I didn’t know the mysteries of the universe. I don’t know why I died and woke up as a new person with my former memories intact. I didn’t have visions, nor could I predict the future, and magic to me was another name for coincidence. I’d never seen anyone in my dreams. I never really dreamed per say. I remembered but I didn’t dream…until last night when I saw him. And just like when I’d woken up with all the memories of my past life I just knew. I trusted the feelings I felt and knew they were real.
Alfred was gone and that hurt. It burned worse than I’d ever thought it would but I couldn’t mourn him now. I couldn't show that pain because he and I both wanted her to have one day. One more day where she believed the sun was still shining even when it was pouring outside.
“Malachi?”
I blinked and refocused on her as she turned back towards me and rested her arms on the top of the couch.
“Have you been able to contact Grandpa? His phone keeps going to voicemail.”
Lie. Or say nothing which was still a lie.
> Those were my choices.
“No.” It was the best I could do.
“Weird,” she muttered to herself. “This project he’s working on…no, but even then he’d still call no matter what. Hopefully he’ll make it back in time to have Thanksgiving with us.”
Swallowing the lump in my throat I replied, “Us? Thanksgiving? No thank you. I’m sure you’ll hear from him soon enough.”
“Apparently the Grinch woke up early, this year!” she muttered rolling her eyes. “I’ll be adding Thanksgiving dinner for the three of us to my list.”
“Come on,” I said hoping to distract her. “We need to go grocery shopping and then we can go skating.”
“But my list—”
“Keep working on it. You’ll have time to think in the car,” I said as I walked to where our boots and jackets were hanging from yesterday.
“Car? When did you get a car?”
“I always had a car. It was taken in for repairs after my accident,” I said as I reached for her knitted scarf and placed it around her neck before I shrugged into my jacket and stepped into my boots.
She read over her list with a serious expression while she waited for me. “Maybe I should ask for a car?”
“What happened to that special power where a yellow car just appears in front of you if you wave your hand in the street?” I mocked and she made a face at me.
Patting my pockets, I glanced upstairs. “I forgot my wallet I’ll be right back.”
“Oh! Can you get my phone? I plugged it in by my bedside table. Thanks!” she said.
“No cars,” I told her as I rushed up the stairs.
“Your motorcycle then?” she asked and I nearly stumbled which caused her to laugh. “You said anything, right?”
I knew she was messing with me so I decided to mess with her back. “Sure. Once you get your motorcycle license.”
“What?” She put her hands on her hips. “You don’t think I can?”
Yeah okay. Good luck with that. She’d nearly broken my rib cage with how tightly she hung on to me.
I just made it to the door of my room when the doorbell rang.
“I got it!”
My stomach dropped as the hair on arms and at the nape of my neck rose. I didn’t know why but I just knew that she shouldn’t open the door and so I ran, almost leaped, down but it was too late. She’d already opened it. And there, standing in the frame of the door, dressed in his uniform with a bouquet of white lilies in his hands, stood the blond-haired snake himself.
“David?” she asked a little less cheerfully than she usually did, as if she was annoyed to see him and I was grateful for that at least.
He handed her the lilies and said, “I just wanted you to know, if you needed anything I’m here.”