I'm With Cupid (5 page)

“I can't believe he just left us here!” Lena said, staring after Eddie as he disappeared around a curve.

“Maybe we should kind of, um, stick together the next couple of days until this is all figured out.” Now that Marcus was finally spending time with Lena again, he wasn't going to blow it. Even if it was under such crazy circumstances. Besides, how was he supposed to deal with all of this by himself?

Lena shook her head. “No way. I can't go around pretending to make people fall in love.”

“What do you mean
pretending
?” Marcus asked. “What I do is as real as what you do.”

“No offense,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ears, “but death is a real, biological thing. Love is…well…”

Marcus's mouth sagged open. “Are you telling me you don't believe that love exists?”

“Our brains might think it does, but that's only chemicals tricking us into feeling things. It's not real. Trust me. My dad studies this stuff. He knows.”

Marcus couldn't believe what he was hearing. “What about my grandparents? They were married for forty years, and they were the happiest people I knew.” Grandma had died when Marcus was seven, so he didn't remember much about her, but he did have memories of his grandparents always smiling when they were together. And Grandpa still talked about Grandma Lily all the time. That had to be the real thing, right?

Lena shrugged. “Their brains were really good at making them think that.”

“So what I do—what
all
matchmakers do—is a joke?” Marcus cried. He never thought he'd be yelling at the girl he had a crush on, but he couldn't stop himself.

Lena seemed to think his question through for a moment. “No,” she finally said. “Obviously, you take it really seriously. It's…it's not for me, okay? So the sooner we figure out how to reverse this whole mix-up, the better.”

She clearly didn't want to argue anymore, and Marcus didn't either. He was pretty sure Grandpa's book would strongly frown upon yelling at your date.

“I should go,” Lena said, heading back toward the park entrance.

“Where are you going? Shouldn't we at least call the hospital and make sure Olivia is okay?” He reached into his pocket before remembering what had happened with Caspar. “Oh. I don't have my phone with me.”

Lena stopped at a green bike that had been abandoned on the grass. She must have flung it aside before she'd rushed over to save Olivia from his glowing fingers.

“You're right. I guess we should check.” Lena took out her phone, searched for the number to the hospital, and was talking to someone all in the span of a minute. Marcus marveled at her efficiency.

“I had to tell them I was her sister before they finally gave me info,” Lena said, hanging up the phone a couple of minutes later. “She's still unconscious but stable.”

Marcus sighed with relief. “So that means she's going to be okay?” If something really bad happened to that woman because of him…

“I think so. Maybe Eddie is right, and we don't have to worry.” Lena picked up her bike and plopped her helmet on her head. “Okay, I need to go home and prep for my
Alice
in
Wonderland
audition tomorrow.”

He couldn't believe she was worried about something so normal after everything that had happened. “But what about…? I mean, what are we supposed to
do
?”

Lena shook her head. “I have no idea, but I've spent weeks getting ready for this audition. I can't get distracted now.”

How was she not still freaking out about everything that had happened? He definitely couldn't imagine going back to his house and acting like everything was fine. “I can walk you home if you want,” he found himself saying, “and help you run lines.”

Lena shrugged. “Sure. We're auditioning with the White Rabbit scene from the book. It starts with her saying, ‘Mr. White Rabbit, where are you going?' And the rest of it goes like this.” Then she launched into the monologue.

Marcus watched her mouth as she spoke the words. For some reason, the other parts of her face didn't move. She was saying the lines, but it didn't seem like she meant them.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked when it was over.

“Oh, um. Not bad.”

She gave him a sharp look. “But not good either?”

“I didn't say that! Only…it seemed a little stiff, that's all.”

“Stiff? What do you mean?”

Marcus knew he had to choose his words carefully. This was just like when his mom asked him for feedback on her trash sculptures and he had to try to find tactful ways of suggesting she make them look more like actual, recognizable things. “I don't know much about acting or anything, but maybe try putting some more feeling into it?”

Lena shrugged. “I don't want to overact. Directors hate that. But I'll try it again.” She started from the beginning, saying the lines almost exactly the same way as before.

But Marcus wasn't listening anymore, because the enormity of what had happened hit him like a wrecking ball. He was a soul collector!

“So, how does it all work?” he asked, interrupting her.

Lena looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“If we're stuck with each other's powers for the next couple of days, shouldn't we know more about them? Like what does a soul collector actually
do
?”

She sighed. “I guess you're right. Well, what I do is pretty simple.” Then she explained how she used the energy to “release” the soul from its body so that when the person died, his or her soul would go to the After.

“So you actually see the person's soul before you collect it?” he asked, thinking of the bright light bursting out of Ann-Marie that morning. Is that what he'd been seeing? Her soul?

“Just a flash of it. By the time I get there, the soul is so weak that it's barely glowing anyway,” Lena said. “Eddie says it'll get easier to see my targets' souls once my powers get stronger.”

Marcus nodded. That wasn't so different from his matchmaking auras. “What about car accidents and stuff? You're not saying soul collectors are in the car with those people, are you? I mean, they'd get hurt too.”

“No, in accidental deaths like that, the soul is thrown out of the body. Then I'd get a message telling me to hurry over there to collect the soul before it wanders away.”

