Tru's Heir
Chapter Two: Cheating Death
Tru and Davis just stood, dumbfounded. Davis looked as though he'd pass out. Tru was the first one to speak.
"Did you say Jackie Harper? As in Harper, Harper?"
"No, happy Harper." Jackie said sarcastically.
"Okay, yeah, sorry. But, what makes you think you'll die today?"
"Um...I can't say." She said, looking ashamed.
Davis finally came out of his trance, "Are you by any chance related to a Jack Harper? Because the names and looks are incredibly similar." She looked hesitant, "Um...yeah, in a way."
"Well, why did you come to me? If you think someone is going to try and hurt you, you should go to the cops. I can't help you." Tru said, afraid this girl knew her secret.
"Tru, don't play dumb with me. You'd loose, anyway. I know."
"My secret? Okay, how?
"The question is, should we be talking about this in front of him?" She asked, pointing to Davis.
"He knows. Now, do you?"
"That you can re-live days to save the lives of those who shouldn't be dead? Yes. But, I can't tell you how I know."
This was too much for Davis. He went to the sink in the examining room and started to splash some water on to his face. Tru and Jackie barely noticed.
"Wait, how do you know you're going to die today?"
"I just, I can't tell you, okay!?" She practically yelled, getting frustrated. Tru didn't understand why.
"Well, how are you going to die?"
"You know what, just forget it. Forget it. You can't help me, anyway." With that she stormed out of the morgue. Tru tried to follow her, but when she opened the door to the bright sunlight, Jackie was nowhere to be seen. Tru ran down the street both ways, for a good couple of blocks, and she still couldn't find Jackie. She looked down the alleys, in the stores and across the street. It's like she just disappeared. After about an hour, Tru gave up and retreated back into the morgue's office. Davis was at the computer, hunting down any Jackie Harper that was in relation to a Jack Harper.
"Didjya find any thing?" She asked, pouring herself some coffee and munching on a doughnut to go with. She was starving. She realized she hadn't eaten anything all day.
"Oh, yeah, tons of stuff. Do you know how many Jackie Harpers currently reside in this city? A lot. But," he said, putting his finger in the air, "I was able to slim it down by looking up all the Jackie Harpers born between 1987 and 1991. She looked to be about that old, right?"
"Hmm, mh" Tru said, mouth full of doughnut.
"Well, this one stood out at me." He continued, "It says that she was born in 1989. She has a brother who is 12 years older then her. Her mother died while giving birth and her father was in jail when she was born. How old is Jack?"
"Um...27 I think." She said clearly, having finally finished her doughnut. Suddenly realization dawned on her face. "OHH... you think that Jack is her older brother?"
"Yeah."
"Well. It makes sense. But, who did they live with? Who is she living with now? I mean, she's just a kid!"
Davis turned in his swivel chair to face her, "They were probably put into foster care. I mean-,"
Their conversation was cut short when the coroner brought in a body through the swinging glass doors. No, not a body, her body. He brought it into the examining room.
"Oh my God..." Tru whispered when she saw the body lying on the shiny sterling silver table. Davis and Tru ran to the body the instant the coroner was through the doors.
"What happened!?!" Tru asked urgently.
The coroner looked at her strange. She never acts like this over a body. Then a sickening thought hit his stomach. "Did you know her?"
"Yes. No. Well, sort of."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll go." With that he left.
Davis looked like he was insulted "He didn't even tell us what happened. How she died."
"Davis, look," Tru said. She nudged him in the side with her elbow and pointed to Jackie's long glove that went almost up to her armpits. Tru hadn't noticed the gloves before, but she noticed them now. So did Davis. Where Tru pointed, there was crimson soaking the blackness of the gloves. Right under Jackies hand. Tru took Jackie's wrist in her left hand, and started to pull down the glove with her right. But before she got the glove even a half inch down, Jackies other hand came over and grabbed Tru, stopping her from continuing. Tru looked into Jackies eyes and could have sworn she saw flames of hate in them. Then-
"Told ya..."
