It was all so confusing, and I barely understood. Seth sensed death. He had the Power of death detection? It was so morbid … so sad. Seth was barely holding me now. My face was no longer pressed against the wall, but he kept his palm upon my shoulder so I did not turn to face him. Would his gaze be more painful now that my life line was even shorter? I shuddered at the thought.
“Why? Why am I going to die?” My throat felt dry, and ached, “And when?”
Seth sighed, “Why do you think I have been following you? Silly girl.”
I gasped, “You … you haven’t been stalking me at all.” I realised, “You’ve been-” I didn’t know how to phrase it.
“Trying to beat death.” I heard the amusement in his voice, “Not an easy thing to do, I can assure you.”
“You’ve been trying to help me.” I whispered as this realisation dawned upon me.
“Yes.” He breathed.
“You’ve been waiting for the moment that I might die. Waiting to save me.” It sounded more absurd the more I thought about it. A new realisation broke over me, “But you don’t know when it’s going to happen then?”
“No.” He admitted.
“Or how.”
“I do not know that either.”
I felt weak, and cold. Any second my legs might give way.
“Do you understand now, why people think I am the bringer of death?” Seth whispered to me.
I did, “You sense that someone has a short life line … it hurts them when you read it but they think you have cursed them. You follow them … and they think you are stalking them like a death omen … but you’re just trying to help. Just trying to help” I echoed myself.
Seth stayed silent. It was as though he was waiting for me to realise something else, but I didn’t know what more there could be.
“Ask me the most obvious question.” He hissed.
“I don’t know-” I began, but his angry growl interrupted my sentence.
“Ask me how many people I have successfully saved, Redding.”
I licked my lips nervously. Yes, this was quite an obvious question, but did I really want to know the answer?
“H-how many?” I stammered.
Seth’s breathing was hard and slow. I wished I could turn and look at his expression, “None.”
I felt my heart plummet, “None.” I repeated.
“Yes.” He confirmed, “I try, but death cannot be beaten it seems.”
There was no hope. Once Seth saw that death was coming, there was no help possible. I should have been scared, terrified, but I felt numb and empty.
“Why are you telling me all this?” I said in a voice that sounded nothing like my own.
I could hear Seth deliberating upon his answer, “I don’t know.” He said truthfully, “But I try to help every time.”
“Isn’t it depressing? Knowing that someone will die soon, and never being able to stop it?”
“You have no idea.” He muttered under his breath.
I cleared my throat noisily and said in a strangely strong voice, “Then I would appreciate it if you would stop following me, Seth Swaggart.”
All was silent for several moments. I wondered if we had turned to stone and not realised. If there was absolutely no hope for me, then I didn’t want this boy … this man … punishing himself trying to help. He owed me nothing. How wrong my friends and I had been about him.
“I will try.” Was Seth’s response.
I nodded and rubbed the grime from my cheek where it had been pressed against the wall.
Seth’s hand fell away from my shoulder and I took a step away. I did not look at him. I didn’t want to hurt.
“Can you read my life line now?” I asked him.
“Yes.”
I didn’t want to know how short it was. I would rather this whole conversation had never happened.
How should you react when you find out that you are going to die, and soon? I felt as though I should be frightened, but all I could comprehend was this overwhelming numbness. My legs felt weak as I began to walk away from the man who had delivered the news of my coming demise. Would he really try and help even though he knew it would be no use?
I vaguely wondered if I would be facing death so soon if I had not come to Frost Arch.
“Avalon,” Seth’s voice sounded distant as I walked away, “Nice pet.”
Chapter fourteen
Disappearing Act
I stopped in my tracks.
“Excuse me?” I breathed.
I heard Seth chuckle. Despite the fact that he had been trying to do me a favour, he found my discomfort highly amusing.
“Your pet.” He pressed, “He is very nice.”
I felt my brows knit together in frustration, “Thank you. Keep it to yourself.” I muttered. My throat felt tight. I wanted to cry.
“Of course.” Seth’s tone was not one that I trusted, but how bad could he really be? It was no surprise that he had found out about Hawthorne since he had been following me.
“He is quite the flier.” Seth’s continued conversationally.
I ached to turn around and cast Swaggart a warning glare, but fear of the pain kept me from looking at him.
“He is very strong, and very protective.” I hinted.
“Naturally.”
I gritted my teeth together, “He can sense danger.” I pressed, “He will know when I am going to-” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Die, I thought irritably.
“Let us hope so. Maybe your, uh, flying fox will have the power to save you and defy fate.”