Souls & Spectres: The Spectral Chronicles: Book 1

by Heather Wendlowsky

  I’m…. thrown. The look on his face is so raw that I automatically lower my weapon. I don’t know what to think when this beautiful man pulls himself up, walks over to where I’m crouched, and drops to his knees only inches from me. He slowly reaches his hand out and lightly brushes his fingers across my scarred arms. I’m too shocked to move. He moves his fingers up, over my shoulder, up my neck, and cups my face in both of his hands. Those storms in his eyes capture mine, and he seems to search through my soul.

  “What happened to you?”

  His question jarred me from whatever spell those storms placed over me. I give him a hard shove backwards and leap to my feet. I scoop my clothes into my arms and sprint to the trees.

  “WAIT! PLEASE, STOP! I’M SORRY!” the man yells after me.

  I don’t look back. I just keep running. How could I have been so stupid as to let my guard down? He could have killed me! If he was going to kill you, then why would he have saved your dumb life after you drowned in that pool? Well, maybe he just wanted to interrogate me. If he brought a Geochroman soldier as a prisoner back to his camp, he would get one hell of a promotion. This thought makes me push myself faster. I will not be a captive again.

  I could hear him breaking through the forest, calling after me. There was no way I was going to outrun him. As I come to the top of a ridge, I see a large willow tree at the bottom. I barrel down the ridge as quickly as I could without falling. Once under the willow’s protective branches, I climb. I go as high as I can. Confident I’m out of sight, I hold my breath and wait.

  Chapter 5

  Icarus

  Reese, you idiot! I think to myself as I race after the Gechroman soldier. “What happened to you?” Are you serious?

  I couldn’t stop myself. I saw this beautiful woman, cowering and covered in scars, and I just became furious. Who would dare to hurt my- I mean, this- angel? Huh, that was weird. When did I become so possessive of this random girl? I shook the thought from my head. I’m not trying to protect her or anything. I just want to apologize and make some lame attempt at my horrid behavior.

  I’m not far behind her. I’ve spent plenty of time running through the forests growing up, and I could easily catch up to her. But I’ve already been creepy enough. She’s scared and I don’t want to make it worse by tackling her so I can tell her I’m not a psycho.

  She moves surprisingly well through the forest for a non-native: quickly and quietly. You’d think she must have lived here her whole life. She hops over a little ridge and races toward a willow tree. I slump to the ground at the top of the ridge. What am I doing? She’s terrified of me. I’m not going to chase her down. I’ve done enough.

  Just as I had come to the decision that I’m going to let her go, she stops running. Instead, she scales the willow tree and hides herself in its branches. Should I…? I sigh and stand. Ok, I’ll go over there, but if she tells me to leave, I will. I walk down the ridge slowly, making sure to make some noise so she can hear me coming. I want her to know that she can leave or, well, kill me at any time.

  I come to the tree and part the long, overhanging branches to the canopy beneath. Avoiding looking up to find her hiding spot, I keep my eyes forward and walk to the trunk of the great tree. I sit at the base of the willow and cross my legs. After sitting in silence for a moment, I take a breath to settle myself. Here goes nothing…

  “I know you’re here, and I’m not going to hurt you,” I say just loud enough for her to hear up in the tree. “I just wanted to apologize and explain. I didn’t want to scare you. I was hiking toward the pool and got there just as you went under. I was just going to make sure you were ok, but when I saw your…” My voice is starting to waver with anger at the thought of the marks on her skin, so I pause for a moment to settle myself. I cleared my throat so I could continue. “When I saw your scars, I was just taken aback. I’ve seen a lot of bad things, but when I saw you, I just… I mean, how could someone…” I’m getting angry again. Without thinking, I reach my hand over my shoulder and feel the start of the puckered scars that paint my back. Deep breath, Reese. “It’s just that I know a little about pain, and I got a bit overwhelmed seeing your pain.”

