Touch Of Death: Face Of Death Part 12

Matt had no idea Jared was an Ophi. Just great, another thing I'd have to break to him. "Matt, your cousin isn't really your cousin by blood, right?"

"How did you know?"

"Because Jared is an Ophi. He's with the others in the underworld."

He looked like he'd been sucker-punched. "Wow."

"He was one of the few Ophi who worked when humans were allowed in the club. He never used his powers, and he was really careful. That's why he could be around you and your family without hurting any of you."

"This is so crazy. All my life I had no idea Ophi existed, and now I find out I know two of them, my cousin and my girlfriend." He lowered his eyes. "Though I guess he's not technically my cousin, and you're not my girlfriend anymore."

The pain on his face made me think I deserved the torture my Ophi soul was being put through in Tartarus. I didn't have the strength to address the issue of Matt and me, so I focused on Jared. "He's a great guy. The longer I stay here, the guiltier I feel."

"Jodi, look-"

"No." I returned the paper to the shelf and walked back outside, nearly getting run over by an old lady pushing a shopping cart. "I promised I'd help you get settled. Besides, if we go to Serpentarius, you could try to get info about your parents while I talk to Mason and figure out how to break the others out of the underworld. It's a win-win."

"Great, except it's morning. The club won't open for hours."

True. I could go back to the school in the meantime and talk to Medusa. Would I be able to touch the statue in my human form? Medusa might not recognize me in Liz's body. Panic rushed through me. I needed to talk to Mason before I tried to talk to Medusa. He might know something, like how I could connect to the statue without being fried in the process.

"Want to check out the school?" I didn't know where else to go, only that I wanted to avoid seeing my mom. It would be too hard to leave her again.

Matt looked away, and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

I tugged on his sleeve. "Let's go."

He tilted his head in surprise. "Really? Just like that? You're not going to warn me about how dangerous this could be for me? How it might screw me up forever if things aren't the way I want them to be?"

"If you say you can handle it, and it's something you need to do, then I trust you. But..." I waited for him to stop smiling and made sure he was listening. "We have to make a stop first."

"Where?"

"You'll see. The question is, how are we going to get there?"

"Steal a car?" Matt laughed, but when he saw I didn't, he stopped. "No way. Who are you, and what have you done with Jodi Marshall?"

"Shh!" I pushed him away from the door and the people walking out of the store. "No one can hear you call me that."

"Sorry." He looked down at me. I was pressed up against him in an alcove next to the cart return. I could feel his heart race as we huddled together. I cleared my throat and backed away.

"Okay. We just have to remember to be more careful. That's all." Yeah, more careful not to get that close again. I said Alex's name over and over in my mind.

"Right, but are you serious about the car thing?"

"What choice do we have?" I scanned the parking lot, looking for a clunker, something I wouldn't feel bad about taking. "There." I pointed to a beat-up sedan that looked older than me.

"Are you kidding? The person driving that thing obviously can't afford a new car. If he could, he wouldn't be caught dead in that." Matt looked over the cars. "That one." I heard the smile in his voice as I followed his gaze.

"No way. Matt, that's a BMW."

"Exactly. That guy's got money."

"Unless he blew it all on an expensive car during a midlife crisis." He shrugged. "Might teach him a lesson to have it stolen."

It was my turn to stare at him in disbelief. "You've changed since..." I didn't want say "since coming back from the dead."

"Desperate times, I guess. So, what do you say?"

"Do you know how to hotwire a car?"

"If I said yes, would you judge me for it?"

Was there another side to Matt? A reason why he ended up in the Fields of Asphodel instead of the Elysian Fields, where all the good souls went?

"Let's get this over with." The memory of stealing Melodie's car was all too present in my head. This wasn't as bad. I didn't know this person, and I hoped Matt was right about this guy having a lot of money.

We crouched down between the rows of cars, staying out of view. Matt tried the door. Locked. Of course. No alarm, though. That was surprising.

"How are we going to get in?" He looked at me as if I had the answer.

I didn't have anything to pick the lock. Could you even pick a lock on a car? There was only one thing I could think of.

"Any chance there is an alarm on this but that we didn't trip it?"

"Sure. All we did was try the door. That's not enough to set off an alarm." He studied my face like he was trying to read my thoughts. "But why would you want to set off the alarm?"

"If we trip the alarm, one of the store employees will announce that the car's alarm is going off. Then the owner will come out to reset it. When he unlocks the doors, we'll jump in."

"Please, tell me you're kidding."

"Not even a little bit."

Matt threw his head back and stared at the clouds. "I really am starting to think we're completely different people."

"Does that mean you don't want to do this?"

"No." He looked at me again. "It means I do."

Matt motioned for me to go around to the other side of the car. We couldn't be sure the owner wouldn't come inspect the car when the alarm sounded. If he did, we'd have to move fast.

Matt started tugging on the door handles and b.u.mping the car with his body. The alarm blared in my ears. I peered through the window, watching the grocery store doors for someone coming out with keys in their hands to disable the alarm. It felt like an eternity before the doors opened. A man in his late forties with a really bad dye job-I must have been right about the midlife crisis-came out. He stood on his toes, trying to see the car over the others in the lot.

