Page 22 of Dima's Vision
“Sure. Surprise me.” I shrug.
“I’ll have my usual,” Kristie says with a wink.
Brenna grins cheekily, “Nope. I have something in mind that I think you need more than your usual cup of syrup with a splash of coffee.”
She bustles off to do whatever it is she does, and Kristie tugs my arm to follow her to a table in the corner. Oddly, it is the corner window seat, not the dark booth in the back.
“I always sit here. I’m not sure why, but it’s my spot.”
“I like it.” I turn to look at the redhead grinning at the other barista behind the counter, “I like Brenna too. She’s nice.” I can’t think of any other word to describe being in her company.
“I know right!? Like your blood pressure lowers as soon as she smiles at you.” I nod in reply. “And that’s why I keep my interactions short. She’s pure light in a dark world and I won’t be the reason it gets snuffed out.”
I move to open my mouth, and then close it. There is nothing I can say that will make Kristie change her mind. She’s had a lifetime of death to convince her this is her lot. She’s the other half of my soul so I’ll spend my lifetime showing her that she’s gifted, not cursed.
“Here you are folks,” Brenna’s sunshiney voice rings out as she places our to go cups on the table in front of us. “To go cups, because, well, I know you’re busy people.”
I take a sip, then sit a little straighter in surprise before greedily taking another sip. “Whoa slow down Dima, it’s hot!” Brenna giggles.
“I know, it’s just that this is delicious! “ I remark, the smooth liquid not only tantalizes my tastebuds, but also wakes up my insides in a way coffee has never done before.
“It’s my positivity brew. You looked a little troubled earlier so I thought this would pep you up.” Her cheeks start to pinken.
“It’s definitely working.” I hold up my cup in a salute. “Thank you, Brenna.”
She shrugs, “As my GeeGee used to say, I have a gift when it comes to coffee.” I look at her, really look at her. I feel like she is more gifted than even she knows. “Anyhoo, I’ll leave you lovely people to it.” She grins at me, then at Kristie before bustling off and warmly greeting a new customer.
“She’s so lovely. And she doesn’t deserve to di-”
“Nope. None of that. I’ve got my perky drink and I’ve got a surprise for you that I think you’ll like.”
“Dima, I have a list of people to work through and a to go cup with the nectar of the gods in it.” She gives me a bored look, as if I’ve already forgotten her mission.
“And I’ve got a Glenn shaped package that needs to go to some friends of mine.” Her eyes narrow. “They have gators.”
She jumps up from her chair, causing the legs to screech on the black tile. “Well why didn’t you lead with that? Let’s go!”
Kristie
If I had known that Dima’s car was such a luxurious ride I would have definitely gone with him yesterday instead of making him stuff Glenn in the trunk of my teeny car. I almost feel a little bad about it, but then I change my mind because Glenn was such a piece of shit that he deserved to be uncomfortable.
“Back at the warehouse, you said that the person you think is doing this is dead. How do you know?”
I gaze out the window as the city limits rush past us. I have no idea where we’re going other than it’s around three hours away to some friends of Dima’s. He doesn’t really strike me as the type of guy who has a lot of friends, so these ones must mean something to him. I guess like Maddigan and Gabe meant to me when we were growing up.
“Maddigan was my brother.” I can feel his eyes on me. “Not my real brother, my foster brother.” I wriggle in my seat a little, buying time. “I was 16 when Mama Celene found me. She’s a little like you, I guess. She finds people who need her help. It took her almost two weeks to gain my trust enough for me to go home with her. She had other kids there, people like us.”I gesture between myself and Dima. “I didn’t know there were others out there. I thought it was just me and death and the whispers.”
“So, Maddigan was one of the kids?”
“Yeah. Maddigan and Gabe. We were the three musketeers. The kids that stayed the longest. Probably because we needed the most help. Gabe’s gift is the ability to talk to the dead and help souls move on. But you can imagine as a kid how fucking terrifying that was. Mama taught him to not be afraid, to use it for good. He was a sweet kid and he grew up to be a sweet man.”
I glance at Dima, his lips turned up in a soft smile. “So, you keep in touch?”
“Yeah. I figured I haven’t managed to kill him accidentally yet, so he should be safe. We usually text or call. I visit him once a year just before Christmas.”
“And Maddigan?”
I close my eyes remembering the boy with too much black hair and steely blue eyes. “He had the least cursed gift of us all, but somehow managed to fuck it up. He would feed off the joy of others. Not in a bad way, not to begin with.”