  I stand and start to pace beneath the willow tree. I decide the best way to seem as little like a threat as possible is just to keep talking. “Anyways, I’m Reese. I'm Mont Tienent. I can tell by your uniform that you’re a Geochroman soldier, but I have to say, you don’t really have the appearance of a Geochroman. Aren’t you guys supposed to be really pale with yellow or red hair? You are neither of those things,” I chuckle to myself, thinking about how she must look surrounded by white skin and light hair. She has to stand out like a sore thumb with her brown hair and tanned skin. Focus up, big guy.

  “You should probably learn how to swim though. You’re lucky I know CPR! Angel, you sunk like a rock. It was alarming how someone so slim went down so fast.” I laugh to myself. For a second, I think I hear a small giggle from overhead, but it stops immediately. I smile at the light sound. I want to hear her laugh again.

  “Really, I was terrified. I thought I was going to have to carry your corpse back to your base camp. Any bets on what they would do to a Mont Tienent carrying a dead Geochroman soldier into their camp? I’d desperately be trying to explain to your friends that I tried to save you but you’re made of rocks apparently, and they would be absolutely beating the crap out of me.” I hear a real laugh at that one. I can only imagine what images are going through her head.

  I spend the next couple hours just talking about nonsense. I explain how to swim and all the different strokes. I recall the time I had to save my friend Wren and he made fun of me for trying to kiss him, but I was just going to give him CPR. I tell her about the small village nearby, Chrioch, and how they make this amazing dessert that looks like a small mountain made of chocolate cake with powdered sugar on top called chocomonts. I talk about the most innocent things I could think of until I couldn’t think of anything else.

  After a while, I am sitting back under the tree in a peaceful silence when I hear branches rustle above me. I stand up quickly just as the girl drops from the tree in front of me. She stands about three feet in front of me, holding completely still, gauging to see if I’m about to attack or not. The girl is back in her uniform and her long brown hair is tied up in a loose bun. When she’s confident that I’m not going to try to slit her throat, she relaxes and takes a cautious step toward me. I stay frozen in place, terrified that I’m going to scare her off. Her green eyes search my gray ones and she gives me a small smile.

  “Hi, Reese,” she says in a sweet, light voice, “As much as I’ve enjoyed your stories, I need to be going. It was really nice to meet you.” I am utterly captivated when she turns to walk back toward Plato Hills.

  Just as she is about to walk out from the branches that have created our little bubble, a moment of panic strikes me. “Wait!” I call out after her. She turns slowly and looks at me. The light catches her green eyes and I’m overwhelmed. “I never caught your name,” I stutter breathlessly.

  She smiles. “I’m Soleil,” she says, then turns and leaves. I stand there for a moment, letting the word play over in my mind.

  Soleil.

  Chapter 6

  Soleil

  In the tree, I frantically pull on my uniform and boots. If he comes back, I want to be ready to run. He wasn’t that far behind me, so I just have to hope he didn’t see me climb into the tree and he passes me by. Suddenly, I hear the crunching of leaves and twigs. The branches of the willow swish apart, and I become distinctly aware that the man is now beneath the willow. I hold deathly still and watch as the man slowly walks over to the tree trunk and sits down against it.

  “I know you’re here, and I’m not going to hurt you,” the man says in a soft timbre, ““I just wanted to apologize and explain. I didn’t want to scare you. I was hiking toward the pool and got there just as you went under. I was just going to make sure you were ok, but when I saw your…�
�� the man pauses. His voice is shaking and filled with emotion. Emotion for… me? “When I saw your scars, I was just taken aback. I’ve seen a lot of bad things, but when I saw you, I just… I mean, how could someone…” He has to stop again. It sounds like he’s on the verge of tears. I watch from my perch as he reaches his hand behind him. “It’s just that I know a little about pain, and I got a bit overwhelmed seeing your pain.”

  He’s still only wearing his wet blue slacks, so I can see him finger something on his bare back. I look closely and realize that he’s holding a scar that matches mine exactly. I’m hit with feelings of horror, anger, and sadness. How could someone do this to another person? I think I understand his reaction a little bit when he noticed my scars on the beach. I’m still hesitant, but I’m seeing him as a bit less of an immediate threat.

