18 Truths (4 page)

She nodded curtly, like she expected my question. “Just as there are different levels of rank among the angels, even among the demons, spirit guides are part of a hierarchical system as well. Some are limited to this plane, which is the case for all newbies like you, but some can go back and forth. I operate on a higher vibrational frequency, so even though I’m not human when I’m on Earth, people sense my presence and perceive I am.”

Again, I felt impressed by Dr. Judy. Nate twisted in his chair and lowered his head to mine like he did in the waiting room. “Now that we know what the stakes are, I won’t blame you if you back out. You didn’t kill anybody else. You should move on to Heaven.”

My gaze darted to Dr. Judy, wanting her to back me up that Nate really didn’t kill anybody, but she busied herself by flipping through a book on her desk.

“You so didn’t kill that kid. The car crash was an accident.”

Nate shook his head, and I knew there was no use trying to get through to him at the moment. I hesitated before saying aloud I still wanted to be a spirit guide, beginning to reconsider the wisdom of going straight to the pearly gates. Heaven would be so wonderful and probably make me forget all about Nate and Conner. But I didn’t want to forget.

“I’m all in. Wherever you go, I go. Remember what Dr. Judy said earlier? Our souls are tied together.”

He paused. “I’m flattered, but are you sure you have your priorities straight?”

“He’s right, Olga,” Dr. Judy butted in, her voice so calm it almost had the power to cure the hurricane-sized headache gnawing at my fried brain. “Yes, you were connected through your bond during Limbo, but you can choose to sever that bond at any time, much like a spouse can decide to get a divorce. There may be consequences, but your free will is still intact and your decisions are your own. Shouldn’t you have some sense of self-preservation?”

I frowned at her, wondering what consequences she referred to, but then I decided I didn’t care. Turning to Nate, I said firmly, “I love you. I’m not leaving you.”

He leaned down and gave me a quick peck on the lips. I let out a silent breath of relief. I had started to worry he wanted to get rid of me. But this was the guy I did eighteen outrageous things with during the past year when I turned eighteen. Things like riding the biggest rollercoaster in the U.S., wedding crashing, firewalking, and hardest of all, going sailing again. Conner was struck and killed by a deadly combo of lightning and hypothermia the last time I was on a boat. He was the bravest person I’d ever known, and I was tired of being scared.

I met Nate’s eyes and touched his face, my fingers lightly caressing his cheek.

“I love you,” he whispered before turning his attention back to Dr. Judy. “We’re ready to take that oath now.”

Dr. Judy motioned for us to stand as she did the same. She held out a Bible and told us to put our right hand upon the surface and to repeat after her. I anxiously shifted from one foot to the other as she opened her mouth to speak, and we echoed the prayer.

“Heavenly Father, I surrender myself completely to you. I take a stand against all the workings of Satan. I put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith and take in my hand the sword of the spirit. I put off my old human nature and put on the new nature of spirit and truth with courage. Blessed Holy Spirit, I pray you would fill me. I pray I would be a mighty spirit guide to pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against God. Help me to be aggressive enough to smash the plans of demons. Give me a spirit of love and a sound mind. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ with thanksgiving and humbleness. Amen.”

Nate rolled his shoulders. “So, where do we go for our first assignment? I say, bring it on, Satan! I’m ready to kick some demon butt!” He yelled the words, not sounding very humble at all.

We turned our heads in unison as a loud crash sounded through the walls. A simple wooden cross hanging above Dr. Judy’s bookshelf began slowly swinging back and forth like a pendulum. I gasped when the cross began to rotate in a slow circle, picking up speed until it spun on the wall like the arms of a possessed clock.

“Be gone, in Jesus’ name!” Dr. Judy shouted. “Or I will call upon our guardian angels to torture you and drag you back to the pit of Hell from which you came!”

I did a double take, glancing back to the spinning cross on the wall, and searching for whatever Dr. Judy screamed at. Squelching the surge of terror rising up from my gut, I scanned the room, but found nothing.

Abruptly, the cross stilled, scraping the wall as it slowly slid back and forth, then eventually settled into its original position… as if I’d imagined the entire incident.

I turned to Nate, and he reached out and touched my shoulder hesitantly, his eyes wary as he asked Dr. Judy in a strained voice, “What the heck was that all about?”

She shook her head. “That is just one of the many demons I warned you about. Do not provoke them. They are more than ready to take on a newbie in a fight.”

“But why couldn’t we see anything?” I stared at the crucifix on the wall.

“Some can choose to make themselves invisible, so beware; you never know when you’re being watched.” The phone rang, and with a sigh, she stepped toward her desk to answer the call.

Nate wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me close. “You still want to become spirit guides after witnessing that little freak show?”

I didn’t even hesitate this time. “Yup, you can call me crazy, but love makes you do crazy things.”

He grinned, then leaned down for a kiss, but Dr. Judy’s shriek made us both freeze.

