Reapers: Unseen Things, #19

By Duane L. Martin

When the reaper drones showed up at the party to kill Diedre so they could reclaim her energy and take it back to Purgatory, she and Logan had go on the run, hopping from dimension to dimension in an effort to try to stay one step ahead of them while the folks back home work on a way to rectify the situation without leaving all of the energy forms on Purgatory stranded there for all eternity. In their search for answers however, they make some incredible discoveries, not only about the dimension of Purgatory itself, but also about the root cause behind Diedre's psychotic behavior in her former life.

Also, when Derek pays himself a visit from the future, he learns that their attempts at finding a solution to the Diedre situation appeared to have worked at first, but things ended really bad for them shortly thereafter. Now they have to think outside the box to come up with a new and unique way of solving the problem that they wouldn't have otherwise considered, because if they don't, then some people that they care very deeply about are going to end up dead, while others will have a falling out that will cause them to go their separate ways.

Finally, while out on the run from the Reaper drones, Logan and Diedre's feelings for one another continue to grow, but can Logan resist temptation so that he doesn't end up hurting Darla and destroying their marriage? Derek isn't so sure, and every time that Logan returns and the others fail to catch him so they can swap out who's protecting Diedre, his anger continues to grow. When he starts taking that anger out on the family however, Jarrod is forced to give him a harsh reality check to bring him back to his senses.

Reapers is book 19 of the Unseen Things series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Duane L. Martin
• Release date: Dec 19, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311647481

Duane L. Martin

An avid reader since he first discovered the Hardy Boys books in the second grade, Duane L. Martin spent years being educated by some truly great authors. In 2013, after years of dreaming about writing a novel of his own, he finally hit upon a story idea that would ultimately turn into the 22 book Unseen Things series. Currently, aside from the series, he's also published two standalone novels. Cindy's Story, which is a humorous private investigator novel, and a superhero story called The Accidental Hero, which is both humorous, and quite dark at times. Aside from his writing, Duane is also a musician. He took his first bass guitar lesson in 1987 and has been playing bass ever since. He also plays some guitar, and a little keyboard and some percussion as well, with a particular focus on hand drums. As he's always been a great lover of music, he often has it playing quietly in the background while he writes. Born and raised in Northern California, he would later move to Idaho, where he lives the quiet life of a relative hermit with his wife Sharon, and their two dogs.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Everyone simply stood there in silence, watching as the drone desperately tried to kill Diedre so that it could reclaim her life energy.  Fortunately, the drone had been sealed off and rendered harmless by Logan's shield, but that didn't make it any less frightening for poor Diedre, who was trembling uncontrollably as she clung onto Darla and sobbed into her shoulder.

My god, they're all over the place, and they're all headed this way.  There's one of those ships up in orbit too, Giles said after he did a remote viewing to find out if there were any more drones out there.  In an instant, Derek ran over, pried Diedre off of Darla, and shoved her toward Logan.

Bro, go grab some clothes for her and some food and water for you guys, and then get her the hell outta here just as fast as you can, he said urgently.

Where are we supposed to go? Logan asked.

It doesn't matter.  Just go, and don't tell anyone where you're going.  If we don't know, then there's no way they can get it out of us.  Now hurry up and get outta here.  You can check back in once in a while to find out if it's safe, but don't bring her with you.  You need to hide her somewhere.

But..., he started to say, but Derek cut him off immediately.

God damn it Logan, get her the fuck outta here!  I got the drone, so just go.  Hurry up! Derek shouted.

I've got all the others, and the ship, Giles said.  You've got a little time.  Just hurry up and deal with what you need to.

Logan hesitated for a moment, but then suddenly he grabbed a hold of Diedre and pulled her out of the ballroom just as fast as she could possibly keep up with him.  Darla started to follow them, but Derek quickly grabbed her by the arm.

Not you, he said firmly.

What?  Why the hell not?  I'm not letting...

Because, they're goin' after Diedre, so anyone around her is a potential target.  Logan can take care of her by himself.  There's no point in putting you both at risk.

You can't stop me, she said angrily as she tried to pull herself from his grip, which only caused him to tighten it more in response.

Yes, I can...but I don't want to have to, so just calm the fuck down.  We've got bigger issues to deal with right now, he said, giving her a look that told her in no uncertain terms that it'd be pointless to argue with him.  Just then, a portal opened up in the middle of the ballroom, and Andrew stepped through it before closing it up again behind him.

