My Soul to Keep (The Soul Keeper Series - Young Adult Paranormal Romance)

by Solis, Melissa

  “Was there anyone in the car?” I shake my head slowly, still in shock. I stare at the carnage, now billowing smoke, as the truck driver pulls me further away. The Lexus is gone, the front end is wrapped around a concrete piling and the rear is inside the semi's front end. I am in true shock now, and I only see the world around me in snapshots. I see the trucker trying to talk to me. I see his lips moving but I can't hear him. I just look at him like he is from another planet. I turn left and see two cars damaged on the service road. I blink and see that the passengers seem unhurt. I turn back and stare at the spot where I was when the truck hit and I stare for a very long time. My brain hasn't figured out what the puzzle is yet but I know there is one. It takes a minute to process, but then I see it. A single purple flower lay crushed where I had once been, I pan out and see a field of debris in a perfect half-moon shape around the flower, no more than three or four feet in diameter. I go there to understand if what I'm seeing is real. Sirens cry out in the distance as I begin to creep back into the present. I am still standing on the spot when the medic begins asking me questions. It's the plane crash all over again.

  “Do you see that?” I ask him just to be sure.

  “That's where I was when it happened. Does that seem normal?” I point to the ground. The medic looks at the ground and agrees only that I am one lucky girl and that it was a miracle I wasn’t killed... again. If the on-star button would have worked, I would have been jamming out inside the car while waiting on help and I would have been crushed to death. I call Elijah to come pick me up and he says he's only a couple minutes away at a shopping center. I am giving my statement to the police when he pulls up.

  “Brennen are you okay?” I nod. “Come here, you're shaking like a leaf.” He envelops me in his arms and I don't know if it’s the adrenalin coursing through my veins but when I close my eyes, I feel like I am in the steel cage arms of the stranger. I grip his t-shirt and wind it around my fingers and my world fades away.

  I panic when I open my eyes because the thought crosses my mind that I must have passed out and if I'm in a hospital bed, then I am in royal trouble because I have no next of kin. But I figure out in a hurry that I'm in Elijah's car and safe.

  “There's my girl.” I get the charming smile flashed at me, dimples and all. It seems last night’s hiccup has been forgotten.

  “You know, you really shouldn't shoot that thing around so freely.”

  “What?” he chuckles as if he doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about.

  “Your smile has the supernatural capabilities to melt hearts into puddles and turn girls into drooling morons.” He laughs and tries to force a straight face. The pressure builds causing smiles to crack through his lips and he ends up bursting into chuckles again.

  “I can't help it, when I'm around you, I can't help but smile, I think you have your own super powers.” I shake my head slowly and try to change the subject.

  “Did you see the accident site?” He nods. “Well did you see an odd display of debris?”

  “I just saw hunks of metal everywhere.”

  “Okay, well from where I was standing when the truck hit, there was this perfect crescent shape with car parts and shards of metal laying around like they were aiming right for me, but stopped short by some unseen force. Then, there was this tire flying right towards me like it had a mission to destroy me and it just missed me. Can you make any sense of that?” He turns his head back toward the road and bobs it up and down like he is considering the facts.

  “I guess you were just lucky,” he concludes. His answer infuriates me. Why is it, that no one can see that I have miraculously– luckily– coincidentally avoided death more than my fair share of times, but me? I let out a squeal of frustration.

  “I don't believe in luck. Shouldn't you have been tailing me or something?” I see his jaw clinch, I am getting to him. Why?

  “I was keeping tabs on you.”

  “Oh? And why is it you don't carry a gun, ever?”

  “You sure do ask a lot of questions.” He sure does avoid a lot of answers.

  “Don't patronize me Elijah; are you really in the CIA? How do I know you’re not just some deranged psychopath stalker?”

  “Do you want to see my badge again? Do you want to talk to my supervisor? I don't carry a gun because I don't need one. I wasn't tailing you because I was in a meeting, and another agent was on you. He notified me when he saw you get the flat and I was on my way when you called. He couldn't blow his cover. Are you through interrogating me?” He grips the wheel, clearly angry.