And Tru sprang from bed at eight that morning...
Tru and Davis just stood, dumbfounded. Davis looked as though he'd pass out. Tru was the first one to speak.
"Did you say Jackie Harper? As in Harper, Harper?"
"No, happy Harper." Jackie said sarcastically.
"Okay, yeah, sorry. But, what makes you think you'll die today?"
"Um...I can't say." She said, looking ashamed.
Davis finally came out of his trance, "Are you by any chance related to a Jack Harper? Because the names and looks are incredibly similar." She looked hesitant, "Um...yeah, in a way."
"Well, why did you come to me? If you think someone is going to try and hurt you, you should go to the cops. I can't help you." Tru said, afraid this girl knew her secret.
"Tru, don't play dumb with me. You'd loose, anyway. I know."
"My secret? Okay, how?
"The question is, should we be talking about this in front of him?" She asked, pointing to Davis.
"He knows. Now, do you?"
"That you can re-live days to save the lives of those who shouldn't be dead? Yes. But, I can't tell you how I know."
This was too much for Davis. He went to the sink in the examining room and started to splash some water on to his face. Tru and Jackie barely noticed.
"Wait, how do you know you're going to die today?"
"I just, I can't tell you, okay!?" She practically yelled, getting frustrated. Tru didn't understand why.
"Well, how are you going to die?"
"You know what, just forget it. Forget it. You can't help me, anyway." With that she stormed out of the morgue. Tru tried to follow her, but when she opened the door to the bright sunlight, Jackie was nowhere to be seen. Tru ran down the street both ways, for a good couple of blocks, and she still couldn't find Jackie. She looked down the alleys, in the stores and across the street. It's like she just disappeared. After about an hour, Tru gave up and retreated back into the morgue's office. Davis was at the computer, hunting down any Jackie Harper that was in relation to a Jack Harper.
"Didjya find any thing?" She asked, pouring herself some coffee and munching on a doughnut to go with. She was starving. She realized she hadn't eaten anything all day.
"Oh, yeah, tons of stuff. Do you know how many Jackie Harpers currently reside in this city? A lot. But," he said, putting his finger in the air, "I was able to slim it down by looking up all the Jackie Harpers born between 1987 and 1991. She looked to be about that old, right?"
"Hmm, mh" Tru said, mouth full of doughnut.
"Well, this one stood out at me." He continued, "It says that she was born in 1989. She has a brother who is 12 years older then her. Her mother died while giving birth and her father was in jail when she was born. How old is Jack?"
"Um...27 I think." She said clearly, having finally finished her doughnut. Suddenly realization dawned on her face. "OHH... you think that Jack is her older brother?"
"Yeah."
"Well. It makes sense. But, who did they live with? Who is she living with now? I mean, she's just a kid!"
Davis turned in his swivel chair to face her, "They were probably put into foster care. I mean-,"
Their conversation was cut short when the coroner brought in a body through the swinging glass doors. No, not a body, her body. He brought it into the examining room.
"Oh my God..." Tru whispered when she saw the body lying on the shiny sterling silver table. Davis and Tru ran to the body the instant the coroner was through the doors.
"What happened!?!" Tru asked urgently.
The coroner looked at her strange. She never acts like this over a body. Then a sickening thought hit his stomach. "Did you know her?"
"Yes. No. Well, sort of."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll go." With that he left.
Davis looked like he was insulted "He didn't even tell us what happened. How she died."
"Davis, look," Tru said. She nudged him in the side with her elbow and pointed to Jackie's long glove that went almost up to her armpits. Tru hadn't noticed the gloves before, but she noticed them now. So did Davis. Where Tru pointed, there was crimson soaking the blackness of the gloves. Right under Jackies hand. Tru took Jackie's wrist in her left hand, and started to pull down the glove with her right. But before she got the glove even a half inch down, Jackies other hand came over and grabbed Tru, stopping her from continuing. Tru looked into Jackies eyes and could have sworn she saw flames of hate in them. Then-
"Told ya..."
And Tru sprang from bed at eight that morning...