More of Jared

What is playing on the iPod? Far Away by Nickelback

I am working on two things simultaneously - books two and three in the series that starts telling the story of Rebecca, Christian and Jared. As the series moves on to different books, Jared receives assignments for different people in need of various things. Like the title of the first book, Redemption, Christian and Rebecca are in need of that. The title for book two is Absolution. The tentative title for book three is Reconciliation. Jared is the constant. There are blurbs of characters from previous books during the entire series, as of right now, but Jared is a big player.

So I feel myself thinking about what his life, or lack thereof, was like between the time of his death and his walking into Rebecca's life two years later. In my head, these things have already played out. I am sharing a little bit of my gray matter fodder today.

This is another freebie, a bonus track of sorts. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy giving life to Jared.




Tedium takes a whole new meaning when you deal with it in years. The guy who took me from the wreck makes regular appearances with different things I am supposed to do. Today is walk among public day. It is like when soldiers get pushed out of a plane over a jump site with their assignments. Only I do not have a parachute.

This should not be hard, technically, but I have not had a pulse for a while now. My God, how long has it been? I checked the newspaper on the bench and see that it is April 28, 2008. I died a year and a half ago. Somewhere between five and six hundred days.

A little contact with a guy, a nice guy but still, a guy, was not enough for me. I had to keep my eyes on the prize. The reason I was doing this.

Thinking about her made the tedium a little easier to bear. The smile curling at the edge of my lips stopped the instant I saw the woman. It could not be...could it? The height was right. The build was a little off, this woman was a little smaller than her but still...

If she would only turn around. Sweet Jesus, please turn around.

"Hey! Wait!"

She did not turn. Of course not, she did not hear me. So it could not be her. But she looks so much like her. That long black hair is falling in the exact spot on the shoulder blades.

Screw it, I am chasing her. If I am wrong, at least I tried. Picking up on a little bit of the speed that comes with not being able to get winded anymore, I ran like my life depended on it.

"Woah, did you feel that cold wind? It is supposed to be 75 today, where did that blast come from?"

I ignored the older woman talking to a man and hoped that no one else felt my presence. Somehow getting faster, I was unable to stop when the child stepped in my path. I ran right through the small boy. Skidding to a stop, I turned to see the effects of what just happened, praying that there were none. He was still, his hands stretched out by his sides and looking up. I walked around him where a woman was crouched in front of him.

"Aaron? What is wrong sweetie?"

The child turned and looked in my direction and astonished me by pointing.

"He wan froo me mommy."

The mother stared in the direction the boy was pointing and squinted her eyes. "Who ran through you sweetie. I do not see anyone."

"Him..." still pointing "wight dere."

Looking where I was standing one more time, she shook her head and bent over to pick the child up. "Okay Aaron, maybe we have watched Peter Pan one too many times." They walked away after the mother had settled the child on her hip. He held his hand up to wave.

"Bye!"

I held up my hand and waved at him. The boy smiled before resting his head on his mother's shoulder, getting slightly jostled as she made her way down the street. I turned back around and took off, a little more carefully this time, to follow the woman with the long black hair.

Just a glimpse. If she is this close, just a little glimpse would tide me over until my assignment is complete.

She was bent over in front of a flower stand, smelling a bunch of tulips. My steps slowed to a crawl. Her hair fell in waves over her face, blocking my view. I crept closer, each step taken nervously. This could actually be the first time I have seen her in over a year and a half. Dear God, can a dead man's palms sweat? I was close enough now that I could reach my arm out and touch her. I should have been able to smell her shampoo, her favorite that was in her bag on the way to our new apartment when we were killed.

The woman stood and tucked her hair behind her ear. Feeling like a deflated balloon, I took a few steps back. The woman was beautiful in her own rights but she was not the one I longed to see. The one I would see as soon as I settled things up with Rebecca.

Turning, I walked down the road in the direction I had come from. Looking up, I pleaded for patience and for time to speed up. How was I going to do this? I almost cracked when I saw a woman who looked like her. Taking an unnecessary breath in, I exhaled slowly, answering my own question. One step at a time, that was the only way I could do this. I took a step, and another, knowing that each step I took would get me closer to her.