I sat on the far side of the table. The tablecloth, like the wallpaper and chains, was silver. And again, I noticed the entire room was lit with oil lamps and candles. Actually, the living room had been, too. The entire house was missing electricity, presumably. I would have expected the Members to be a little more progressive.
Everyone began filing into the humble-sized room. Gabriel sat to my right. Since I was positioned at one of the corners, one of the female Members sat at the head of the table to my left. She was the vampire dressed elegantly, though a little overdone for such a setting. The other Members took their seats with the heavyset vampire at the head of the other end of the table. Last, my sister entered and sat at the very opposite corner I was placed. My heart leaped. Could you blame it? She was my only real link to the world.
She looked like me, terminally young. When we thought up this whole sham, it never occurred to either of us that she wouldn’t age like a normal human. But her soul was gone, tricking her body into thinking it was the Cypher. No one should have realized it, however, since everyone’s been staring at me the last four years, not her. Maybe that’s why we were here. Maybe we could discount it as one of those twin things to the Members.
Maybe we were totally screwed.
Her dress was lilac with delicate ruffles. I was never one for dresses, but my jeans and thrift-store blouse, as pretty as they were, made me feel out of place. And my hair was a mess. It always amused me to see how short and clean-cut she kept hers. I was the tomboy with long hair while she was the “proper” sister with a short bob. I guess stereotypes are meant to be broken.
Everyone was dressed up and no one had thought to tell me before my abduction that it might be a good idea to change. It also didn’t help my self-esteem that Ellenore hadn’t looked at me since she entered the room.
Once the happy party settled down, dinner was brought out. The first course was soup. I hated course meals. Just throw it all on the table and fight over it like everyone else. The vampires didn’t really care, anyway. They had forever to sit here and play with their food...which may turn out to be me.
The clanking of Ellenore’s silverware was the only noise. Mine stayed wrapped in the silver sheath. My appetite had suddenly fled.
Finally, the portly loudmouth broke the silence. “I think we have a lot to discuss. Let’s not waste time. Myranda?”
My sister looked up as I stared back, not reacting to my own name. I was no longer accustomed to answering to it. She looked nervous and unsure. Well, I probably did, too.
“Myranda?” He was talking to me.
“Call me Ell.”
“If that is what you would prefer. How do you plead now?”
“I never plead, but I’m still the Cypher, if that’s what you’re asking.”
My sister sat up and spoke to the man. Her voice was a little hushed, but I could still hear quite fine. “And that’s the way it should stay. I thought that’s what we were securing.” She spoke like she was the only enlightened being in the room.
What was going on? And I just couldn’t let the use of “we” escape my mind. “Securing what?”
She looked at me again. This time, however, there was something cruel about it. It had but one translation: devilish satisfaction. A look I never expected to see from her.
My face went blank, my voice numb. “Answer me, Ellenore. What are you securing?”
“Your soul.”
Chapter Thirteen
My mind told me she hadn’t just said that out loud, that my breaking heart was wrong. My sister sold me out? She didn’t believe I gave her my soul for keepsies? Twice!
The emotion was thick in my voice. “Ellenore, what have you done?” I sounded weaker than I meant to.
Grinning, her hesitation diminished right before me. “I’m simply securing your place as the Cypher, like we agreed.”
“Tell me you didn’t do this? Did you tell them?”
“I didn’t seek them out, if that’s what you think.”
“Then how do they know?”
When I stood up, Gabriel lightly grasped my right wrist, making more of a gesture than an order that I should sit back down. We stared at each other. He let go when he realized there was a better chance of me pulling a million dollars out of my ass.
My sister spoke. God, I wanted it to be something good, but how many miracles could happen in forty-eight hours?
“My husband and I were at a business gathering. A woman greeted me halfway through the evening and knew. With one handshake, she knew my soul belonged to someone else. This woman is a human council associate to the Members.”
“She told the Members?”
“Yes.”