“What do you mean she’s dead?” she demanded into the phone, her face devoid of all color. “How did she die?”

I swallowed hard. Nate and I glanced wide-eyed from one another to Dr. Judy, wondering what was going on as she slumped into her leather chair and put her head on the desk, crying. No, not crying, bawling. Nate and I both moved to stand behind her, our hands embracing her shoulders, waiting. I could hear someone talking on the other line, but I couldn’t make out the words.

Finally, Dr. Judy lifted her head and flashed me a devastated stare before mumbling into the phone. “No, Riel. I have two new recruits I want assigned to my daughter. You and Ash will be their case handlers… uh-huh… the teenagers… I know… I’ll send them to headquarters now… thank you.”

She hung up and just looked at the phone for a moment, like she was trying to will the call to not be true somehow. “My eighteen-year-old daughter is dead.”

I crouched down and wrapped Dr. Judy in a hug. “I’m so sorry.”

“How?” Nate asked.

My mouth dropped open slightly, shocked at his insensitivity.

He looked at me, then seemed to rediscover his common sense. “I’m sorry. I just meant that she’s so young. Was it an accident like ours that’ll mean she’s coming to Limbo?”

Dr. Judy didn’t look angry at his questions. She didn’t look like anything but numb. “Yes, she’ll be coming to Limbo. Grace will be your first assignment.”

“Us?” I frowned in disbelief. “Are you sure we’re qualified for this?” Becoming a spirit guide to your boss’s daughter seemed like a pretty big first assignment, and I felt like there should be some job training involved first.

Dr. Judy stood up, walked to the other side of the room, and opened the door. The waiting room had disappeared. Now the entrance exposed a small pond, and an ancient building looking like Roman architecture stood across the way.

“Olga and Nate, I believe you’ve become spirit guides for such a time as this. You’ll be my interns. I’m always here if you need my help, and I’ll expect a daily report on your progress, but you must go now.” She ushered us out of her office. “Oh, and please, don’t make me regret trusting you with this.” With those parting words, she slammed the door firmly behind us.

“Once we have eliminated the impossible,
whatever remains, however unlikely,
must be the truth.”
—Conan Doyle

haking my head, I whispered, “I can’t believe Dr. Judy’s daughter is dead.”

“Forget that. I still can’t believe
we’re
dead. I can’t believe they’re allowing us to become spirit guides and giving us her dead daughter as our first assignment!

I didn’t know what to say to that so I just held out my hand, and he took it, sliding his fingers between mine. In silence, we strolled around the pond toward a marble building with great white pillars that supported broad arches, heading toward our future. Ducks swam around a fountain positioned in the center of the water, which I found odd at first before realizing, why wouldn’t God put animals in all parts of His creation?

I still can’t believe I’m dead.

Learning I was no longer a mortal changed things big time, and made me question what I went through all my eighteen things for. But then I looked at Nate and found my answer. Now was not the time to backpedal. He had been my strong tower this past year, and now I needed to stay strong for him. After all, he’d not only learned he was dead too, but that he’d played a part in killing someone else. We had to fix our eyes on the path ahead of us if we were going to steer clear of eternal damnation.

When we rang the doorbell, a girl about my age answered. She stood a couple inches taller than me, and had a golden tan, straight blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. Immediately, I thought of Toe-touch Tammy. She’d remained my arch nemesis throughout high school, but during my after-death purification process, she became one of my best friends, even though I guess my Limbo wasn’t real. Anyway, her looks were startlingly perfect, just like this chick. Already I started questioning if Nate would really want to stick with me forever when measured against beings like this one. I guess even death couldn’t keep my insecurities away.

Ms. Perfect glanced at me, then Nate.

“Follow me.” She sprung down the wildly long, vaulted-ceilinged hallway dotted with numbered closed doors, and we hurried to catch up before she abruptly stopped at the eighth door on the left. “Wait in here,” she said before running off again.

A table with four metal chairs sat in the middle of the sterile room. Trembling, I took a seat.

“What is this place?” Nate rubbed his palms down the front of his jeans.

I tilted my head from side to side, noticing the gray carpet, the impossibly white walls, and the fluorescent lights that gave the impression we were in an interrogation room. My mind whirled with a thousand possibilities, but the sound of deep voices alerted me to the door.

A moment later, two angels walked—no,
flew
—in. Their arms and legs resembled polished gold, their faces like the lightning that killed my best friend. Radiating light bounced off their wings until they landed on the chairs and the wings folded into themselves, the brightness disappearing with them so I could actually see their more human faces. Both of them had the same long, surfer styled jet-black hair, no eyebrows, but their long dark lashes stood out as otherworldly over big blue eyes the color of the sky after a storm. Their lips, their noses, the shape of their faces, were straight, perfect, and angular. They were the most beautiful creatures I’d ever seen.