She held out her hand, shaking her head like a child throwing a temper tantrum.
“No. This isn’t possible.” Hyperventilating, she sank her fingers into the ground, gripping the blades of grass in her fists to stay grounded. “You hate me so much you’d stage this?” Her voice cracked, and she rocked back and forth.
“Darling, David Copperfield himself couldn’t stage this,” Carey said.
“I’m real, Vannah.” Clark walked over and kneeled in f
ront of her. “You have to believe me.” His gaze penetrated as he peered into her soul, the same way he always had. He reached out and caressed her face with the backs of his knuckles. His touch was slightly below normal temperature, but real. She could feel the pressure exerted against her skin. Her chest tightened.
“Oh God. It’s really you.”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I hate to rush this along, but you both need to leave here now.” The urgency in his tone was a metaphorical slap that cut through her shock.
“Danger?” Was this why he came back?
“Fill her in, Carey. There are things happening.” Clark frowned. “I have to go.”
She pushed off from the ground, gained her balance, and stood to her full height. The word “danger” had triggered her training. There was no time for fear or shock.
Clark disappeared before her eyes and her jaw dropped. I knew he was a ghost, but… Jesus. She rotated her body and stared at Carey, barely able to contain her fury. He’d set this up. She was sure of it.
“What the fuck is going on?”
“Come on, let’s go get a drink.”
“You must be out of your mind if you think I’m just going to walk off with you like that didn’t just happen to go have drinks as if we’re BFF’s out for lunch.” She balled her fists, digging her fingernails into her skin as she tried to rein in her anger. The nonchalance he displayed had her spoiling for a fight.
“It’s about your kidnappers.”
The world shifted on its axis, knocking her on her ass mentally. Clamping her jaw shut, she closed her eyes and struggled against the mass of emotions threatening to drown her in their depths. Opening her eyes again, she nodded.
“How about we go grab that drink?” More like an entire bottle.
***
Clark watched Vannah and Carey talk. It was strange observing them like this now that he’d made initial contact. But they needed to come to an understanding on their own.
“You’ve made contact. How do you feel?”
He turned to the olive-skinned woman with dark hair who’d been assigned as his case worker. A guide, for lack of a better description, Zenia escorted souls here and there. She was the bridge that’d allowed him to travel from Heaven back to Earth.
“Like shit.”
“Why? I thought we both agreed this was the best way to deal with your unusual attachments.” She frowned. He dark eyes silently dissected him. He felt like a frog pinned to a table.
“I turned their world upside down. Returning just reminds me of how much it’s no longer my world. Everything has changed, including Carey and Vannah.” A wistful longing for the sweet girl who wanted to be a teacher and wore free-flowing gowns struck him.
“You knew your death affected them both greatly.” Her voice was cold and distant. The robotic response jarred his ears like nails on a chalkboard. She’d been otherworldly for so long she’d forgotten what being human truly felt like. But he never had. That was the problem. It was impossible to enjoy Heaven when your heart and your mind were stuck on the day-to day. He’d spent an unhealthy amount of time viewing their lives like a movie played on a big screen.
“Yes, but seeing it from a distance and experiencing it for myself are two totally different things.” Clark shook his head.
“Hmmm. Do you wish to continue? We can remove you from the situation. Wipe their memories until this is nothing but an unpleasant dream.”
“No.”
“Very well then, remember the rules. Don’t tell them too much about the afterlife, never use your powers to harm another, unless you want to barred from Heaven’s gates, and summon me should you need help or grow weary of this … place.” Her lips curled up in disgust. “Now I must go. I have to go, others to check in with.”
He nodded. They definitely threw you in the deep end and expected you to learn to swim if you wanted to survive. Gone as suddenly as she came, she left Clark alone again.