Hey, what's goin' on? he asked them as he looked over and saw the drone hovering there, desperately trying to escape so that it could fulfill its mission.  What the hell is that?

There's not a lot of time to explain.  It's one of the drones from Purgatory.  It's here to kill Diedre and take her energy back, and there's a whole shitload of 'em out there, Billy said.  Take Sav with you and go find the friendlies somewhere.  Find out if they know anything at all about these guys and what they're doin'.  Even if it's just rumor or hearsay, we need to know anything they know.  Sav knows what the ship looks like inside and out, so he can link with 'em when you get there and show 'em the ship and their language and what not.

Right, he said as he opened his mind for a moment in an attempt to remote view the Nathalis dimension for their presence.  Shit, there ain't any here right now.  Come on Sav, let's go back to the Human dimension and check there.

All right, Savaric said as Andrew opened a portal and quickly stepped into it.  Just as Savaric was about to follow him in, he stopped and turned to look at Giles.

Hold the fort brother, he said in a way that was almost heartbreaking.

I'll do my best, Giles said.  Good luck.

I have a feeling we're gonna need it, Savaric said, pausing for just a second more to look around at them all one last time before he stepped into the portal and disappeared.

Now, I want opinions here.  How are we gonna handle this situation? Derek asked.

Well, if we destroy the ship and the drones, they're gonna take that as a hostile act and probably send a hell of a lot more of 'em, Tina said.  The last thing we want is to bring a whole load of shit raining down on our friends here.

What if we just wait it out? Jake asked.

Wait it out? Sarah asked, as everyone looked at him to see what he was thinking.

Well, yeah.  I mean, they want Diedre back, right?  Well, if there's no one on that ship up there and it's all automated like the other one you found, then I'm thinking that once Logan gets her out of here, they'll all just fly back up to the ship and disappear.  Then it'll just be a matter of her and Logan staying one step ahead of 'em until we figure out a way to put an end to it.

Shit, that's a good point, Derek said as he opened a link with his brother.

Hey, what's up.  We're almost ready to go.  I'm just gonna pop us back to the house to pack some clothes for myself, and then we're outta here, Logan thought to him.

Listen bro, wherever you go, don't stay in any one place for too long.  You can stay for a day or two but then move on.  If you stay in one place it's gonna increase the chances that they'll find you.  Also, make sure you check in at least once a week so you'll know when it's safe to come back.  I don't want you guys gone for any longer than necessary.

Ok, we're headin' back to the house now.  We'll probably be gone in another five minutes or so, Logan thought.

Stay safe bro, and don't let anything happen to either of you.

You too man.  I love you.  See ya later.

I love you too bro.  Good luck.

Thanks, Logan thought as he closed the link.

They'll be outta here in about five minutes, Derek said to the others.  Logan's just taking 'em back to the house to pack some clothes for himself.  As for what you said Jake...I guess we'll have our answer in a few minutes here.  If the drone stops goin' ape shit and they all start trying to get back to the ship, then we'll just let 'em go and hope to hell Logan can keep 'em both safe and hidden until we can figure out how to put a stop to this.

Karth, have your people had any luck at all in translating their language? Richard asked.

Not that I've heard.  They're still working on it, but as far as I know they haven't had much luck.  It'd be easier if they could get longer recordings of it so they could analyze the context.

Get in touch with 'em then.  We need whoever's going to be working on it suited up in spacesuits as quickly as possible, and then have 'em meet us here.  We'll hold the ship here for as long as we have to so they can get the data they need from it.  We'd better keep the drones from going back to it too in the meantime, just so it doesn't attempt to leave once they've returned.  The last thing we need is for the engines to explode while our people are up there.

I'm on it, Karth said as he opened a link with the head of the translation division of the intelligence agency.

*   *   *

Where are we? Diedre asked after they stepped through the portal.

The Blue Fin dimension.  I figure it's a nice place to get ourselves settled a bit while we get our bearings and figure out what our next move is.  Besides, the blue fins are all immortal and almost never die, so it's not likely that those drones will show up here.  At least, not right away anyway, Logan said as he closed the portal and then set their bags down on the beach before sitting himself down next to them.  Here, go ahead and have a seat.  Hope you ate a lot at the party.  We're gonna have be pretty stingy with the food since I didn't have time to grab much.  I can always pop back to get some more when we need it, but I don't wanna leave you alone to go do that until we have a better idea of what the situation is, and how safe it'll be to leave you alone for a bit while I do that.

