Nine Lives

“No. I’m not going anywhere with him.” I crossed my arms and ankles making it clear I wasn’t moving.
“Mr.Quinn, please co-operate. We were unable to contact anyone else w-“
I don’t care. Call Katelynne.”
“We’ve already tried to call Miss.Bostwick and unfortunately weren’t able to get a hold of her. Mr.Fuentes seems more than capable of taking you home and looking after you until she returns.”
“Looks like you’re stuck with me.” Vic piped up behind Dr.Lester.
“Please Mr.Quinn. We can no longer attend to you and we have other patients.”
I huffed and jumped off the bed, grabbing my leather jacket that was in a bag Katelynne packed and dropped off early this morning for me.
“Fine.” I said bitterly and stalked out of the room and down the hall. I pressed the elevator button and waited for it to appear.
“Hey, wait up.” Vic jogged up to me, barely even breathless.
“Why should I? You’re the one that got me into this mess.”
“So I can get you out.”
I looked him in the eyes and they pierced through me into my soul. The only thing that was able to pull me away was the ding of the elevator; I cleared my throat and stepped inside.
It was the longest elevator ride of my life to this very day.
We exited the elevator and he led me to a black sedan. I gave small directions as the drive from the hospital progressed to my apartment that I shared with Katelynne.
After a gruelling twenty-five minutes, we pulled up outside of the complex, windows and balconies in sight. Inside the courtyard was a communal garden that bloomed the most beautiful, colourful flowers in the spring.
I fumbled for my keys with my one uninjured hand and they conveniently dropped to the floor.
“Shit.” I muttered under my breath.
“Let me.” Vic picked up my keys and swiped the fob on the pad, opening the door into my building. He held the door open as I walked past and mumbled thanks. I climbed the stairs to the second floor and identified the correct key as Vic, yet again, opened the door into my apartment.
“Your arm should be healed by tomorrow.”
I eyed him as I stood in the small hallway.
“The perks of dying nine times then?” I asked walking through to the living room and sitting down on the lounge.
“If you want to call it that.” He sat next to me looking around.
“Nice place.” He commented on a change of subject which I was grateful for.
“It’s the best in the gall when the light comes through the plate windows.” I pointed to the wall behind me which was made out of glass. It faces a forest of pine, so no one could see inside, but it was beautiful to wake up to in the morning. Vic peeked behind himself and nodded.
“So should I…”
I shook my head. “No Katelynne could be home at any moment. Just-wait.”
“Okay.” We remained silent and I turned on the T.V. to fill the awkward silence. They were running a Big Bang marathon so I left it on, but barely paid attention. A million questions were breaking my skull, but I couldn’t chance it.
Just under an hour later I heard a key in the door and then Katelynne calling out to me.
“Kells?”
“In here.” I called standing and walking over to the open door frame.
“Thank the Lord.” She crashed into me, embracing me tightly “I was so worried. I-“tears started to run down her face causing her make-up to run.
“Shh. it’s fine, I’m here.” I soothed her as I led her over to the lounge.
She wiped away her tears “I’m sorry. I was ju-Whose this?”
I turned to see Vic. I almost forgot he was here.
“Where are my manners.” He mumbled to himself “Vic.”
“Oh…OH!” She scrambled up and caught him in a hug. “I owe you so much, th-“
“Really, it’s nothing.” He smiled, politely returning the hug.
“Gosh I’m such a mess. I should go and clean up.” She released him. “Uhm, how about we go out to lunch? Get to know each other, you know?”
“Katie I don’t thi-“
“I’d love too.” Vic interjected with a smiling smirk, appointed mostly in my direction.
“Fab! I’ll just be a moment.” She turned and kissed me quickly before skipping out of the room. Katelynne never really walked, she sort of pranced and skipped along.
Katelynne reappeared in no time with a fresh coat of eyeliner and wore a light blue cotton dress.
“You boys good?”
“Yes.” We said in unison, eyeing each other as we walked out of the room.
We went to a small bistro down the road that Katelynne and I found a week after moving here. It was a small family built business and it became a favourite of ours. Hell, we were on a first name basis with everyone there.
“Hey Kellin. Katelynne.” The owner’s son Jaime normally served us “Who’s this?”
“I’m Vic.” Vic replied.
“Cute. I’m Jaime.” He smiled with his Mexican charm.
Vic returned the grin and Jaime took out orders as Katelynne engaged in conversation with Vic.
“So what do you do?” She asked playing with the straw of her drink between her lips.
“I’m a sort of… social worker.”
“Family?”
“Private.”
“Oh that must be interesting.”
We eyed each other from across the table as Vic spoke.
“It has its ups and downs.”
Our food arrived and conversation didn’t go beyond table talk.
“Vic, I know this might be a burden but I have to head back to a photo shoot; do you think you could…”
We were on our way home now.
“No it’s no problem. I’m free all day.” He smiled.
“You are such a life saver. Thank you and I owe you.”
“You bet.”
We reached the entrance to our building.
“I’m really sorry Kells. One more day and I’m yours for two whole weeks.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me “Promise.”
“I’ll hold you too it.” I said and kissed her before she dashed to her car.
“Now?” Vic asked behind me as we walked upstairs to the apartment.
“Now.” I confirmed.

I was sitting on the lounge while Vic paces as he explained what everything was.
“Okay, so back up a little. I’m supposed to kill this guy?”
“No. Death can’t be killed. The prophecy said that whoever was granted incarnation was to cheat Death so they could impair his ability to take life at will. All those murders you read about in the papers aren’t accidental, Death provoked them.”
I nodded trying to keep up.
“Anyways. Death has a group called The Fortunes; the three members together are able to see the past, present and future. Future saw you coming so he hired an inside assassin to do the job, but he didn’t know that when the prophet is first killed, that it invokes the incarnation. The only downfall is that I hear it’s pretty painful to die and come back to life over and over again.” He shrugged apologetically.
“Lucky me.” I leaned back farther into the lounge. “Why nine times?”
“The Higher Arches have a close relation to the Egyptians-it’s hard to explain.”
“Please don’t try.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, tilting my head back.
The buzzer of my apartment rang and I sighed walking over to the receiver.
“Hello?” I answered
“Kellin? It’s Jesse.”
“Oh hey.” I buzzed him in and opened the door.
“Well look whose Mr.Lucky. Still in one piece I see.”
I laughed nervously “Yeah-lucky.”
“How’d you manage to fall anyways?”
“I tripped.” I answered fast as a bullet. Was it too fast?
“Kellin we don’t have long we need to talk tac-Jesse?”
Vic froze in the hall.
“Victor.” Jesse answered in surprise, but the look they were giving each other said something different from surprise.
“You know each other?” I asked gesturing between them.
“Mutual client.” Jesse states. He gave Vic a glare, which he obviously though I couldn’t see, and turned on his heels “Must go. Lots to do and stuff; you know work and whatnot…” he trailed on to himself, closing the door behind him.
“Mutual. Client.” I pronounced each word crystal turning to Vic “Since when was accounting and-whatever it is you do related?”
“I-It’s nothing.” Vic waved me off “Tell you another time. Promise.”
He walked back into the living room and I followed him muttering “I’ll hold you to it.”