Soul Seers Complete Set (2 page)

I quickly looked down at my
sketchbook to avoid the scolding gazes of my judgmental classmates. I wanted to
hold my head up high to prove to these people I was not a chickenshit that hid
behind her sketches and smarts. But my immediate reaction betrayed me and I
bowed my head, biting my lip to stifle the smile I wanted to unleash at the
fact I answered the professor’s question to his satisfaction.

Unfortunately, while I could avoid
their stares, I couldn’t avoid their thoughts. Murmurings of
weirdo
and
know-it-all
swam through my brain. Their reactions to my knowledge
of the painting were actually comical.

Suddenly, their thoughts shifted
away from me and toward the guy who just walked through the door. Unsure of
what I was reacting to, my body immediately sparked to life, like an engine
finally turning over in an old automobile. A different aura filled the room and
all the cold thoughts surrounding me were suddenly blanketed with warmth.

Wow, he’s a looker…

Oh my. Look at that hair. I hope he sits over here!

Damn! He’s hot. Wonder how I can get him to notice me.

Holy bucket of biceps! I’d like to sink my teeth into that
a…

The girls’ thoughts were going
wild and I couldn’t help but chuckle at their shallow cognitions. One girl
looked my way, obviously wondering what I was snickering about.

Out of curiosity, I looked up. You
know what they say… curiosity killed the cat. When I brought my eyes front and
center, I locked stares with a pair of beautiful, green eyes. Green eyes that
brought shame to the most magnificent of emerald gems. As obvious as my attraction
was, I couldn’t seem to look away. There’s definitely something to be said for
lust at first sight.

And it definitely was lust. I had
never reacted to a man like I did at that moment. It was all I could do to keep
my ass planted on the stool and not streak toward him and pounce on him like an
excited house cat high on catnip.

Finally gaining some semblance of
control and forcing myself to retract my focus, I trailed my gaze from head to
toe and took him all in.

Holy sack of suckers. I don’t think I am going to survive
this encounter without making myself out to be some sort of fool.

Standing next to Mr. Burns was a
wickedly handsome guy with dark, short hair, longer on top, and a tight black
t-shirt over disheveled blue jeans. Immediately, all the murmuring thoughts
faded away as he smiled at me. All the ogling voices in the room silenced as my
focus penetrated every inch of this man. It was as if no one else in the room
even existed.

Seems so cliché, I know. But I
have no other way of explaining the piercing connection I felt when he looked
at me with such power and intensity. Plus, a girl is allowed to fantasize about
lust at first sight, right? Guys already patented their lust for T-and-A. Us
girls? We deserve to claim our romantic fantasies.

Feeling as though he could see my
inner most secrets, I blushed and looked away.
Did I actually just blush?
The uproar from all the voices suddenly
reverberating back into my head was nearly deafening, causing me to wince. I
had to control the overpowering urge to look back into his piercing green eyes,
wondering if it was my focus on him that caused the voices to quell. I’m sure
he probably has a million girls who throw themselves at him daily. Plus, he’s
probably just as shallow as they are, if not more. Most beautiful men tend to
be total jerks… or gay.

I had to stifle a snicker at the
last thought.
Christ, I hope he’s not
gay.

“Ahh, yes, Mr. Chantrey, we were
just discussing a classic painting by Edgar Degas. Please, find a seat anywhere
and we will continue,” Mr. Burns said as he gestured towards the empty stool
near the back… near me.

He’s coming to sit near me! Lord. Ok, keep your cool, Hugh.
He’s just a guy. It’s not like you have a chance anyway.

The gorgeous man headed towards me
and grabbed a stool at the same high-top wood table I always sat at…
alone
. With a light scraping noise, he
inched the stool closer to me and sat down. The smell of leather and a hint of
cologne wafted in my direction, making my hand grip the edge of the table and
my eyes flutter shut at the thought of him so close.
Get a hold of yourself, dumbass!
My heart began to pound in my
chest and my lungs expanded with rapid breaths.
Why is this guy affecting me so much? It’s baffling. I’ve never been…

My thoughts were cut off by a
confident voice.
You affect me too,
sweetheart. With that golden-blonde hair falling over your cute face. Man, you
smell great. Wonder what your name is.

My head immediately jerked in his
direction to meet a smirking hottie looking at me from the side.
What? What did you just say?

