“Why bother? You’ll eventually tell me.”
He chuckled. “You’re right, of course, but then I expected no less from you. You’re unlike any girl I’ve ever met.”
“Nice line, but it won’t work on me. I know your history of leading girls on, then breaking their hearts. I know better than to believe anything you say.”
“Aren’t you curious why I still wear this body?”
Well, duh. Of course I was, but I wasn’t about to admit it to him. With a shrug, I stepped ahead of him over a green hose stretched across a dirt path between the roses. Inhaling soft flowery scents mingled with damp earth, I pretended nonchalance as I reached out to brush my fingertip across a lavender petal.
“Who can resist a rose?” he said with a wry twist of his lips. “As D. H. Lawrence said, I am here myself; as though this heave of effort at starting other life, fulfilled my own: Rose-leaves that whirl in colour round a core of seed-specks kindled lately and softly blown.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“It’s about appreciation and living life to its fullest.” He sighed. “But no matter how many lives I live, I’ll never regain my own.”
He spoke in a voice raw with emotion; the dark hopelessness in his eyes made me feel as if I was staring into his soul. I could imagine his endless cycle — stealing a body every moon, decades passing in a whirl of wars and technology. Yet he’d chosen to live as an outcast.
“I should have already moved on. I need to find a suitable host to inhabit before the full moon next week.” He stared wistfully at the roses. “But I wasn’t ready yet.”
“Why not?” I asked quietly.
“Because of you.”
“Oh, please. You don’t even know me,” I pointed out. “Most of the time we were together, you thought I was someone else.”
“Appearances mean little. It’s your soul essence that sparked emotions in me I thought were long dead — curiosity, interest, and a longing to see you again. I stayed in this body so you’d know me when we met again.”
“That’s a dumb move. Aren’t you afraid the DD Team will find you?” I thought of Monkey Bag tossed casually on the floor of Alyce’s car, with the GEM zipped inside. All I had to do was get to the car, open the book, and report him to the DD Team.
“You were worth the risk,” he said simply.
“That’s crazy.”
“No crazier than discovering you’re a Temp Lifer — only one of the intriguing things about you. And the way you stood up to me, fearless. I’ve thought of nothing else but finding you since we last met.”
Had that only been a few days ago? I could hardly believe so little time had passed since the drama on his boat, where he’d barely escaped the Dark Disposal Team.
“You should never have found me,” I told him. “It’s my duty to turn you in again and I will, if I get the chance.”
“I know … and I find it strangely exciting. You probably have a GEM in the car. If you want to report me, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
“Why not?” I asked suspiciously.
He arched a dark brow, studying me. “Perhaps I have more trust in your good nature than you have in my bad nature.”
“Doubtful.”
“Would you really turn me in?”
“Yes.”
“Then do it. Your car’s not far away.”
I turned to look at the car, then back at Gabe. I couldn’t figure out what sort of game he was playing. Was he trying to con me into believing he was a friend? I wasn’t that naive. Still, he could have hurt me and hadn’t … yet.
“First tell me why you’re here,” I said.
“Curious?” He smiled, amused.
“I’ll listen to what you have to say before turning you in.”
“Ah, being fair-minded. I’m grateful.”
“You’re mocking me,” I accused, irritated by his smug smirk. “You may not respect Temp Lifers but I do, and it’s important to me to do a good job.”
“It was important to me too … once upon a time.” His face tensed into hard lines, but otherwise he showed no expression. He just stood there, surrounded by blooms of new life which seemed like an ironic background for someone who stole lives and should have died naturally decades ago. I should have run to the car and grabbed my GEM. But I stood still, too.
“Aren’t you afraid of being captured?” I asked.
“The DD Team has been trying for over a century with no success,” he said wryly. “The only way they’ll catch me is if I let them.”
“They came close on the boat.”
“I was gone before they even touched Earth. I have powers far beyond the average Dark Lifer. Most of them think the only way to gain energy is to steal glowing light from someone who has recently contacted the other side. But powers mean little to me anymore. This existence is meaningless and boring.” His shoulders slumped and he stared down at his hands. “I’m tired of always running, only living borrowed lives. That’s why I’ve decided to change … if you’ll help me.”
“Why me? We’re not exactly friends! You threw me in the ocean and then tied me up with duct tape.”
“That’s all in the past.”
“Only a few days!” I argued.
“Mark Twain said, Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” He gestured to a small lavender rose bush that was past its bloom and hung heavy with withered pedals. “A purple flower represents forgiveness. I’d offer you a bouquet if you’d accept it.”
“Are you trying to apologize?”
“If I was, would you accept?”
“No. I doubt you went to all the trouble to track me down just to say you’re sorry.”
“It wasn’t that difficult to find you.” We turned down a row of miniature roses, most still full with buds and ready to bloom. I had to hurry to keep up with his long-legged stride. “Once I’ve met someone, I know not only their face but also their unique aura, which is like a soul fingerprint. When I found the imposter in your body, I knew she wasn’t you.”
“You met her!” My breath caught nervously. Grammy hadn’t said a word about meeting a Dark Lifer — especially one that was #1 on the Wanted, Dead and Alive list.
“I was suspicious at first to find a Temp Lifer in your body. I thought this might be a DD Team trap until it was obvious she believed I was a friend from your school — she didn’t recognize me. Her glow, though, was surprisingly bright, almost as sweet as yours. Who is the Temp Lifer in your body?”
I shook my head, determined not to give Grammy’s secrets away. “I don’t know. I only do what I’m told.”
“But you’re a living girl, so why leave your body? It doesn’t make any sense … unless this is an elaborate trap to catch me.”
“Not everything is all about you.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” he said, his eyes narrowing.
“If you must know, I’m doing this because I care about people — something you obviously know nothing about.”
“I know too much about people — most of it unpleasant.”
“Negativity equals a bad attitude. You aren’t the only one who knows quotes. That’s from a self-help book called Pollyanna’s Rules for Gladness. You could really learn from self-help books.”
“I’d rather learn from you.” He reached out, taking my hand, his touch sizzling hot, tingling dangerously.
“No!” I pulled back. “You promised not to touch.”
“Right,” he said. “I apologize and hope you’ll listen to what I have to say without judgment. You see me as a villain but once I was like you, a new Temp Lifer eager to do a good job and improve lives.”