Redheads are Soulless (7 page)

“I see you
have
n’t
changed
,” Robbie laughed
, and turned to Jason
. “Feisty little thing
, isn’t she?
”

“Stay away from me,” I yelled at
him
.

“Come on,
sweetheart
, you don’t mean that.” His voice disgusted me. “I can show you things you could have never dreamt of. I can rock your world.”

“Robbie, stop,” Jason stepped in front of me. “Leave her alone. She’s not a toy you can mess with. She is a
human being
. I am in love with her.”

I gasped, at his confession, and Robbie laughed. “
Oh how sweet, you love her,” h
is
voice held a very sweet, sarcastic tone. “
But I know you better than anybody else. You can’t lie to me
…
Y
ou and I both know that she isn’t
human
.
I don’t trust you with her
.
I know what you’re doing.
”

I wanted to take a moment to think about the fact that Jason confessed his love for me, but I was too mad at Robbie. “You need to leave,
now
,” I said angrily at him. My voice
was full of malice and hate as
I spoke to him. It shocked me.

“That’s right, get angry. Let it all out.” Robbie reached his hand up to touch my face, and I knocked it down hard, burning his hand in the process. “You little b…” I touched his arm
again
, making him scream. He fell to his knees.

“I… said… leave!”
I took my hand off Robbie’s arm, and he was up and out the door at inhuman speeds.

Jason looked up at me in awe. “How did you do that?”

“How come you didn’t tell me you weren’t
human
? And that your
brother
killed my dad?” I tried to sound angry, but it came out all wrong. “What are you?
What am I?
”

I looked up to see that
people were standing around us.

“I think it’s best if we take this
somewhere else
,” Jason said firmly.

I nodded my head once and headed out the door and into the parking lot. I stopped abruptly, and turned around to face Jason.

“We
a
re somewhere else
now
.
So talk.”

“Come with me.” I followed him to his car. He opened the door, and I hesitantly got inside. I still wasn’t sure I could trust him – I just found out he wasn’t human.
Then again, apparently I’m not
either
… He shut my door and walked around to the driver’s seat and got in.

We drove for a few minutes before he spoke.

“Did you know
there are legends that say redhead
s don’t have souls?”

I snorted sarcastically. “Really? You’re going to tell me about some bogus legend?”

Jason smiled sadly. “Well there are records all throughout time t
hat shows redheads being crucified
fo
r that very reason. They
would
do i
t
because their hair was the color of fire, so surely they belonged to the devil.”

“Are you trying to tell me I don’t have a soul?”

“Don’t be
ridiculous,” he smiled. “Of course you have a soul…”

“Continue.”

“Right, well… the legends weren’t completely true, but they did have some truth to them… You see certain redheads have
abilities
.”

I gasped. “The broken glass and the lights…”

He nodded his
head
. “Exactly… You are special, Sofie.”

“So, it’s true… I really am a freak
,
”
I said while shaking my head.

“You’re not a freak… You’re just not exactly
human
,” he answered.
“You’re a roggera.”

“And my mom?”

“She’s human,” he answered.

“Was my dad human?”

Jason shook his head. “
No, he wasn’t.
We have to stop my brother before he kills you too.”

“What are you?”

“Me and
my brother are quartheras.”

“Ok – so what exactly does it mean that I’m a roggera? And why does your brother want me dead?”

“See, me and my brother are… different. Robbie, he
’s
not good. About a thousand years ago, your dad put a curse on him. Now, he’s trying to get revenge,” he explained.
It seemed like he was lying
, but I didn’t question it. I had no reason not to trust him.
“The only way for the curse to be lifted is for your father to be killed.”

“Wait, wait – my father has been alive for more than a thousand year
s
?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing… It was all too weird.

“Yes. Sofie, you’re immortal.”

“So all redheads are rogerras?” I asked.

He sighed. “No, there are just a few of them. You being one of the few.”

“Ok, so if he needs my dad to die for the curse to be lifted, no problem. My dad is already dead. Why
is he coming after me?” I asked, still trying to grasp what he was telling me.

“See, that’s the thing. Your dad passed on a part of himself into you. So killing your dad did nothing. Now, for the curse to be lifted, he has to kill you.”

I swallowed hard. “So Robbie is going to kill me?”

“No. I won’t let him kil
l you,” Jason said confidently.

“How are we going to stop him?”
I threw my hands up
.

“We are not going to… I am
going to kill him, Sof
.
” Jason tried to sound sad, but I could tell the thought of killing his brother made him happy.

“You would kill your own brother for
me
?”

He nodded. “I don’t think you realize how much you mean to me.”

“But he’s family,” I protested… I don’t know why I was trying to convince him to be on his brother’s side. “I’m just a random girl you met a couple months ago.”

“You’re not just some random girl. I came here to protect you, and somehow, somewhere along the way – I fell in love with you.”

“What do you mean you came here to protect me?” Then, his words finally hit me,
“You love me?” I repeated.

