Unable to take it anymore, I slammed my locker shut.
“Madison! Sweetie! I didn’t see you there,” Amy cooed. “That top is to die for,” she said, gesturing.
“It’s so you. My little sister gave one just like that to Goodwill last year.”
Nakita had been teaching me how to use my amulet to draw energy from the time stream to make a blade, and it took all I had not to practice it now. “Hi, Amy. How’s the nose? Are you going to get that lump shaved off before picture day?”That felt almost as good, though.
Amy flushed, but I was spared her comeback when her posse parted with giggles, and Len strutted up.
In a fast motion, Nakita grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the locker. Shocked, I stood with my mouth hanging open. Around us came oohs and catcalls. “Touch me there again, and you will die, swine,” she said, every word succinct.
Len’s eyes were wide, and his face was red as Nakita pressed it into the ribbed metal. Barnabas was laughing, but I didn’t want to spend my first day of school in the principal’s office. “Uh, Nakita?” I offered.
The reaper took a startled breath, glanced at the faces watching, and let him go. Len stumbled to catch his balance, but nothing could help him find his pride. I mean, Nakita was smaller than him, and she looked like a ditz, with her perpetual confusion. Of course, she looked like an embarrassed ditz right now.
“You’re freaking whacked!” Len shouted, backing away as he fixed his shirt. “You hear me? You’re Madison’s friends, aren’t you? You’re just as whacked as her!”
I made an innocent face, trying not to laugh. Barnabas, though, was snickering—as was the entire male student body who’d seen the incident.
Amy grabbed his arm as if she was stopping him from coming after us, and she pulled him away when a teacher came around the corner. There was nothing to see, though, but excitement and laughter lingered.
The guys left with loud comebacks, and the handful of estrogen trailed behind them. I exhaled, not even having realized I’d taken a breath.
“Nakita?” I said as I opened my locker again. “We need to work on your people skills.”
“He touched me,” she said, scowling. “He’s lucky he is still living.”
My eyebrows rose, and I wondered if the seraph’s idea of Nakita teaching me how to use my amulet and me teaching her how to live with her new gift of fear was such a good idea. “Right, but if you want to stay in school, you have to be more subtle.”
“Subtle,” the reaper mused, her expression easing. “Like a knife up under his ribs?”
Barnabas leaned close. “Change that to a finger, and yes, that would work.”
From above me came a tinkling voice at the edge of my awareness. “There once was a girl who had grace.”
My attention shot up, and I smiled at the ball of light. “Grace!” I called, hoping no one would think I was talking to the ceiling. The first time a seraph had tried to contact me, I’d passed out from the pain. Now everything came by way of messenger angel, but this was the first time I’d seen Grace.
The angel hovered to land atop the door to my locker. “Hi, Madison. I’ve got a message for Nakita.”
Glowing brighter, she added, “What’s Barnabas doing here? You’re the dark timekeeper, and he’s—”
“Not with Ron,” Barnabas said, face tight as he crossed his arms over his chest.
The light brightened even more until I had to believe she was visible to everyone. “You went grim!” she exclaimed, and I winced at the pain in my head from the force of her voice.
Barnabas ran a hand over his curls as Nakita sniggered. “I don’t know what I am, but I couldn’t stay where I was. I don’t trust Ron, but I still don’t believe in fate.”
Nakita flipped her hair back and put a hand on her hip. “You would dare stand in defiance of seraphs?”
she almost growled.
He came back with, “I would use my eyes to see and thoughts to think,” and Grace hummed impatiently.
Stepping between them, I said, “Okay. Fine! I don’t believe in fate, either, but I respect Nakita.”And that big scythe she showed me she could make last week. “When I’m in school, I’m safe from whatever you guys are worried about. Why don’t you both wait outside?”
Immediately they backed down. “I need to be here,” Nakita said, eyes lowered. “For myself. I need to understand. The seraphs are unsure how your being dead will touch upon your ability to read time. And I don’t feel right among my own anymore. They think I’m flawed,” she finished, and I winced at the shame I could hear in her voice.
Barnabas looked out over the surrounding, excited people, his gaze vacant. “I need something to do.
I’m…alone too. And you’re familiar.”
That’s nice. I’m familiar. Like an old pair of socks.