Читать книгу: «The Life After Trilogy: Soul Taken / Soul Possessed / Soul Betrayed», страница 2
“You might start your new attitude by congratulating Aaron,” he said.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile and exited the office and stormed out.
Yeah, right, congratulate that buffoon. Not if my entire after-life depended on it. Aaron might have won that round but round two was all mine.
I marched down one of the hallways that branched off the main office, toward my private one. I passed the Guard suite, where Aaron stood in the middle of a group of Guard. He shook their hands and some even patted him on the back. His stupid grin widened as he spoke to them. I didn’t bother listening. He was probably telling them one of his lame jokes. I had to listen to them for quite some time during his training. I’d never get that time back.
I continued down the hallway past the Trainee suite. I nearly passed it but stopped and stood by the door, listening to the laughter behind it. I homed in on Dylan’s giggle. Maybe I could work on my social skills. I hesitated at the door, but a small chime rang from my office, signaling the arrival of my next assignment.
Maybe next time, I thought.
I opened the door to my office and my entire soul relaxed. It wasn’t as large as Felix’s but it was my own space. One wall opened to a view of meadow, the tall grass swaying in the wind. I sat on the couch I’d set up close to the view, as if I were floating above the landscape rather than looking down at it. I took it all in and my whole being relaxed. My office was my sanctuary and before missions I religiously calmed my soul so I’d be able to focus. After a few minutes of meditation, I rose from the couch and walked to the wall behind my desk. A bright light flickered from my inbox. The Collections Officers were alerted when a soul needed Collection, which would call up the True Soul from their heavily guarded vaults below the building.
Pressing the lit button a door opened, revealing my assigned True Soul floating in the opening. I took it, with one touch knowing whom I was to Collect and where I needed to be, and transported without another thought of Aaron or the Guard.
Chapter Three
That lasted for two minutes. While I sat with an elderly woman, Irene, peacefully swaying in her rocking chair at a nursing home, I pondered what Felix had said.
“I care for humans,” I grumbled. “Here I am, sitting with one, knowing she won’t die for another hour. I could be off doing whatever until the last second, like Aaron did.”
The thought of Aaron made me want to punch things, so instead I focused on the woman.
Her glossy eyes slid over to the space where I sat; my soul stiffened. It always freaked me out when humans looked in the area that I occupied.
That might be part of the problem, my rational side chimed in.
The Guard appeared corporeal in the Living Realm when they needed to and conversing with humans was part of the job. I don’t think I would fit in very well with humans if I freaked out every time one of them looked at me.
I stared back at the woman, who held my gaze. I leaned closer to her and her eyes followed mine. I tried to stay put but my soul screamed for distance. I jumped out of the chair and stepped back from her.
She blinked and returned to staring at the space where I’d been.
My trainer, who had moved on to be Recycled soon after I’d been cleared to work solo, had told me that sometimes older humans knew when their time was near. It was like at Gate Seven; when they were ready for it they were able to breach the border from Living to After. Sometimes it worked like that when they were still in their bodies. They knew the end was near and they could sense their True Soul.
My assigned cases were usually the ones that the newbies couldn’t handle, the deaths a little more traumatizing. They didn’t affect me; it was just a job that needed to be done. That thought rolled around in my head for a second. I wondered if my nonchalant attitude toward human death had been a deciding factor for Felix. But if I wasn’t going to do it, who would? Maybe Felix didn’t want to lose me from his service and that was why he’d turned me down? If that was the case I’d have to have another serious discussion with him. I didn’t need his selfishness getting in the way of what I wanted.
I needed to prove to him that I was perfect for the job. And I’d start with Irene. I sat back down in the chair in front of her. Her eyes moved up to mine again. A feather-light touch moved down my spine, but I held my place.
Irene smiled at me, revealing a toothless mouth. Her lips quivered as she tried to hold the smile. I couldn’t help but match her grin.
A young staff member entered the room, carrying a tray. I got up from the chair, not wanting to touch the girl’s living body as she sat down in the seat I’d previously occupied. Humans couldn’t see or feel us, but if a soul ever made contact with something living, the intrusion to our being was like a sharp knife ripping through us. I avoided it at all costs.