“Is that so hard to believe?”

I nodded my head.

“Wait, so yo
u believe that you and I are not human
, but you refuse to believe that I love you?” he confirmed.

“Pretty much.” After hearing him say it though, it did sound silly.

“Well, believe it, because it’s true. I love you.
” It took a few moments for his words to sink in.

He loves me... Jason Morgan loves me!

Wow.

Seven

No plan

“So what’s the plan?” I asked as we
walked into Jason’s house
.

He sent me a sideways smile. “I actually don’t have a plan.”

I laughed nervously. “Oh.”
Now
I was s
cared. “Is my mom going to be safe
?”

I kn
e
w that I shouldn’t care if she wa
s going to be safe
. It’s not like she valued her own life, but I
did
care, and I probably always would. No matter how bad she treats me, no matter how bad she hurts me
daily
, I will always love my crazy mother. She is all I have left.

“She’s going to be fine,” he promised. “Robbie wants you, not her.”

“Ok, so what about school?”

“We’
ll go back tomorrow. By then they will have reported the incident as a freak power surge, and the kids will have forgotten our conversation by then. Teenagers are so easily distracted…” he cut off, looking at me. “Well, not you. You’re not like the others.”

Normally, I would be offended by a statement like that. Being different sucks, but somehow Jason makes it
seem ok
. And, I know he didn’t mean it offensively.

“Also, you probably shouldn’t go home.”

My heart stopped momentarily. Who was going to take care of my mom?

I think he knew what I was thinking, so he continued talking. “You’re about to be 18, and graduate high school. It’s about time your mom learned to take care of herself, Sofie. You have to be selfish right now. You could
die
,” he said the last word pointedly, so that I would understand the seriousness of the situation.

I nodded. He was right, but the truth hurt.

He pulled my chin
up
so I was looking at him. “If it makes you feel better, we can stop by after school and you can check on her and pack some clothes.”

I nodded sadly. “That sounds great.”

He smiled at me, and I attempted to smile back, but I failed.

“What about your brother? Will he be back at school again tomorrow?” I asked.

He sighed angrily. “I’m afraid my brother is very persistent. I don’t think he will try anything like that again, but he will for sure taunt yo
u.” I was sure an annoyed look came over
my face, he laughed. “I’ve been around him f
or thousands of years – think about
me
. He follows me around everywhere I go.”

“So what is this curse my dad put on Robbie?”

Jason just shrugged. “I honestly have no clue. I’ve tried to figure it out, but I can’t. Robbie is very secretive.”
Again, I felt like he was lying, or at the very least holding something back. I would figure it out eventually.

“I was just wondering what about it was so important. I mean, maybe I could break it for him,” I shrugged.

He shook his head. “No way, I would never let you do that. Whatever your dad did, he did it for a reason.”

“I guess you’re right,” I sighed.

I didn’t want this mess. I just wanted my
not so great
life back, because at least then, nobody wanted me dead. Then, I was just a normal seventeen year old girl, dreaming about the future. Now, I’m a freakish non-human one, who can break stuff with her mind.

“Do my… umm…
powers
only work when I get mad?” I asked curiously.

He laughed. “No. They’re just enhanced when you get mad.” He picked up a pillow off the couch. “Think about lifting this pillow with your mind.”

I looked at him curiously, but I didn’t question. I focused on the pillow and imagined it floating. At first, nothing happened, but then suddenly the pillow floated just inches above his head.

“I did it!” I said excitingly, breaking concentration. The pillow came down and hit him in the head. I laughed.

“Good thin
g
we weren’t practicing with a brick,” he joked. “It’ll get easier the more you practice.”

“What if I don’t want this?” I asked. “What if I want a normal life?”

“Normal isn’t an option,” he answered. “I mean, you can continue your life as normal, but you’re immortal. You will eventually stop aging, and people
will
notice. You will continual
ly be uprooting your life. It’s
just easier to be alone.”

Always alone – well that sound
ed
terrible. Maybe death would be better by comparison.

“Of course,” he cleared his throat, “you always have me… If you want me, that is.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “The question is could you put up with me
forever
.”

He laughed. “Oh, I don’t think I will have a problem.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. After the first few hundred years I might get annoying.”

“Trust me, you
won’t.”

“What a
bout my dad? He married a human.
Did he think my mom wouldn’t notice
he wasn’t aging
?”

“Honestly, I have no clue what he was thinking. He must have really loved her,” he answered the best he could. “I’m sure he would have eventually had to share his secret, or leave. I can’t believe he kept it as long as he did, honestly.”

“So how old will I get? Before I stop aging?”

He shrugged. “I stopped at 19, but you could stop anytime from now until your early 20’s.”

“Shouldn’t I be more excited about eternal youth?”

“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be,”
he said bitterly, “especially when you have an evil
brother whose goal in life is to torture your every moment of existence
.”

I couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped my lips
. I could tell from the look on Jason’s face that he didn’t think it was that funny, but even he smiled a little.

