“You!” I shrieked, dropping my suitcase with a thud on the hardwood floor.
“Amber? Is it you?” He tilted his head uncertainly.
“Yes! It’s me … and it’s you … here! I can’t believe it! I’ve never been happier to see anyone!”
Rushing at him, I opened my arms, ready to show exactly how much I missed him — but instead of opening his arms for me, he folded them across his chest, his expression repulsed like I had lice or smelled bad.
“No,” he said firmly. “I can’t touch you.”
“Why not?” I demanded, stung.
“Because I can’t.” He frowned. “Amber, any touching would be wrong. You’re not you anymore.”
“Of course I am. So what if I look different?”
“You’re more than different. You look like my sister. You are my sister.”
“Damn. I forgot about that.” I glanced down at myself. “So I guess kissing is out.”
“So far out the idea just left the planet. Sorry, but that’s just how I feel. It’s not that I don’t want to … well, you know.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” I was smiling a little because he seemed so disappointed. It was cute how he was so serious, frowning as if all the problems of the world had been dropped on his shoulders. He really did care about me.
Picking up my suitcase, Eli walked me into the house and shut the door behind us. He stared at me, then slowly smiled. “I think it would be okay if we shook hands,” he said.
“Are you sure that’s allowed?”
He nodded. “Platonically.”
“Of course,” I agreed as I held out my hand.
The casual shake felt far from casual and rocked my emotions. Eli must have felt some of that rocking, too, because as if in silent agreement we immediately dropped hands and stepped back. I glanced everywhere except at him, noticing a loose spring on the couch, a broken TV that had been turned into a planter with green vines dangling among loose wires, and a light switch on the wall that had been transformed into modern art by an abstract painter.
When I found the courage to lift my eyes, Eli was staring at my suitcase with a puzzled expression. “Are you going somewhere?”
I nodded. “I was going to the airport to fly home.”
“Why? Aren’t you supposed to stay here for spring break?”
“Change of plans: my mission is over.”
“That’s great! My family will be so relieved when Sharayah returns and everything is back to normal.”
“I hope so,” I said, guiltily because nothing had been solved and I had no idea how Sharayah would act when she resumed her life. But Eli seemed so happy, I didn’t want to worry him.
“I’m glad this is ending for other reasons, too,” Eli added, biting his lower lip as he met my gaze. “I look at you and see my sister — which is really messed up. Once you’re not her anymore, we can do more than shake hands. Oh, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Geez, I’m not that kind of guy.”
“I know exactly what kind of guy you are — my kind.” I lightly touched his arm. “And when this is all over I’d love to go out with you.”
“It’s a date,” he said, nodding.
I nodded, too, feeling tingly all over. I really, really wanted to kiss him.
But I could wait.
“I don’t understand why you’re going to the airport.” Eli rubbed his chin, giving me a puzzled look.
“What do you mean?”
“Won’t the body change happen wherever you are? So why not leave Sharayah here to enjoy her vacation?”
“I have to get home ASAP so I can talk to Alyce. She needs me today. And since I don’t know exactly when the change will happen, I’m flying home immediately. A taxi will be here soon.”
“Cancel it,” Eli said firmly.
“I can’t.” My throat tightened as I remembered Alyce’s accusations. “I have to fix things with Alyce.”
“Still, you don’t need a taxi to get to the airport. I can drive you.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“I drove all the way here, didn’t I?”
“Yes.” I met his gaze. “You did.”
He met my gaze with such honesty that I trusted him completely.
After I cancelled the taxi, we cleared a space on the couch and sat down to talk. The house was quiet, without even the scamper of kitty feet.
“Interesting place you’re staying in.” Eli’s lips curled with amusement as he gestured at the mismatched furniture, boxes and other oddities scattered around the room. “Not exactly a five-star hotel.”
“More like a no-star hovel. But it came with a cat, so I can’t complain.”
“I didn’t know you liked cats.”
“We have one at home, part Siamese and all attitude. And I love dogs, too,” I said fondly, thinking of Cola.
“Cats, dogs … I’m a fan of almost all animals,” he said.
“Almost? What animals don’t you like?”
“Well … it’s kind of embarrassing to admit.”
I pantomimed zipping my lips. “I won’t tell. What?”
“Birds — they freak me out. My grandpa had this mean parrot once that bit my ear. I was only four, but that kind of pain you don’t forget. I still have a scar right here,” he added, pointing to his left ear.
