The First to Die at the End (Death-Cast #0)(111)

As will Death-Cast.

There’s a tragic irony in how all the work Joaquin has done to get other people to live their lives has prevented Joaquin from enjoying his own. He’s only been able to see his wife and son over dinner, which is essentially his breakfast since he spends most of the day sleeping off his graveyard shift or busy on numerous calls. Joaquin simply can’t afford to not be at headquarters after the opening-day fiasco where twelve registered Deckers met their ends without notice. Haunted, Joaquin puts aside the mounting paperwork and leaves his office. He needs to see that while he isn’t able to go where he wishes, doors are opening for others.

Joaquin stands in the call center where his heralds are fulfilling his life’s mission.

There’s been so much heartbreak and loss across the world, and within Joaquin’s own world, to get to this point. To reach these astonishing new heights with a view no one in their right minds ever imagined could be made a reality.

While Death-Cast can only tell someone when they will die, they can’t predict how someone’s life will change on their End Day. The Decker must make those discoveries themselves by living with the fullest of hearts, down to the last beat.





August 7, 2010





Orion


11:17 a.m.

Death-Cast hasn’t called because Valentino Prince saved my life.

I’m finally back home, bracing myself for the first night in my bed since sharing it with him. It’s one of those firsts that doubled as lasts, and I love it and I hate it. Thankfully I won’t be alone. Dalma and Scarlett are going to keep me company in sleeping bags.

A new family isn’t all Valentino left behind.

Upon arriving home today, Scarlett surprised me with a photo album containing all our memory-lane pictures. I’d already seen them from going through them together at the hospital, telling Scarlett all the stories from Valentino’s End Day, but now I have my own collection to hold close since Scarlett is keeping her brother’s camera. I love all our pictures together, especially the ones from the High Line and Times Square, our very first and our very last.

So much life happened in between.

I’m staring at the pictures of Valentino strutting during his subway runway. I’m tempted to send them to his agent so she knows what the world has missed out on by not believing in Death-Cast, but she doesn’t deserve to see him in all his glory.

Even in death, I’m still protective of Valentino.

There’s a knock on my door for the thousandth time in the one hour I’ve been home.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me,” Dalma says from the other side.

“Me too,” Scarlett says.

I’m not really in the mood for company right now just because. I was warned that mood swings and depression are side effects of heart surgery, as if that’s what’s got me down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down. I kind of want to be alone until tonight, just resting in bed with bad TV and my photo album. Later when I can’t sleep is when I’m going to need the most company.

“What’s up?”

“I have something for you,” Scarlett says.

“Something else?”

Maybe it’s more of Valentino’s clothes that I can breathe in, or the cologne he used.

“Can we come in?” Dalma asks. “We’ll be fast.”

I give in. “Yeah.”

Dalma and Scarlett enter my room. Scarlett’s hand is closed into a fist, but I’m going to put down money that what she has for me isn’t a punch to the face. I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s something of Valentino’s that she’s willing to part with and thinks I would like. Maybe a photocopy of his death certificate, which might seem morbid, but I would keep that in my treasure chest along with the news article of everything that went down in his building and all the 9/11 media I’ve collected over the years.

“So what is it?” I ask.

I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m in pain and feeling really broken even though Valentino’s heart is holding me together.

“There was something else on the camera,” Scarlett says.

“The video he recorded for you,” I say.

She nods. “It’s only four minutes and thirty-two seconds, but it took me a couple days before I had the strength to finish watching it. It just hurt too much. I never knew life without him and . . . Valentino may have been the first one in and out, but his last words were lovely. That’s helping.”

I don’t know what Valentino said to Scarlett. That’s not my business and never will be unless she decides she wants to talk about it instead of holding it close.

“But there was another video at the end,” Scarlett says. “At first I thought it was for me, but then Valentino said your name.”

My old heart would’ve stopped dead.

My new heart is coming to life.

Maybe too quickly, but I’m staying strong.

“He recorded a video for me?” I ask.

Scarlett nods. “I didn’t watch it. Obviously. I only discovered it last night, but I wanted to wait until you were home and settled before sharing.”

“But what if I had died before—”

Dalma’s puzzled look shuts me up.

If there was a chance I was going to die without getting to watch Valentino’s video, Death-Cast would have given us that heads-up.