I still don't understand what's happening, she said with a sigh as she sat herself down next to him.

Ok, let me see if I can explain it to you...at least, as far as I understand it anyway.  You know about what you were before, and how they brought you back, right?

You mean that I was dead, and that they used my energy to sort of rebuild me the way I used to be?

Yeah, that.

Yeah, I kinda understand, she said, looking at him curiously.

Ok, so those drones like the one I protected you from go around and collect the energy forms in that dimension they found you in.  I think they need to have evolved to a certain point before they're selected, but who knows if that's the case or not.  Anyway, the drones go around collecting whoever, and then they send 'em up to a ship up in space.  Then that ship modifies 'em somehow, and sends 'em back down to different worlds to become new people by inhabiting fetuses while they're still inside the mother, he explained.

What's that got to do with me though?  What do they want from me? she asked.

Well, I guess they discovered that you were missing somehow.  See, you were there for an extremely long time, so the guys figure there was something wrong with your energy.

Something wrong with it? she asked.

Yeah, I guess.  Apparently it didn't evolve properly, or it got corrupted...or something like that.  I don't know what the deal was to be honest, but whatever was wrong with it, I guess it didn't meet up to their standards for reincarnation.  The long and the short of it is, they don't want you out there runnin' around as a new person when your energy wasn't ready to become a new person yet.  At least, that's what I gathered from what I've been told.  Well, that...plus everything that happened tonight.

But I feel fine!  I don't feel like there's anything wrong with me at all! she protested.

"Well, if we're being honest about it...there may be something wrong with you.  We just don't know enough about the whole life energy thing, or what the repercussions are of bringing someone back the way they did before your energy was ready to become a new person.  There may be nothing wrong with you now, but at some point in the future there could be.  Or...maybe there won't be anything wrong with you at all, because the way they brought you back actually fixed your energy.  There's just no way of knowing.  You're the only one that's ever been brought back like this, so we're really sort of in uncharted territory here," he said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close so she'd feel safe.

If they get me...they're gonna kill me, and then they're gonna send my energy back to that place again, aren't they? she asked sadly.

Don't worry about it.  We're not gonna let that happen, he said reassuringly as he gave her a gentle squeeze with his arm.

You can't get rid of those things though, can you?  If you do, then all the other energy people won't be able to start their lives over again, she said quietly as a tear slid down over her cheek.

I honestly don't know, but whatever happens...whatever we have to do, we're not lettin' 'em take you back, he said firmly.  She looked up into his eyes for a moment, and the look she was giving him tore at his heart, and made him feel hollow inside.

He raised his hand to her cheek and wiped a tear away with his thumb, and in that very moment, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her.  He didn't even know why he wanted to.  Not long ago he'd wanted to kill her, but now that she was here in his arms, so sad and vulnerable, it filled him with an overwhelming desire to protect her, and to keep her safe from harm.

So, what now? she asked.

Well, for right now I think we should try to get some sleep if we can.  We'll probably spend a couple of days here before we move on.  There's fruit in some of the trees, and I can get us as much fish and fresh water as we need, so we'll be ok for now.

What about when we leave here?  Where will we go next?

I don't know yet.  Maybe we'll head over to Paradise.  The only people there are the nathalis that watch over the place, so we can hang out there with them for a while I guess.  Their base is built into the side of a mountain, and I seriously doubt that any of 'em are pregnant, so we should be able to sleep at the base there with 'em without having to worry about gettin' attacked.  If the drones do happen to show up there, I can always send 'em flying off out into space or something before we leave.  Once we're gone, they'll probably just go back to the ship and leave the others alone.  That's assuming they show up there at all, which they probably won't.  I think as long as we keep goin' from dimension to dimension, they're gonna have a hell of a hard time finding us.  There's practically an infinite number of dimensions out there, and I got a whole hell of a lot of 'em right up here in my head, so I think we'll be just fine.  We can go to other planets in all those different dimensions too if we have to, just to make ourselves harder to find.

Why are you helping me like this?  I haven't even been back that long.  Maybe you should just let 'em take me back, so no one has to get hurt trying to protect me, she suggested, hoping beyond all hope that he wouldn't suddenly decide that it was a far better idea than wasting his time trying to hide her away.

I'm protecting you because you're innocent.  You don't deserve this, and we're gonna make damn sure we put a stop to it.  I don't know how yet, but I'm sure they'll come up with something.  Now, it's been a long night.  Let's just lie down here and listen to the water for a while.  Hopefully it'll relax us enough that we'll be able to fall asleep, he said as he let go of her, and then laid down on his back in the sand.

