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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.
“He lied to us,” he whispered, his mouth touching my head.
The contact stirred something deep within me. I looked up at him. “Who lied?” I said, my voice shaking slightly.
“Maggie?” Cooper’s voice was right outside the door now.
“Don’t say anything,” the boy said quickly, his piercing eyes suddenly pleading. His hands lightly squeezed mine then he disappeared.
A second later Cooper opened the door and looked around the room. “What are you doing?”
I dropped my hands down to my sides. I could still feel the boy’s touch, but his warning was fresh in my mind. “Nothing.” I mumbled.
Cooper walked with me to the parking lot, even though he could have easily transported there. I tried to focus on the job, but my thoughts kept turning to the mysterious boy and the feelings he’d awoken inside of me. A lightness was surging through me, it was something I had only experienced before when I was holding a True Soul.
“Are you okay?” Cooper asked.
I blinked. “Yeah, why?”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “You looked confused.”
I shook my head and said as firmly as I could, “I’m fine.”
Focus, Maggie!
We hustled across the parking lot. Students milled around their cars, shouting and laughing. Their attitudes were completely opposite from when they were in the building. Buses chugged across the lot toward the front of the school. We passed a few Guard who were stationed at numerous spots along the way. They nodded to Cooper.
I looked over at him. Cooper seemed well respected by the Guard. And I hoped that someday others would look at me like that too.
“Where’s Ally?” I asked.
“They’ll be out shortly. Calliope is watching her, with Aaron,” he said.
I rolled my eyes.
Cooper caught me. “Aaron’s nice; I don’t know why you don’t like him.”
“Do we have all day?” I griped and watched Cooper’s eyebrows shoot up. Which reminded me of Felix and his “critique”. If I wanted to be a Guard, I’d have to play nice. For now. “He is a nice guy,” I said trying not to sound too insincere. “He just wasn’t meant for Soul Collecting.” I opened my hands at my sides, repeating what Felix had said.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get the job,” Cooper offered. “But Felix did say you were the best Collector; I can’t imagine he’d want to lose you from the team.”
I already knew I was the best, but that shouldn’t have stopped him from choosing me for the Guard.
We stopped walking by a black Mercedes and Cooper excused himself, appearing next to the two Guard standing at the entrance to the lot.
I heard their clicking heels before I saw them. Ally, Krystal, and Heather walked across the lot, each of them holding their bags on the same shoulder, all three skirts swishing across their smooth legs. Ally held a cell phone to her ear while Heather typed something into hers. Krystal looked smug, as if she was aware of a joke that the other two weren’t. Calliope and Aaron flanked the girls.
Ally ended her phone conversation, and Heather lifted her phone to Ally’s face.
“See, I told you it was the same outfit!”
Ally glanced at the screen and waved her hand over it, the gold bangles on her wrist clinking together.
Heather put her phone in her purse. “I bet she had to put on three sets of spanks to fit into that dress. She’s really packed it on since Derick broke it off with her.”
“Oh please,” Ally said with a snort. “He was just the excuse for her to eat her feelings. That was, like, four months ago. Get over it, heifer.”
The girls laughed and piled into the car.
“Anything?” Calliope asked suddenly appearing next to me.
Trying not to show my surprise, I closed my eyes and concentrated on my surroundings. Nothing stirred within me. “Nope.”
Opening my eyes I caught a glimpse of Aaron. His eyes were closed, as if he tried to feel it as well.
He was such an idiot. Soul Collectors and Guard inherited separate powers from the Caeleste. When he was transferred to the Guard all of his Soul Collecting abilities were taken from him. He wouldn’t be able to sense a True Soul even if it was right in front of him.
“Can you ride in the car with the girls?” Calliope asked.
“Why me?” I demanded, whipping my head around to look at her.
“Well, Cooper usually does, but he thought it would be better if you did so that if you come across the True Soul at any point you can interfere.”
“Alright,” I said. “Let’s assume the one who broke into the Fort Knox of the After comes for her. How do you expect me to protect her?”
“You won’t have to do anything. We’ll be in the cars behind and in front of you. He just wants her to be safe.” Calliope transported to the black car next to Ally’s and nodded at me from the driver seat.
I guess that meant the decision had been made. I had no choice.
“Here goes nothing,” I said and transitioned into the backseat of the car.
If it weren’t for the fact I was already dead, I might have experienced a heart attack during the thirty-minute drive. Music pumped out of the speakers at an ear-shattering volume and Ally and Heather sang loudly along. They seemed to know every song that came on the radio, each one more exciting than the last, at least that was what I gleaned from their “I love this song!” as each one started. Turning my attention to the road, I attempted to ignore them. Ally swerved in between the other cars, jerking back and forth through traffic. I turned in my seat several times to make sure we were still being followed, but Calliope kept up easily enough.
When we pulled into the parking garage at a mall I was so relieved and made a mental note to have someone else drive home with her. Ally parked the car in a spot close to the entrance. Ally and Heather flipped down their respective visors and used the small mirror to touch up their makeup. Krystal sat next to me, unmoving, as she had the whole ride there.
“Latte anyone?” Heather chimed in.
