Читать книгу Soul Taken - Katlyn Duncan - Страница 11

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.

“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.”