  The man clears his throat and stands. I think he’s about to leave, which for some reason, makes me sad. Instead, he keeps talking. “Anyways, I’m Reese.” Reese. “I'm Mont Tienent.” Yeah, no duh. “I can tell by your uniform that you’re a Geochroman soldier, but I have to say, you don’t really have the appearance of a Geochroman. Aren’t you guys supposed to be really pale with yellow or red hair? You are neither of those things,” he chuckles. Well, he’s not wrong to wonder. I often wonder the same thing.

  “You should probably learn how to swim though. You’re lucky I know CPR! Angel, you sunk like a rock. It was alarming how someone so slim went down so fast.” He laughs and I can’t help but let out a small bark of laughter at his vivid imagery. I quickly cover my mouth to keep any more sound from escaping, but I still smile. Huh. I just laughed at my own death. WAIT, what did he call me? Angel? I probably shouldn’t like his little nickname for me as much as I do, but I feel weirdly comforted knowing that this stranger feels some affection for me.

  “Really, I was terrified,” he continues, “I thought I was going to have to carry your corpse back to your base camp. Any bets on what they would do to a Mont Tienent carrying a dead Geochroman soldier into their camp? I’d desperately be trying to explain to your friends that I tried to save you but you’re made of rocks apparently, and they would be absolutely beating the crap out of me.” I think about Juniper recruiting all of her boy toys to help her avenge her weird friend and laugh out loud. I just picture this petite redhead leading an army of horny boyfriends down the plateau after poor Reese. Poor Reese?

  He just yammers on about anything and everything for hours, and honestly, I loved every minute. I take detailed mental notes as he gives specific instructions on how to swim so I don’t need him to save me again next time. When he tells the story about how he saved his friend- I think his name was Wren?- I laugh at the ruthless teasing Reese got. Then I think about when he saved me from that pool. I bring my fingers up to touch my lips and think about the idea of his lips against them. Normally, the very idea of any type of intimacy has me shaking in panic. Not this time though. Maybe it was because he was just doing it to save my life, or maybe it was because I had just died. But now, instead of trying to distance myself to cope with the touch, I find myself wanting his lips on mine again.

  I brush these thoughts aside for now and bring my focus back to him. He’s describing some amazing chocolate dessert they make over in the little village we were camped near. Anything chocolate instantly has my mouth watering and I realize that I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast early that morning. Given the day’s happenings, it feels like breakfast was a lifetime ago. Well, I did die today, so I guess that may have had something to do with it. With my stomach rumbling and the sun moving across the sky, I decide I should probably leave my little bubble and get back to camp. At this rate, I’m going to be late for the Story, and Juniper must be worried.

  I realize then that Reese has gone silent and take that as my cue. Making sure my laces are tied and I’m properly armed just in case I need to make a quick getaway, I ease my way down the tree. I drop onto the ground and look up to see Reese standing a couple of feet in front of me. I stand tense, ready to bolt, but then his gray eyes meet mine. I trust him, I realize. This thought strikes me into a relaxed stance. I don’t want to run from Reese. I want to run to him.

  I take a hesitant step toward the Mont Tienent and pause. “Hi, Reese,” I say shyly, “As much as I’ve enjoyed your stories, I need to be going. It was really nice to meet you.”

  Reese looks at me with shock and delight when I speak. I can’t help but smile when I turn to walk away. Usually Juniper is the one who has this kind of effect on people, not me! Just as I’m about to step through the willow’s branches and head home, I hear him call for me to wait. I turn back to look, nervously going over what it is he is keeping me for.

  “I never caught your name,” he breathes.

  Without a second thought, I smile. “I’m Soleil,” I reply.

  With that final statement, I turn and walk through the branches. I start to make my way toward the encampment. I can’t stop smiling, and I have no idea why. What is it about Reese that makes me want to stay? I can’t wait to tell Juniper about my new friend, if I should even call him that. She is going to freak out. I know she will have a million questions for me, many of them I won’t be able to answer, but strangely, I look forward to it. I like thinking about him. I will probably never see him again, but he still gives me something to look forward to.

