Soul Seers Complete Set (28 page)

Driving home from Ella’s house made me feel empty—like
something was missing.

“Oh yeah, my heart,” I said to no one in particular.

Christ, I was such a sap. I was acting like I couldn’t go five
minutes without her. The truth was, I didn’t
want
to go five minutes without her. But, I knew I had to. She
still lived with her mother and that kind of stuff can get a little messy.
Plus, we haven’t technically been together for very long. A little time apart
is good for us, right?

“Yeah, whatever you want to believe,” I said, chastising myself
again.

It didn’t take long for me to get to my apartment. Before I
climbed out, I looked over and noticed Ella’s little sweater sitting on the
passenger seat. Picking it up, I brought it to my nose and sniffed.

Yes, I was being weird, but I know any girl fanning herself over
some boy would do the same thing.

The sweater smelled just like her.

“Jasmine,” I whispered.

Balling the thin fabric into my hand, I locked up the Charger and
headed for my door. Before reaching the top step, I could hear Jay’s thoughts
while he flipped through the TV channels.

“Hey, Jay. Whatta’ya say?” I rhymed as I entered the door.

“You know I hate it when you do that,” he seethed, while still
clicking the remote with vigor.

“That’s what makes it funny,” I said, making my way to the
kitchen. God, I was starving.

“Where’s your girl?” Jay asked.

With condiments for a sandwich cluttering my arms and a piece of
cheese hanging from my mouth, I peeked over the fridge door and looked at my
friend. He still sat on the couch, staring at the boob tube like a zombie,
waiting for me to answer his unnecessary question.

His attraction to Ella was beginning to get on my nerves. Yeah,
she was beautiful, but that didn’t give him a reason to be gawking after her
and asking about her whereabouts.

Tossing the stuff for my sandwich on the counter, I bit through
the cheese slice and asked, “Why does it matter where Ella is?”

“Slow your roll, Jonah. I was just asking because I have my
girlfriend coming over soon and Ella kinda jumped down her throat the other
night for no reason. I just didn’t want any more issues,” he explained with his
hands up in a defensive stance.

“Ella is at her house and won’t be coming over tonight,” I
answered quietly. “And Ella didn’t mean anything by that. She thought she heard
you say something to her and things were misunderstood. That’s all.”

Jay just nodded, accepting my weak story. It only took me a minute
to scarf down my sandwich so I could get the hell out of dodge before his
girlfriend came over.

Damn, I couldn’t even remember her name.

“Kay, Jay. I’m taking a quick shower and crashing. I have to pull
a double at Lavendine tomorrow now that Eve is gone,” I said with a wave.

“I already made plans tomorrow, otherwise I’d help.”

“I know, man. It’s all right. I want to show Ella the ropes
anyway.” Before he could respond, I made my way down the hall.

Jay’s mind stayed fairly quiet as he remained comfortably numb in
front of the television. It was a good thing too because after stuffing my
face, I seriously needed to crash.

Texting Ella was in the forefront of my mind before I hopped in
the shower.

Jay has his girl coming over in just a bit. Hope I fall asleep
before she gets here so I don’t have to listen to any of their mind games.

Hearing the phone buzz with a message, I hurried up with my
two-minute shower so I could check it.

Eww. Well, my night has been eventful so far. My mom could tell.

Her mom could tell? What did she mean by that?

Just as I typed the words,
She could tell wh—,
it hit me.
Ella definitely looked stronger and more vibrant ever since this morning. She
had a newfound confidence about her that was truly stunning. And, I’m only
guessing her mom could tell there was a change.

Erasing the text before I could send it, I sent her a different
inquiry.

And how’d that go?

I didn’t even want to put the phone down as I slipped on some
boxer briefs.

Very well actually. She said she was
happy for us.

Huh. Well, not the response I was expecting, but I couldn’t
exactly argue with the woman. I was happy for us too.

Really? That bad, huh?

Grabbing my charger from the table beside my bed, I plugged in my
phone and looked up at my drawing of Ella on the horse. My phone buzzed on the
wooden surface, bringing my attention back to the real world.

LOL

I guess she couldn’t think of anything better to say to my corny
joke.