“Wanders away?” he repeated. “Like…like the soul goes to haunt people?”

Lena shook her head. “It can get confused and drift around, that's all. If it gets too far away from the spot where it died and a soul collector can't find it, then soul hunters get involved.”

“Like ghost hunters?”

“No, not ghosts,” Lena insisted. “Ghosts are only in the movies. These are
souls
that aren't where they're supposed to be.”

“You really don't like things you can't explain, do you?” Marcus asked. “Love. Ghosts. I bet you don't even believe that four-leaf clovers bring luck.”

“They're genetic mutations,” she said with a shrug. “How about you? What does a matchmaker do?”

He explained how the energy was a type of magnet that pulls two people together so they can get to know each other better. Then he told her how the first couple he'd ever matched had had a strong spark right away and how that spark had gotten even stronger the more time they had spent together, a sure sign that they were going to last.

When he was done, Lena let out a long sigh. “I guess that really is what happened to Mrs. Katz today. I'd been hoping whatever went wrong was something else, something that wouldn't mess up her life.”

“Mess it up by making her fall in love instead of making her
die
?” Marcus asked in disbelief.

“I don't make people die. It's part of life. It happens.”

“Well, so does love. Matchmakers only help it along. That's why we can't make people fall in love whenever we want.” No matter how much Marcus had wished over the past few months that he could have “zapped” Lena with a little love jolt and made her like him, he knew it would do no good. The manual was clear that if you used the abilities for personal gain, they'd backfire.

“I'll have to check on Mrs. Katz later and make sure she's okay,” said Lena.

“Why wouldn't she be okay? She's probably happier than she's ever been.”

“Maybe she is now,” said Lena, “but wait until the whole love cloud wears off. Then she'll be miserable.”

Marcus couldn't believe how negative Lena was about this whole matchmaking thing. He'd always known she was matter-of-fact. That was one of the things he liked about her—along with her silky hair and her calm way of listening to people, even when they were shy like he was and never knew the right thing to say. When they'd worked on their math project together last spring, she'd been open to his ideas but had still kept them on track so they were done in no time. It was strange the things he was finding out about her now that they were together.

He sucked in a breath. Wait.
Were
they together? They'd kissed three times in the past twenty-four hours, after all. Granted, all three of those kisses had happened because of other people telling them what to do, but it still had to mean something, didn't it? Grandpa's book would certainly say they were “going steady.”

He peered at Lena as she steered her bike down the street, mumbling lines from the play under her breath again. Maybe there was a reason behind all this power-swapping business. Maybe this was the universe's weird way of finally making Lena notice him.

“Why are you staring at me?” she asked suddenly, coming to a stop.

Marcus blinked. “Oh. Sorry. I guess I was…wondering why all this stuff is happening to us. What the bigger purpose is.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You believe in that kind of thing? Fate and karma and all that?”

“I think sometimes things work out the way they're supposed to. Like when I make matches—”

Lena snorted. “That's someone else deciding what's supposed to happen. Eddie's boss picks two names out of a hat and tells you to pair them up. That's not exactly fate.”

“Okay…well, what about when I see an old model spaceship at a flea market and it's missing a bunch of its parts. Why would I spend my allowance on it if I didn't think I could fix it?” he asked. Lena shook her head, clearly not understanding his point. “Because I know that even if I don't have the pieces I need now, I'll find them eventually. And then everything will work out.”

Lena's eyes widened. “Wow. You're really an optimist, aren't you? No wonder they made you a cupid.”

“Matchmaker,” Marcus corrected. “No diaper, remember? I don't want my butt to look lumpy.”

Finally, Lena cracked a smile. “How come you never made any jokes when we did our project together? You were always so quiet.”

Marcus looked at the toes of his battered sneakers. “I guess I'm kind of shy when I don't know someone. But now that we're…I mean, you know something about me that no one else does.”

“Yeah, I guess that's true,” Lena said slowly. “I don't think anyone knows the real me anymore.” She peered back at him, a hint of a smile still on her face, and he had the feeling that she really understood him. For the first time since Grandpa had gotten sick, the aching emptiness in Marcus's chest eased a little.

Suddenly, Lena's smile disappeared, like a door had shut somewhere inside her. “Come on. I have to get home,” she said. Then she hurried her steps so that Marcus had to practically run to keep up.

On her doorstep, Lena turned to say good-bye to Marcus only to find him looking back at her with a weird expression on his face. He kept licking his lips and then glancing at the ground. Wait. Was he gearing up to kiss her again?

Not that she wanted him to. Or did she? No, of course not! The day had been too full of weirdness already. The best thing for Lena to do now was slip back into her house and hide.

“Well, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow,” she said.

“Oh…um, yeah.” Marcus licked his lips again.

“Unless Eddie has news for us before then.”

“Right.” His amber eyes looked at her in a way that made her stomach feel oddly fluttery. Whatever was going on, she couldn't deal with it right now, not when her audition was just over twenty-four hours away.

“Bye!” she cried. Then she yanked open the door and practically slammed it in Marcus's face. She waited a second before peering through the peephole, letting out a whoosh of air when she saw him retreating down the driveway. For some reason, she was panting as she walked into the kitchen.