His smile dropped and his brows
furrowed as his head turned in my direction and his stare intensified.
I said, I wonder what your name is. There’s
no way you can know what I’m sa…

Holy Hell! You… I can’t believe you can hear me!
My thoughts practically squealed as I bit my lip in an
attempt to stifle my audible voice.
No.
It’s not possible
, I thought as I shook my head.
Just a coincidence. Just a coincidence. He can’t really hear you.
You’re such a nutcase.

He suddenly chuckled and projected
his thoughts directly to me.
Your name is
‘Holy Hell?’

I gasped as I looked directly at
him and covered my mouth with my hand. I felt my fingers shake slightly against
my lips, clearly going into shock over the situation.

“Ella? Are you ok?” Jesse
whispered as she leaned from her table towards me. Even though I didn’t know
anyone in this class very well, Jesse seemed nice and her thoughts always
seemed to confirm her sincerity. I had to look in her direction to make sure
she actually spoke to me. There is nothing more embarrassing than answering a
question someone didn’t actually ask out loud.

Looking in Jesse’s direction, I
just nodded and briefly smiled.

Ella. Such a pretty name
,
the confident voice said, cutting off all the other muffled voices in my head.

I looked back toward the pair of
eyes swirling with shimmering dark emeralds. I was completely speechless… or,
thoughtless.

For once, Ella is thoughtless. Call the President. Sound
the National Guard. It’s definitely a day to remember.

I’ve never met someone like you, Ella. Someone… someone
like me actually
, he thought as he looked
down and lightly tapped his finger on the table.

Someone like you? You mean… are you a soul seer?

He turned slightly in my
direction, smiled, and winked. He winked and I swooned. Shit. I never swoon.

Do you have a name?
I
thought as I turned my false-attention towards the teacher babbling at the
front of the room. I was definitely not paying attention, but I didn’t need him
calling me out again.

Jonah. Jonah Chantrey. You really think my eyes are like
dark swirls of shimmering emeralds?

I blushed as I smiled and bit my
lip.
Nice to meet you, Jonah. I’ve never
met someone else like me either… other than my mother.

“Well, class,” Mr. Burns
interrupted, causing me to start slightly in my seat. Yeah, saying I was on
edge was a complete understatement. “Please work on your first charcoal life
study over the weekend. There are no expectations. I just want to see where
your skill levels are.”

I picked up my sketchbook and bag
as I flashed a small smile at Jonah and made my way to the door.

Ella! Wait!
Jonah’s
voice practically yelled in my head, causing me to jump in surprise. It really
was loud when he projected so strongly. Slowly, I turned and looked in his
direction. Girls were cutting him off and attempting to make conversation with
the hot new student. He murmured ‘excuse me’s and ‘pardon’s as he turned
sideways to dodge their obtrusive bodies. Through his unwanted interactions he
thought,
I’d like to talk with you some more.
Just wait a sec.

I smiled as I watched him dodge
all the bloodthirsty girls tripping him up on his path to me. It really was
comical.

As he approached, he grabbed my
hand and laced his fingers through mine causing me to look at him with wide,
stunned eyes. Before I could think my protest, he projected,
Just play along, please. I need them to
think I’m taken. I want them to think I’m with you.

He wanted them to think he was
with me? Nobody has ever shown an interest in me. It’s as if I’ve been nothing but
an invisible spec to everyone recently.
Get
a hold of yourself, Ella. He’s just trying to get away from all the trolls in
the room. You just happen to be his escape route.

I just smiled as I boldly stood on
my tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. If I was going to pretend, I was going
to do it right and have some fun in the process.
As you wish, Mr. Chantrey.

I could prominently hear the
vulgar protests coming from the flock of girl-minds behind us as we exited the
classroom door together. He continued to hold my hand as we walked into the
bright sun outside of the art building—both of us grinning like fools.

“So, Jonah. Are you actually
taken?” I asked confidently as I walked with him hand-in-hand.
Please, please say no.

“Not yet,” he answered as he smiled
broadly and thought,
but I’d like for you
to take me
.

I glanced at him with a puzzled
look, wondering what he meant, as I asked, “Do you have another class right
now?”

“Not right now. My next class…” he
paused as he took his schedule out of his pocket with one hand while still
holding my hand with the other. “My next class is in two hours in the ceramics
classroom. I think it is in that same building where we just were, right?”

