Soul Mates

by Donald Hanley

  Mom looked for help from Dad but he frowned down into his wine glass, twirling it between his fingers.

  “This is a big decision, Peter,” he said finally, “for you and Melissa. What do her parents think about this?”

  “Her father’s the one paying for the apartment,” I said. I had no idea if Melissa had broached the question to him yet. “We just need to cover the other expenses.”

  “That’s great but I wasn’t talking about finances. How do you know you’ll get along? A lot of friendships fall apart over whose turn it is to clean the bathroom.”

  “It wouldn’t be like that.”

  “Oh? How well do you know Melissa?”

  “Well –” I became aware of her existence a couple of years ago but I only actually started talking to her after Daraxandriel showed up. Of course, in the aftermaths of prom and her witchcraft initiation, I’d discovered a whole lot about her that I never imagined I would. To Dad’s point, though, mostly I just knew her from playing Lorecraft with her.

  “Not well enough,” I admitted reluctantly, “but we like each other and we get along. I think we’ll be fine but she was originally planning to live by herself anyway. If it doesn’t work out, I can just move back here.”

  Dad drummed his fingers on the table and then let his breath out with a sigh. “This is a lot to think about, Peter. Give your mother and me some time to talk it over, okay?”

  “Okay.” I was just grateful he didn’t reject the idea out of hand. I got to my feet. “Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Mom.”

  “I don’t think I can handle any more surprises today,” Mom said. “First Susie and now this? What next?”

  A demon hunter kicks down our door and kills Daraxandriel at her computer to free Olivia’s soul, I thought morosely, but I kept that to myself. Dad just reached over and poured another inch of chardonnay into her glass. I wished my problems could be solved that easily.

  13

  I don’t believe in ghosts. I’ve never seen a ghost and I don’t know anyone who has. People certainly talk about them a lot, though, from campfire stories to the movies to those paranormal investigation shows on TV. Ghosts seem to fall into the same category as UFOs: things that most people are skeptical about, some people are obsessed with, and no one has a good definition or explanation for.

  There isn’t just one kind of ghost, either. Spooks are only sensed out of the corner of your eye. Haunts hang around graveyards and old houses moaning and rattle invisible chains. Poltergeists knock stuff off tables and slam doors. Wraiths look like translucent long-dead corpses, while apparitions look like translucent living people. The list goes on. Phantoms, shades, specters, you name it, they’ll all part of our collective consciousness and yet there’s no scientific evidence that they actually exist.

  Supposedly, ghosts are the lingering souls of the dead, doomed to walk the earth – or float above it, as the case may be – until they atone for whatever evil they’ve done or complete some unfinished task or exact retribution on whoever disturbed their graves or who knows what. As a church-going member of the Christian faith, I’m supposed to believe in souls, so presumably I should believe in ghosts as well. On the other hand, there’s no scientific evidence that souls exist either, although I suppose that’s why they call it faith.

  Of course, now that I’ve encountered actual witches and demons and was nearly cheated out of my own soul, I may have to rethink my position on ghosts as well.

  The rest of my evening didn’t improve at all. Susie stayed completely out of sight, Mom and Dad looked at me speculatively every time I passed by, and Daraxandriel pretended I didn’t exist. The only person to actually talk to me was Lilith, which didn’t do anything for my mood.

  “You look so gloomy, Peter,” she observed slyly when I walked into my bedroom to replace Volume 7 of the Sapphire Crown series with Volume 8. “Is something bothering you?”

  “No,” I told her curtly.

  “It’s Dara, isn’t it?” Daraxandriel was pretending not to listen but I saw her glowing eyes reflected in her laptop screen. “Demons can seem a bit abrupt unless they’re trying to win your soul,” she explained with a hint of regret in her voice. “I’m sure if she had her sights set on yours, she’d be a lot friendlier.”

  “She already tried that once,” I reminded her. “That didn’t work out so well for her.”

  “A minor setback, that’s all,” Lilith smiled. “Demons are also very persistent. If she truly wanted your soul, she’d have it already.” Now Daraxandriel’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully and I realized what Lilith was trying to do.