  I fold my arms over my chest and shut my mouth. Why was he so quick to be on the defensive? I am missing something and I can feel it. I have to get my hands on that journal. I have to know for sure I can trust him. I need him out of the house, but not tracking me either, I play with the possible scenarios in my head as we drive back home, and I formulate a plan.

  Chapter 7 ~ Make Nice

  I secretly think this party is just an excuse to fix me up with someone. Elijah has made it no secret he wants me to find a suitable guy to date. My only agenda tonight is to have a little fun, de-stress myself from the recent car crash.

  I pull my car up to the clearing in the woods. There are already several cars here and I see a bonfire blazing in the distance. My nerves begin to tingle. There are so many people here. A thousand what if’s run through my head. I put my head on the seat and close my eyes and turn up the volume to my radio. The pulsing beat fills the space. I can do this. My stomach disagrees as it vaults over my other organs. A wave of nausea rolls over me. I take a deep breath and try to quell my nerves. A series of slaps on my window startles me.

  "Come on Bren!" Emily blasts from right outside my door. Ah, sure just let me swallow my heart back down first, geesh. I turn off the ignition and exit the safety of my car. Emily immediately takes my hand and drags me toward the epicenter of the party. I am dressed in a stark contrast to Emily's sexy mini and low cut blouse. I have on jeans, Sperry’s and a cozy flannel shirt more appropriate for the woods, besides I am not here to impress anyone. She pauses for a second to appraise me. Her hands go up in the air like I am a hopeless case. She undoes the second and last button on my blouse and shakes her head with exasperation. My shirt flaps open exposing my belly button as she drags me off to the edge of the crowd.

  Elijah stands out in the crowd like he is the sun that we lesser desolate planets orbit around. He couldn't blend in if he were covered in bark and moss. He hasn't seen me yet. He is greeting his guest and making them feel welcome. He fits in with the guys, smacking them on the shoulder as he makes some comment that has them all smiling and chuckling. Emily slaps a drink in my hand and I sniff it suspiciously. Whoa, it smells strong whatever is in it. I give her a weak smile. I am not about to get drunk in the woods with this crowd. Emily seems to have a different plan; she gulps down the concoction and hauls me off toward a group of girls. Elijah should be fired from the CIA. I doubt the United States Government sanctioned underage drinking, and contributing to the delinquency of minors.

  "Hey Avery, I want to you to meet my friend Brennen, she has never been to a party out here." Emily introduces me to a petite fresh face girl with pale red hair as straight and glossy as a satin ribbon.

  "Brennen, hi it's nice to meet you. Let me introduce you to everybody." She takes my hand like she's known me her entire life and leads me around the circle of girls gathered. "This is Peyton, she is on the squad." I gather from her impeccable beauty, she means cheer squad. I smile at Peyton and she returns the gesture. "This is Maddi, Caitlyn, and Taylor." I assume by their similar attractiveness they too, are on the "squad".

  "It's nice to meet you all. Are you all cheerleaders?" They burst into a round of giggles.

  "No dear, we are the debate squad," Peyton pipes out.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed." I see Caitlyn and Taylor snickering and whispering to each other. I assume their gossip is at my expense and I immediately feel embarrassed.

&n
bsp; "I'll take that." A hand reaches in front of me from behind and takes my cup. I recognize the velvety voice and know its Elijah’s. The cup is replaced by a can of soda. The girls all go into swoon mode as soon as he steps beside me. I give him a daggered expression.

  "Ladies, how are you all this evening?" They all turn into bashful children who can do nothing but stare and giggle for a moment. Peyton is the first to zero in on him. She steps towards him and takes my former cup from his hand and begins to drink from it like it is his lips, her eyes never leaving his. I see the humor behind his eyes but he manages to keep a straight face.

  "We are doing just fine. Thank you for inviting us." She says the word fine like a girl would say that boy is fiiine caressing out the syllables as she removes the cup from her lips.