Before he even knew what was happening, she laid down beside him, cuddled herself into his side, and put her hand on his chest.  She felt safe with him, like nothing could ever hurt her as long as they were together.  She didn't really understand the flood of emotions that were running through her, nor did she know how to put it into words, so she simply just closed her eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and then fell asleep with her head resting on his shoulder.

Logan laid there for a while, staring up at the night sky with thoughts running through his head that wouldn't allow him to sleep.  Why would he be having feelings for Deidre after all this time, especially after their past history together?  He loved Darla, and he'd been extremely happy with her for a very long time, but now all of a sudden he was having feelings for this beautiful, vulnerable girl who was lying there beside him.  Was it just his desire to be her savior against those who wanted to kill her that was driving him, or was it something else?  The more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

It was several hours before he himself was able to fall asleep.  He wanted to keep watch over her, but mostly it was his feelings, and the questions about those feelings that wouldn't allow him to shut off.  Well, that...plus the fact that the longer he laid there holding her in his arms, the more he wanted to make love to her right there on the beach.

God this is gonna be a long night, he said quietly to himself as he let out a heavy sigh.

*   *   *

By the time the morning rolled around, Logan had only managed to get a few hours of sleep.  Diedre was nowhere to be found, but he figured that he would have woken up if anything bad would have happened to her, so he simply stretched himself out and opened his mind to remote view where she was.  As it turns out, she was about fifteen feet behind him, up in a tree that she'd been trying to climb in an effort to get them some fruit for their breakfast.

Hey..., he said, smiling up at her as he got up and brushed the sand off of his clothes.

Hey!  These things here are good to eat, right? she asked as she pointed up at the fruit.

Yeah, but come on down.  You don't have to climb all the way up there to get 'em.  I can just use my mind to bring 'em down.

Nah, it's ok.  I'm having fun actually, she said with a smile as she continued her ascent.  Just as she was about to reach the fruit however, she let out an earsplitting scream and fell off the tree.  Reaching out with his mind, Logan quickly grabbed her and brought her floating over to where he was standing.

What happened? he asked.  You were doin' so good.

There's something up there! she said with a terrified look as she shuddered all over and pointed toward what she'd seen.  Turning his attention back to the tree, Logan reached out with his mind and brought the offending creature over to float there in front of them.  It's legs and tentacles were all wiggling around wildly as it tried to get away from whatever unseen force was holding it there.

Oh my god, what the hell is it? she said as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed for all she was worth.  Looking incredibly amused, he gave her a gentle squeeze to try to calm her down.

It's a tentacle spider.  They mostly eat birds and stuff like that.  The blue fins use 'em to make that paste they gave Derek to cure our mom's brain tumor.  They don't use the whole spider though.  I think they just use the poison, and maybe some of its organs.  I don't know how they make, but it sure does work.

Please, make it go away! she pleaded.

All right.  I'm not gonna kill it or anything, but I'll send it over to the other side of the island and drop it into a tree over there instead, he said as the spider suddenly rose high in the air and flew quickly off to its destination.

"Thank you so much!  That thing really scared me," she said as she let go of him, and then looked up at him with eyes that were so soulful, and so utterly beautiful, that they left him breathless.  It took him a moment before he finally managed to continue.

Yeah, they're uhhh...not so bad really.  They're only aggressive toward birds and smaller stuff like that.  They won't attack anything bigger unless you mess with 'em.  Here' let me get that fruit for us, he said as he reached out with his mind and brought down four pieces of the orange-colored fruit that were growing on the tree.

What are these? she asked as she reached out plucked two pieces of it out of the air in front of her.

We never gave 'em a name actually.  Dunno why, but we never did.

So, how do I eat it?  I know some fruit has to be peeled.

Like this, Logan said as he bit into it.  You can eat the peel on these.  They're a little sour, but in a really good way.  Go ahead and try it.

Diedre bit into the fruit and then chewed it tentatively for a moment.  As the sourness of the juice made its way around her tongue and caused the backs of her jaws to tighten up, she wrinkled her nose a bit and made a bit of a face, much to Logan's amusement.

It's good, isn't it? he asked.

Yeah, it is actually.  I really like it.  Can we take some with us when we leave?