“Why isn’t she here?”
The vampire sitting to my left spoke for the first time. Her overly feminine voice was piercing. “We thanked her for her hospitality and asked that it be approached in a private manner. No one was to be present tonight unless necessary. Her presence was unnecessary.”
“So she ratted us out as a good career move? Nice.”
My sister looked disappointed and angry. “You don’t get it. Because she discovered this, I don’t have to lie anymore. I don’t have to live in fear. The Members have been more understanding than I ever thought possible. They can help me.”
“With what?” It was my turn to grit my teeth. I was still standing, trying to hold back the urge to lunge over the table. But whom would I attack first, one of the Members or this flesh-and-blood stranger?
The large man spoke again. “If you would sit down, Ellenore can explain.”
“I’m not sitting down, but she better explain right now.”
Ellenore held her chin high. “I want a soul.”
“You have one.”
“One of my very own.”
As fuming as I was, it killed me to hear her say that. I understood better than anyone. Her body would never ache for a soul like mine did, but she aspired for a normal life. Her mind was telling her she needed a permanent soul. She had a better chance at happiness than I ever would.
And as much as she wanted it, her soul was truly gone. It flew away to wait until her death before returning. Only when a Cypher dies can the soul return. It must to accompany the Cypher to the afterworld, whatever that entails. Since I wasn’t the actual chosen one, my soul would most likely stay in her body if I died. In theory, anyway.
But we had talked about this the night of the ceremony. She promised to release it no matter what if I died, because my biggest fear was to be lost, half whole and unable to make it to my final afterlife destination. She promised because, even if she had to live out the rest of her life soulless, hers would come back eventually. We agreed it was unfair for her to have two and leave me with none, in a limbo of sorts. My sister wanted what I wanted, to be whole. But the lives presented to us didn’t give us that luxury.
My words were subdued, sympathetic even. “Your soul is gone. I know you want to have a normal life with Nick, but we both have to do the best we can with what our lives are meant to be.”
“Actually, I don’t. There is an answer to my problem.”
Why couldn’t she just accept it? At least she could enjoy the pleasures of life. There were so many normal things she could do that were out of my grasp. She had a husband, something I would probably never find, and she could have children. How could I ever raise a child in my environment? It would be possible, but not acceptable.
I had to make her understand. “You’re right. There is an answer: Accept your life and live it instead of mourning it.”
“Like you, dear sister?”
“I deserve sarcasm. I’ve given up. I have. But you just got married and bought a new house. Don’t let him watch you turn into a ghost. I don’t have to worry about disappointing anyone like that, breaking someone’s heart. You’ve accepted that responsibility. Don’t ignore it and throw away every happy thing in your life.”
“I’m not. In fact, that’s why I’m here. I am securing a
future for myself and my husband.”
“How?”
“The friend of the Members spoke of a ceremony, one that will finalize what we started. It’s an old ritual that hasn’t been performed in many centuries, I’ve been told. But there are some who know it very well. It will bind your soul to me, trick it into thinking it belongs to me. I will have a soul that cannot be removed by anyone because it will recognize me as its own. No one can have it. Not even you.” Her voice was toxic when she added, “Especially you.”
There was so much distance between us, more than a table and a few chairs. It was a distance she yearned for. She was done with me. Her promise to leave me whole in death had just witnessed its own demise. My sister was knowingly—no, willingly leaving me to an uncertain life after death and the foreknowledge to live with.
So this was what true loneliness felt like.
The treachery of the situation was unmistakable in my voice. “I gave you my soul and all you can do is turn my life into a nightmare. The basement was an accident. If I had known it was you, I never would have... I didn’t do it on purpose. I was set up.”
“I didn’t know that was supposed to happen, either.” She glared at the Members one by one. Ellenore never did know when to hold her temper. “That was not part of the deal! She could have kept it and then all of our effort would be ruined. My life could have been lost completely for your curiosity.” Now she was standing.