I leaned closer to look at the tiny jagged white scar on his ear lobe, aware of the few inches between us and careful not to accidentally caress him with his sister’s hands. It was safe to talk about animals and not about what was really on our minds.
But it was time to get serious.
“Eli, did you bring it?” I asked quietly.
He knew exactly what I meant and reached into his coat pocket. “Here,” he said, handing me a small book.
I took my GEM, frowning a little because now that I finally had it there was no need to use it. My mission was over — whether I wanted it to be or not. Still, it felt good to hold my tiny link to the other side.
“Thanks for bringing it all this way,” I told Eli.
“I said I would — although getting here hasn’t been easy.”
“I wondered why you didn’t call me back.”
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I wanted to but I couldn’t. Remember the girl from the dorm I told you about who was helping me?”
How could I forget? Gritting my teeth I said, “Yeah. Katelyn.”
“Well it turns out we have the same cell phone model — and she took mine by mistake. So I didn’t get your message with your address until she realized the mistake and called me. By then, I had other problems. Dad was mad that I hadn’t returned right home with the car he loaned me, and he ordered me to ‘haul my ass home or else.’”
“Did you go home?”
“You bet — no one defies Dad. I’d already disappointed him by refusing to work at the car lot and I didn’t want to make things worse. Besides, going home gave me a chance to talk to Mom. She’s been so worried about Sharayah.”
For good reason, I thought grimly.
“When I told her I was trying to help Sharayah, she was thrilled,” Eli continued. “I don’t know what she told Dad, but next thing I knew he was handing me the keys to a brand new car and slipping me a credit card for gas. I finally got a call from Katelyn, who explained the phone mix-up, and once I had the address I drove right here.”
“Thanks so much — especially for my GEM.” I rubbed my hand over the smooth cover. “Although it’s not much use to me now.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, frowning. “There could be information in it that would help Sharayah. What will happen to her when you switch back?”
“She’ll resume her own life.”
“But will she be okay?”
I wanted to answer “yes,” but the intuitive connection I shared with Sharayah told me otherwise. Her fragile soul, sleeping in my physical body, was getting a needed rest, but that was only a Band-Aid on a much deeper wound. She needed to get over Gabe’s cruelty and regain her self-confidence.
Unfortunately, I could no longer help her.
Still, Eli was right about there being no rush for me to get to the airport. In fact, why get on a plane at all? I could travel on more mysterious planes. All I had to do was wait for Grammy to return me to my own body. In a blink of a soul switch, I’d travel over 400 miles and I’d wake up in a hospital bed. Once I was myself again, I’d go right to Alyce and stay with her all night if that’s what it took to mend our friendship.
“Aren’t you going to open it up?” Eli asked, gesturing toward the book.
“No,” I said wryly. “My mission is over.”
“Not officially. You’re still my sister.”
“For a few hours, anyway — which isn’t long enough to finish my job. I totally messed up as a Temp Lifer.”
“You did your best in a crazy situation. And after the switch, I’ll stick around here to help my sister. Your insider information will make it easier to convince her to come back home with me.”
“But she can’t go home until after the Voice Choice audition tomorrow,” I insisted. “You have to get her there — and arrive early because there will probably be a long line.”
“I will,” Eli promised. “Even if it means kidnapping her.”
“Don’t cause her to scream — that’s terrible for her vocal chords.”
He stared at me uneasily. “You’re kidding … right?”
I fixed him with a dead-serious look, then relaxed into a grin. “Of course I’m kidding. Besides, you shouldn’t have any trouble convincing Sharayah. You’re her brother, she’ll listen to you.”
“Her younger brother. Usually she’s the one telling me what to do, not the other way around.”
“Oh. Then I better consult the GEM for advice.” I looked down at the small book. “I’ll find out what we should do about the audition and whether the DD Team caught the Dark Lifer.”
“What Dark Lifer?” Eli nearly jumped off the couch.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you about him?”
“No, you did not,” he said accusingly.
I wasn’t eager to talk about what had happened, but Eli had done so much for me, I owed him the truth. So I told him everything — except about my rescue by Dyce. Somehow that seemed like a bad idea.
“Anyway, it’s all over now,” I finished. “The DD Team will get rid of the dead guy hiding out in Warren.”
“What about the real Warren? What happens to him?”