Sure.  We'll grab whatever we can carry and throw 'em in the bag with the other stuff.  We can always pop back here from time to time to get some more if you want, he said as she took another bite.  He noticed with some strange bit of satisfaction that she didn't wrinkle her nose quite as much this time.

So, what now? she asked.

Well, we're gonna have to keep ourselves clean wherever we're at, so I guess we should probably go for a swim, he suggested.

Swim? she asked as she searched her mind for the meaning.  Oh!  I don't know how.  I haven't learned that yet.

Don't worry, I'll teach you.  It's really easy, he said as he quickly finished off his fruit and then started stripping off his clothes.  We'll have to get undressed.  I don't want our clothes to be all wet, just in case anything happens and we gotta leave in a hurry.

Ok, she said as she quickly took the last bite and tossed the pit out into the sea.

Hey, good arm! he said as he watched it fly.

Thanks! she said, with a bright smile.

Once he'd stripped off all of his clothes, which was no big deal for him since no one in the family really had any hang ups about getting naked in front of each other, Diedre stared at him hard for a moment, looking him up and down as he stood there in front of her.

Is there something wrong? he asked.  Oh!  You've never seen a guy naked before, have you?

I...don't know, she said as she searched her mind, relentlessly trying to figure out why seeing him naked was nagging at her the way it was.  I mean...yeah, I have.  It was in the stuff that Ally gave me to learn.  I guess it's just different seeing it for real."

It doesn't bother you, does it?

No, not at all, she said as she forced her nagging feelings aside and started to remove her own clothes.  Just after she'd taken off her shirt, she started looking at him curiously.  How come that part there's getting bigger?

Oh uhhh..., Logan said, looking totally embarrassed all of a sudden.  It just does that sometimes.  You'll learn about it in your studies when you get around to it.  Come on, let's get in the water.

Ok, go ahead.  I just need to get my pants and boots off, and I'll be right there.  You're gonna have to help me though.

Don't worry, I won't let you drown, he said as he turned and ran naked out into the water.  She watched him go, and then her eyes drifted down to the sand for a moment.  Finally, she looked back up at him and narrowed her eyes a bit, never taking her eyes off of him for even a second as he tread water while he waited for her.  Even after she got her pants off, she just stood there in silence, staring at him as her mind worked furiously.

Why are you doing this? she asked suddenly.

Doing what? he asked with a confused look.

Helping me like this.

Because, they're trying to kill you, he said, not really understanding why she'd ask the question.

But you're risking your life too, aren't you?  What if they kill you so they can get to me?  I mean, if no one knows where we are and they kill you, then how are they gonna be able to find your body?

I guess that's just a chance I'll have to take if we're gonna keep you safe.  Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?

I just...I don't know.

You want me to just take you back so they can kill you? he asked.

No!  God no!  Why would you even ask such a thing? she asked with a hurt look.

Hey, I was just kiddin'.  There's no way I'm gonna let 'em get you.  I promise, he said sincerely.  Listen, I really wanna know.  Why are you asking this all of a sudden?

I just don't understand why you'd risk your life for me, that's all.

Because, it's the right thing to do.  You're totally innocent in all this, and none of it's your fault.  And...because...I like you.  You're a really sweet person, and I'm not letting 'em take you back just so they can throw you in some other body, when you're already doin' just fine in this one.

"Is that really the only reason you're helping me?" she asked as she slowly started to remove her panties.  He watched her intently, and hesitated for a moment before he answered.  There were a million things running through his mind right then, none of which were appropriate, and all of which would hurt Darla if she ever found out.

Look...uhhh...

Yeah? she said, taking a sudden pleasure in the effect that her naked body seemed to be having on him.

Sorry, this is just really awkward right now.  Come on in and I'll teach you how to swim.  It's not hard.

It's not? she asked, biting her lip a bit as she stared at him.  The question surprised him, and caught him off guard.  She couldn't be talking about what it sounded like.  She just couldn't be.  Could she?  Finally, he came to the conclusion that he was just reading too much into it.  After all, there was no way she could possibly know anything about sex after only being back for such a short period of time.  Was there?

Come on in, he said, choosing to ignore the question entirely as he smiled and beckoned to her.

Slowly she made her way out to him, and after a few quick lessons on how to tread water, he taught her a few different swimming styles.  Soon enough she was swimming around like she'd been doing it for years.

Hey, what's that? she asked as she looked down at the surface of the water.

What's what? he asked, craning his neck a bit so he could see what she was looking at.

This, she said as she splashed water in his face, and then giggled as she spun around and started swimming away.