The Members only stared with that undead attentiveness that was extremely creepy.
My temper had come undone, the hurt pouring into each word. “But I didn’t keep it, did I? Not once in all my misery did I think to take it back. Not once! Because you’re my sister! You were my best friend!” My voice cracked under the betrayal. “I would never give something so precious away and not mean every damn bit of it. I’ve been living this life because I accepted the responsibility. So you better start thinking about your responsibility to me. All you have to do is live with my soul.” Tears pressed against the back of my eyes. “Does it mean so little to you?”
“That’s what I can’t live with!” she exploded. “Talking to you. Writing to you. It’s all a reminder. Always the martyr, aren’t you? You took my place, but you always remind me that my happiness is due to your suffering. What kind of person does that make me?”
In response, my voice sounded low and animalistic. It was dead, even though I meant my message to be sincere. “I took the job you couldn’t. There’s no shame in that for either of us. I’ve suffered, but I never meant for it to haunt you because I did it out of love, not martyrdom. And up until this twisted evening, it was a choice I never doubted. I’m still willing to be the Cypher, to be Ell, because that was our pact before hatred and fear tainted you.
“And just to let you know, even if you force me into this ceremony, my soul will never belong to you. My will is stronger than yours, and my soul will find me. Even if I have to rise from my deathbed to rip it out of your heartless chest myself, I will have it back. I’m not asking for it now, but I will claim it when the time comes.”
Ellenore was outraged. Good. I didn’t want to be the only party pooper. “You will never have it! It’s mine, and the Members know that. That’s why they are helping me and not you. No, I don’t have what it takes to be the Cypher, but my new friends have what it takes to make you stay the Cypher, and that is good enough for me. The ceremony will work. There’s nothing you can do now but accept what your life is.”
“And what’s that?”
She leaned over the table, both hands gripping the cloth so tight the blood drained from her fingertips. “Eternal servitude.” There was nothing recognizable in her voice.
The bowl of soup flew across the room, barely missing my sister’s head, before I could even finish the thought that throwing might be a bad idea. Lucky for her, one of the Members pulled her out of the way, damn it. She stumbled from the woman’s force and fell to the ground. Quickly, she jumped up, eyes wild. Well, well. She looked a little shaken after all, but it didn’t matter. My patience was short and my forgiveness all used up. No more chances for sis.
My mouth started moving, then my brain caught up. “Remember when we were eight and you threw the bracelet Dad gave me in the road and let the school bus run over it to see if it would break? I loved that necklace. It was the only thing I owned that was priceless, precious.”
She sounded a bit leery. “I remember.” Yes, she did indeed.
“So I smashed your jewelry box and ripped the heads off all your favorite dolls. All because you wanted to experiment with something that wasn’t yours.”
“We were only eight. So what?”
I didn’t have to see a reflection to know I looked like the devil about to drag the entire house into a raging, eternal hellfire. My voice was steady, even casual, when I replied, “This is so much worse.”
Gabriel was looking at his soup, probably calculating the odds of this evening ending any other way than screwed. In one move, I pushed him backward, grabbed the tall floor lamp closest to me, and spilled its liquid over the tabletop. Fluid spewed across the linen and food. Faster than one human blink, a trail of fire rose behind it. The entire table turned into a pyre.
The vampires were gone. I hadn’t seen them leave. Nothing scares away a pack of vamps like a large, uncontained flame.
Ellenore hadn’t had time to react yet, so I took the opportunity to dive under the table and grab her ankles. She screamed, kicking at me as her body hit the wood floor like a rag doll. I had to let go when I realized I was still under the inferno. She screamed again and ran for the hallway. Scooting out from under the heat, I cut her off at the front door.
“I will burn us both alive before you get my soul for keeps.”
“You’re crazy!” she yelled, eyes wide in disbelief. With that lovely sentiment, she ran upstairs. Horror movie rule number two: never run upstairs because the monster always follows.