  “She doesn’t want my soul!” I protested. “She just needs to get rid of the one you foisted on her!”

  “Do not presume to know my desires, Peter Simon Collins,” Daraxandriel growled, stabbing at her keyboard. “Thy soul is still a prize worth claiming.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Lilith assured me. “She really shouldn’t be distracted at a time like this, bless her heart. After all, I’m in no position to help her.” She spread her hands to indicate her cursed humanity.

  Now Daraxandriel did turn around, glaring at her sister. “I do not require thine aid to acquire his soul!” she retorted. “It is mine the moment I choose to claim it!”

  “Of course it is,” Lilith assured her soothingly, all the while sounding like she didn’t believe it for an instant. “As soon as we get this silly curse lifted, he’s all yours for as long as it takes.”

  Daraxandriel subsided doubtfully, as if she wasn’t entirely sure Lilith was actually agreeing with her, and I bristled on her behalf. “You wouldn’t have done any better if you were stuck inside a rock for four hundred years!”

  “Probably not,” she agreed amiably, “but then I was never careless enough to be trapped inside one in the first place. None of that matters now, though,” she stated dismissively. “We’re here now and I’ll do everything in my power to help Dara claim her first soul.”

  Daraxandriel ducked her head in shy gratitude. “Thou art a true friend, Lilith,” she said softly.

  “That’s what sisters do.”

  They smiled at each other and my heart clenched in my chest. Lilith was clearly trying to goad Daraxandriel into claiming a new soul, preferably mine, which would only make her even more of a target for the demon hunter. I needed to stop her somehow but no one was going to believe me. They all figured Lilith was harmless now that she was human but she was more formidable than ever for that very reason. She could lie and scheme and manipulate everyone around her to her heart’s content and no one would realize the danger until it was too late.

  Lilith looked me over with a languid smile. She knew I knew what she was up to and she didn’t care. I was sorely tempted to tear into her but whatever I said would just bring Daraxandriel to her defense. I had to beat Lilith at her own game and win Daraxandriel back somehow. The problem was, Lilith was infinitely better at this than I was.

  On the other hand, I knew Daraxandriel better than she did. At the very least, I had more recent experience with her. It was worth a try, anyway.

  “So is anyone still hungry?” I asked casually. “I was thinking of going out for some fries.”

  “Fries?” Daraxandriel perked up considerably. “Thou hast not offered me fries for an eternity!”

  “Well, it’s a special occasion, what with Lilith being here and all. Get some proper clothes on and let’s go.”

  Daraxandriel jumped up and stripped off her Cowboys jersey, heedless of the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it, and flung open the closet. Lilith eyed me with displeasure, her smile long gone.

  “Well,” she said, “you two have fun.”

  Daraxandriel paused in the act of removing a yellow sundress from its hanger. “Wilt thou not accompany us, Lilith?” she asked in dismay.

  “No, not this time.” She ran her hand down her perfectly flat stomach. “I’m human now, I have to watch my weight. You go ahead, don’t worry about me. I’ll just keep myself
busy until you get back,” she sighed, casting a forlorn look around the bedroom. “Somehow.”

  Daraxandriel’s face dropped and she slowly hung her dress back in the closet. “Nay, I shall keep thee company, Lilith,” she said glumly, resuming her seat.

  “You’re so sweet,” Lilith said with apparent sincerity but she was looking at me when she said it, her eyes glittering in triumph.

  I hadn’t expected to win our first skirmish but I still had a few shots to fire. “I’ll bring back some fries for you,” I told Daraxandriel. “I won’t be long.”

  She flashed me a smile like she used to. “Thank thee, Peter Simon Collins! Thou hast a kindly soul.”

  “Not for long,” Lilith muttered under her breath. We stared each other down for a moment before I left to fetch my bribe to win back Daraxandriel’s affections.

  She preferred Whataburger fries but DQ was closer. I weighed the options and decided that the quality of the offering was more important than its timeliness, although I still made the round trip in record time. I ran into the house with an extra-large order still warm from the fryer, only to discover that Lilith made her counter-move in my absence. My bedroom door was closed and locked and there was no light showing underneath. I rattled the knob and knocked.

