CHAPTER TWENTY- TWO
It was a kiss like I’d never experienced before. It wasn’t disgusting, like the name Kiss of Death implied. Yet it felt like my soul was being wrenched from the head, torn apart. Not just like a headache, but a chronic pain. Trying to get back to my senses, I pulled away. Death smiled at me, changing back from Conrad to the Grim Reaper form. His lips were nothing like Conrad’s—his were soft and fresh. Death had lips of spikes, rough and uncut and also damp.
“No,” I whispered as Death cackled.
I wiped my lips, as if it would be any help. I knew nothing would change but I helplessly rubbed and rubbed. After the kiss, I was a woman possessed. Death said nothing like he was politely leaving me to have a panic attack on my own. Like he wanted me to die happily.
After a minute, I heard a low huff, followed by words of disbelief. “Why hasn’t it worked yet? Surely you should be—ˮ
He never finished his sentence as he was thrown to the floor. I turned around to see Ever with a beam on her face and her hand out. The trio—Kate, Ever and Jayden—appeared to be ignoring me being a crying mess on the floor.
“Ever, concentrate,” Kate scolded.
I heard Ever mutter ‘sorry’ to Kate before I was lifted up by the armpits. Kate was looking me straight into the eye. “Oh no,” she mumbled. “Oh no. Ana, you kissed him? Why must you be so weak all of the time?”
The pains in my head were too strong for me to take any offence from that comment. Plus, I knew it was true. I shouldn’t have kissed him... why did I? Because he looked like Conrad, that was why. But Conrad was dead... I should have remembered that in time.
“Leave it,” Ever said. “At least, for now. She’s going to need some sense knocked into her but not now. We need to get Death out of her.” I heard a deep breath. “Jayden, what are you doing? Don’t be so stupid, Jay. Don’t you dare. You’ve put your life at risk enough for this girl already... not again.”
I closed my eyes, feeling dizzy, hearing conversations around me. Soft lips suddenly pressed against mine. I was about to scream before I realised who it was—Jayden. What was he doing? Delusional, I fell into him as the ache in my head started to fade, slowly but surely. I felt like a hole was being filled back in. They did say love cured all wounds but I didn’t think it would be this serious.
“Jayden, stop,” said Ever. “Jayden, please, you mean too much to us.”
Jayden pulled away from me and I let myself open my eyes. A trembling Ever grasped onto Jayden, cuddling him close to her. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she clutched him closer. Kate stopped chasing after Death and quickly made her way back to us, boots making the leaves fly.
“Jayden, what’s happened?” In response, Jayden groaned. Ever looked up, speaking to Kate, but staring straight at me. “Ever?”
“He kissed her. He bloody kissed her. He knew Death had kissed her. Guess what, Ana? Death is now in Jayden, not you.” Ever looked down. “Why would you do this to him?”
It wasn’t love that had saved me then—not that I ever truly believed it was that. The one who had saved me was Jayden, a very suicidal saving at that.
“Ever,” Kate said in a soothing voice. “Don’t take it out on Ana, okay? We’re in a moment of crisis. We don’t need personal problems getting in the way. Jayden kissed her. He chose to. It’s not her fault.”
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Cheating Death
Teen Fiction“To die would be an awfully big adventure.” – Peter Pan Death holds a grudge on Anastasia Elwood. The reason being that she cheats him. The first time she cheated Death, she had just been born. As a newborn, she had cancer. Somehow, she survived. Th...
