Soul Taken

“You are finished.”

I flailed my arms up, slapping them at my side. “Hardly!”

Felix’s eyes darkened. “I’m not asking. I’m telling.”

I pressed my lips together. We stood in silence, staring into the sprawling After. Bright pinks and purples streaked across the endless sky. Collectors and Guards wandered the streets below.

“Not every soul is made for this life,” Felix said suddenly. “But every soul is given a choice. Aaron’s lack of Collecting abilities didn’t make him not meant for life here. His compassion for humans and their well-being are a few of the essentials that all the Guard possess.”

“Yet his skills at doing a simple Collection didn’t disqualify him? He couldn’t even transition to G7 properly; how is he supposed to be in charge of a human life?”

“His unwillingness to take life is a strength of his.” Felix turned the full force of his gaze on me.

“So my willingness to take life is a weakness? You need Collectors!”

“The role of Soul Collector is extremely important, and you do it with efficiency and grace. But the Guard works differently. Most of the time they work as a team.”

“I can work as a team,” I said. “I work as a team every day training the new recruits.”

“And you are a great trainer but when you are finished do you make time to interact with them outside of a mission?”

I crossed my arms. “When I’m done training I have my own cases.”

“Because you requested to have more,” he said. “Maggie, I’m not putting anyone’s job at a higher level than the other. All are cut from different cloth. Just as Aaron wasn’t meant for Soul Collecting, you…”

“That job was mine,” I said through gritted teeth. “My record is perfect and I deserved that job; you’d said so yourself.”

“Things change,” he said, his golden gaze trained on mine.

No way was this conversation over. The most recent Guard that underwent the Recycling process, Ani, had said I was a shoo in for the job. I thought his recommendation had meant something.

“What changed in the week from Ani’s Recycling? You’d said I could have the position if I kept my record—”

“Your record is far from perfect,” Felix snapped.

I clenched my jaw. “I think you should reconsider counting the trainees’ record against mine. It’s not my fault that they don’t listen. It’s not fair. Not for this position. I deserve it.”

“Please enlighten me,” Felix said.

I straightened and ticked the reasons off my fingers. “I am a hard worker. I get the job done quickly and efficiently. I take on more cases than half the team. And besides the blemishes that you insist on counting against me, I do have a perfect record.”

“Those are all great qualities for a Soul Collector, but not one for a Guard.” Felix moved away from me toward his desk. “Aaron is more suited to the position. And maybe if you show me something different, when the next spot opens up I might consider you.”

I balked. “When will that be? In my hundred years under your service there hasn’t been a single promotion.”

Felix said nothing.

“So that’s it?” I said.

“I’ve made my decision,” he said.

Conversation over.

I clenched my jaw. “If I work harder to fit into your idea of a Guard, I want to know that you are going to actually consider me.”

Or else what was the damn point of all this? I might as well be Recycled if there wasn’t any point to working so hard. I could be an idiot like Aaron and get the job no problem.

“If you can show me that you are capable of the job, then I’ll consider it.”

That was the best I was going to get at that moment. The Caeleste could be quite stubborn.

“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.