The Fleece Job (Olympus Drive Chronicles)

Chapter 27: It's a kind of magic (part 2)

Reese

"Well? How'd it go?" Frankie was waiting outside the mansion for me.

"Um---I was thinking—do you want to really escape with me?" I ask, hopefully.

"I can't," she laughs, "I'm dead, Reese."

"I know. But I got to thinking. That's not very fair," I say, shrugging.

"No, death isn't as I understand. That doesn't mean we can do anything about it," she says.

"What if we could? I talked to my aunt—she said that if we can walk out of here together—you can come back to the real world and live the rest of your life," I say, "Do you want to?"

"Really?" she asks, frowning, "It can't be that easy."

"It's not that easy. Do you want try?" I ask.

She nods, "Yes—but what's the catch?"

"We have to walk out pursued by wild monsters, and no matter what I hear I can't turn around and check on you," I say, more confidently than I feel (I do not have the greatest impulse control. My dad says it might physically kill me to sit still for more than a minute. That was in his professional medical opinion).

"And what happens if you do look back?" she asks, slowly.

"Then we both get torn apart by wild monsters," I say, shrugging, "Well, I do anyway---you just continue being dead like you already were. No harm, no foul."

"Reese, that's a terrible idea---it's bound to be a trick," she says, shaking her head, "I can't let you agree to do that. I'm already dead."

"I know. But it's worth trying don't you think?" I ask, hopefully, "You were nice enough to agree to help me with this to get my brother---I want to help you get out."

"They'll never let us win," she says.

"No, they won't."

We both turn to  see my two cousins, Thyra and Edyis, peak out the doors of the mansion. They're in matching little silk black dresses with their hair in matching braided pig tails. They trot out, smiling secretively.

"What do you two want?" I ask, folding my arms.

"I've cast the stones. There's no way you can make it out alive," Thyra says.

"I don't know strictly what that sentence means, but I agree. Reese, I don't think it will work," Frankie says.

"In every future, but one you look back, and die, and she gets torn apart as well," Edyis says, giggling. They're horrible creepy children.  And that's saying a lot considering Bronte is my aunt.

"Okay, what's that one where it works?" I ask, slowly.

"Reese, just don't do it," Frankie says, "I'm sure we should not be doing dealings with them."

"Take this," Edyis holds out a little smoky black jar.

"What is it?" I don't take it. I'm only half stupid.

"Put it in your eyes. If you can't see---then you can't look back," Thyra says.

"It'll blind me?" I ask, taking it (remember, half stupid).

"Yes."

"Permanently."

"That's stupid, can't we use a blind fold?" Frankie says.

"I'd take it off."

"He'd take it off."

"He knows himself."

"Yes he does."

"Once I had to sit still for a whole thirty seconds during class, because I kept getting in trouble, so the teacher told me to sit still for one whole minute and I vibrated so hard I passed out after thirty seconds. They had to call my dad. Anyway," I say, opening the bottle. It's got a foul smelling liquid.

"It's a potion," Edryis says, giggling and bouncing.

"Yeah I figured," I say.

"We made it for you."

"If you really want to get out."

"You'll use it."

"It can't possibly be this easy," Frankie says, taking my hand, "Think about it. Death won't let you cheat him."

"No. But it's cheating at his own game," I say, shrugging, "And being blind isn't such a big deal if you get to be alive."

"Yes—it is a big deal! Also what makes you think this will even work?" Frankie asks.

"We promise," the girls bounce.

"They promised," I point out.

"What makes you think that you can trust them? How do we know that your uncle won't set the monsters on us anyway?"

"We don't. But we have to have faith. If we don't hope—what do we have?" I ask.

"You not blinded  or torn apart by monsters?" Frankie says.

"And you still dead. I'm willing to try. And while I'm blind, you fend off the wild monsters, deal?" I ask, holding out a hand.

She takes a deep breath, "Deal. Let's do it."

"Yay!" the girls jump up and down.

"Why are they happy?"

"I don't know it can't be good," I say, taking the dropper out.

"Wait, do you know which way we're walking?" Frankie stops me.

"That way," I point. She moves my arm, very disappointed.

"Okay, that way. Probably should be more like running," I say.

"Good luck!" the girls run back inside, giggling.

"I don't think they should be that happy."

"No, I know. Come on. Let's just do this," I say, and the last thing I see is her smiling at me, nervously, as I drop the stuff in my eyes. It burns.

Then there's nothing. My eyeballs shiver and burn, but I can still blink.

"Okay. Let's go."