Soulsearch (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Soulmate Series: Teen Paranormal Romance Book 2) (6 page)

“Yeah, I think so,” Paige hedged, unwilling to admit how much she actually knew about the boy she had secretly been crushing on ever since he tamed his dark red ringlets and started putting some muscles on his tall, skinny frame.
 
I think his first name is Zach or something like that.”

“So what do you know about this guy?” Rider questioned, hungry for details.

“I really don’t know anything about him, Rider,” Paige replied nonchalantly.
 
She knew he was on the wrestling team and that his locker was next to her algebra class and she was pretty sure he didn’t have a girlfriend, but she didn’t think any of those were details that Rider would care about.

“Paige, you have to get close to this guy, find out more about him.
 
Do you know where he lives?
 
Maybe we can go talk to him today…”

“Whoa, Rider, slow down a little bit!
 
We can’t just walk up to this guy and say, ‘Hey, do you happen to share your body with another soul?’ ” Rachel chuckled.

Rider laughed in response, but his posture showed his disappointment.
 
“Promise you’ll try to get to know him and find out anything you can, okay Paige?” he begged.
 
Paige responded with an earnest nod, happy to have a reason to approach him.
 
Anxious to take some kind of action, Rider opened Jessica Reynolds’ file again and searched for more information.

“Look, Her address is in here.
 
Maybe she still lives there,” Rider speculated.
 
“We could at least drive by.
 
Does anybody know where Arbor Street is?”
 
Both Paige and Rachel shook their heads.

Rachel pulled her phone from her pocket.
 
“How do I get to 121 Arbor Street?” she asked the helpful genie in her iPhone.
 
Siri responded by opening the maps app and directing them to turn right out of the parking lot.
 
The three grinned excitedly at each other as Rider put the car in drive and headed for the exit.

chapter five

Rider’s pulse quickened and the conversation stalled as they neared the home of the woman that might have been Rider’s biological mother.
 
The neighborhood was old and worn; houses slumped dejectedly on sinking foundations, shutters hung askew, and most of the exteriors had turned the same shade of dingy gray from lack of care.
 
Rider gave a silent thanks that he had not been raised by the woman who lived here.
 
Life with Rachel’s family had been practically idyllic.
 
Her family was tight and loving, her parents were firm but fair, and they had a comfortable upper-middle class lifestyle that kept Rachel and Rider from ever feeling the ache of lack.
 
As the car approached house number 121, Rider pulled to the curb to park.
 
To his dismay, there was no sign in the window that said, “Your mother lives here!”
 
There wasn’t even a name on the rusty old mailbox.
 
There was, however, a faded blue sedan in the driveway.
 
He stared blankly at the small bungalow, trying to come up with a plan.

“Uh, reality check, Rider.
 
How are you gonna find out anything about this woman?
 
This doesn’t look like the kind of neighborhood where people chat with their neighbors over cookies and lemonade,” Paige asked after a few minutes of silence.

“I have an idea!” Rachel piped up.
 
“What if we pretend were doing a survey, you know, like for a class assignment!
 
We can ask all kinds of questions that way and it won’t seem so weird.”

“That is a fabulous idea,” Rider smiled widely.
 
“Let’s do it!
 
Paige, there should be some notebooks behind your seat and a pencil or two.
 
Grab some and let’s go!”
 
Ever since Rider had acquired a body of his own, his motivation and enthusiasm had been boundless.
 
It made Rachel feel a little sad that he had spent the first 16 years of his life as a prisoner to her will.
 
He never expressed any regrets, but Rachel wondered how different his life might have been if he had had the free will to live as he chose.

Not quite as confident in the plan as Rider was, the two girls climbed out of the car and gave each other questioning looks.
 
Rider took a notebook and pencil from Paige’s hand and smiled confidently.
 
“Just let me do the talking if you’re nervous, but if you think of any good questions, ask them.
 
We’re only going to get one chance to do this, so I don’t want to miss anything!”

“Wait a minute, Rider.
 
Shouldn’t we think this through a little bit more?
 
Go home and make up a list of questions or something?” Rachel suggested.
 
Rider stared reluctantly into Rachel’s hesitant eyes.
 
A glance at Paige revealed the same expression.

“I think she’s right, Rider.
 
I know you’re excited, but we should be smart about this.”

“Okay, okay!
 
So maybe I’m a little over-zealous.
 
I’m hungry anyway.
 
Let’s go get some lunch and we can talk while we eat.”
 
Nodding their approval, the girls climbed back into the car and started throwing out lunchtime suggestions.

Fifteen minutes later the teens were huddled in the corner of Chick-fil-A, dunking chicken nuggets and waffle fries in Polynesian sauce and coming up with a list of questions that would be helpful but not too bizarre for a school project.

“So what’s the most important thing you want to ask this woman, Rider?” Rachel questioned around a mouthful of chicken.
 
“You should probably ask that first, you know, before she tells you to bug off.”

“I want to know why I’m able to switch bodies.
 
Is it just like some weird gift I have?
 
Can she do it, too?
 
Am I even human?”
 
Rider’s face twisted into a grimace as he contemplated the possibilities.
 
Not that he minded his ability, it had been an amazing blessing, but he needed to understand it.

“Uh, hate to break it to you, pal, but I don’t think you can just go up to a stranger and ask them if they have any super powers, even if it is for a ‘school project,’ ” Paige replied sarcastically.

“I just have to be smart about how I approach it.
 
Trust me, I’ve got this.”