The girl fed Irene her lunch, some sort of pureed mush. Irene’s hands weren’t strong enough to hold a napkin, never mind a fork. She watched me while she ate, smiling and grunting to herself. The staff member paid more attention to her male co-worker in the next room to notice Irene’s behavior.
“Grugamm,” Irene mumbled.
“Yes,” the girl said. “Yum.”
Irene’s eyebrows narrowed. Her shaky hand lifted in the direction of her dresser then at the space I occupied.
The girl stood up and picked up the only decoration on the dresser, a small picture frame.
“Your granddaughter?” the girl asked. “She was here yesterday. You had a good time playing cards.”
Irene pointed at me again and mumbled.
The girl held the frame out, her patience waning. I snuck a look at the picture. Irene and a brunette girl sat on a swinging bench, Irene’s arm around the young girl.
I assumed she thought I was her granddaughter. She wasn’t entirely at fault. We shared similar features, blue eyes and brown hair, but as I looked closer I saw a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.
“Grugamm,” Irene insisted.
The girl shook her head and wiped Irene’s face, then placed the frame in her lap.
“I have to go now, Irene,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.” She left.
Irene sat back in her chair, smacking her lips together. “Ree—reaa—”
I reached into my pouch. The still True Soul radiated peace.
“Ready?” I helped.
Her eyes didn’t leave mine as she slowly blinked.
I pulled the essence from my pouch and stepped closer to her, placing it on the back of her neck.
She sucked in a small breath and closed her eyes. The True Soul did its work by coaxing the rest of the soul out of the body. When it was finished, Irene Rogers’ soul stood next to me. I thought it was interesting that her soul portrayed her elderly looks. She had been happy with her children and grandchildren and it had imprinted her soul. She stood up straight and her hands no longer shook. The bright light around her was stunning.
“Hello there,” she said, her voice clear and crisp. “Aren’t you beautiful?”
I took her hand and transported us to Gate Seven.
Felix established “off days” for Soul Collectors around my fifth year in service with him. Even though we never tired, he thought it was “good for the soul” to have time away from the job. He encouraged us to explore the world since we could transport anywhere we wanted. One of the limitations to Collectors was our transporting capabilities. Unlike the Guard, who could transport over long distances in the Living Realm, Collectors could only transport to the Living Realm then we had to use traditional human methods of transportation such as walking or riding a bus. Only in transporting back to the After would we be able to choose our next destination.
I spent most of my off days in cemeteries. Other Collectors had found my choice of destination morbid and redundant to my daily life. But I found beauty and peace in them. Over the years I had traveled to every cemetery I could find, my favorites being the crumbling mausoleums in New Orleans. But in the spring I enjoyed staying close to home. I’d visited many of the New England cemeteries, yet one of them always stirred something inside of me.
I walked down the middle aisle of the cemetery listening to the wind rustling the leaves in the trees outlining the property. A few humans visited their loved ones, but I steered clear of them, allowing them to mourn in privacy. A burial took place at the far end; a sizable crowd had formed around the service.
I scanned the stones as I passed, taking in the names of the deceased. I wondered who these people were and hoped that their lives had been happy. Not that any of them could take those memories with them to the After.
A prickling sensation at the base of my neck stopped me mid-step. I turned toward the feeling. There was nothing behind me aside from the stones.
I squinted to focus on the source of the sensation. In the distance by the road a young man stood under one of the trees. His gaze focused on something behind me. I wanted to turn around and see what he was staring at, yet I couldn’t look away. Something stirred inside of me that was both exciting and terrifying. I couldn’t focus on his face but his body had gone ridged as if the same chill crept up his body. I turned in the direction of his gaze and nearly crashed into a hard, muscular chest.
I tripped on my foot, sailing backwards toward the ground.
Cooper caught me by the arm, holding me inches from the ground. “Sorry about that.”
I looked behind him, but the stranger in the distance was gone. “Were you spying on me?” I balanced myself and he let go of my arm.
“No,” he said. “I just got here. Felix sent me for you.” He sounded in a hurry.
“It’s my off day,” I challenged.
Not that I would turn down a case, but this guy didn’t know that.
“Felix needs your help with something,” Cooper said in a strained voice.
“What is it?”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” he said, disappearing as quickly as he came.
I took one last glance at the empty space where the man had been before transitioning to the After.