  “Dara?” I called. “Are you in there?”

  “Shh!” That had to be Lilith. Daraxandriel would have told me Hush or possibly Cease thy unwelcome disturbance. “Don’t wake her up.”

  “You’re sleeping?” I asked incredulously. It was barely nine o’clock.

  “She’s very tired,” Lilith informed me smugly. “She’s had a trying day.”

  “That makes two of us,” I grumbled to myself. “I have her fries,” I said in a louder voice.

  “I’m sure she’ll express her appreciation for your efforts in the morning. Good night!”

  The first round was over and Lilith clearly won, but at least I made her work for it. I just had to keep trying until I pried Daraxandriel away from her evil influences. I retreated to the kitchen and munched on the fries as I considered my next step. I needed some sort of angle that Daraxandriel would respond to but, as I mentioned to Mrs. Kendricks last night, the only things we had really in common were french fries and Lorecraft and Lilith had already usurped that second option. There’s always my soul, I thought uneasily, but I wasn’t willing to give that up just yet.

  Dad wandered into the kitchen frowning at his phone. He stole a couple of fries and chewed on them absently while he scrolled through some long message.

  “Do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning, Peter?” he asked finally.

  Other than plotting Lilith’s demise? I thought sourly. “No, not really,” I said aloud. “What’s up?”

  “Rachel needs you to come down to the station and fill out some paperwork before you start your internship.” Rachel Burns was the police department’s administrative assistant, receptionist, and dispatcher. If she ever decided to retire, Hellburn would probably go to Hell within a day.

  “I thought you had Mondays off.”

  “I’ll wear a disguise so no one recognizes me,” he smiled. “We’ll head out around nine, okay?”

  “Sure, sounds good.” Dad nodded and grabbed another trio of fries before turning away. “Dad?” He stopped with the fries halfway to his mouth. “Have you guys given any more thought to the apartment thing?”

  “There’s a lot to consider, Peter,” he said honestly. “Give us some time to sleep on it.”

  That wasn’t as positive a response as I’d hoped but at least it wasn’t no. Maybe the other half of the jury would be more sympathetic. “Where’s Mom?”

  “Sleeping,” he said. “Between the wine and all the excitement today, she’s tapped out.” He finished off his fries and brushed the salt from his fingers.

  “I know the feeling,” I sighed. “I might head to bed myself.”

  “Do you need any help with the cot?”

  “No, I’ll manage, thanks. Good night.”

  “Night.” Dad headed off to his study while I sat there contemplating the half-empty carton of fries. I decided to leave it on the table in case Daraxandriel got up in the middle of the night looking for a snack and went to assess my new sleeping quarters.

  The den was larger than my bedroom but it had more stuff in it, so it was a bit of a wash in terms of available floorspace. The long leather couch and flanking easy chairs set against one wall faced the wall-mounted TV and other electronics on the other, separated from each other by a glass-topped coffee table keeping our extensive collection of remotes and game controllers off the floor. Three tall racks of DVDs, arranged in an order that made sense only to Mom, graced the far wall beneath framed photos of the family in less-stressful times.

  I surveyed the carpeted floor doubtfully. There was enough room to set up the camping cot if I moved the table all the way under the TV but I was unenthused about that option. The cot was a relic from Dad’s younger days in Missouri and it always felt like it was about to collapse under its own weight. An air mattress would probably be more comfortable but the electric pump was still broken and inflating one of those by hand would take half the night.

  I sat on the couch and bounced experimentally. It had seen enough use over the years that the leather no longer creaked under my weight and it was long enough to almost let me stretch out but it wasn’t all that deep. One careless roll and I’d end up on the floor anyway. I decided to risk it and went in search of a blanket and pillow, since mine had been usurped by Lilith and Daraxandriel.

  I dug out a quilted comforter from the winter stores in the garage that looked like it might do the trick and then took one of the throw pillows from the front room that seemed firm enough. I threw everything onto the couch and went off to complete my evening routine in the bathroom. I returned a few minutes later, spread out the comforter, stripped down to my boxers, and turned off the overhead light.