  Thoughts of today pass the time quickly, and I’m climbing the plateau up to the camp before I know it. The sun is setting, and everyone is making their way into the mess hall for the Story. I jog over to my bunk and nearly run facefirst into Juniper coming out.

  “Oh my god, Sol! Where have you been?” shrieks my small friend.

  “I am so sorry I’m late, but Juniper, you would not believe the day I’ve had,” I say in a rush.

  “Well, you’re going to have to walk and talk, because we are meeting Jay and Fox, like, now,” Juniper says as she heads to the ammunitions tent, as we had planned with the guys earlier that day. I hustle after her, frantically dodging other soldiers headed to the Story. I don’t have time to get out a single word.

  Jay and Fox are already there and waiting. “Took you two long enough!” Fox exclaims, “Hey Soleil, why is your hair wet? Oh, did you find a place nearby for a bath?”

  I can already feel myself shutting off in response to the intense energy these social situations require. I guess my near-death experience didn’t change as much as I’d thought.

  “Yeah, I found a nice pool about a mile or two away from camp, so I spent the day down there,” I said softly.

  “Oh man, that sounds awesome! You’ll have to show us where later on. I am in dire need of a good scrub,” Fox replies.

  I nod, but I cringe inwardly. I find myself weirdly coveting of the little pool. Reese and I’s special spot. I don’t want to taint it with the chaos of others. I don’t have much time to contemplate it though, because Juniper, Fox, and Jay are already walking toward the mess hall. I follow closely behind while they chat and barrel through the crowds. Juniper looks back to make sure I’m following behind as we head into the packed mess hall. Normally, we would find an empty table toward the back, but since the entire battalion is present, there are barely any seats, let alone empty tables.

  Juniper stands by me nervously at the back of the hall. She has made plenty of progress in her recovery, but this many people packed in is enough to trigger even her. She bristles next to me, so I send Fox and Jay to find some seats near the back. After a couple of minutes, Fox comes back and points over to Jay, who is sprawled across some seats at a table near an exit. Fox wraps his arm around Juniper, and she looks over to me.

  “Go on over,” I say reassuringly, “I’ll listen from here. I don’t mind, really,” I promise at her speculative look. Finally, she sighs and agrees to go with Fox. I find a dark nook in the back of the tent and lean against a pole for support. After a few more minutes, the entire camp is settled into the hall.

  General Fazenda walks in, and the entire c
amp falls silent and stands to salute the leader of our battalion. “At ease,” the grizzled man says. Fazenda is a bald man in his late fifties. After me, he has the darkest skin here from years of working in the sun. He isn’t very tall, only a couple inches taller than me, but he is made of pure muscle. He isn’t known for his glowing attitude either, which makes him a pretty formidable guy. Nobody crosses him.

  General Fazenda trudges toward the makeshift stage someone put together at the very front of the tent. He pulls the Story, an old, leather bound book, out from under the podium placed on the little stage. I settle in and mentally brace myself to hear the words I’ve heard hundreds of times; the reason for every pain I’ve ever endured. The Story.

  Chapter 7

  Soleil

  General Fazenda looks out and addresses the camp, “Alright everyone, you know why we’re here,” he growls into the microphone, “This morning, the world experienced a Resonation, and so, we are bound by law to call a 24 hour ceasefire to celebrate the Gifted and remember the Story of the Original Gifteds. I know you’ve all heard the story, but if I have to stand here and read it, you have to sit there and listen.” Fazenda opens the book to the first page and begins to read.

  “Hundreds of years ago, a son of a king was betrothed to the princess of a faraway land. The prince cared deeply for his country, and accepted the betrothal with honor and grace, for he knew it meant care for his people. When the princess arrived with her country’s caravan, the prince laid eyes upon the princess’s lady-in-waiting, a daughter of the four kingdoms, and fell deeply in love. As the time passed before the union of the prince and princess, the love of the prince and daughter grew deeper. The prince appealed to his parents, the king and queen, to put a stop to the betrothal, but they refused.