Paige and Rachel took turns rolling their eyes exaggeratedly at Rider’s overconfidence.
 
They didn’t have much faith in his grand scheme, but they were still willing to do whatever they could to support him.
 
They never expected him to find out any information at the clinic either, but he had surprised them, so who knew what he might be able to accomplish with a few weird questions to a stranger.

With full bellies and a half-formed plan, the three teenagers headed back to the dilapidated house on Arbor Street.
 
At Rider’s admonishment, they approached the house with confidence — heads held high and faces eager and innocent.
 
Rider noticed the vehicle was still in the driveway and he was hopeful that someone was home.
 
He rang the bell and held his breath.

Rider gasped when the woman answered the door. Hair the color of black coffee fell halfway down her back in a shiny sleek curtain.
 
Wide topaz eyes framed by long, thick lashes stared curiously from a heart-shaped face.
 
Her rosebud lips pursed as she contemplated the teens in front of her.
 
Only after she moved her hands to her hips did Rider’s eyes travel past her full breasts, down her tight stomach, to her tiny waist.
 
She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
 
Only the fine lines around her eyes gave any indication that she was old enough to be Rider’s mother.

It took Rider a moment to recover from his shock at her appearance and it was long enough for her to decide she wasn’t interested in whatever they had to offer.
 
“I don’t want to buy anything and I don’t need religion,” she announced, closing the door.

“No!
 
Wait!” Rider begged, sticking out his hand to stop the door from shutting.
 
“We’re just doing a project for school and want to ask you a few questions!
 
I promise it won’t take long.”
 
Rider turned on his own boyish charm as he smiled hopefully at her.
 
The woman paused just long enough for Rider to take it as an invitation.
 
“See, we’re doing this survey for history class, and we need to ask a bunch of random people these questions,” Rider explained. “Nobody wants to talk to us, so if you could please just give us a few minutes, that would be really awesome.”

The woman caved at his adorable, puppy dog grin and opened the door again.
 
“Okay, I guess I can answer a few questions.”
 
She glanced at the dark room behind her then turned back with a shrug.
 
“What the heck, come on in.
 
This is about as good as it gets,” she explained leading them into the dreary living space.
 
Everything was old and well-worn, but at least the room was tidy.
 
A large mustard couch sagged on brown shag carpet.
 
She waved her hands towards the sofa, indicating the kids should sit down.
 
The three settled uncomfortably on the low cushions and Rider got down to business.

“For the record, could you tell me your name and age, please?” Rider asked studiously, pencil poised above a fresh sheet of notebook paper.

“Uh, Jessica Reynolds, 37,” she answered and Rider’s smile grew huge.

“Nice to meet you, Ma’am.
 
I’m Rider and this is Rachel and Paige.”
 
The girls waved limply.
 
“Are you married?”

“No.”

“Any children?”

“No, just me.”
 
A look of disappointment crossed her face.

“Occupation?” Rider asked, swallowing the urge to ask about her unborn children.

“Uh, I’m a waitress, down at the Night Out night club,” she answered, nervously smoothing her perfect hair.

“Great, that’s perfect,” Rider encouraged, noticing her reticence.
 
“We’re supposed to have a wide spectrum of participants, you know, for a more accurate cross-section of society.”
 
Rachel held in a giggle as Rider prattled on with total seriousness.
 
“This project is about the theory of superpowers and the average American’s concept of them and the possibility of their existence.
 
Do you believe that it’s possible for some people to have what we would call superpowers, Miss Reynolds?
 
You know, talents that are extraordinary.”

“You mean, like, Superman?
 
Flying, reading minds, turning invisible…that kind of thing?”

“Sure, things like that, or…other supernatural talents,” Rider suggested, leaving the door open for speculation.

Jessica laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle that was instantly appealing.
 
“I don’t watch a whole lot of superhero movies, honey, and I sure as heck haven’t ever met Superman.
 
I’d just be happy to meet a regular man who was a decent human being,” she smirked, her voice holding a hint of sorrow.

Unsure what to ask next since she had given them nothing to go on, Rider shuffled the pages in his notebook awkwardly, trying to think.
 
Finally, Rachel piped up with a question.
 
“What do you believe about the soul, Miss Reynolds?
 
Do you think humans have one?
 
What do you think happens when we die?”

Jessica looked taken aback as she contemplated the question.
 
“I don’t really know about all that, kid.
 
Are you sure you’re not trying to sell me religion?
 
I’ve got too much trouble in this life to be worried about the next one.”

“No, Ma’am, we’re just doing some research, I promise.
 
We’ll get out of your hair now.
 
Thank you so much for you time,” Rider replied with a disappointed smile as he struggled to lift himself off the sunken cushions.
 
Once he was up he held out his hands to help Paige and Rachel then headed for the door.
 
“Have a good day, Miss Reynolds,” he offered, holding the door open for the girls.

“You too, kids.
 
Good luck with your project.
 
I wouldn’t bother calling on the old man in the yellow house next door.
 
He’s not too friendly,” Jessica offered, feeling a little disappointment at their departure.
 
She didn’t get much company, especially not cute kids who hadn’t had the life sucked out of them yet like most of the customers at the bar where she worked.

As the teens made their way down the driveway, a shiny BMW pulled in.
 
The man in the car stared curiously at them as they passed, but he was quickly distracted by the sight of Jessica in the doorway.
 
His on again-off again lover never failed to take his breath away with her beauty.
 
Caught up in his arrival, Jessica didn’t notice when the teenagers got into their car and drove away instead of canvassing the rest of the neighborhood.