“I don’t really know. I guess he’ll be okay. He’ll probably wake up with confused memories but blame it on partying too hard.”
“Poor guy,” Eli sympathized. “It reminds me of a corny movie about zombies and body snatching. Yet it’s really happening and Dark Lifers seem to be stalking you.”
“Maybe they still are,” I said with growing trepidation. Holding out the GEM, I flipped it open, not surprised this time to find only blank paper. But I knew what to do.
“GEM, could you tell me about the Dark Lifer in Warren?” I asked. “Has he been captured yet?”
As I stared at the paper, it changed, rippling with movement like stiff fingers stretching, then growing so bright it seemed to glow.
A single word curled across the page in perfect cursive penmanship.
No.
“He hasn’t?” My heart skipped. “Why not?”
Unable to locate the Dark Lifer.
“But I told Cola he was staying in Venice Beach. If Cola could smell his essence on me, why can’t the DDT find him?”
An exact location is required.
“He’s staying in a beach house with his friend Alonzo. I don’t know the address.”
Find out.
“How am I supposed to do that?” I retorted. “I’m just a rookie Temp Lifer who messed up my first real assignment. What do you expect from me? A miracle?”
A three-letter word flashed across the page — large, bold, and demanding.
YES.
Then, without my even touching the book, it slammed itself shut.
“Why’d you close it already?” Eli asked, peering over my shoulder. “We haven’t asked for advice on how to help my sister.”
“The book has ideas of its own,” I said, a little annoyed at being ordered around by a bunch of paper. “But I’ll ask it about your sister afterwards.”
He furrowed his brow. “After what?”
“After we go to the beach.” I tucked the GEM into my pocket. Grammy and Cola may have warned me not to get involved, but as a Temp Lifer, I had to obey the GEM.
“Why the beach?” Eli asked, following me to the door.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Apparently I’m still on the job.”
* * *
Spring Break: Day Two.
Traffic insanity, pedestrians swarming the sidewalks, surfers in black wetsuits and rainbows of bikinis everywhere. And the action at the beach was even crazier. Finding a Dark Lifer was like trying to spot a minnow in the deep sea.
Unfortunately, I lacked Cola’s sniffing talent.
“What does this dude look like?” Eli asked, because of course he’d insisted on coming with me even though I’d warned him that it could be dangerous. And I wasn’t just referring to the Dark Lifer, I thought privately as I stared at hot, tanned girls showing lots of skin and curves. Eli was only in high school and too trusting. I’d have to stay close to protect him from any bikini-clad predators.
“Warren is blond, with big muscles and an ever bigger ego,” I explained. “He wears leather gloves.”
“Gloves? Weird.”
“Exactly.” I nodded. “I think he’s hiding gray fingernails and glowing hands.”
“It’ll still be hard to find him with so many people hanging out on the beach.”
“He and Alonzo will probably be hanging with Sadie and Mauve. Sadie is petite with long black braids and Mauve has bright pink hair so she should be easy to — there she is!”
“Mauve!” I called, running toward the beacon-pink hair.
She was sitting on a beach towel, smoothing sunscreen over her skin while staring off at a volleyball game where all the players were (a) male (b) bronzed (c) beach-a-liciously hot.
“Hey, Rayah,” Mauve said lazily as she closed the lid on the sunscreen. “Guess you survived the crappo condo — or did you find somewhere else to stay?” Her gaze drifted to Eli.
Catching her drift, I firmly shook my head. “No!”
“No reason to get all defensive.” She giggled. “So what if he’s a little young? He’s kind of cute and—”
“—my brother.”
“Oh … well, that explains why he looks so familiar.” She lay down on her stomach, grinning up at us. “He’s grown up a lot since the family portrait. So are you going to introduce us?”
“Mauve, this is Eli.”
Eli nodded, blushing as if suddenly shy with an older, pretty girl. “Nice to meet you,” he murmured.
“Cute and polite, obviously you’re nothing like your sister.” Mauve smirked knowingly. “So what brings you here, Eli? Did your parents send you to spy on Rayah?”
“I came down to visit some friends.” Eli’s gaze drifted to Mauve’s hands as she worked the suntan lotion deeper into her thighs. He was a guy, after all, so I couldn’t blame him for noticing. Mauve wasn’t exactly a prim-and-proper girl next door; she was closer to a girl-going-for-anything-wild.
This was getting us nowhere and wasting time.