“Ah, Lena, there you are,” her dad called from the living room. “What do you think of this outfit?”

She poked her head in to find him in the same kind of drab shirt and tie he wore to work every day. For a second, she had the crazy urge to tell her dad about everything that had happened. But of course, she couldn't. Even if she tried, he would never believe her.

“It looks okay,” she said. “What's it for?”

“My lunch date, remember? I told you about it this morning?”

Had that really only been a few hours ago? How could Lena's entire life have changed between breakfast and lunch?

Her dad glanced at his watch and pushed his dark hair away from his forehead. “She should be here any minute.”

“Wait, she's picking you up?” Her dad had never been all that traditional, but if he was letting the woman do all the work, then he really was indifferent to the whole idea of dating.

“We decided it was easiest that way.”

“Well, have fun,” Lena said.

“I will.” But as he said the words, the world shifted again, and the air around her dad dulled and grayed. Lena stared at him as the awful feeling washed over her again, the sense of being hopelessly lonely.

“Dad?” she choked out. “Are you…are you okay?”

“Of course I am,” he said in his usual reassuring tone, but she could suddenly hear how fake the words sounded. How had she never noticed it before?

When the gray cloud finally started to fade, Lena felt like the loneliness had seeped into her bones. Her whole body ached with it. What was going on? Did this have something to do with her new powers?

The doorbell rang, and her dad hurried to open the door. Meanwhile, Lena clung to the side of the couch, afraid that if she let go, she might fall over.

Dad's date swept into the hall like a gust of lavender-scented wind. She was tiny and decked out in a bright-red dress that perfectly contrasted with her jet-black hair. She definitely didn't look like a physicist.

Professor ran over to bring the woman a wad of used tissues, but she ignored him as she charged over to Lena.

“Hello! I'm Marguerite,” she said as she enthusiastically shook Lena's hand.

“Um, hi,” Lena said. Then she couldn't help adding stupidly, “Is your name French?”

“It is! My family is French Canadian, but I've lived in the States for years.”

“Oh…” Lena realized she had nothing to say to that. She looked at her dad, who also seemed a little lost. This was the first time Lena had met any of her dad's dates, but she wondered if all of them were so perky.

“Shall we go?” Marguerite asked. “There's a lovely new place that opened up downtown. I think they have
crepes
.” She pronounced the word in the French way that almost sounded like “craps.” “And afterward, perhaps we can go see the new stamp exhibit at the museum?”

Lena stared. Not only was Marguerite a scientist like Dad, but she liked crepes and old stamps just like he did? Had Aunt Teresa coached Marguerite on what to say, or was she really this perfect?

Her dad nodded eagerly at Marguerite and smiled. That smile pierced through Lena like a laser. She realized it was the first real smile she'd seen on his face in months.

“Great!” Marguerite said. “Do you mind if I use your washroom before we go?” Then, without waiting for an answer, she disappeared down the hall.

“She seems nice,” Lena whispered, the heavy feeling inside her finally fading.

Her dad's smile dimmed. “Don't worry. We won't be out too long.”

“It's okay, Dad. Go have fun. I'll be fine,” she found herself saying. Since when did she actually encourage her dad to go on dates? But this seemed different.
He
seemed different.

Or maybe all that mumbo jumbo Eddie and Marcus had spouted about love had seeped into her brain. Lena shuddered at the thought.

When Marguerite came out of the bathroom, her dad's face lit up all over again, and Lena found herself wishing he could look like that all the time instead of like the sad, serious person he'd become since Mom left.

“We'll be back in a bit,” her dad said, showing Marguerite to the door.

“Have fun!” Lena said with a wave. And that's when it happened. Her fingers started to glow bright red just as her dad came over to give her his usual good-bye hug.

Oh no.

Before she could stop him, her dad wrapped his arms around her. The instant her hand brushed against him—
zap!
—the energy sank right into his body, as if it couldn't wait to burst out of her fingertips.

Her dad jumped back, like he'd gotten shocked by static electricity. Then he glanced at Marguerite, and the smile on his face bloomed into a grin.

When Marguerite looked back at him, Lena could actually
see
the sparks flying between them, like tiny fireworks. Just like the ones between Mrs. Katz and the mailman.

Oh no. What had she done?

“Dad!” Lena cried. She had to take it back; she had to undo it. But how? She shook her fingers, willing them to light up again. Maybe if red zapped you with love juice, then another color—what was the opposite of red?—reversed it. But it was no use. She couldn't even make her fingers glow again.

“Don't worry, Chipmunk,” her dad said, his voice sounding far away. “Everything will be all right.” Then he took Marguerite's hand in his and disappeared through the door.

Lena stared after them for what felt like an hour. What had just happened? Had she zapped her own father with some kind of spell? But that was impossible! Eddie had said she wouldn't have any assignments, and Marcus had said you couldn't make people fall in love when they weren't meant to.

Fall
in
love.

The words bounced around in Lena's brain, clanging against the sides of her head. Love was fake. Love was chemicals. Love was a joke.

But then how could she explain what had happened before her eyes?