I arrived outside of Felix’s office and lifted a hand to knock, but stopped when I heard the hushed voices inside.
“I thought they couldn’t come back here,” Cooper was saying.
Who couldn’t come back here? A chill ran through my soul, not unlike when I’d seen the man at the cemetery.
“Never underestimate a Shadowed,” Felix’s voice grumbled.
“Okay,” Cooper snipped. “What’s next? We need the Collector to find it? Are you sure she is the right one for the job?”
I stiffened.
“This True Soul will call to her, and her alone. She will not fail.”
Pride swelled within me. I knew my talents weren’t underappreciated.
Their conversation turned from rushed to silent. The door opened in front of me and Felix’s form crowded the doorway. He indicated for me to enter the office and closed the door behind me.
Felix turned his gaze on mine. “A Prognatum True Soul has been taken.”
“A what?” I asked. “What’s a Pregnortom?”
“Prognatum,” Cooper corrected.
“Aren’t there a dozen Caeleste guarding the vault at all times?” I asked. And why is this Prognatum soul so important?
“I need to get back to her,” Cooper interrupted.
“Yes, absolutely,” Felix said then trained his gaze on mine. “Go with Cooper and do what he asks. Treat his orders as if they are coming from me.”
Cooper hesitated. “Are you sure about this?” he asked Felix.
Felix’s expression darkened. “It’s the only way.”
Cooper nodded and reached his hand out toward me.
I stepped back from him, my head spinning. Someone got into the most coveted place in the After and Felix wanted me to, what, confront them? “What am I up against here?”
“Maggie, this is important,” Cooper said.
I stood my ground. If I was going into this blindly I’d need an incentive. “Will this help me with my promotion?”
“Like I said,” Felix stated, “you have to prove yourself worthy.”
I clicked my tongue. “See, that’s not good enough for me.”
“Are you serious right now?” Cooper snapped.
I shrugged, keeping my eyes on Felix. “I don’t know. Am I?”
Felix’s nostrils flared; something he did to strike fear in his Guard. But I wasn’t buying it. “This situation is very serious, Maggie.”
“I understand,” I said. “And so am I.”
We stood, holding each other’s gaze. Cooper remained silent, but I felt his restiveness.
Felix broke the stand-off first. “Do this job and I will reconsider your case.”
Good enough for me.
I stuck out my hand toward Cooper. “Let’s do this.”
He entwined his fingers with mine, the touch sending a spark of energy through me and Felix’s office dissolved around us.
We landed in front of a high school. The wooden welcome sign read: “Fairview High School, Home of the Colts.” A breeze whipped a flag around a pole, next to the sign. I scanned the campus. The three-story tan brick building reminded me of a detention center I’d Collected from a few years back more than it did an educational institute.
Cooper dropped my hand as if it were covered in scales.
He disappeared from my side then reappeared at the school entrance where a few Guard were stationed.
Couldn’t he have transported us any closer? He probably did it on purpose, getting back at me for negotiating my soon-to-be status on the Guard. I opened and closed my buzzing hand as I walked across the pavement toward the school.
By the time I made it to the group of Guards, they dispersed.
Okay, time to be serious. I needed to show Felix that I could work on a team.
Aaron was the last member of the group to leave on his assigned task. “Good luck with this one,” he said, grinning at me.
I wiggled my fingers at him. “Bye bye now.”
I didn’t need to work with all of them.
Cooper and I transitioned through the front doors. He disappeared at the bottom of the stairs to the second floor.
This transitioning thing was going to get old real quick.
He reappeared at the top of the stairs seconds later. “Come on,” he said, that rushed tone back in his voice again.
I took the steps two at a time. I didn’t want him to leave me to wander the halls alone. Even though they were empty now, I’d been at enough schools to know what happened when the bell rang. I shuddered at the thought of that many humans passing through me.
At the top, I followed Cooper’s quick pace down a hallway lined with metal lockers peering into each classroom we passed. Each of them was filled with bored-looking students and enthusiastic educators.
We stopped at a classroom near the end of the hall and transitioned inside.
A dozen waist-high benches faced a white board at the front of the classroom. An experiment was outlined on the board and the students quietly worked in pairs. The only sounds were the soft hissing of the open flames and the tinkling of glass rods against the beakers as the students swirled the liquid.
