35. Hudson
Chapter 35
Hudson
M y leg shakes as I wait with Jocelyn for Aster to summon Farnsworth. We chose a spot in the backyard under my favorite tree. Aster stands beside me, holding Otto and giving him head scritches. His smile is warm and loving. Unsurprisingly, Joss had no trouble accepting what I told her was going to happen. In fact, she smothered Aster in hugs and cheek kisses for saving me.
Crash appears, making Otto go crazy with excitement. Crash’s face lights up, and as he gazes at me, I smile too.
“You’re more than welcome in our home, Crash.”
“Thank you, Hudson. I won’t be a bother. I promise.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
It was honestly a no-brainer to allow Crash to stay, and this weekend we’re going to move Aster’s things in too. Weird that so much death led me to the life of my dreams.
A purple mist appears in the center of the yard and a man dressed in a tailored dark gray suit appears. His dark hair is slicked back like Frank Sinatra, and honestly, he could blend right in with the Rat Pack.
His hazy gray eyes roam across Crash, me, Joss, Otto, and finally, Aster. There’s nothing alive about those eyes. “Are we all ready?” he asks.
“Yes,” Aster says. “This is Hudson and his sister, Jocelyn.”
The man bows his head slightly. “Farnsworth Renard, Senior Afterlife Guide and Soul Chaser Administrator.”
Jocelyn stares at him with a dopey smile on her face. “Are you a… You’re a spirit guide?”
Farnsworth’s brow creases. “Yes. You can detect my nature?”
She nods. “Yes.” Her smile fades. “But you’re attached to many. It’s a lot of responsibility.”
“That’s enough,” Farnsworth says, but his tone is soft and respectful. “You have many gifts. Don’t do anything stupid, huh? I’ll expect your presence in my realm when your time comes.”
Her breath hitches as she nods. “I won’t.”
Farnsworth clears his throat and turns toward me and Aster. He flicks his wrist and a scroll appears in his hand along with a small vial. There’s a tattered brown tag attached to the vial, with mine and Aster’s names scrawled across it.
“Crash, please stand beside Aster. Jocelyn, you may stand beside your brother.”
Everyone takes their spots and Jocelyn holds Otto. Farnsworth unfurls the scroll, and a glowing string of light appears.
“Please extend your arms.”
Aster glances at me, smiling as he holds his arm out to Farnsworth. I do the same, watching in awe as Farnsworth directs the string of light to wrap around our wrists with only his finger, like a conductor leading a symphony orchestra.
The light feels warm, tight against my skin. Farnsworth pulls the cork from the vial and a swirl of red smoke rises from it. He releases it and it floats in the air between us.
“Wow,” Jocelyn whispers.
I think I should feel nervous, but I’ve honestly never felt calmer. It’s happening. I get to keep this forever, and no one can break this bond.
Farnsworth begins to read from the scroll, but the words make absolutely no sense to me. I glance at Aster to find him gazing back at me with the most serene expression on his face.
He loves me.
I could never believe he doesn’t. Not with the way he looks at me like I’m the only person in the world. This is what love is supposed to feel like. I know that for sure.
As Farnsworth reads, I feel an unmistakable tugging in my chest, drawing me closer to Aster. His breath hitches as a smile tugs at his lips. The red smoke from the vial blooms into a cloud, engulfing the two of us within it, but it feels warm and safe, like the comfiest blanket ever.
Our chests press together as our bound arms extend towards Farnsworth. A white mist rises from Aster, billowing from his mouth into mine. My eyelids flutter and his well with tears.
“Hudson?” Farnsworth’s voice reaches me, sounding far away but clear. “Do you bind your eternal soul to Chaser AMC33, known to you as Aster Michael Charboneau?”
“Yes.”
“Do you accept his life source, knowing it is everlasting?”
“Yes.”
“Do you fully understand the risk of premature death and the consequences of such?”
“Straight to the Below.”
“Correct.”
“But I’d still be with him. I understand.”
Aster trembles as the mist rolls out of him, but I can see the happiness in his eyes.
Farnsworth rattles off a bunch of meaningless words, but as he does, the string of light around our wrists sizzles into our skin, completely absorbed and painless.
The white mist coming out of Aster dissipates and his trembling stops.
“Your love bond is complete,” Farnsworth says. “May your eternity be sweet.”