I love you. I’ll pick you up at 9
tomorrow if that’s okay?

The vibrating response was almost immediate.

Can’t wait. Love you too.

Placing my phone back on the nightstand, I grabbed the light
remote and plummeted myself into darkness.

Sleep eluded me.

After texting Jonah, I was hoping to fall asleep as soon as my
head hit the pillow. No such luck.

The neighbors’ thoughts were rattling on about inane things,
causing an ache to form between my ears. The lady who lived behind us was
mentally bitching about how she had to cook
and
clean up the mess, while her husband propped his feet up and watched the
ballgame. A little boy next door thought loudly how much he hated his sister
and wished she would let him into her room. I could hear him plot an attack by
laying various Lego blocks outside her door.

The thoughts rambling around in my head were just too much for me
to handle as my mind continued in overdrive.

Peeking over at the clock, I noticed it was nearing midnight. The
glowing digits seemed to laugh at me, taunt me, while I struggled to break free
from the insomnia that held me hostage.

Just as I felt myself sinking into the plush pillow top, deeper
with each passing moment, I suddenly jerked awake with the feeling I was
missing something important. Each time my heart began to slow, I would suddenly
jolt and its rhythm would increase its pace once again.

I considered the possibility that I was apprehensive about the
uncertainty of what would happen once I crossed over into my dreams. The worry
continued to occupy the back of my mind, allowing the night to take sides and
war with my need for rest.

I had to be confident I could keep control—otherwise my
nerves would clearly be the death of me. Deciding I no longer wanted to be held
captive by the fear that clouded my mind, I talked myself into letting go of
the uncertain.

“Calm,” I coaxed to myself. “Breathe and block.” Closing my eyes,
I counted to five. With a deep inhale, I tried to hold my breath and push all
the negative thoughts away, focusing solely on my inner core. Exhaling helped
me cleanse my battered brain of all the clutter and allowed me a moment of
peace so I could attempt sleep once again.

My foggy thoughts
wandered. Space. Stars. Illuminated darkness.

Warmth settled
around my body—the exact opposite of what I expected to feel. As the
feeling of muggy heat continued to surround me, I examined my surroundings.

Hearing water and
feeling the humidity increase, I realized I was near a waterfall deep in the
jungle. No city lights drowned out the bright stars overhead.

“What are you doing
here?” a voice demanded from behind me.

Even though I didn’t
hear her approach, her presence also didn’t alarm me. I knew who I was
following and I felt a bit of relief I had tracked her successfully.

“I would have come
to you,” Jesse said as I turned to look at her.

“This place is
beautiful. Where are we?” I asked. I knew we were in her dream, so she either
imagined this place or had experienced it in the past.

“Costa Rica. I
remember my grandfather bringing me here when I was younger,” she answered,
while making her way over to a set of rocks. Settling down on top of one, she
continued to explain her dreamscape. “This waterfall is my strongest memory of
our trip.”

Sitting down on a
rock next to her, I examined the girl who I once thought of as my friend.

“You do understand
why I’m so confused, right?” I asked, knowing darn well she knew how hurt I
felt over her betrayal.

Nodding, she didn’t
speak a word at first. She just sat with her hands beneath her legs and stared
down at the water trickling past our feet below the rocks. I let her sit and
think for a moment, knowing she was attempting to choose her words wisely.

“At first it was
just an assignment,” she finally blurted out. Looking in my direction, her eyes
begged for me to understand. “Then I got to know your mom and eventually you.
Now my concern is even more prominent because I actually care for you all.”

“That’s what I don’t
get. What’s to be so concerned about?”

“Now I know you’re
not dumb, Ella. You know that blood transfusion is the whole reason I was
assigned to stalk you and Jonah. You may not want to admit to it, but it was a
huge mistake for Divinus to make that decision,” she deadpanned.

“So, he was supposed
to just let me die? Is that it? The Sideri would rather a Soul Seer die than
for our own kind to rescue each other?” I waited for her to answer, but instead
watched her grab her head and run her fingers through her long, dark hair. Her
face grimaced, almost as if she was in some sort of pain.

“You just don’t get
it,” she whispered, while continuing to hold her head in her hands and shake it
back and forth.

