Reach {Book One of the Deathly Consequences Series}

Chapter 4

I took a couple deep breaths to rid myself of the dizzying sensation I felt as I was transported from the ruined ghost's bedroom to a cemetery. Nightshade's cemetery in fact. A quiet sobbing came from my right, and I scanned the rows of headstones till I spotted the small figure of a teenage girl a couple years younger than me in front of a grave. Cautiously, I approached her. Taking in her defeated form as she sat on her butt, her thin arms wrapped around her shins, and her head buried into her knees as she cried. I didn't say anything to her yet, letting her cry as I glanced at the grave she mourned in front of.

Leslie Jean-Marie Greene

Born May 18th, 2002 - Died December 1st, 2018

Beloved daughter of Merle and Maggie and a cherished friend of Sam

Gone far too soon. Rest In Peace

It was a cute flat gravestone with Tinkerbell carved in the bottom left corner and a batch of daisies carved into the bottom right corner. A wilting bouquet of daisies was beside Leslie's form and I watched as they shriveled into nothing while she sobbed.

"Leslie?"

The sobs stopped and Leslie slowly raised her head to look at me with a pitiful sniffle. She had been a cute girl with a youthful look to her. Rich brown hair fell in ringlets to her shoulders, a smattering of freckles splashed across the bridge of her nose, and a pair of doe-brown eyes gazed at me with such sorrow and agony that even my dead heart clenched a bit. As I stared at her, I gritted my teeth to steam off the flow of emotion flowing off her and coming to me through the mental bond I had established with my magic. In my opinion, one of the downsides to my set of skills was that I am highly empathetic. Everything that she feels I will feel while I am connected with her. It fucking sucks ass.

"Who are you?" She asks in a miserable tone.

Automatically I crouched down beside her so that we were eye-level. Then I reached up to remove my aviators and bandanna so that she could see my face. It was a tactic I always used to make the dead more comfortable speaking with me. Usually no one is ever willing to talk to a masked person that is invading on their privacy. Tends to off-put them which is expected.

"I'm Thana. I'm here to help you Leslie." I told her softly.

Leslie's expression became crestfallen and she turned back to her grave.

"It's too late to help me anymore." She whispered sorrowfully.

I nodded, my own personal sadness filling me at her situation. As we were sitting here, Leslie's memories were filtering through my mind like a movie in the back of my head, telling me everything there is to know about her. She had been on the junior varsity cheer squad, part of the book club, and was an avid church-goer with her father after her mother passed when she was eight. She had a bright, friendly personality and her best friend since she was in diapers was Sam who she was secretly in love with and was planning to confess to on Valentine's Day but chickened out. Sam was the one who had brought her the bouquet of daisies, and it was Sam who had been with her as she took her last breath in the hospital. Her father, my contractor, who had been her entire world since her mom died had not been by her side after he kicked her out. She was filled with so many regrets and such sadness that it nearly suffocated me.

"In life yes. But in death, I can still help you. Guide you to where you are supposed to be." I informed her and Leslie let out a desolate giggle.

"But everyone I know is here. My life is here. I...I don't want to be alone." She whimpered, burying her face back into her knees as she trembled.

Unconsciously, I lifted a hand to comfort her but I hesitated, my palm hovering an inch away from her shoulder. I didn't actually know this girl so I don't know how she would react to my touch at this moment.

"Where I'm taking you, I guarantee that you won't be alone." I said gently. I lowered my hand when she twisted her face to give me a half-hearted glare. Though she was as innocent as they came, the girl had fire in her.

"How? How can you guarantee that? You aren't dead so how could know what's on the other side?" She spat out bitterly.

I looked at her silently. There was no words I could use to help her understand...So instead, I'll just show her.

In my mind, I willed my magic to transport us to the Wall. Leslie sat up straight, her hands falling away from her legs to plant on the ground as she gaped wide-eyed at the wall that marked the point where the realm of the living and the realm of the dead were separated. It soared above our heads, the gleaming golden walls nearly blinding as sunlight pierced through the fluffy white clouds above our heads to illuminate the uncountable depictions of life on this side of the Wall. The greenest grass sprawled around us, covering small hills, and stretching all the way to the mountains in the horizon that was home to the Gods. Directly in front of us were the Gates. Golden thin bars allowed us to see through to the other side, and in the small gap that would allow us to slip through, there was a figure waiting for us.

Leslie gasped at the sight of the figure, shooting to her feet and clapping a hand over her mouth as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Mom." She whispered hoarsely.

"I told you you wouldn't be alone." I whispered back to her with a small smile.

Leslie looked at me, her eyes shining with hope and a tinge of fear as she hesitated. Her hand fell away from her mouth and her expression became sad once again as she looked at her feet.

"But what about Dad? Sam? I promised them both that I would never leave them." She murmured, her bottom lip trembling as she warred with another bout of sobs.

This time I didn't hesitate to lay a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently to offer support and to regain her attention.

"And you won't. Over there you can check in on them whenever you like. They'll know when you are watching. Trust me." I said to her, patting her once and then gently nudging her to the Gates.

"Now go. Someone has been waiting a long time to hold you again."

I smiled as Leslie seemed to fly over to her mother, slamming into her to squeeze her in a tight hug. A happy sigh escaped me as I heard Leslie's giggle of joy in the distant, the sound so light and carefree that it made my insides do one of Luna's crazy jigs. With her mother's arm wrapped around her shoulders, Leslie looked back at me to give me a beaming smile and a wave good-bye as they crossed the threshold into the realm of the dead and disappeared from my sight.

I closed my eyes as my magic swirled around me, transporting me back into Leslie's bedroom in the present. I reopened my eyes, my dagger still in my hand as I rose from my kneeling position. Leslie's decayed ghost was no longer here. There was no miasma and the air was light as I re-sheathed my dagger and retrieved my knives. Leslie was now officially at peace. My job was done.