Free A Destined Death by Lisa Rayns

just smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
    After she left, a man came into my room with a teddy bear in his hands. I glanced at the other ones stacked up on my bed and remembered that he’d come every night, ever since I’d gotten sick. He held my hand and helped me to fall asleep. He made me feel peaceful.
    My chest ached from coughing, and I felt hot, feverish. I liked to lean against him because he was cool.
    “I love you, Melissa,” he whispered. He appeared worried most of the time, even more than my mom and dad. He seemed to be in pain. He wasn’t my daddy but I knew I loved him. He would never hurt me.
    I awoke with a smile on my face as if the peace I’d felt in the dream had stuck with me. I tried to think back to when I was five but I didn’t remember ever being sick for a long period of time. I didn’t remember my mom ever calling me Melissa either. I wondered for a moment if it had been another past life. When I finally pried my eyes open, I found a real teddy bear in my arms.
    ****
    At lunch, I sat down on a bench outside while tiny raindrops landed on my hair. I stared straight ahead, enjoying the peaceful sound of rain. When it stopped hitting me, I looked up to see an umbrella above me. “You didn’t need to come,” I said.
    “You did not want me to?”
    “Do you know about the dreams?”
    “Dreams?”
    I turned to find concern in his eyes. “They’re nightmares, really.”
    “No.”
    “When I wore the necklace to bed, I dreamt of Alicia. I saw her death. It was the same with the bracelet. I saw Krista die, even felt the pain from the stabbing! Then I actually was a little girl, sick, and woke up with a teddy bear in my arms. You need to explain this before I lose my mind.”
    His eyes closed and his jaw clenched. “Forgive me. I thought the bear might help you sleep, and I had no idea the jewelry would give you those dreams.”
    “Were they really me?”
    “Yes,” he said, his eyes sad. “You’ve always died very young. I wanted to warn you. That’s why you must reconsider your plan. You have to enjoy your time more than you are.”
    I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “What happened to Melissa?”
    At the mention of her name, pain shown in his eyes. “She was a little girl who got sick with pneumonia. She died when she was five.”
    “You were there?” I breathed.
    “Yes. There was nothing I could do.”
    “How?” I demanded. “How did you look exactly the same in 1943?”
    He shook his head, not meeting my eyes.
    “You sent me the money and card every year for my birthday too?”
    “Your parents would have gotten suspicious if I’d have sent you more. They seemed to be comfortable with the amount.”
    “What are you, immortal?”
    When his eyes met mine, they hardened. He didn’t deny it.
    Feeling faint, I stood up and backed away. “I have to go.”
    ****
    I wish I could see Draven.
    Sitting on a bench in the empty park, I nervously fidgeted with my hands in my lap. The sun was going down, and the last of the kids had gone home for the evening. I stopped fidgeting long enough to soothe a couple of wrinkles out of my black skirt and plucked a long strand of hair off my green sweater.
    I’d taken a couple of days to calm down before deciding to confront him. During that time, I also researched immortality. Some scientists and philosophers actually thought it was possible. 
    “Elizabeth,” he finally said.
    Turning toward the sound of his voice, I gaped at him. He was wet like he’d just stepped out of the shower. His hair glistened, his jeans were tight, and his blue dress shirt was only buttoned half way up. He looked yummy. I took three deep breaths, and tried not to notice his hard bulging pecks that peeked out from under his shirt. Damn hormones. Thoughts like that weren’t going to make our conversation any easier.
    “Draven.”
    “You wished to see me?” He stepped closer to the bench.
    “Yes, I have some things to say. I’m sticking to my plan. It’s my