"Get ready," Matt said in a loud whisper.

The man was about four cars away when he unlocked the doors and shut off the alarm.

"Now!" I pulled open the door and threw myself into the pa.s.senger seat. Matt was inside and fumbling under the steering wheel quicker than I could put on my seatbelt.

"Hey!" the guy yelled as he saw me through the windshield.

"Matt, hurry up! He sees us." The guy had keys. No way would we be able to keep him out of the car.

He was only one car away now. I undid my seatbelt, getting ready to run. I couldn't get arrested. It would ruin everything.

"Matt!"

Chapter 15.

The engine roared to life at the same time the locks clicked open. Matt sat up and put the car in reverse as the guy opened the driver's side door.

"Go!" I yelled.

Matt didn't bother trying to close the door. He backed out of the spot, dragging the guy with us. He held on like he was waterskiing through the parking lot. Matt slammed on the brakes, sending the guy flying forward and the door slamming shut.

"Nice. Now drive!"

We sped out of there, fumbling for our seatbelts. My breath caught in my throat as I looked in the side mirror. The guy was on his feet with his cell phone pressed to his ear.

"He's calling the cops. We can't keep this car. He saw us. He can ID us."

"Jodi, calm down." Matt reached for my hand. His touch sent shivers through my arm. Not exactly calming.

"Let's get away from here and then dump the car. We'll hide out for the rest of the day and walk to Serpentarius tonight."

"No way." Matt's hands were back on the steering wheel, and his eyes focused on the road. "I'm not giving up on seeing my family."

"I have an idea. Go to the cemetery." It was where I'd been planning to take him to begin with.

"Why? You can't raise souls. You're human now."

"I know. There's something I want you to see."

"What could possibly-" He turned to look at me, only glancing at the road long enough to keep us from colliding with a tree or telephone pole. "You want me to see my grave, don't you?"

"Yes."

He shook his head. "Why? That's twisted, Jodi."

"No, it's not. If you're going to move on with your life, you have to say goodbye to who you used to be."

"Is this your plan to convince me not to see my family?"

"No. This is one step in getting you to be okay so I can return to the other Ophi." There, I'd said it. He knew my plan. He knew what I wanted for him. He knew I didn't see a future for us.

"So, you're sure that you're going to go back to what you were, a necromancer? You don't even want to consider staying with me?"

I'd considered it, all right. Too much. I shouldn't have been having any of these feelings for him. I should've been focusing on Alex and the others. This had to end. The split personality thing was killing me.

"Matt, I have to go back."

"You know, you're trying to convince me to move on, let go of the past, but you won't do the same."

I swallowed hard, getting up the courage to say what I had to say next. "You are my past. Alex is my present and my future."

He looked hurt for a moment. "You're wrong. Look around. I am your present, and I could be your future, if you'd let me."

He wasn't letting go. I decided not to say anything else. He wasn't going to listen, and I didn't want to argue. He pulled into the cemetery and parked near the entrance. We left the car, and I led him to the place where he was buried.

He slowed as we approached the headstone. This wasn't going to be easy on him, but it was something he had to do.

"Do you know what the worst part about dying at seventeen is?"

Instead of answering, I waited for him to continue.

"It's not missing out on graduation or going to college. It's missing out on being in love." I stared at him, wondering why he thought that. It wasn't the typical guy answer. Most guys would've said the worst part was dying a virgin. Was Matt a virgin?

"I never got to experience the kind of love my mom said only teens can have. The kind that consumes you. Makes you do stupid c.r.a.p, and you don't even care because someone else thinks you're the greatest thing on earth."

He wanted that with me. The thought tore me up. He'd died kissing me, falling in love with me. And I'd just told him I was leaving him. "You know, we technically never broke up."

"I know. I just kind of figured the relationship is a.s.sumed over when-"

"One person dies?"

I was thinking when one person kills the other, but his way was nicer. I turned away. This was getting way too emotional for me to handle.

Matt stepped closer to me and lifted my chin.

"Matt, don't." My voice shook, and his touch brought gooseb.u.mps to my skin.

"I know I said I wouldn't do this, but I'm desperate." He looked me in the eyes. "Pick me." His words were like a knife to my heart.

I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say, but his lips came crashing down on mine. His arms wrapped around me, lifting me off the ground. I froze for a moment, but as Matt continued to kiss me, I felt myself giving in. My eyes closed, and I kissed him back. We may have been in two completely foreign bodies, but together we were still Matt and Jodi. We fit. We made sense. We had great chemistry.

We stayed like that for several minutes, only pausing long enough to take a breath every once in a while. Then, I heard sirens approaching. I pulled away and saw the glow of red and blue lights coming toward the cemetery. They'd spotted the stolen car.

"We need to get out of here." I pulled Matt with me out the back exit and through the houses. I could easily get to my house from here. I'd done this exact route the night of Matt's funeral. But I didn't want to go home. I wasn't ready to. Still, I found myself ducking into my backyard, behind the shed. The exact spot where Matt had attacked the bunny.

We sat with our backs against the shed, catching our breath.