I nodded and mentally did
cartwheels in my head. “Sounds like we have very similar schedules. I’m in the
same class,” I said as we headed toward the courtyard at the center of the
campus.

The courtyard was very large and
spacious, with spokes of sidewalks separating the well-manicured lawns and
leading to the various surrounding buildings. A few scattered oak trees
provided minimal shade, but I enjoyed basking in the sun for a moment. The
classrooms were usually cold and the sun provided enough warmth for my fingers
and toes to thaw.

I made my way over to one of the
larger oak trees and sat down on the grass. This tree in particular had several
vines of jasmine twining around its trunk, making it smell absolutely divine. I
closed my eyes and took in a deep, refreshing breath, smelling the natural
perfume of the flowers lingering in the air. Jonah let go of my hand and sat
down next to me with grace.

The loss of his hand made me
frown, but he only kept his hands off me for a moment.

“Is Ella short for anything?”
Jonah asked, turning toward me and touching my shoulder as he fingered one of
my errant curls.

My heart thumped loudly as I
nodded and thought,
Orella
.

“Interesting,” he said as he
stared off with a pensive look on his face.

“What’s so interesting about my
name?” I asked as I enjoyed his touch on my shoulder and his fingers absently
running through my hair. I closed my eyes and leaned into him slightly,
probably adoring his touch just a little too much.

“I guess you don’t know the
meaning behind Orella?” he asked as he looked at me with wonder. I just shook
my head and projected for him to get on with it.

He chuckled as he explained.
“Orella, I believe, is a Latin variant of oracle. An oracle’s telepathic
abilities vary from simple clairvoyance and mindreading to precognition and
prophecy to telekinesis and mind control.”

“How do you know all this?” I
asked.

“My father is a precog and sees
visions of the future. He has shoved our family history down my throat since I
hit sixteen. I’m surprised you haven’t been taught this stuff. Didn’t you say
that your mom is one of us?”

I nodded and looked down at his
hand that now gently traced my knee. As much as I enjoyed his random touches,
the mention of my mother brought back that feeling of displacement. Complete
and utter madness. “My mom died from a car accident when I was nearly fourteen.
I didn’t even know what I was until the day she died. I thought I was just
crazy.”

His hand tightened its grip on my
knee as he pushed his apology into my mind, his thoughts filled with pity.
I’m so sorry to hear that
.

Suddenly, I felt very exposed. Too
exposed. Not only could this guy read my thoughts, but now he knew about the
one thing that still wakes me up crying each morning.
Now I’m sure he thinks I’m a weak little girl with that revelation.
I stood up and began to wring my fists nervously by my sides as I shifted my
feet from left to right. I suddenly felt the urge to bolt. Coward’s way out, I
know. But, if it meant choosing between being a coward or a big crybaby, I’d
choose to be a coward any day. Talking about my mom was a sure-fire way to start
the waterworks. And I’d be damned if I started crying in front of this man. I
needed to go. Now.

“I’m sorry, Ella. We don’t need to
talk about her. I don’t want you to leave.”

Can we walk around instead?
I projected.
I can’t
stay still. Walking will get my mind off her. We have this entire campus. I’d
like to walk.

He nodded as he stood and offered
me his hand along with a sympathetic smile.

For the next hour and a half, we
walked and talked about nothing and everything. While grabbing a bite to eat at
the cafeteria, we laughed about past experiences with our soul-seeing gifts.
Specifically the funny instances we’ve had with mistaking thoughts for audible
interaction. The fact I had someone to talk to about my abilities made me feel
like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

In ceramics class, we had free
time to spend on the throwing wheel. He was magnificent with his hands, which
brought up all kinds of thoughts in my head. I suddenly wished he wasn’t
clairvoyant because, no doubt, he knew where my perverted mind was headed.

Of course, I couldn’t hide my
amazement of his talents, which caused his ego to flare and clay to fly across
the room when he attempted to show off. If his goal was to make me laugh, it
worked. After he was done playing, he actually made a rather beautiful vase,
which was taller than anything I could ever attempt to make.

It amazed me we had so much in
common. As we were both quietly working on our own pieces, my mind started
going a mile a minute, wondering where he came from, why he was just now
starting in the middle of the college semester, why I hadn’t been blessed with
his charm until now… Then I began thinking about his dad being a precog.
Jonah, did your dad see this connection
between us before it happened?

