Dying to Remember (The Station #2) (6 page)

I don't
know what this means.
The look on my face must further establish my
confusion but Niles only nods and continues to usher me around the fountain,
which is currently teeming with teens of all ages, until we reach the Staff
building.

Finally, just
as Niles opens the door in front of us, I find my voice, "What's the
Keeper?"

"I can't
tell you, but you will see, don't worry, dear. Remember, you aren't in trouble,
okay?"

We walk down
the empty hallway and go through a door into a room that looks nothing like the
one where Mallory and I met for the first time in person. This staff room is
shaped more like an oval, with no corners on the walls and there are no tables
or chairs. The center of the floor dips down a good two feet, creating a sort
of recessed bench that matches the curved shape of the room. This is where the
Mentor's sit in a circle. I get over my intimidation of them instantly as my
eyes widen at the sight of the other person sitting with them. A man at least a
good foot taller than anyone else stands and nods at me. His clothes appear to
be all white but it's hard to tell at first, because the man is
glowing
.

***

"Piper.
Please, come in," Edith says warmly.

I'm frozen.
Niles has to nudge me inside so he can close the door behind us. I have no idea
who…or
what
I'm looking at exactly and I have the sudden urge to pinch
myself.
This must be a dream.

When the man
crosses the room in three impossibly long and graceful strides and takes my
hand in his, I feel his warm energy course through my arm like a weak shock
after we touch.
Nope, not a dream.

"Hello,
Piper Willow. My name is Andurush. It's very nice to meet you."

His round
eyes are a clear bluish-grey color…breathtaking, really. The dark brown of his
lengthy lashes match the short yet wild hair on his head. I'm lost glancing
between his hair and the features of his face as Niles moves around us to take
a seat next to Edith. Up close it's hard to see the light that surrounds the
stranger, but I can sense that it's there. Like an electrical field around us.

"Uh, hi,
And-"

"
Andurush
.
You can call me Rush, for short, if that pleases you?" He tilts his head
at me before stepping back and releasing my hand. I feel the energy of his
touch fade from my arm as the soft white light brightens around his entire
being once again.

What the
hell
are
you?

He laughs
softly and tilts his head to the other side while gesturing for me to follow
him to the center of the room, where the others are watching our exchange with
interest.

"Please,
come sit and I will tell you what you ask," he says simply.

What the…

He turns
around and winks at me and that's when I realize he's heard my thoughts.
Oh
my God, there's no way.
A twitch at the corner of his mouth confirms my
suspicion. He's a mind-reader of some sort. I try to blank my mind completely
but it doesn't work. In fact the opposite happens and my mind floods with
thoughts from everywhere about everything and everyone I know. Rush laughs
softly as I numbly lower myself down onto the recessed step.

"It will
pass. It happens to everyone," he says with a chuckle as the color drains
from my face.

Niles leans
forward across the small gap between him and Rush and extends his hand in
greeting. "It's very good to see you again, Andurush," he says.

As soon as
their hands meet I see Rush fade slightly as the halo of light ebbs around
Niles. This must have been what happened when Rush shook my hand. When they
part, the light leaves Niles and returns to Rush in full hue.

"Okay.
Look. I've died and woke up in a place that shouldn't exist. I've been
transported into the minds of two
living
people to not only experience
their pain but my own all over again. I've helped dead children move on to
'what's
beyond'
. I've done all this with no complaints or too many questions, for who
knows how long, because the Station doesn't believe in hanging up a damn clock.
But this…
this
…now I know. I've entered the Twilight Zone, right? I mean,
there's no other way to explain this." I cross my arms over my chest and
glare at anyone who dares to make eye contact with me.

Niles braves
the heavy silence with his soft voice, "We can explain, Piper."

"Please
do. Explain it all," I say with an irritated wave of my hand.

"May I
have the honor?" Rush says, resting his cool eyes on me while he leans
forward, casually draping his arms across his knees.

I squirm
slightly then quickly force myself to remain still.
Oh no you don't, you
won't make me uncomfortable.
I tilt my chin up in indignation as he smiles
at me.

"Well…?"
I ask.

"It's a
bit of a long story, Piper Willow. I do hope you are comfortable," he says
with a tilt of his head.

"I have
nowhere else to be," I say flatly. Because this is true of course, no one
argues.

***

Edith rises
and all four of the men, including Rush, stand as she crosses the room. At the
door she pauses with the other two male Mentors behind her, to blow Niles a
kiss. He looks at her adoringly and sends her off with a little wave.

"Do you
have to leave too, Niles?" I ask.

"No,
Piper. I'll stay, if that's okay with you?"

"Of
course," I say a bit too fast.

As both of
the men sit down again, I draw my legs up over the edge of the circular bench
and cross them into a lanky pretzel. I feel more comfortable sitting this way,
rather than having my feet dangling out in front of me. Plus, it gives me
comfort, since this is the way I've spent most of my time lately sitting with
the One's. With my hands gripping my ankles, Rush begins a tale that rivals all
before it.

"Piper
Willow, you have already guessed I am different from you or anyone else you
know. I come from a place far from here, where life never ceases completely,
like it does for
your
body. It's in my nature to travel, as it is for
the rest of my kind. We came across your home by accident, many ages ago and
your abilities as a People fascinate us. But your lifespan is…brief. Too brief,
in all honesty. We have created this place, what you call
The Station
,
as a way for some of you to return home to reach the fullest aspect of your
potential and to give you the chance to continue your essence for a bit longer.
We return only when the balance here has been disrupted. You have disrupted the
balance, little Piper Willow," he stops to wave around the room and smiles
at me.

