“It’s the Reaper.”
Chapter Forty-One
“Balloon - a flexible bag designed to be inflated with hot air or with a gas, such as helium, that is lighter than the surrounding air, causing it to rise and float in the atmosphere.”
Charming
Not having a body was weird. I couldn’t really sit or stand… or do anything other than sort of hover over the floor. It was like existing but not existing. It made me think about Storm and I suddenly understood why he started trying to learn how to be more solid. I understood why he figured out how to borrow other people’s bodies. Because not having a shape of your own was like being caught between life and death.
It also had a way of making a man feel very small and very out of control. And the more I concentrated, the harder it seemed to be. The second I moved or tried to go across the room, my body kind of dissipated away from itself. It didn’t hurt, but it was kind of alarming to watch what was left of you drift out and away.
After a while I was so frustrated that I gave up and settled for just kind of floating there.
I thought about Frankie, about what she was doing right then. If she was angry with me or if she was hurt. I wondered if she was eating a pound of candy and cursing the day I ever walked into her life. I hoped Storm was there by now. I hoped she at least knew I didn’t just abandon her.
Of its own accord, my form started drifting down, moving toward the floor. I tried not to get excited that I was going down instead of up. Figured the minute I stopped trying to do something was the minute my damn body did it.
I wished there was a clock in here. I wished I knew how long ago Storm had left. That’s the other thing about not having a body. There’s no internal clock to keep you posted on time.
“Hey,” Storm whispered, coming right through the wall beside me.
“Did you get to the bodies before he did?”
“Yeah. I brought yours with me. It’s outside in the trees that border his property. You might as well use it.”
“That’s one way to keep it on the move.”
“Yeah. But you gotta stay out of sight, man. For many obvious reasons, including the red ring you’ll be sporting.
I highly doubted I would be strolling down the street.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” I said, trying to rush toward the wall. I ended up going in the opposite direction with a trail of red following behind. I made a frustrated sound. “How in the hell do you control yourself?”
“It’s not that hard. You just have to concentrate.”
“All I’ve been doing is concentrating. My freaking brain hurts.” Wait. Did I even have a brain? Not having a body was so weird. I took a deep breath and tried again. I got the same results as before. A few colorful swear words slipped between my lips.
“I told you it wasn’t easy,” Storm said. “It’s a good thing I brought the body here.”
“Where was it anyway?”
“I stashed it at Frankie’s.”
“You stashed it at Frankie’s!” I growled, mad that he would involve her more than she already was.
“You said to put it somewhere it wouldn’t be found.”
The guy was an idiot. When I got my body back, I was going to deck him. Maybe she hadn’t seen it. I didn’t notice I was drifting down to the floor.
“She’s something else,” Storm said, watching me. “She didn’t even freak out when she found it.”
Well, shit.“She saw it,” I said, flat. Drifting even closer.
“Yeah, and I also sort of borrowed a body in front of her.”
Double shit. “Where is she now?” I growled, wondering how I was ever going to make this up to her. I wondered if I could. Then I noticed I was right beside Storm.
“I’m on the ground,” I said, shocked. I hadn’t even been trying. I was too busy wanting to deck him in the eye.