And I was right behind her.
Chapter Fourteen
Along my path, I made sure to tip over every live flame. I meant what I told her—my breaking point had been her blatant, cruel display of disloyalty. I meant to kill us both, to reclaim my soul and be done with the whole dysfunction called life.
When I reached the top hallway, I saw the end of Ellenore’s dress swish into the room on my left. I could hear small crackling sounds as the lower level of the old house was being reduced to kindling. That reminded me—I hadn’t set anything on fire in at least five seconds. The nearest wall mounted oil lantern was promptly thrown onto the stairway. The carpet liner started to scorch and burn where the oil landed.
We were trapped upstairs. When I tried to open the door to her hiding place, it was locked. “I know you’re in there!”
A frantic, muffled voice traveled through the cherry wood door. “Leave me alone!”
“It’s too late for that. All you had to do was leave me alone.” My voice was hoarse from yelling. “I could have let us both live like that. But not like this!”
There was sobbing. She had no right to cry. That was forfeited when she damned me to a soulless purgatory, and yet she tried the last straw: pity.
“I didn’t mean it, any of it. I was doing it out of fear of you and the Members. Being strong was never me. I love you. You’re my sister, Myranda! Don’t do this.” She sounded hysterical.
“Trying to make up. Mom and Dad would be so proud. If only I had a camera to commemorate this sweet, sweet moment.” Did my voice even belong to me anymore?
I picked up a small, bulky statue of Venus made out of marble. It was a foot tall and weighed a ton. My own weight shifted as I readied myself to break the door down. Before I could finish the first swing, something broke through the window to my right and rammed me. I landed on the floor as the statue followed, barely missing my head.
Gabriel, eyes bleeding to bottomless green halos, hoisted me off the ground by my arms. I was hoping that wouldn’t become a routine. Getting battered by him
every five minutes was getting tiresome. Especially when he was ruining my fun yet again.
“Let go of me!”
His fists clenched tighter around my biceps. He swiveled us around, using my body as a shield against the heat of the flames. Our faces were barely a foot apart.
“We need to leave.”
“Let go,” I snarled.
He loosened his grip, but dared not let go. “The entire first floor is on fire! We are leaving!”
I tried to push past him to the locked door, to shrug him off, but that doesn’t work so well with vampires. Any other time, his strength would have been impressive. Right now it was really annoying. By the glare in my eyes, he must have been looking at what was left of me, minus the sanity. I couldn’t stand down.
“I’m not leaving.”
“I can’t stay here much longer and I refuse to leave without you.”
“Why? You helped make this possible. All of you! Isn’t this what everyone wanted? To see my life shatter in reality as it has day after day after day in my heart? You should be happy. I’ve finally found the perfect therapy.”
He let go. My body was drawn to the door like a magnet. Flames engulfed the staircase. I could feel the heat cross my skin like playful fingertips.
“Unlock the door, Ellenore!” I beat at it with open palms.
Suddenly, the heat at my back was replaced with something much cooler. Gabriel’s chest grazed my back, his left hand landing on top of mine, pushing it flat against the door. He whispered, “I like green beans.”
It caught me so off guard, I turned to face him. I was too stunned to retract my hand from his as I asked, “What?”
He tightened his grip. “I like green beans.” Gabriel had the look of someone hoping the other person would get the not so subtle hint. It was code. Only allies used codes. Gabriel was offering to be my ally, my partner? The night was getting too strange.
As real as the situation had begun, it quickly turned into a surreal nightmare, like waking from a bad dream where you didn’t know you were asleep. Gabriel’s words stirred my sanity. I found myself really standing in front of a room trapping my sister, with a burning house about to eat us alive. My rage had been unleashed so totally that I hadn’t grasped the actual concept of what I was doing. I was moments away from killing my sister, myself, and Gabriel. I swear I only remembered as far as throwing the soup for a second.
Souled Out Page 8