  "Good, have fun tonight and please let me know if anyone needs a ride home." As soon as he walks away the girls go into a tirade over how hot he is and who gets dib’s on him. Emily is eyeing me and sees something written on my face that causes her to pull me away from the group.

  "I can't believe he took your drink away, who does he think he is."

  "No, its fine I am not in the mood to drink and besides I don't want him to drive me home. Apparently, he will be playing chauffer to the debate squad tonight anyway." I knew he was a player, why settle for one mousy next door neighbor when you can have a whole squad of gorgeous girls make you their prized possession for the night?

  "Bren, Em! How are my best girls?" Sam says as he puts an arm around each of us.

  "Hey Sam," we both say.

  "Emily there is a friend of mine that really wants to meet you, would it be okay if I introduce you to him?" Sam asks. Emily eyes him with suspicion.

  "Who is your friend?"

  "Chris Shaw, he is a tight end on the football team. I know I'm new here and I don't know everyone that well but he seems to be a nice guy with a level head."

  "Um sure, I'll meet him," she says it more like a question than an answer. Sam returns a moment later with a nice looking guy built to move people out of the way. He has light brown hair kept short and neat, dark eyes and a smooth baby face. He is dressed similar to Sam in jeans, boots, a tee shirt and a ball cap.

  "Emily this is Chris." Emily smiles and pinches my waist so I guess she finds him acceptable.

  "Hi Emily, you look really pretty tonight but then you always look pretty," Chris says to her, lighting up her face.

  "Thank you," is all she manages to say. A few people have their radios set to the same channel, providing music that pulses out hit pop songs to the otherwise sleepy forest. I still have the can of soda Elijah shoved into my hands so I drink it. It is not soda. It is wine, very good wine. I take a few more drinks as our group walks over to the fire. Sam is quiet. I wonder if he still likes me.

  Avery walks up to Sam and asks him something in his ear. He nods and walks off with her, leaving me all alone. I guess that answers my question. My eyes follow them to the tailgate of a nearby truck. Sam helps her up and she grabs a beer from the cooler inside and hands it to Sam and then takes one for herself. I turn back around and gaze into the fire. Well that didn't take long. I knew he would move on quickly, guys like him don't stay single for long. Emily and Chris are talking quietly and I can tell she likes him. They are in their own little bubble. I feel like a third wheel sitting beside the pair so I take my can and walk around the party. I feel like I haven't paid much attention to my peers since I have started the school a year ago, it is as if I am noticing them all for the first time.

  Besides the debate squad, everyone else in the party is mixed up with different strokes of people. There are no clicks like at other schools I have been to, where the jocks all huddle together and the stoners find a quiet corner. No the students here are all congregating as one mass body. Here brains are admired more than beauty and geeks are revered by beautiful cheerleaders knowing their pockets will one day be filled in return. It is a strange site. I lean against a hundred year old oak tree and watch them all while I sip on my delicious wine. Before I know it my can is empty and I want more.

  I haven’t seen Elijah, where has he disappeared to? I leave the large oak in search of a refill. Sam is engaged in a lip lock with Avery still sitting in plain view on her truck's gate. I look away quickly, feeling hurt and jealous all at once. It is my own hand that held him at a distance this entire first week of school, so I have only myself to blame. But what really bothers me is the fact that they are making out so soon. I wonder if he knows her from over the summer, or if like me and Elijah, they have only just met a week ago. I am kind of glad I didn't say yes to the date now, looking back. Of course Elijah and I kissed after knowing each other for about an hour. Yet somehow it feels different. I thought Sam was different than most guys. I guess I was wrong.

  Not seeing Elijah anywhere, I wander off through the trees using my phone as a flashlight. The music begins to grow faint as I walk. The ground is soft, thick with fallen pine needles and leaves that crunch under my feet. The moonlight beams through the branches bouncing off of the leaves turning them to pure silver. I hear a large bird take flight as I traipse through noisily. It screams an eerie cacophony into the night sky, suddenly making me feel vulnerable and very alone.

  "Are you lost?" Elijah's voice finds me. I whip around, only inches from him. How the heck did he get so close without making a sound?