Aster practically collapses into my arms, and I wrap mine around him to support his weight.
“Is he okay?”
Farnsworth nods, stepping out of the cloud of red smoke that is also quickly fading. “He is. Just a bit drained. He did give you part of his soul, after all.”
The reality of that is sobering. “Right.”
“He felt far more than you did, but he’ll be fine in a minute or two.”
Just like that, Aster’s head snaps up and he coughs, stepping back and dragging in a few deep breaths. “Wow.”
“We did it, Aster.”
He nods as his smile grows. “I know. That was amazing.”
Crash sniffs and wipes at his eyes, even though I see no evidence of actual crying. “That was beautiful. I’ve never witnessed one before.”
When I turn to look at Jocelyn, she’s definitely crying. “Magic is so cool.”
“Definitely.”
“Well, I’ll be going,” Farnsworth says. He pauses though, gazing off into the distance. “Do you mind a quick visit, Aster? I believe there’s a little girl you made a promise to.”
“Absolutely,” Aster says.
Farnsworth blinks out of view, but before I can even ask what that’s about, he returns, clutching the hand of a bubbly child with curly blonde pigtails. She’s wearing a frilly pink dress, like a doll.
“Abigail!” Aster walks over to her and kneels. “You came to visit.”
She nods, reaching out to touch his face. “Happy.”
“I am, yeah. Very happy.” He looks over his shoulder at Jocelyn. “She came to meet Otto.”
Jocelyn puts Otto down, smiling as the fluffball prances over to greet the child.
“Is she…” Jocelyn bites her bottom lip. “Is she dead?”
Farnsworth nods. “Sadly, yes, but she’s well taken care of, and she’s very fond of Aster. She’s not fond of many.”
Abigail giggles, falling back in the grass as Otto licks her face. We watch them play together and even Farnsworth seems to smile. Kind of. Good to know animals can interact with the spirit world so directly.
“Otto reminds me so much of a dog I had growing up,” Crash says. “I wish I could see my parents.”
“Why can’t you?” Jocelyn asks.
Crash shrugs. “It’s not that I can’t, it’s just that it doesn’t help anyone. They can’t see me or hear me, and I can’t tell them I’m okay.”
“I could tell them,” Aster says. “I could visit them.”
“No,” Farnsworth says. “A Soul Chaser is not a messenger. You have to be careful with that. Not that Crash would take advantage, but if other spirits learned you would do that, you’d get a constant barrage of requests and you wouldn’t be able to do your job.”
“Oh. Sorry, man.”
“Could I do it?” Jocelyn asks. “I’m not a Soul Chaser. I’m a medium. I guess. I could visit them.”
Crash’s face lights up but he looks at Farnsworth. “Could she? Just to tell them that I’m okay and I’m happy? Please, Farnsworth? I won’t ask for anything ever again.”
Farnsworth’s expression softens. “I have no jurisdiction over the living. She doesn’t need my permission.”
Crash launches into the air, spinning around before landing gently. “Thank you,” he says to my sister.
“I’m happy to help.”
“Come along, Abigail,” Farnsworth says.
She pops her bottom lip. “Doggie.”
He reaches down and pats her head. “You can’t stay here, darling. You know that.”
Her lip trembles like she’s on the verge of tears. “Doggie.”
“Hey, Abigail,” Aster says, kneeling again. “As long as Farnsworth says it’s okay, you can come back sometime and visit Otto. How does that sound?”
She studies Aster’s face for a second. “Promise Abigail?”
“I promise. You’re always welcome.”
She turns to Farnsworth, gazing up at him. “Abigail visit?”
His lips stretch into a genuine smile. “Yes, Abigail. You can visit.”
“Goodie!” She pops up and grabs his hand. “Abigail happy.”
Farnsworth gazes at us, schooling his expression back to neutral. “Enjoy your downtime, Chaser. You never know when it will end.”
Then he’s gone, taking the small girl with him.
“I’ll let you two… newlyweds—I think that works—be alone,” Jocelyn says. “Come on, Crash. Let’s talk about your parents.”
Once they leave, it’s just me and Aster in the yard. Otto scratches at the ground like he’s trying to get Abigail back. Sweet.
“What should we do now, Chaser?” I ask, draping my arms around his neck.
Aster’s eyes heat as he pulls me close with his arm around my waist. “I have a few ideas.”