“Yes please!” Ally cheered. Krystal said nothing.
I transitioned out of the car. The girls hopped out and six Guards appeared surrounding them in formation. Cooper stood closest to Ally, an invisible bodyguard.
Calliope smiled as she appeared out of her car and nudged me to follow the girls as they strutted into the mall.
“Is this normal?” I asked indicating the six Guards.
“Not usually, but we can’t be too careful in this situation.”
We kept up following right behind the group. As we walked through the entrance of the mall, a sharp blade ripped through me. Something was wrong, really wrong. Flames burned through me as if my whole soul was engulfed in fire.
“Argh!” I groaned, signaling for her to stop walking.
Calliope turned around, and transitioned next to me, placing a hand on my back. But her touch just intensified the burning.
“Don’t—” I sputtered.
“What’s wrong?” She signaled to Cooper.
Cooper appeared next to us. “What’s happening?”
“It’s here,” I choked through the pain. “I feel her True Soul.”
Chapter Five (#ulink_fd10a999-d2bd-5976-8304-ba51e1e1d9e6)
The only time I’d experienced a True Soul go through that much agony was when Aaron had waited too long to reunite the True Soul with the human body. I’d never wanted to feel that again yet here I was. Surges of unyielding emotions ripped through me. Ally’s True Soul was calling to me. It wasn’t ready to be reunited with her soul, but it knew she was nearby and yearned to keep its distance.
“She can’t be here,” I said to Cooper. “If it gets too close to her, her soul could be removed from her body.” Why anyone would want to do that was beyond me, and I didn’t dare think of the consequences.
Cooper fixed his gaze on Calliope, his voice commanding. “Callie, I’m going to her. You two, find it!” He disappeared.
I dodged through the crowd of mall patrons, cringing each time one of them came close or brushed past me, but I kept pushing. We finished searching the top floor and made our way down to the one below.
The True Soul continued to call to me though it didn’t give away its position but I knew I was getting closer when a tugging sensation pulled me toward a railing overlooking the food court.
Where the rest of the mall had scattered patrons, the food court area packed in enough humans to be well over capacity. They swarmed the food stands and milled about, looking for places to sit.
I shivered. I didn’t want to go down there unless absolutely necessary.
Scanning the area I saw kids attached to their mothers by short ropes, elderly groups moving slowly with their trays, and a considerable amount of teenage girls, but none of them stuck out to me as a threat.
“Oh my God! Are you serious?” Ally’s laughter rang out.
I turned to see Ally and her friends step away from a coffee cart, each holding a steaming cup. Cooper and the rest of the Guard were in a tight formation around the girls as they made their way to a descending escalator.
“It’s down there!” I yelled to Cooper.
He shouted orders to his Guard and a few of them appeared in the food court; they spread out among the crowd. At least they had it covered.
“Where?” Calliope asked her eyes darting around the food court.
I shook my head. “I’m not sure exactly. It’s down there but whoever has it is concealed pretty well.”
Then Ally’s high-pitched scream ripped through the air.
We all watched helplessly as her body soared over the moving escalator stairs. Her coffee sailed over the railing, splattering the people below. The now wet targets shouted up at her, but when they saw the falling girl, their shouts were silenced.
Ally’s body slammed into each step. Bones crunched and joints popped with each hit. She tried to stop her fall by grabbing for anything. Her hands rubbing against the glass partition, making her attempt for leverage useless. Heather’s screams matched Ally’s but by the time Ally hit the floor Heather was the only one still screaming.
I bolted down the escalator after Ally, not caring that I’d just passed through Heather and Krystal’s bodies. I knelt beside Ally and leaned down close to her body. Her breaths were shallow, but present.
She was alive! But for how long?
A crowd had gathered around us and I couldn’t see around them so I stood up. None of the Guard were in sight.
Where had they gone?
“Hey! She’s still alive!” I shouted, twisting around, desperately trying to see over the concerned patrons. Why was no one helping her?
Then I saw them. Cooper, Calliope and the other Guard were on the second floor. They stood in a line, side by side, their backs facing me with their swords raised. A chill ran through me.
Cooper didn’t look over the side but I heard him clearly. “Maggie, protect her!” Then his body disappeared from view as he ran toward the unseen threat.
The patrons were oblivious to the battle that raged above; they focused on what they could see – the twisted body of the pale, yet still beautiful girl crumpled on the floor. I looked over at Heather and Krystal, who were carefully making their way down the escalator, both on their cell phones.
I knelt down again next to Ally and reached out to touch her skin. Even though the sensation was unpleasant, I could feel her pulse as it rapidly declined.
“No,” I moaned. I looked up again to see if any of the Guard could help, but no one was around.
I looked back down at Ally. Her face was paling by the second. My soul started to tingle. I leaned closer to her body, reaching my hand out to touch her face again, when her arm moved toward mine.
I jumped back.
Heather pushed through the crowd. “Did she just move? Did I see her move?” Streaks of black mascara ran down her cheeks.
A ringing sensation tickled my ear and I tuned in to the True Soul’s presence. I looked at each human. The True Soul was close, but who had it? They all seemed equally shocked at the tragedy.