  "No," I breathe out. "I was actually looking for you."

  "And now that you've found me, what do you intend to do with me?" He puts his arm up against a tree I didn't realize was so close, pinning me without actually touching me, a favorite move of his, I’m learning. The light on my phone times out and leaves us in the pitch black of the forest. My heart begins to pound out in fear. I fumble for the button to relight the area but I drop my phone somewhere on the ground. Shit! I bend down and try to locate it, forgetting he is there and bump into his head. His lips brush up against mine in this split second. Heat singes through me like a lit fuse racing towards the dynamite.

  "Looking for this? Elijah illuminates the screen casting a blue glow onto his face." He hands the phone back to me. "You know the forest is a dangerous place at night. There are all sorts of creatures of prey out at this time." Why do I suddenly get the feeling he is one of them? My nails are dug into the tree bark gripping it like a cat stuck at the top, unable to back down.

  "I just wanted a refill," I say trying to lighten the heavy mood. He smiles and I turn into a puddle.

  "Come." He takes my hand and leads me back to the party. He goes to a small zippered cooler and refills my can with a flask.

  "You can turn soda into wine; can you feed the five hundred as well?"

  "It's five thousand and I am not as powerful as the savior," he says amused. Hmm, I never took him for the religious type.

  "It seems your miracles are wanted elsewhere." I nod over to the "squad" who are all gossiping with eyes pointed our way. I take my beverage and exit his side. I go to check on Emily, just to make sure Chris hasn't dragged her off into the woods. They are still glued to the log that I left them on, chatting away. Way to leave your friend hanging Em. Payton comes up beside me. She has short auburn hair with bangs swept to one side. She has that kind of natural beauty that doesn't need any make up to accentuate her features.

  "So what is up with you and Elijah? Is he your boyfriend?" Pouty lips and large doe eyes watch me carefully.

  "No I don't have a boyfriend. Elijah and I are neighbors. That is all." I realize I have just declared open season on the guy that I crave to be mine and I wince at the possibility of his lips on one of the "squad" members.

  "Oh, what is he like?" She wants the inside scoop on how to swoon my crush. I purse my lips trying to think of what I should say to her. "Elijah is gay Peyton." No I couldn't do that to him.

  "He is nice. He's very protective and will go to any means necessary to get his point across." Yes that about sums up Elijah's lowest attributes. His only flaw has been his jealousy over Sam
and now he has no one to worry himself over. Perhaps this party wasn't to find someone for me; it was to find someone else for Sam.

  The contents of my can are growing low again. Peyton saunters off in Elijah's direction and I sneak over to his stash of cold beverages and help myself to a refill. As I emerge from the cooler a guy is standing behind me recovering his gaze from my ass. I recognize Ian McDaniel from my Spanish class.

  "Hey Ian, good party hmm?"

  "Est’s okay," he slurs out with a sappy grin on his face. Well at least he's a happy drunk. "You here with someone?"

  "Nope," I say feeling rather hopeless myself. The wine has me feeling loosened up though.

  "Come on I will introduce you to my friends." I follow him over to a group of guys standing among a smattering of empty beer bottles. Normally not something I would do but I can feel Elijah's heated stare blazing into my back so I feel safe enough with him watching my back. After all, I'm the best at what I do, blah blah blah Elijah.

  "This is Jake, Ryan, Enrique, and Jesson." I am meeting half the school tonight for the very first time. Two of the guys are football players. Ryan is on the swim team with Sam and Jesson well I don't know what he is into.

  "Brennen is it?" Jesson asks. I nod and clutch my can as if it were my life preserver. "You’re in my government class, I helped elect you."

  "Well thank you for your vote kind citizen."

  "It’s Governor actually," he snipes in a joking manor. He is kind of cute in his own way. He has on black jeans, Converse, and a Disturbed concert tee shirt on. He has jet black hair and ice blue eyes. It is a cool combination that makes him seem hip and edgy. They have music booming out of the glossy black Camaro that half of them are leaning against. I close my eyes and let the beat move me, feeling braver than ever with the red wine buzzing my through my blood.