In the golden meadow behind the Hive, a proud stallion blazed like wildfire in red and orange flames. Firefax.
But when she blinked, the horse was gone.
“Zoey? What is it?” Tristan stared at the spot where she had been looking. “Did you see something?”
Zoey shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
She rubbed her eyes. “I thought I saw something, but I was wrong.”
She knew that Firefax didn’t belong to anyone. Although he had saved her life, she didn’t expect him to hang around. But she had thought the two of them shared a connection. Maybe she had imagined him.
Tristan moved closer towards Zoey. “I have something for you.”
He handed her the mysterious package. “I hope it’ll cheer you up.”
“What?”
Zoey was way too nervous to meet his eyes as she unwrapped it. She tore off the paper.
“You got me a boomerang!” She said in more of a statement than a question. She was so excited she wanted to scream.
“I never thought I’d see one again. I know how rare they are.”
“Well, I noticed that you were still wearing the bracelet on its own, so I thought you’d like to have another one. You like it?”
Zoey looked straight into Tristan’s eyes.
“I love it. This is the best gift I’ve ever received, the only gift I’ve ever received. Only a true friend would have known how much I missed my old one. Thank you.”
“I—I wanted you to know,” he added softly, “that I really care about you. A lot.”
He took her hand in his.
“I know,” she said finally. “Me too.”
She raised herself on her toes, leaned closer, and kissed him softly.
Tristan’s joy spread across his face.
But before she could say anything more to him, she heard the neighing again. This time it was louder and more persistent.
Firefax blazed like a bonfire on the other side of the grounds. While the Agents and directors jumped at the sight of the wild creature, Zoey knew why he was there.
“I think there’s someone who wants to say hi,” said Tristan. “Go to him.”
“You sure you don’t mind?”
Zoey secured her new boomerang on her bracelet. A ride on Firefax would be the perfect ending to a perfect day.
Tristan smiled warmly. “Have fun. I’ll see you later, Red.”
Zoey lifted up her robe and ran to the firesteed.
The horse whinnied loudly at the sight of her, and she crashed head first into his strong body and wrapped her hands around his neck. She buried her face in his fiery mane, and the flames tickled her like warm fur.
“I missed you, boy.” She squeezed harder.
Firefax lowered himself, and Zoey wrapped her hands around his long orange mane. She swung her right leg over the horse’s back as if she had done it a thousand times before.
The horse straightened up and thrashed his long orange tail excitedly, trembling, anxious to run.
“You ready, Firefax?”
The horse whinnied loudly in reply.
Zoey tapped Firefax lightly with her heels and grabbed his orange mane.
“Let’s go!”
The redheaded girl and her firesteed galloped across the grounds with orange and red flames trailing behind them. They galloped up the hill behind the Hive and then disappeared into the sunset.
Discover the world of SOUL GUARDIANS
Chapter 1
Reborn
“Wait for me!” Kara jogged along Saint Paul Street. She pressed her cell phone against her ear with a sweaty hand. “I’ll be there in two minutes!”
Her black ballet flats tapped the cobblestones as she avoided oncoming traffic, her portfolio swung at her side. She jumped onto the sidewalk and ran through the crowd.
“I can’t believe you’re not here yet,” said the voice on the other line. “You had to pick today of all days to be late!”
“Okay, okay! I’m already freaking out about the presentation. You’re not exactly helping, Mat.”
A laugh came through the speaker. “I’m just saying …that this is supposed to be the most important day of your life. And you, Mademoiselle Nightingale, are late.”
“Yeah, I heard you the first time…MOTHER. It’s not my fault. My stupid alarm didn’t go off!” Kara dashed along the busy street, her long brown hair bouncing against her back. The smell of grease and beer from the pubs reached her nose and her heart hammered in her chest like a jackhammer. She knew if she missed the presentation her hopes of landing a scholarship were over. She didn’t have any money for college, so this was her only shot.
Over the heads of the crowd, Kara could just make out the sign, Une Galerie. Stenciled elegantly in bold black letters, the name hovered above the art gallery’s majestic glass doors. She could see shadows of people gathered inside. Her chest tightened. She was only a block away now.
“You know, the presentation won’t wait for you—”
“Yes, yes, I know. I swear I’m gonna kick your butt when I get there!” Kara growled into the phone, trying to catch her breath.
For a horrible moment she thought she wasn’t going to make it on time and considered getting off the sidewalk to run along the edge of the street instead. She looked back to see how bad the traffic was.
Then her heart skipped a beat.
Less than half a block behind, a man stood motionless and indifferent to the wave of humanity that flowed around him. He was staring at her. His white hair stood out against his dark grey tailored suit. Kara frowned.
His eyes are black, she realized.
A chill rolled up her spine. The man melted into the crowd and vanished, as though he were a mere trick of the light. The hair on the back of Kara’s neck prickled as a sense of foreboding filled her and the urge to scream. Who was this man?