Oh, you're gonna get it now! he said with a laugh as he quickly started swimming after her.  When he finally caught her, he grabbed her and turned her around to face him.  The feel of her body against his caused him to start getting hard again, so he eased himself away slightly, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Ok, you caught me.  Now...whatcha gonna do with me? she asked.

I uhhh..., he said, turning about twelve shades of embarrassed as she stared deeply into his eyes once again.

You know, you're a really nice guy.  I'm sorry I didn't get to know you way back then.  Back when I was alive the first time I mean.

Yeah well, you can't get to know everyone I guess.

Why didn't we? she asked.

Well, it's like I said.  We just sort of hung out with different people.

What kind of people did I hang out with?

You know, I really don't think it's a good idea to discuss the past.  You've got a whole new life ahead of you now, and a chance to make a fresh start.  What happened back then is all ancient history anyway.

I wish I could remember what it's like being dead.  Have you ever been dead? she asked.  He looked at her strangely for a moment, surprised by the question.

Yeah, I have actually.  A couple of times.  They brought me back though, kinda like they did with you, only they actually had my body to work with both times.

How'd you die? she asked.

I uhhh...

You...what?

Well, the first time I died, something really bad happened to me, and I committed suicide.

"Must have been something really bad," she said quietly as she reached out to take his hand under the water.

Yeah, it was.  I just didn't see any way to go on after that, so I...uhhh...yeah.

I'm so sorry, she said with a sincerely sad look.  Something about the way she said it made it seem like there was more to it than she possibly could have meant, but it sent a chill down his spine nonetheless.

Thanks..., he said a bit awkwardly.

What about the other time? she asked.

The other time I died in the Akkelet War.

Akkelet War?  What's that?

"Well...jeez.  That's not really something I could explain to you in words.  I'd have to link with you and show you what went on back then.  It was pretty horrible though, so honestly I'd rather not unless you really wanna see it."

Please show me, she said as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze under the water.

Ok, let's go back to the beach though.  I don't wanna show you while we're out here in the water, just in case you freak out or somethin'.

Is it that bad? she asked.

Worse, he said as they made their way back to the beach and then headed up to a large rock that was set in between several trees.  It was large enough for them both to lie on while they dried off, and it had a relatively flat top, so it wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

Once they were settled, he asked her once more if she really wanted to see it, and after she nodded her assent, he opened a link with her and showed her his experiences during the Akkelet War.  When he finally reached the point of his death, she rolled over and threw her arm over him, squeezing him just as hard as she could while she buried her face into his chest and cried.

Oh my god, I'm so sorry..., she sobbed.

Hey, it's all right.  They brought me back, just like they brought back all the others.  Unfortunately, over a million nathalis died that we couldn't bring back.

Why couldn't you bring them back too?

Because, the process of bringing someone back is long and involved.  Even two and a half centuries later we'd have barely made a dent in it.  There was talk at the time about bringing back some of the higher up military leaders and other officials who'd died, but we decided not to.  People would have accused us of showing them favoritism, just because of their position.  Besides, everyone's important to someone.  How is a high up military leader any more important to his wife than a guy who'd just come out of training is to his girlfriend and the rest of his family?  I mean, everyone's got their place in life, and everyone's important to someone, he said as he held her in his arms and stared up at the morning sky.

Would you..., she started to ask, but then she hesitated.

What?

Would you show me what caused your suicide? she asked.  Logan fell silent for a moment, berating himself mentally for even mentioning it in the first place.

No, I think I've shown you enough sad stuff for one day.  We need to try to stay positive now.  I don't know how long we're gonna be on the run like this, so bringing up all kinds of depressing stuff isn't gonna do either of us any good.

Could you at least tell me what caused it then? she asked.

I had a bad experience with a girl, he said after another few moments of hesitation.  I was really in love with her, and she did something that hurt me really bad in front of a whole bunch of people.  I just couldn't face the embarrassment of going on after that with everyone knowing what happened, so I...you know.

You really loved her?

"Well, we weren't really together at the time, but I thought we were gonna be.  I'd had a serious crush on her for a long time, so when she finally agreed to go out with me, everything I'd been feeling for her just intensified like a billion times over.  I guess that's why when she hurt me the way she did, it seemed a billion times worse than maybe it would have otherwise.  It was a really long time before I allowed myself to fall in love with someone again after they brought me back.  I wasn't even actively looking for anyone when they introduced me to Darla, and even then it