The dark man looked at Alyson. His eyes were reddened and sad, moist with tears from memories of the past. This meant something to him that Alyson needed to know so she could understand him better. This was the pinnacle of his being.
Hanging his head, he nodded, took Alyson’s hand and they both closed their eyes.
Rain, lightning, thunder, all caused a somber mood in the air. It was like the night he’d come to her. But this night was filled with sadness and broken hearts.
He couldn’t know that Kelly had rolled over in bed and noticed he was gone. Or that the warm spot in her bed was suddenly empty and cold. Nor was he aware that she had called to him only to hear no reply. He didn’t sense her panic as she threw on her nightgown and wandered into the living room, sensing the inevitable. He was gone.
He could only watch as the rain fell and Kelly called to him, following him out into the storm. She came outside into the night, trying to find him and get him back. He couldn’t bear to say goodbye, couldn’t stand facing the truth. So he slowly began to transform back to the spirit he was, disappearing into the darkness.
His heart broke as he saw Kelly scream and call out his name in vain. Her nightgown was soaked and clinging to her wet body—she was almost blind but still she looked for him. She reached out for what she thought was him, but whatever it was had turned into a shadow.
He longed to touch her but could not. Her hand passed through his as if he were a ghost. The year of discovery was now ending and he began to understand the pain of loss. The heartache of love.
This was his test. This was the penalty. He was forced to feel as a mortal man.
It was all making sense to him.
Kelly cried and the rain began to come down in torrents as she blindly searched for him. “Pilan—” she screamed. “Don’t leave me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks, mixing with the rain. He could only imagine the devastation of her loss—no explanations, nothing to tell her why he’d gone. Someone she truly loved had walked out of her now blinded
life.
He felt his own tears welling in his eyes. Kelly was his first true love. The pain was agonizing, ripping him apart, dazing him and making him see a blinding light. The light became brighter and brighter. A loud blare of air horns followed.
“Nooooooo!”
He screamed and lunged forward to pull Kelly away from the edge of the road where she’d staggered from her front door. The few seconds he flailed in desperation to grab her to safety seemed endless, replaying in slow motion through his mind. With all the powers he had possessed—everything that he’d taken for granted—nothing he did could save Kelly from what was happening.
“Don’t do this! Take me, you fucking bastards, not her!”
His scream echoed through the empty wet streets. A paralyzing ache shot through his chest. For one endless instant of time he looked at Kelly, seeing the film that covered her eyes disappear as she looked back at him.
Smiling through the rain streaming over her face, she spoke. “I’ll never leave you. Find me, my love, find…” Her voice, soft and soothing, faded in his ears.
A blaring horn and blast of wind ripped her from his sight.
He fell to his knees and wailed in sorrow as the one thing he’d ever held precious was taken from him. The air rumbled as his emotions erupted around him.
He turned to see Kelly’s body beneath the wheels of the truck that struck her. She never saw it coming. The rain flooded the streets as he knelt there sobbing. He looked down on to his shaking hands and watched as the water fell through them. His powers were almost fully restored and he was disappearing into the night.
The voice of the elder spoke to him. “You have paid the price. You now understand the consequences of taking life.”
“I’d give everything back. She didn’t need to die; she was a pure soul. She never asked me for anything, she never hurt anyone.” He faded away with each passing moment. “You fuckers took away the one person who didn’t want anything but my heart. Just let me go. I can’t stand to feel this pain for eternity.”
“She is not dead. Her spirit lives within another.” The voice was soothing.
His hair dripped the rain over his face. “What do you mean?”
“Her spirit lives on inside another woman. She knew. She told you as much before she died. You must find her again. Remember what you have learned, Pilan. Your gifts have changed. Now they include compassion.”
He knelt on the road. Something flashed on the wet ground beside him. It was his gold medallion. It had been returned, along with his powers. He was himself again, complete—except for the hole in his heart left by the loss of Kelly.
Chapter Seven
Alyson
He released Alyson’s hand and sat back in his chair.
“Oh Lord. My God, what did you do? Where did you go?”