  The room plunged into darkness and I had to stand there for a minute until my eyes adjusted, not wanting to dent my shins on the coffee table trying to find the couch. I finally made my way over cautiously and lay down, wiggling around to find a comfortable position that didn’t strain my neck or threaten to tumble me over the edge.

  I finally settled down and gazed at the array of red and green indicator lights across from me. It felt kind of strange trying to go to sleep without Daraxandriel draped all over me, like something important was missing. I’d never had a favorite teddy bear or security blanket growing up but I was starting to appreciate why people got so attached to them. The house was quiet apart from the usual sort of noises it made at night and my eyes slowly drifted shut.

  Something woke me an indeterminate amount of time later but I couldn’t quite sort out what it was. Maybe Daraxandriel had discovered the fries in the kitchen or maybe Dad was checking the doors before heading to bed. Whatever it was didn’t repeat so I rolled over and tried to remember what I’d been dreaming. Something about Melissa in a judge’s robe, Lilith as the defendant, and clones of Mom and Dad filling the jury box.

  A sound at the very edge of my hearing kept me from drifting off again, too quiet to make out what it was and too loud to ignore. I peeled open one eye in annoyance and looked around. A hazy light was coming from the door, like someone had turned on the hall light outside. I turned my back on it with an irritated sigh, hoping whoever it was would go back to bed soon, and then I rolled back with a frown. The light wasn’t leaking under the door, it was inside the room with me.

  I blinked both eyes, trying to figure out where it came from, but I was having trouble focusing on it. It drifted towards the TV and slowly resolved into a human shape. For a puzzled instant, I thought it was Susie, except that Susie’s hair was longer and straighter and she wouldn’t be caught dead in a frilly dress like that. She also wasn’t translucent but the power indicators on the TV and DVR gleamed dimly through the figure like tiny Christmas lights in a fog.

  “Gah!” I jerked
upright, feeling every hair on my head trying to jump from my scalp. The shape turned around, revealing a young woman with big eyes, completely white from head to toe.

  “Oh, hello,” she whispered. “I didn’t see you there. Are you dead too?”

  “Gah!” I tried to jump backwards and thudded into the back of the couch. I scrabbled up as high as I could, pulling the comforter with me like a protective shield, and pressed my back against the wall, staring goggle-eyed at the creature as my heart threatened to burst out of my chest. “Gh – gh – gh – ghost!”

  “You mean me?” She looked down at her hands thoughtfully. “I suppose you’re right,” she sighed. She looked around the room doubtfully. “This isn’t at all like I expected.”

  One part of my brain was babbling Ghosts aren’t real! Ghosts aren’t real! while the other part shouted back What the hell do you think that is, then? I took a shuddering breath and forced myself to blink. “Wh – what?”

  “All this.” She gestured around her. “It seems very ... ordinary. I thought there’d be, you know, fire.”

  “Fire?” This has to be a hallucination, I told myself. Maybe those fries were bad.

  “Lava pits, pools of flaming brimstone, bonfires made from tormented souls. I saw Lily sleeping in the other room so I know there are demons here. Except her hair was a different color,” she frowned.

  “Lily?”

  “Lily Cantrell. Well, that’s not her actual name. I couldn’t pronounce it properly so I made one up.”

  Lily Cantrell. Lilixandriel. “You mean Lilith?” I peered closer at her and sucked in my breath in surprise. “Wait a minute! You’re Olivia Benard!”

  “Yes,” she said, looking surprised. “Have we met?”

  “Lilith took your soul! You’re dead!”

  “Yes, I know.” She sounded a bit irked. “And now I’m in Hell.” She took another look around. “Right?” she asked with an uncertain twist to her lips.

  “No, you’re in my house.” I carefully climbed down from the couch. Olivia looked a lot better than she had in her video, other than the part about being a ghost. She had hair now, tumbling in deep waves around her shoulders, and her face was fuller. She wore a loose-fitting puffy-sleeved dress with a lot of ruffles, although her feet were bare. “How did you get out of Dara’s head?”