Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler Read Free Book Online Page A

tiny part of her—the part that cared for James as much as he cared for her, the part that missed Suzanne and loved her mom and dad and hoped that someday she really would be happy even if she never lost all the weight—didn't want to just curl up and die.
    Last night, that part of her had been buried too deep for her to remember. But now, with Death standing before her, Lisa felt that small part of her soul, and she tried to hold on to it with arthritic fingers that scrabbled for purchase. As hope slipped away, the Thin voice laughed at her, mocking her as she spiraled deeper into despair.
    "Lisa," Death said again, "do you want to die?"
    Her voice the barest of whispers, she replied, "I don't know."
    Silence stretched between them as Lisabeth Lewis stood before Death, her eyes shut tight and her thoughts a whirling dervish in her mind, and Death loomed over her, considering.
    Finally, he said, "Well, until you tell me definitively that yes, you're ready to shuffle off this mortal coil, you're the new Famine."
    His declaration echoed in her head and weighed heavily in her heart. "That's it, then?" she said. "Either I'm Famine, or you're going to kill me?"
    He let out a laugh, and it echoed in the finished basement. "If you want to get all melodramatic about it, that's one way of looking at it. But you know, I probably wouldn't kill you."
    She opened her eyes and stared at Death. "Oh?"
    "War would be happy to do it for me." He shrugged, an easy movement of his shoulders. "She has a thing for killing."
    Lisa felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh."
    "She can be brutal, too," Death added, his voice still cold and yet somehow chipper. "Some people like quick deaths. War isn't one of them. She likes to draw it out. Slowly. And rather painfully."
    Lisa's stomach dropped to her toes. For the second time that night, she thought she was going to vomit.
    Death grinned. "So chin up, Black Rider. It's time for you to start earning your keep."
    ***
    "Your steed awaits," Death said.
    In the garden, Lisa tentatively approached the black horse. The good news for her sanity was that the horse—stallion? mare? gelding? She wasn't about to look between its legs to check—was indeed real, down to its glowing white eyes. The bad news, of course, was that it was the steed of Famine, and Lisa was its designated rider. That part she was still having trouble with.
    A horse
, she thought, looking at it. She'd never been horseback riding and didn't know the first thing about how to groom such a creature. Did it have to go for walks? Was she supposed to brush its mane? Feed it apples? Where was she supposed to stable it? And what on earth would her parents say? They never even let her have any pets after she'd accidentally killed her goldfish when she was seven. She hadn't believed her mom when she'd warned Lisa that overfeeding the fish would kill them. A quarter jar of food later, Lisa had a tankful of belly-up golden red fish. She'd cried, and her dad had patted her shoulder as her mom unceremoniously dumped the dead fish down the toilet.
    She had a feeling her parents wouldn't be too keen on an equestrian pet, especially one that ate her mom's rhododendrons.
    Not knowing the proper way to introduce herself without spooking the black horse, she offered her hand for it to sniff. The horse deigned to do so, then kneeled down before her, its ears pulled forward, as if expecting something. A treat, maybe.
    Lisa stood there stupidly, shivering in the cold.
    "Famine, your steed is waiting for you to climb up," Death said, sounding jovial.
    With a shaking hand, Lisa reached out to stroke the black horse's side. Its flesh felt surprisingly warm, almost as if it hungered for her touch. As she glided her fingers over its hide, the horse nickered softly. Encouraged by the sound, Lisa stroked it again.
    "What's its name?" she asked, her voice filled with wonder.
    "Our steeds have no names," Death said. "They simply are, much as we are."
    She glanced over