I gulp,
swallowing a mouthful of air while he continues, "You see; you are unlike
the others here. You have the ultimate connection to your Assignments, the
ability to be heard completely. Just as you know I can hear you. Do you
understand what I mean?"

I shake my
head.
I don't get any of this.

"Though
you are new here, the impression you left on your Assignments was heard across
the stars. Somehow, you have imprinted your will on another human mind. The
Station was not designed for this ability. The ability to change one's will.
Only to help aid in…shall we say…a change of direction, but you go beyond that.
I am aware that one of these people - a boy, he is here with you now. He is
aware that you were in fact a part of him, is he not?"

"Yes,
but…but I didn't force him to
do
anything. I just did my job. I tried to
guide him and Abby the right way. I mean, that's what we all do, right?"
Panic flows freely from my voice at the implication that I could have
intentionally forced my will on either of my Assignments.

Rush's
steel-blue eyes travel coolly up and down my body, drinking me in with his next
statement, "Ahh, but you did. Do you not remember?" With a wave of
his hand, he seems eager to change the direction of the conversation.
"That is not my concern right now. Your voice is meant to be heard. All of
you are
meant
to be heard. I'm here simply as the keeper of balance. And
I do not come back to this place often. Let's just say it has been a long while
since my last visit. What fascinates me is how you did it. This young
man…Sloan, is his name?" I nod in response and he smiles approvingly,
"Yes, Sloan. See, your match with him is unique. Your connection with him is
more than what it should have been. It is still there. I can feel it."

I chew on the
inside of my cheek, afraid to agree with him. For a moment, the light around
Rush pulses brilliantly, making the blue of his eyes flash bright enough to
blind. I have to glance away and when I do, I see Niles looking nervously at
me. With a little shrug of the shoulders, I know he's just as clueless as I am.

"What I
do
know, is that you can hear what others cannot, and they respond to you in a
rather unique way. What I
don't
know, but very much
want
to, is
if you, Piper Willow, can see what others cannot?" He stops finally, and
watches my expression change from shock to confusion.

"I can
honestly say I have no idea what you are talking about." And it's true.
Completely.

Rush shifts slightly,
lowering a leg back onto the floor so that he can rest his arm on his bent
knee. He's lounging. I'm having the most bizarre conversation with what appears
to be an alien, in all definition of the word, and the guy is simply
lounging
.

"I
believe that is not true," he says while lowering his leg and pushing off
the ground. Even though he stands a good five feet away, he practically towers
over me.

"What do
you mean?" The words stammer out of my mouth. I've returned to verbal
inadequacies.

He slowly crosses
the gap between us, swinging his perfectly toned arms casually at his sides,
and with each inch that he comes closer the fear in me rises. By the time he
reaches me I have scrambled up to my feet.

"There
is no reason to panic, I am not here to hurt you," his smile seems
reassuring, but the looming presence of his body proves otherwise. For the
first time I take in the appearance of his white clothing carefully. The shirt
and pants seem made out of a cotton-like material, draping comfortably on his
form. Though loose, they seem to fit his height and width perfectly. But the
outfit is so clean and wrinkle-free I wonder if it is something he has recently
put on just for this meeting.

"Clothing
is not needed, outside of this place," he says softly.

"Could
you stop doing that? I've already had someone in my head, and honestly, it
didn't work out so great for me," I say as I take a tiny step away from
him.

I'm shocked
that his response is laughter and my feet move further backwards. "Clear
your mind and use your words so that I have no need to travel through your
thoughts," he says.

Throwing my
hands on my hips, I say, "
Use my
words
? Do
not
talk
to me like I'm a child!"

For the first
time, I believe I've surprised him. "I did not mean to upset you. But were
you not just recently a child, in your own societal definition?"

Anger courses
through me, vibrating every fiber of my being. Taking a full step toward him, I
jab my finger into his chest and push him back slightly. Ignoring the zap of
energy that sparks from his upper body into my hand, I lash out at him with all
the verbal insults I can muster. When I'm finished, I'm panting. And even more
upset, because he's grinning at me.

"You
still have not answered my question," he says with a cock of his head and
a crooked smile.

"What
the hell do you want to know?" I practically scream at him.

"What is
it that you
see
?" He watches me carefully, hoping for an answer
that I'm sure I can't give him.

"What I
see
is you and Niles, and this room." I don't even attempt to hide my
irritation with him at all.

"But
what do you see
beyond
?" he presses.

"I don't
know what you're talking about!"
I'm going to lose it.
This must
be what going mad feels like.

As he studies
my face with his crystalline eyes, I feel a blush creep into my cheeks. It
seems today I can't keep my blood from flushing my skin, no matter who I'm
talking to.

"Of
course you don't. But you will," he reaches out to push a loose strand of
blonde hair off my face and the jolt of his touch sends a shiver from my head
to my toes, "There is no person here at the
Station
that can see
beyond. But I can. And soon I believe you will too."

"I don't
understand what you want. Really, I don't."
I've told you everything I
know.

Seemingly
satisfied with my answer, Rush bends down close to me so that only an inch of
space separates our faces. This close, his eyes look like water. Not a fleck of
color other than clear, ice-blue. I've never seen eyes like his before. It's almost
like they were painted with a brush. With each word he speaks, his breath
softly hits my cheek, "Oh, Piper Willow. You have much to learn. And that
is why I am here. To teach you."

***

"What is
it that you think you need to
teach
me?" I back away from Rush once
again, this time looking to Niles for some help. Knowing my thoughts aren't
private at the moment, I concentrate on my voice and let it echo clearly
through my mind.
You're freaking me out. Totally.

Niles moves
toward us while Rush balks at me. He seems suddenly surprised and a bit
confused. I try desperately to keep my head clear so that he doesn't hear me
rejoicing at his sudden and obvious discomfort.