Eternity with him didn’t sound all that bad. The idea w
as
definitely grow
ing
on me.

At 4 o’clock
, as promised, Jason took me to my house so I could check on my mom and get some clothes. She was lying on the couch
,
as usual. This time I got her a glass of water with her migraine medicine. I needed her to know that I would in no way support her drinking habit
… at least not anymore.

She eyed me evilly. “Where’s my beer?”

“It’s Monday, and you have work. You shouldn’t be drinking before you go in. You could lose your job.”

She grumbled under her breath, but took the pills anyway.

“I was just letting you know I will be staying with a friend tonight, and I won’t be home. I just came to get some clothes,” I explained.

She nodded, not even asking where I was going. “Sounds good, I may have company tonight anyway.”

I felt myself stiffen. I didn’t ask who, I didn’t want to know. I just walked to my room and packed everything I could. Jason was waiting for me in his car.

My mom was a completely different person today than she was only a few days ago. She instantly turned cold and bitter.

She didn’t even ask who I was staying with
, I thought painfully.

My lungs felt like they were going to collapse. I held onto my closet door for a moment and willed myself to take
a
breath. It hurt deep.

My own mother broke my heart… literally.

I breathed through the pain and quickly reminded myself that I couldn’t stay here. I had to go with Jason if I wanted to live.

As I packed as much as I could in my small suitcase, I tried to think about only Jason
… Thoughts of him calmed my panic and finally I was able to breathe normally again – well, as normally as I could thinking about
him
.
Once I was certain I had packed everything
,
I walked out into the living room. My mom had a beer in her hand.

“Bye, M
om,” I said as I stopped at the door.

She just waved her freshly opened
can
at me.
She didn’t even say
good-bye
. My heart sank, but as I stepped out of the house and saw Jason waiting for me by
his car, I couldn’t help the happiness that slowly washed over me.

He gave me a hug as I walked up to his car. “Did everything go ok?”

I sighed. “Yes.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push it either. He put my purple suitcase in his trunk, and drove us back to his house.
When we got there, a red car just like his was sitting in the driveway.

“Stay in the car,” he commanded me.

Suddenly, I saw why he
didn’t want me to get out
. Standing in the driveway was his twin brother Robb
ie. My stomach twisted in knots as I watched their confrontation. From the car
,
I could tell they were yelling at each other, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. I fought the urge to roll down the window.

After a few minutes of arguing, Jason, who looked a little deflated, walked back to the car. He opened my door. I sat there and patiently waited for him to talk.

He sighed. “Sofie… Robbie is going to be staying with us for a while.”

My heart s
uddenly felt as though it weighed
one
hundred pounds. “What do you mean? He will just kill me in my sleep.”

“No, he won’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because… as long as I am around, he cannot hurt you,” he explained. “Like physically, he can’t lay a finger on you. You are one hundred percent safe.”

“How can he not hurt me just because you’re around?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

“Because
,
I will protect you,” he promised.

“But you can’
t always
be around,” I protested.

He half-laughed. “Oh, yes I can.”

“So what? We are supposed to spend every waking moment together?” I asked.

He nodded. “Waking, and sleeping.”

“For how long?”

“Forever,” he answered.

I thought about it for a minute… Spending twenty four hours a day with Jason, for the rest of my existence? I could
definitely
get used to this.

He smiled, as if he knew what I was thinking. I was sure that I was blushing, so I cleared my throat. “I guess… umm… we should go inside.”

Jason laughed. “You are adorable.”

“Thanks,” I bit my lip.

He got my suitcase out of the trunk, and we walked hand in hand inside. Robbie, of course, was waiting in the living room for us.

“Oh, how sweet,” he wiped a fake tear from his cheek. “You’re hold
ing
hands.”

I rolled my eyes at him, and a lamp on the table beside him started to rumble.

Robbie held up his hands in defense. “You really should work on that temper, Red.”

Suddenly
,
the lamp shattered. “My name is Sofia, and you will do well to remember. Never, ever call me Red.”

“Sorry, Sofia.” There was something in his eyes, for a split second. I almost believed he was genuinely sorry. But, just as quickly as it came, it
disappeared;
hate filling the place of all his humanity.

“Robbie, you will not torture my girlfriend,” Jason informed him. I was still so mad at Robbie, I couldn’t even smile at the fact that Jason called me his girlfriend.

“Girlfriend?” Robbie laughed. “Is that what she is now? I thought she was just some little pet you were messing around with.”

“I don’t mess around,” I said angrily. I grabbed Jason’s hand and pulled him
towards
his bedroom.

One thing was certain: Robbie was going to get annoying very fast…
I began to second guess whether staying here would be a good thing.

I l
ooked at Jason. He had just laid
down on the bed. He watched me cautiously… I had no doubt, I would put up with Robbie for an eternity if it meant I could keep Jason.

I slid onto the bed and let Jason hold me. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep, but with Jason holding me I felt safe. Within minutes I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.