Golden Trinket

"This thing," Dorran pointed at golden trinket embedded into his forearm. "stores all the lifespans of everyone that has committed suicide into my body. You know that when people die, their lifespans just end there.

"For those that commit suicide, their remaining lifespans come to me and stay there. What I want to know is what happens to those that get killed." He pulled his sleeve down again and shook his head, there no way she would believe him. After all, no one has ever believed him.

"Their lifespan goes to the one that killed them."

He whipped his head to her, she was using the phone to talk again. What was that she said?

"What?"

"When people are killed, the one who killed them gets their lifespan."

"Really? Why have I not heard of this? My family is always informed about anything related to these things."

"They haven't found that out yet." Kaia kept glancing at the chandelier that hung from the room, unable to get the uneasy feeling off her.

"What do you mean 'haven't found it out yet'? And how did you know about the murder one? What if your sources are wrong?"

It's now or never, I guess.

Kaia hesitantly looked away from the chandelier and turned to Dorran.

"I should know. After all, that's why I died."

Ran's expression came on Dor's face, full of interest and anticipation.

"Go on."

♣

"Wow. That happened to you? I'm so sorry, K-a-ia." Dor said to her, while seated on her lap in the form of a teddy bear.

They were in the patio, overlooking the luscious garden, the sun still a little over the horizon. Kaia was too distracted with the chandelier in the living room that they had to move.

"It's really strange that you're the teddy bear. I thought you were the original owner of the body." She signed then held him up in the air.

"The trinket allows us to separate our souls from the body as long as there's a place for the leaving soul to stay in. It doesn't matter who's the original owner, anyone can leave and anyone can stay."

"Still, him telling me to go to the backyard while he ran to his room after shouting 'I can't take it anymore!' and coming back with a talking teddy bear surprised me."

"What surprised me is how quickly you took me from his hands." Dor laughed.

"He wasn't holding you properly. Are you ok with sitting on my lap? I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Oh, while you were talking, we kept fighting for the body. I wanted to comfort you and he wanted me to just shut up and listen."

"That would explain the shouting."

"Yup. But what's taking him so long with those snacks?"

Kaia looked at all the vegetation that grew around the garden. It's been her dream since forever to have her own garden but she didn't have the money or time to spare to take care of plants.

She sat on an iron chair, another chair was right opposite her with a stone table in the centre. Smooth tiles formed a path from the house to the patio. Overhead was a structure where grapevines grew on. Though there were no grapes at the moment.

Dor noticed her look and asked, "Do you want grapes? We have some in the house."

Kaia looked at him and shook her head. "I just wanted to see how a grape looks like hanging from this. The view will be so pretty I think."

"How about this? When the grapes grow, I'll call you to see. Everything will be in bloom by then and we can have a little picnic here. What do you think?"

"Really? Really, really?" Kaia looked like she was trying so hard not to be excited. "We'll be able to do that? What about your parents?"

"Of course. Don't worry about them. It's going to take a couple of years though, we just planted them. When they grow I'll call you then."

"Oh! Can my friends come?"

"Sure."

"Promise?" She held her pinkie finger out.

Dor laughed a little and gave her his whole han- paw. "Cross my heart and hope to die. I promise."

Kaia's expression changed when he said that. Her eyes widened as she saw a scene play in front of her. It was there only for a second but she saw everything she needed to in that second. She picked him up from her lap and sat him on the tabletop.

"Wha-"

"Don't die. I don't care if you aren't able to do this. Just don't. Please. People I know have to stop dying." Kaia held his paws in her hands, looking pleadingly at him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to throw that around so casually. I won't."

"Promise me this, forget about the other one."

"I'll promise you both of them. Ok?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's not a very big thing. People have asked me for more. So don't worry."

"Ok!" Ran entered the patio carrying a tray with two teacups on it and placing them on the table.

"Where are the snacks?" Dor asked.

"Sae is bringing them." He placed the teapot on the table first then place the cup with the saucer in front of Kaia along with the creamer and spoon.

"I hope you like orange tea, Keia. Oh, and the creamer is caramel flavour."

He then arranged his one and sat down, mixing the creamer and the tea.

Kaia was unsure of what to do but she watched Ran and copied what he did.

"Ok, I'm gonna need you to call that book. The one you met in your afterlife. I have some questions about it."

Taking a sip, Kaia kept tasting the tea in her mouth, trying to figure out if she liked it or not.

Maybe another sip?

"Keia?"

She gave Ran a questioning look from her cup of tea.

"Book. We need to summon it. How did you do it last time?"

Kaia shrugged her shoulder.

This is a peculiar taste. Do I like it or not.

"She's not listening is she?" Ran looked at Dor with an exasperated expression. Dor mouthed, "I'll take care of this."

"How's the tea, K-a-ia?" Dor asked, from his position on the side of the table.

"I don't know yet. Sorry." She signed taking sip after sip.

"It's ok. Even I would be if it was my first tea. But! Nothing can beat your story."

"You don't believe me?" She turned from the tea to Dor.

"It's not that. It's just . . . a book? That's what you saw when you died?"

"That's what I was wondering. Why a book? I was expecting at least an ethereal creature or an angel but all I saw was a very plain book."

"What?!?! How dare you say that. Books are always designed with great care."

Out of nowhere, a book flew at them shouting and cursing.

"I can't believe that worked." Ran said looking at the book, doing loops around their backyard.

"Me neither."

Kaia finished the tea and place the cup down. "I don't think I really like it." She looked at the book and its incoherent screeching then looked at the two of them. "How did it get here?"