No. Well, if he did, he didn’t tell me. But, he usually
needs to have some sort of association with a subject in order to receive a
premonition. Of course, he associates with me. But since we are so very close
and emotionally involved, he doesn’t always read me well,
Jonah projected as he looked up at me from his wheel. Our
eyes locked for several moments before he added,
you have the most beautiful amethyst eyes. I could stare at them for
hours, like stars blanketing the night sky.

His striking words made me feel
beautiful as I smiled and looked down at my fingers pulling the sides of my
bowl up with careful consideration.

You don’t need my words to know that you’re beautiful,
sweetness.

Yeah, this man was going to be the
end of my self-control. Every nerve in my body was aware of his presence. And
his charm was borderline cliché, but I could care less. Cliché or not, us women
love to be showered with compliments and affections.

You want to go do something tonight? Maybe dinner?
I asked as we continued throwing.

I have a better idea
,
he thought with a huge smirk on his face.

Oh boy! He didn’t need to twist my
arm. I’d probably follow him to the moon and back if it meant I could keep
staring at that smile of his.

After class, we exchanged cell
numbers and I gave him my address so he could pick me up for a
surprise
, as he put it.

After my mom passed, my dad sort
of went bat-shit crazy. He apologized to me, but said he couldn’t be around me
because I reminded him too much of mom. In all honesty, I understood. It still
hurt, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew I was a near spitting image of my mother. Not
just physically, but also with my mannerisms and how I talked. I was proud to
be like her. To be molded in such close likeness of a strong, beautiful woman
was the highest of compliments. But with that pride also came sorrow, because
it meant my dad couldn’t stand to be near me.

I started living with my Aunt
Sybil after my mom’s death. Our family was rather well off, so my aunt never
had to worry about supporting me. Throughout the years, my father continually
funded my account and hers. Thankfully, I had no problems paying for school and
no need to work while I got my degree.

Just because I live with my aunt,
didn’t mean I ever got to see her though. She had always been somewhat of a free
spirit and marched to the clangs of her own tambourine. Once I became a legal
adult, she started spending most of her time traveling. No matter. I didn’t
mind being alone. As a matter of fact, I welcomed the solitude.

That is, until my chance meeting with
a green-eyed god today. Now I craved to be near him.

I wasn’t even home five minutes
and my phone buzzed, notifying me I had one new text message. It was from
Jonah. My heart began to putter again and I scolded myself for reacting like a
teenage girl at the mere thought of him texting me.

Well, I shouldn’t be so hard on
myself. He was clearly worth every extra heartbeat.

Gathering my bearings and pressing
the message button, I read his text.

I’m so glad I was lucky enough to meet you today, Ella. I can’t
wait to spend time with you tonight. I’ll pick you up at 6.

I couldn’t contain my smile as I
texted back, thanking him and telling him I would be ready. He said he had
dinner plans with his father already, so I would need to fend for myself before
he came by.

I was thankful actually. Being
near him had my stomach so tied in knots, eating may have been a challenge. So,
eating alone gave me the freedom to eat light and without the constant cluster
of butterflies in my tummy.

Just thinking about him seemed to
muffle all the chattering thoughts of nearby neighbors. I guess if my mind is
preoccupied, it has less room to absorb all the other chatter going on around
me. And I definitely didn’t have a problem staying preoccupied with thoughts of
Jonah. That’s for sure.

I suddenly started singing an old
Nat King Cole song:
You’re the Cream in
my Coffee
. My corny thoughts made me chuckle out loud as I turned on the
water and got undressed, humming to the classic lyrics swimming in my head.

You’re the sail of my love boat… ha!

After a long, refreshing shower
and a quick bite to eat, I was ready to go. Since I still had about a half hour
to spare, I decided to curl up on the couch and read from my eReader. My mind
couldn’t seem to focus on the words and I had to keep going back to reread.
After the third time through the same paragraph, I decided I was just too
anxious to pay attention to the book and shut the eReader off.

About quarter to six, and just as
I thought I would jump out of my skin in anticipation, the doorbell rang. I was
very excited that he was early. I sprang up from the couch and had to stop
myself from sprinting to the door.

Control yourself, Ella. Jesus.

I took a couple more deep breaths,
waited a few moments, and then opened the door.