A pulsing throughout my body broke my trance. I wandered to the back of the room where Cooper stood next to a female Guard I hadn’t met before; they conversed inaudibly. So I studied her instead. Her short black hair formed around her face like a lion’s mane and she stood at Cooper’s height. I guessed her soul age to be around twenty-five years.
“Thanks Calliope,” he said to her as I neared.
Her eyes flicked to mine. “You’re the Soul Collector?”
“Yeah, I’m Maggie.”
“Cool,” she said. “Nice to meet you.” She turned back to Cooper. “I’ll be by the car until you need me.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, bringing their faces close together, forehead to forehead. “It’s going to be fine.”
I turned away, feeling like I was intruding on a personal moment between them and looked around the room at the students. A persistent pulsing flowed through me as I walked down the aisle growing stronger as I neared the front of the room.
I stopped next to a bench where two girls sat. One of them, a dark-haired girl, played with a phone in her lap. I had Collected a few souls who were playing with those while driving. But it wasn’t her that called to me. The golden-haired girl next to her radiated a glow I’d only seen from a Caeleste. She looked up at the board and I couldn’t hide the gasp whispering across my lips. She even favored the looks of the Caelestium, with smooth, unblemished skin and an unmistakable otherworldliness to her. Her green eyes sparkled with the very essence of life.
“That’s Allegra, but she prefers Ally,” Cooper said, suddenly standing next to me.
“What is she?”
“What do you think?” he answered reverently.
I leaned closer to the girl. “I thought the Caeleste couldn’t cross over?”
“The Prognatum are descended from the few Caeleste who mated with humans centuries ago. This practice has since been forbidden but there are a few genetic lines left. It’s another job that the Guard take very seriously. We are sworn to protect these humans from birth until their transformation at eighteen.”
I tore my gaze away from her as she added more chemicals to her beaker. “Transformation?”
“At eighteen they join the Guard as special operatives for the Caelestium.”
I flinched. “So they are born to be a part of the Guard?”
“Yes.”
Jealousy surged through me. Imbecile Collectors and unsuspecting humans can get the job but I can’t?
“Why do you need me?”
“As a Collector you can sense the True Soul. Even if we were able to find it, we couldn’t touch it. The Caeleste spread the power around so no one soul can have complete control.”
“I know all of that, but apparently someone did,” I pointed out.
A shrill bell rang and none of the teens moved.
“Aren’t they supposed to leave now?” I asked.
Cooper chuckled. “Her chemistry class is two periods long. She’ll be here for another forty-five minutes.”
“Why would someone do this? What do they want her soul for?” I asked, moving away from Ally. I could see why someone would want even a small piece of the girl, but to what end?
He stiffened. “That’s classified information,” he said. “Guards only.”
I frowned.
“Not my rules.” He held up his hands. “But just know that she is extremely important to the Caeleste.”
“How did someone take her True Soul?”
Cooper shook his head slowly, not meeting my gaze. “I have no idea. And the fact that Felix doesn’t either scares me a lot.”
Chapter Four
For the rest of the day Cooper and I followed Ally through her school routine. I attempted to gain more information from him but was denied each time due to “protocol” and “Guard only” excuses. Fed up of butting up against an impenetrable wall, I turned my attention to Ally.
With just the smallest look Ally commanded the respect of her peers. It was as if they sensed she was unlike them. In between classes, the other kids allowed her to pass with a wide berth.
When we arrived at the cafeteria a herd of students burst from a nearby hallway and I moved desperately away, plastering my soul against the window, not daring to touch any of the hungry teens.
Cooper waved to me from across the room. I held up a finger. When there was a break in the mob, I sprinted across the room, pressing my body against the far window, nearest to Cooper.
“Sorry,” he said. “I forgot you can’t transport in this Realm.”
I looked around the room full of students. “I’m safe back here, right?”
He smiled. “Yes, you will be fine.”
The same prickling sensation I’d experienced in the cemetery settled at the base of my spine. I looked outside and saw the same young man standing in the courtyard outside of the cafeteria. He was younger than I’d thought, his dark hair lifting and falling as the breeze swept through it. He wore dark jeans, hugging his long legs, and his long-sleeved black shirt was almost like a second skin. His gaze met mine and he pressed a finger to his lips. Something deep inside pulled me towards him… I shivered.
