

I opened my eyes—my own, not Alex’s.

The head medic swore, holding up the pads of the defibrillator, hands raised in surrender. I felt like I’d been kicked in the chest by a horse.

‘Crap. Don’t use them on me,’ I whispered hoarsely. Not stellar first words, but then I’m not the kind of girl who has ‘first words on escaping death’ ready written.

‘Yeah, she’s back,’ grinned Xav, throwing his arms around Crystal.

Alex broke down and wept, clutched me to his chest. It hurt, but I didn’t care. He deserved a hug.

‘I am not going to hospital.’ But no one seemed to be giving me much choice. The paramedics were loading me on to their ambulance, Alex holding my hand as he walked next to the stretcher.

‘Yes, you are,
bokkie
.’

‘I’m fine.’

‘No, you’re not fine: you were dead.’ The paramedics pretended they weren’t listening to our argument but I could tell they were all fascinated.

‘But I’m not now. Xav says I’m good to go.’

‘Good to go to hospital to get checked out.’

‘He’s already mended the broken rib.’ My resuscitation had been a little over enthusiastic and someone had cracked a bone with their chest compressions. To tell the truth, I was still feeling a bit sore but I didn’t want the fuss. ‘All I need is a lie-down.’ With you keeping me safe, reminding me that I had left that cold foggy place between life and death.