Both shrugged their shoulders as they continued to look at it flying around.

Kaia tapped at Dor and signed, "What's it saying?"

"I don't know. Something about books and covers, I can't make out the rest."

Just then, the door opened and the maids entered. Dor was the first one that turned to the door and seeing what they brought, quickly jumped on Kaia's lap, shouting other incoherent sentences.

"What's wrong?" Kaia looked at him in concern.

"Just . . . I wanna go up on your shoulders."

"O-ok?"

Ran stared at him in confusion as he kept pointing behind him, while Kaia put him on her shoulders.

Ran peeked behind them and saw the cookies the maid was bringing and quickly jumped from his chair.

"What's wrong?" Kaia tried to turn when both shouted at the same time.

"Wait!"

"What? What is it?" She is also standing now, holding Dor in her arms.

Ran grabbed her shoulders and made her face him again.

"Uhhh . . . I, well, you-"

"You didn't make him promise either, remember?" Dor jumped in.

"Promise?"

Kaia gasped. "I'm so sorry. I forgot that you both share the same body. I need to ask you something."

She placed Dor down on the table and began to explain to Ran what they were talking about.

Dor climbed down from the table and ran as fast as his little legs would carry him, stopping the maids.

"Young master Dor? Is there something you need?" The maids smiled down at him.

"Yes. Those cookies? Can you take them back?"

"But these are my speciality."

"I know, Sae. But our guest is horribly allergic to chocolate, even just the smell can make her sick."

"That's not good. You should have told me before, young master Dor. Quick, we have to change some of the snacks."

They went back into the house in a hurry. Dor could breathe a sigh of relief at last and made his way to Ran and Kaia locking pinkie fingers.

Ran looks like he has no idea what he's doing and the book is staring at them, radiating the same confusion as Ran.

"Done?" Dor climbed on the table again.

Kaia nodded happily while Ran and the book stared at each other in confusion.

"Are you sure you're really a nineteen year old?" The book asked. "Only kids make pinkie promise."

Kaia looked down. "I only ever got to pinkie promise with my mother and after she died everything started to go wrong so I couldn't make any with anyone else. She never broke a pinkie promise she made to me so I believe it's stronger than other promises even if it's kiddish."

The three stared at her and cleared their throat.

"H-how about we get to it?"

"You call me here by insulting me and expect me to answer your questions? It'll take a lot to convince me to answer." The book flailed dramatically.

"Do you think you'll be able to answer though?" Kaia asked.

"That's also another valid point. Before Kaia called me to ask about you but even I had no idea you existed. I only know what you know."

"So you don't know what part we play either?" Ran asked.

"Yup. I only know what Kaia knows. But, she knows something about you guys now, don't you, Kaia?"

All eyes were on her as Kaia coughed. "You need to get rid of that chandelier in your living room."

"But mother loves that chandelier." Don looked from Ran to Kaia then the book.

"Why, Keia?" Ran asked, curious.

Kaia looked nervously at them. Then her attention went to the book.

"What happens if I tell them?"

"It's a gamble. Will them knowing about it help them avoid it altogether or will destiny just find another way for it to happen. Same as not telling them. If you don't tell them, they either avoid it or not."

"So it's the same either way."

"Take it this way. Will YOU feel better with them knowing or not? Whether it happens to them or not."

"This isn't about me."

"This decision is about you, because if you tell, it'll clear your conscious but disturb theirs. If you don't tell then you'll be the one bothered but they'll be peaceful. Choose. "

"Honestly, I would feel better if someone told me whatever they knew that could potentially have consequences later on me than it happening and me finding it out on my own. If that helps at all,

K-a-ia." Dor said.

Kaia thought while the maids entered with a refill of tea and snacks.

The moment they left, she came to a decision.

She looked at them and took out her phone. She'd rather they hear this from a voice she didn't have. "I saw how you died in my old life. Suicide. This house was in shambles and there was an empty space where your 'tattoo' was. You laid under the almost falling chandelier. As it came crashing down on you, you just smiled."

Both gasped in unison then looked at each other.

"Why would we ever do that?"

"And. How did you know, Kaia? You said that we've never met before."

They all turned to the book, more confused than ever.

"I think it's because Kaia changed some things this time. She wasn't supposed to go to your school but two others before getting killed. She never stepped foot into your school. But because she changed some things, some other things changed. Like meeting you. But I believe you have a connection with each other in some way. Otherwise, he wouldn't be this important.

"But we never met or even interacted. So, how did this happen?" Kaia took a cupcake and ate it with her tea, it's tastier this time.

"Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know when we killed ourselves?" Don asked the book.

"Why don't you check Kaia's diary?" The book asked. "Since she got this memory, something might have appeared on there too."

"But I left the diary at home."

"I can summon it for you, Kaia. If you want."

Kaia nodded, drinking her tea.

With a gust of wind, Kaia's diary fell on her lap. She flipped the pages and there it was. It was the next year.

"February 12: I read in the news today that a kid about the age of fifteen named Dorran died when a chandelier fell on him. Why do kids keep dying? Why does everyone keep dying? Why?"

"Next year! We died next year?" Ran exclaimed. "And why February 12?"

"February 12?" Kaia wrote on the phone. "That's two weeks after Caitlyn-"

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Caitlyn as in the redhead with golden eyes?"

"Caitlyn Windsor, you mean?"

"You know her?" Don gasped.

"She's my best friend. She is the one that- Wait. You two know her?"

They looked down as a blush made its way to Ran's face.

No way.

The book sat there in the back, 3D glasses on, and popcorn floating beside it.

"This is getting interesting."