“No, I don’t get it.
That’s why I need you. I need you to explain…” That seemed to strike a nerve.
She sat up and looked at me, an imaginary light bulb going off above her head.

“Okay. I’m going to
tell you a story—a story that has completely changed my life and the
lives of many Soul Seers,” she said, before pausing as if she needed to gather
some strength to tell me what was on her mind.

“About a century
ago, a male Soul Seer decided to start a blood bank comprised of only Soul-Seer
blood. His initial reasons seemed very legit because there were so many
unknowns with the human to Soul-Seer blood ratio. When a Soul Seer donated
blood, their information was categorized based on age, ethnicity, health, blood
type—pretty much everything that humans use. The only difference was Soul
Seers had the additional abilities category. The abilities also had to be
factored in when matching up donors and patients.”

Taking a deep
breath, Jesse continued. “Unknown to all the donors, this man was using some of
the blood on himself as an experiment… to see if his powers would increase. He
became stronger, and with that strength came corruption. He was blood hungry
and began seeking out other Soul Seers who had abilities he wanted. If they
didn’t willingly donated, he took extreme measures to make sure he got his
hands on their blood. His desperation for power consumed him, making him a very
dangerous, immoral man.”

“Does the Sideri
think I will turn into a monster because of this?” I asked, knowing that was
what she had been getting at and confident she was wrong on so many levels.

“Just wait. I’m not
done yet,” she said, holding her hand up as if to gesture for me to shut it. I
nodded for her to continue. “So, after this man was eliminated, the Soul Seer
Blood Bank was destroyed and the Sideri forbade blood transfusions between our
kind, even when they knew it was the only choice in dire situations. Even
though they did ask me to keep tabs on you and Jonah because of their
suspicions, I have more personal reasons for my involvement in this.”

Leaning over, Jesse
wrapped her arms around her midsection as if she was trying desperately to hold
herself in one piece. I could tell she was in pain—an emotional pain so
deep, it was hard for her to even consider speaking it out loud.

“God, this is so
hard,” she whispered as a tear trickled down her milky-white cheek. To let her
know I was here for her, I placed my hand on hers, hoping to show her the
friendship we had developed over time. I didn’t say anything because I knew my
words would be nothing but unnecessary promises to someone so consumed with
emotional turmoil.

“My grandfather
suffered the same fate as the man who started the blood bank,” Jesse blurted
out. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she looked at me with such sorrow my heart
ached. “The same thing happened to him—a hunting accident left him in
need of blood. Unbeknownst to me, a doctor friend of his decided his life was
worth saving and, knowing his blood type matched that of my grandfather, he
transfused him with his own blood. He healed up nicely, but the blood was like
a drug to him. He began to crave it like his life depended on more in order to
survive. The doctor refused to help him any further and ended up losing his
life because of it.”

Jesse’s hands shook
as she continued with her heartbreaking story. “When my grandfather came after
me, I had no choice. It wasn’t even him anymore. It was a rabid version of
him—a monster stuck inside his skin.”

She then looked deep
into my eyes, and with a sob, said, “I had no choice. I had to defend myself.”

I awoke only to find my lungs empty. Gasping for air, I couldn’t
help but let out an audible cry. Nearly breaking down into a fit of tears, I
composed myself quickly and sprang out of bed. Wearing nothing but my little
night shorts and a tank, I ran out the front door and sprinted to Jesse’s house
next door. Considering it was now three in the morning and Jesse’s parents
weren’t home yet again, if they even were her parents, I knew I wouldn’t be
bothering anyone but her.

Before I had a chance to beat down the door, it swung open,
revealing Jesse’s startled form.

“Ella!”

“Jess!”

We both spoke simultaneously, saying each other’s names with
breathless exclamation. Not hesitating in the slightest, I sprang forward and
grasped onto her with all my strength. Friend or foe, no one should have to go
through the emotional torment she had to face with the death of her
grandfather. A hug felt so inadequate in comparison, but I knew it was all I
had to offer.

“Now do you see why I’m so worried?” she mumbled as she backed
away and wiped vigorously at her tear-stained face.

Yeah, I understood her worry. I also had a ton of questions that I
wasn’t sure she was composed enough to answer.