“Cooper,” I said.
But before Cooper turned around the man had disappeared.
“Do you sense it?” Cooper asked, his eyes darting across the courtyard.
I shook my head at the sense I was missing something important. “No, I just thought I saw something.”
“There are plenty of Guard around,” he said, turning back to Ally. “Just focus on finding the True Soul.”
I took one more look into the courtyard and then turned back too. We watched her pick at the salad bar for a few minutes, separating her food into groups on her plate. The dark-haired girl from Ally’s chemistry class stood next to her, her fingers flying over the screen of her cell phone.
Ally play-slapped at her friend’s phone and nudged the girl to move up in line. The girl giggled and shook her head as if she forgot where she was. They paid for their food and made their way to the empty table in front of us.
A girl at the next table leaned closer to her friend. “God, I wish I had her legs.”
“No,” her friend said. “Definitely her hair.”
Most of the kids looked up from their conversations and lunches to get a peek at Ally. Even though she ignored them, they only had eyes for her.
I moved closer to the table, avoiding the touch of the young humans.
At another table all the kids were dressed in black with numerous piercings; their comments weren’t as complimentary, but I sensed their jealousy and envy more than hatred. One of them supplied a particularly nasty comment and I wished for the ability to become corporeal so I could defend Ally.
Ally sat down at the table. She and the dark-haired girl, who I learned was called Heather, were joined by another girl, her mocha skin flawless against the curtain of her long black hair.
“Where were you first period, Krystal?” Heather asked the newcomer.
“I overslept,” she said, shrugging off the comment. She pulled a bag of apple slices from her purse and munched on one.
“That’s all you’re having?” Ally asked, crunching into a grape tomato.
“I’m not hungry,” Krystal said.
“Since when are you not hungry?” Heather accused.
“Since when is this pick on Krystal day?” Krystal snapped back glaring at Ally.
Ally matched the glare, her perfectly plucked eyebrows raised in high arches. “PMSing, are we?”
Heather stifled a laugh.
“Whatever,” Krystal said, pulling out her phone and scrolling through it.
Ally rolled her eyes at Heather and continued to eat her salad.
“Can you believe it’s only a week until our last Spring Dance? I’m so bummed we are leaving school, like, forever,” Heather whined.
“I’m not,” Ally said flippantly. “I’m done with this place and these people.”
Heather gasped making Ally grin. “Obviously not you guys.”
“Or Seth,” Heather said in a sing-song voice. “Speak of the devil.”
I followed their gaze to a group of boys entering the cafeteria. Their voices rang over the already loud conversations of the room.
A blond boy caught my attention. His hair was shaved close to his head and his green eyes lit up as if his entire world existed for the girl at this table. The flurry of conversations that had focused on Ally earlier turned to this boy.
He sauntered over to the table, while his friends headed for the food, and placed a tender kiss on Ally’s lips. “Hey babe. Sorry I couldn’t bring you to school this morning. Dad sent me out on a delivery.”
“It’s fine,” she said, feeding him a cucumber from her plate.
Krystal crumpled up her now empty plastic bag and pushed out her chair, scraping it against the linoleum.
“Where are you going?” Ally said.
Heather and Seth looked at Krystal.
“I forgot my Algebra book,” she snapped. “Why do you care?”
“I have mine,” Seth said, lifting his backpack. “We can share.”
“My homework is in the book,” she said, standing up and stomping toward the door.
“Drama,” Ally whispered to Heather.
Seth’s friends squeezed in at the table and I jumped out of the way before any of them touched me.
Moving back to the window next to Cooper I said, “So you just sit here all day and watch her?”
“Pretty much.”
Maybe this Guard job wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. “I guess it’s entertaining, though. I feel like I’m watching a soap opera.”
Cooper laughed. “Don’t be fooled. She’s a lot smarter than she gives herself credit for.”
I’d believe that when I saw it.
I meandered to the back window, staring out at the football field. I snuck a look in the courtyard but didn’t see that guy again. Maybe my eyes had been playing tricks on me. Or maybe a Guard was messing with me. No doubt Aaron had put him up to it. A man on a riding lawn mower rode across the field several times.