“Mauve, have you seen Warren?” I folded my arms across my chest, impatient to get moving.
“You just missed him. He went with Sadie and Alonzo to watch the sand-sculpture contest. They wanted me to go, but I’m working on my tan. The contest is over that way.” She gestured far down the beach, where the dark mass of a crowd gathered near the shore.
Without giving Mauve a chance to ask any questions, I tugged on Eli’s hand and headed off down the beach. I heard his sneakers slapping the sand so knew he was following. The sun was brighter today, with fewer clouds and no wind so the air seemed thick and muggy. Sweat dripped down my forehead and underarms as I hurried forward.
“What’s the plan?” Eli asked, falling into step beside me.
“I find Warren and then pass on his location through the GEM, which is right here in my jeans pocket.” The jeans were heavy and warm but the pockets came in handy and gave me the freedom not to carry a purse. “I just hope the DD Team responds quickly so that once I find Warren, he can’t get away.”
“Be careful around him,” Eli cautioned.
“I will.” I thought of the tomb-like bicycle warehouse, shuddering.
Glancing over at Eli, I considered telling him more about my scary encounter with Warren. But I had a feeling he might go all macho and do something stupid if he knew everything. And I had a guilty reluctance to say anything about Dyce. Eli might get the wrong idea about that, too.
It wasn’t like we could talk much anyway, since the sound of shouts and conversation were getting louder as we neared the crowd surrounding the sand-sculpture contest. There were large, sectioned-off areas with groups working together — and fast — to shape damp sand into museum-worthy creations. By tomorrow the sand sculptures would wash away, as if their lives were temporary, too.
Passing a group of little boys making a sand pirate ship, I heard music nearby and followed the sound to a group of spring breakers dancing on the beach. I saw Alonzo first, sitting on the sand and gazing out at the ocean. He looked up with a start when I interrupted his meditation, then pointed toward the impromptu dance floor. In the midst of the gyrating bodies, Sadie and Warren bumped and swayed with such abandon that I suspected they’d started drinking early, or had never stopped and were continuing from last night.
It was creepy being near Warren again, and even creepier seeing his dragon gloves. Didn’t he ever take them off? He had to realize he would stand out with such a peculiar style.
“Is that him?” Eli shouted close to my ear.
I nodded, pushing back nervous fear that made me want to run in the opposite direction. But I was too close to helping the DD Team capture Warren to quit now. I may not have the time to solve Sharayah’s problem, but I could do this and make my grandmother proud.
But Sadie’s proximity to Warren was a problem. I had to get her out of the way before I contacted the DD Team.
“Sadie!” I called, but I could hardly hear myself over the rush of noise. She didn’t even turn my way.
“I’m going to get her,” I told Eli.
“No!” he shouted, loud enough for me to hear.
“But he might hurt her.”
“Or you,” Eli said. “I’ll go get her.”
“Wait. I know what to do,” I said, although I wasn’t sure he could hear me.
I shook my head and pointed to Sadie. Her braids were swinging like black ropes as she rocked to the rousing beat, slapping into anyone unlucky enough to be within her range. Even Warren kept his distance, swaying his shoulders but keeping his tell-tale gloves close to his side.
Cola had warned me to stay away from Dark Lifers. Grammy wouldn’t be happy if I got too close to Warren, either. Okay, I’d play by the rules.
So I reached into my pocket and pulled out the GEM.
Despite the noise of ocean and music, when I opened the book and said I’d found the Dark Lifer, an excited rush of words streamed across the page.
Great work! DDT is on the way.
I’d hardly read the message before there was a startling flash.
Right in front of me, three people appeared: two men in business suits and a woman in a dignified, navy-blue skirt with a button-down white blouse. Surrounded by bikinis and casual jeans, they looked completely out of place. But only a few people seemed to notice them.
The woman bent close to me but didn’t ask me any questions. She pointed to the GEM and then at me, her look focused with an intensity that made me a little dizzy.
Then the trio advanced on Warren, slim silver whips draped over their arms.
He was just bending his knees to boogie down to the sand when the DD Team surrounded him. Sadie kept dancing, waving her hands as she twirled. But Warren stopped dancing, jumping back like he’d been clawed by a sand crab. When the DD Team closed in on him, panic crossed his face.
But before they could lasso him with their silver ropes and take him back to the other side, Warren let out a scream and pushed past them.
Then he took off, running for his life … his Dark Life.