Soul Taken

“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.”

Chapter Five

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.

An uncomfortable pressure in my chest drew me closer to her body. My soul slanted toward hers until I was practically on top of her. I helplessly watched my hand morph and stretch toward her body.

“What the—?” I tried to pull back but the strength of whatever was happening had other ideas. My hand disappeared first, then my arm, then my torso.

But before I could call for help, my world went dark.

A suffocating heat pressed all points of my soul. Even though I hadn’t breathed in a hundred years, I felt the need to inhale, yet I couldn’t. A fire burned in my chest.

I attempted to open my eyes, to move one finger, a toe maybe, but the pressure immobilized my body. The burning sensation tore through me over and over until I had just about given up the fight.

But, just as quickly as the pressure came, it lifted, bringing a seemingly endless barrage of images. I was experiencing someone else’s memories, as if I took a back seat in her mind and watched her life flash before our eyes. I caught her image in a mirror, a small golden-haired girl.

Ally?

I tried to slow the images or possibly make sense of them but, just as I grabbed a hold on one of them, it slipped through my fingers and moved onto the next. I followed this girl through all the moments of her life as her memories flashed before my eyes.

Darker emotions overlapped the girl’s happy memories. I saw a young red-haired girl in an old-fashioned dress; her demure eyes looked back at me. Jealousy flared through me. My heart squeezed, watching this girl who was not part of Ally’s memories. A rush of energy pumped through my body; the power touched every fiber of my soul. Then the vision dissolved and I was forced back to experiencing Ally.

Was I dreaming?

Souls didn’t dream. I told myself firmly.

The visions started to slow and I was able to focus on one.

I had to tell them, even though Dad said I couldn’t. But in a week I wouldn’t be the same girl. Or would I? I still wasn’t clear on everything. Becoming a Guard: it was my life’s mission, he had said. A life that was no longer my own. Would it be easier to let this life slip away? I would regret each day if I didn’t. Maybe I would start with Seth. Sweet Seth. He’d be crushed, but someone would take my place. Dad had said something about people—humans—was I not human? Humans were drawn to those like me. Maybe Seth only liked me because I was different, unexplainably different.