Cheating Death

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Two

In the movies, when someone dies, it’s usually silent. Someone drops to the floor in slow-motion, their mouth gaping open. My life had never been a usually. The room went into chaos immediately. Eva rushed to Death, turning into her Life form immediately. They were in a chase around the room, viciously fighting. Jayden ran to Hollie, shouting at Ever and Kate, shouting something that sounded like an order. I could hear just fine, but I couldn’t make out the words. My entire focus was on Hollie. My world was collapsing around me and I couldn’t do anything but stay still, staring at my sister’s dead body on the floor.

            I didn’t understand, in that moment, how those people in the movies could scream the dead’s name over and over again, clutching onto them. I didn’t have the energy for that. It felt like my soul had been removed from my body. I was a vessel.

            Jayden moved from Hollie to me, clutching an arm around my shoulder. He was muttering something in my ear. By the clichés of comforting, it was probably menial I’m sorrys or just my name repeated over and over. The heat coming from his arms wouldn’t pass through to my body like there was a sheet of ice over my skin. I swallowed, feeling every movement.

            I knew what had happened.

            Hollie was a sacrifice for me. If I wasn’t dead, Hollie would have to be. I couldn’t think. It was a good thing I had already decided what I had to do a long time ago, or there might not be enough time to bring Hollie back to life. I had to die.

            Death was clever, I had to give him that. In all the years he had observed me, he had taken a lot in. Before, the only people I would have died for would have been Conrad, Geola and Elinsa but he didn’t manage to use them against me successfully, not enough to kill me. Now, he knew how I would die for my younger sister, someone he probably never expected me to. He knew he could hold it against me, my newfound love. Love truly was a weakness.

            “I will die,” I said, not a tremble in my voice though I could feel my fingers shaking gently.

            I wasn’t ready to die. I thought I was but you could never truly be ready for something that permanent.

            The silence happened then. Everyone in the room stopped moving, as if they too were dead as Hollie. Death stepped away from Eva, whose mouth was wide open, and staggered towards me.

            “Oh, Anastasia, you really were too easy to play. I thought you were different,” he said. “I’m disappointed.”

            I clenched my fists so he wouldn’t see my trembling fingers. “Kill me. Take me instead. You cannot kill Hollie. It’s not her time to die.”

            “How noble of you, Any,” Death answered.

            Jayden’s grip tightened around me. “You can’t do this, Ana. Please.”

            “You would do the same. I know you would. For Ever, for Eva, for Kate. I know you would die for them, Jayden. It’s comforting, even though it might not seem—to know there is something worth dying for.”

            I would not be able to deal with Jayden begging anymore, for fear I would change my mind. Reminding myself I had to do this, I averted my gaze to Hollie’s dead body.

            “Bring her back.” I stared Death straight in the eye. “Bring my sister back to life.”

            Death chuckled, stepping closer to me once again. He was close enough that I could feel his presence, the coldness going right to my spin. He took a lock of my hair and twirled it around one of his fingers. It took everything in my strength not to flinch. Jayden did not have such self-control. He gripped onto my shoulders as though they were supporting him.