That was one reason I didn’t want to be Recycled. I looked at all the students in the room, with their insecurities and bleak futures ahead of them. There were probably a few that would make their lives into something but the rest might as well be the groundskeeper spending each day doing the same boring work.
Definitely not for me.
By Ally’s sixth class, I was itching to get out of there. I assured Cooper I didn’t feel the True Soul around.
“Are you sure?” he asked for the third time.
“Yes,” I said calmly.
He remained skeptical but I left the room before he could ask me again to wander down the hallway, getting a better look inside the classrooms. After eating, the kids were like zombies, barely awake as their teachers droned on about things they’d probably never use after high school. Reason number two not to be Recycled.
Further down the hall, music poured from one of the classrooms. I peeked inside to discover an art studio where six students stood in front of easels, painting. The teacher was in a flowing purple and green dress, her long scraggly blonde hair wild across her back. She swayed to the music and stopped at each student, offering encouragement. The atmosphere was lighter in this room, unlike the other classroom. I followed the teacher’s path, examining each student’s work. Overall, their talent surpassed my expectations for a high school art class. Brightly colored paint strokes depicted the fruit bowl at the center of the room.
I looked around for the teacher; she stood next to a girl separated from the group. What made her so special? I deviated to her spot. White cords hung down from her ears and into her pocket. Her long brunette hair was tied at the nape of her neck and bobbed as she mixed her paint. She popped one out and listened to her teacher.
“So creative,” the teacher said in her breathy voice. “Is this another one of your dreams?”
The girl nodded.
“Keep it up; I think this is the piece we should enter into the showcase,” the teacher said, flouncing away.
I stepped as close as I could to the girl without touching her. Her painting depicted a classroom, not unlike any of the other ones in the school. The brush strokes were precise but the classroom looked out of focus, blurry even. But those desks and chairs weren’t the focal point; it was the person standing at the back of the room. I moved closer to get a better look. He was dressed in head-to-toe black, his face hadn’t been painted in yet, but his sandy blond hair looked familiar.
This girl, somehow, had seen and by memory painted Cooper.
The bell rang and, unlike the rest of the classrooms, none of these kids moved. I knew Cooper would be looking for me, so I tore my eyes away from the painting and into the hallway.
Maybe he had appeared corporeal at some point? But he would never have done it inside the school, at least not dressed for regulation Guard duty. I’d mention it to him later.
I found Cooper and another Guard following Ally down a hallway on the third floor.
Cooper raised his eyebrows.
“Still nothing!” I said. Half the kids in the hallway were taller than me. What did they eat for breakfast? Growth hormones?
I avoided their touch but one particularly rushed boy passed through me. My soul turned ice-cold. I needed to get out of here.
I weaved through the rest of the kids and down the front stairs as quickly as I could. The first floor was nearly deserted so I walked down it and found myself outside the school gym. A few students stood in the middle of the space, bouncing basketballs.
“Mags?” a voice called.
I turned to see a shadow move into an open office across the hall from the gym. Something about the nickname was familiar. I couldn’t remember anyone ever calling me that, yet my soul responded by moving toward the office.
Inside, a desk took up most of the small space. Mounds of paperwork were strewn across its surface. Team photos were tacked to the walls in no particular order. Suddenly the door creaked behind me and I whirled around.
I bumped into someone’s chest. “Cooper?” I said, taking in the boy’s face.
Okay, not Cooper.
The young man I had seen in the courtyard and the cemetery stood in front of me. He looked to be around my soul age. Maybe a year or two older and was over a foot taller than me. His tousled black hair stuck out at all angles, looking as if he’d just rolled out of bed. But when he stepped closer, his head tilting down to mine I couldn’t move. His piercing pale blue eyes had turned my legs to cement.
“I did see you at the cemetery,” the boy said, almost breathless, a smile tugging at his lips.
I tore my eyes away from his gaze and stepped back shaking my head. “Do I know you?” I asked, because no matter how my soul responded to him, I didn’t recognize him.
His smile faded.
“Maggie!” Cooper called from the hallway.
The boy scowled. Taking another step forward he pulled my body close to his, the touch sending electric currents through me. Unconsciously I lifted my arms, pressing my fingers against him for balance.
