Existence 02 - Predestined

floorboard when the passenger side door opened and Leif slid in with my keys dangling from his fingers.
    Grrrrrr... I reached out and snatched them easily from his two finger hold and then shoved them into the ignition. “What do you plan on doing Leif? Going inside and visiting with my mom? Hmmm... because more than likely Gee is going to be there shortly after I arrive and she’s chomping at the bit to kick your ass.”
    Leif leaned back in the seat making himself comfortable. “No, Pagan I just think you and I need to talk.”
    “About what? The fact you want to take my soul off to some voodoo hereafter or the fact that you stalked me my entire life then took my memories away from me? I know! You want to talk about how you lied to me about everything from the very beginning and made me think you were this nice guy. Pick a topic because I’m all talked out with them all.”
    Leif let out a weary sigh and rubbed his palm over his blue jean covered knee almost nervously. Back when I thought he was human I’d thought that was a cute gesture. Now, I wasn’t very fond of it. “You’re angry with me. I get it. I even understand it. I always expected you to be once you knew--”
    “Then why do it?”
    “Because I picked you. It was your purpose. It is your purpose. Don’t you get it? You’d have died Pagan. Died. Gone on. Gotten another life and completely lost the chance at this life. Because you were going to die. Death wasn’t in love with you then. He was going to take you like he was supposed to. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him, except your mother. She could choose to hand you over to Ghede and she did. She may not have realized it but when she begged a voodoo doctor to save you with voodoo magic she gave you over to my father. So you lived. You didn’t die. Death didn’t take you. You got to grow up with your mother and have friendships with Miranda and even Wyatt. You got to LIVE. Those were years you wouldn’t have gotten had I not chosen you. This life you have now would have ended that night in the New Orleans Children’s Hospital.”
    Hearing it explained like that was hard. Swallowing against the sudden lump in my throat I started to turn down my road when Leif grabbed the wheel.
    “No. We aren’t done talking.”
    I tried to turn but the wheel wouldn’t budge. The car stayed headed east toward the outskirts of town and the old East Gulf bridge.
    “Okay, fine. You kept me alive. I got to live this life. I appreciate it but now I want to keep it and you don’t care. You claim to want me and need me but you couldn’t care less what I want. It’s all very selfish with you. It’s all about what Leif wants. You take no consideration as to what I want. You act as if I’m your possession and I should just be happy about it.”
    Leif didn’t respond right away. I tried to turn the wheel again and couldn’t. I suspected if I took my hands off the wheel the car would drive itself. The idea that Leif might not let me go home began to set in. My heart rate picked up and I tried hard to remain calm. If that wasn’t his plan I sure didn’t want to give him any ideas.
    “I’ve tried to make this easy on you. I’ve tried to make this transition one you could accept. I’ve sheltered you from the truth. I wanted you to make this decision because you wanted it. Not because I was forcing it but we’ve run out of time. There is something you need to know,” Leif pointed toward the side of the road right before the bridge, “pull over.”
    I wasn’t sure if he was directing me or the car because I wasn’t about to pull over but the car pulled over and came to a stop without my help.
    “What is it I need to know?” I asked hitting the stupid steering wheel for betraying me.
    “You aren’t going to like this. I didn’t want you to ever know. But when you refused to accept that your soul was the restitution for the life my father granted you, my father decided he’d take his restitution elsewhere.”
    What in the world did that mean? Did this mean he was paid in full and I could get away scot free now because if so there wasn’t anything about that I didn’t like.
    “Pagan, look at me,” Leif ordered and I turned my head to meet his steady gaze.
    “Wyatt’s death was only the beginning. Ghede will take more. Everyone close to you. He’ll take them one at a time until you either cave in and agree to come with me or there is no one else left to take.”
    Numbness settled