“I think I’m being followed,” Kara spoke into her cell phone after a few seconds, her mouth dry.
“You always think you’re being followed.”
“No! I’m serious! I swear…this guy is following me—some psycho with white hair. I…I think I’ve seen him before. Or at least my mother has…”
“We all know your mother is a little nutty sometimes. No offense, I love your mom, but she’s been seeing and talking to invisible people since we were five. I think it’s rubbing off on you.”
“Listen. I was with my mom yesterday on Saint Catherine Street, and she said we were being followed by someone. What if this is the same guy? Maybe she’s not as crazy as everyone thinks.” Kara wondered if there was a little truth in her mother’s visions. She loved her mother very much, and she hated herself at times for thinking her mom belonged in a loony bin.
Mat laughed. “Are you serious? It’s bad enough that your mom sees spirits and demons. If you start believing in all that, they’ll lock you up.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Remind me why you’re my best friend again?” Kara decided to drop the subject. After all, the strange man was gone and her fear of him was melting away with every step, replaced by nerves and restlessness for her presentation. She focused on the gallery sign as she ran. “Okay…I can see you now.”
Mat was leaning against the gallery’s brick exterior. His head was turned toward the glass doors. He pulled his cigarette from his lips and blew smoke into his phone’s receiver. “I think it’s starting. Hurry up!”
Kara felt her cheeks burn. Her heart pounded in her ears and muffled the sounds around her. She took a deep breath, hoping it would calm the fluttering in her stomach, and she sprinted onto Saint Laurence Boulevard. Her cell phone slipped out of her hand and hit the pavement.
“Crap!” Kara crouched down to grab her phone. “Stupid phone—”
A flicker of movement appeared in the corner of her eye.
“WATCH OUT!” Someone shouted. She stood up and turned around.
A city bus hurtled towards her. She stared, transfixed. The bus kept coming.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
An arm reached out to her. She saw a split second image of two monstrous headlights.
And then it hit.
Thirteen tons of cold metal crushed her body. She didn't feel any pain. She didn't feel anything at all.
Everything around her went black.
A moment later, Kara was standing in an elevator.
At first, streaks of white light obscured her vision. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. The elevator was elegant…three sides appeared to be made of handcrafted cherry panels decorated with golden-wing crests. The smell of moth balls lingered in the air, like her grandma’s dusty old closet. When her eyesight improved, she realized that she wasn’t alone.
On a wooden chair facing the elevator's control panel covered in black fur and wearing a pair of green Bermuda shorts from which protruded two hand-like callused feet, sat a monkey.
It spun on its seat, wrapped its feet around the backrest of the chair, opened its coconut-shaped mouth and said, “Hello, Miss.”
Kara's jaw dropped, and she swallowed the urge to cry out. She stared at the beast, terror rising up inside her.
His hairless face crinkled into a grin so that he looked like an oversized walnut. His square head sat directly on powerful shoulders. He raised his chin and looked down upon Kara. His yellow eyes mesmerized her; she couldn't look away.
He looks like Old Man Nelson from the hardware store, she thought wildly.
After a minute, Kara was able to force some words out of her mouth.
“H …hey there, little talking-monkey-person,” she croaked and then whispered to herself, “This is definitely the wildest dream I’ve ever had. I have to remember to tell Mat about this tomorrow when I wake up.” Her throat was dry like she hadn’t had a sip of water in weeks. She tried to swallow, but all she could do was contract her throat muscles.
The monkey frowned. Then he growled. “I'm not a monkey, Miss. I'm a chimpanzee! You mortals are all the same. Monkey-this, monkey-that. Might as well call me a dog!” A splatter of spit hit Kara's face as the words escaped his lips.
Kara retched as she wiped the spit from her face. It was yellowish green and smelled like a bad case of gingivitis.
“Ah …sorry, monk—chimpanzee.” She rubbed her hand on her blue jeans and made a face. “This is beyond weird. I thought you couldn’t smell anything in dreams, at least that’s what I thought. But this…it actually smells real and totally gross.”
The chimp glared at Kara with a mixture of disdain and indignation. “Chimp Number 5M51, if you please.”
He then began to scratch his behind, and only stopped once he noticed Kara’s disgusted expression.
“You'll be arriving at your destination momentarily.” And with that, he turned his attention back to the control panel.
Gradually, Kara began to feel more awake, as though she had woken from a long, deep sleep. Reality slowly crawled back in along with the fear that perhaps this wasn’t a dream. She bit her lower lip as she told herself to think.
“Um, what destination? Where are we going?” she asked, her eyes focused on the talking chimpanzee.
Chimp 5M51 turned his head and smiled, exposing rows of crooked yellow teeth. His eyes locked onto hers. “To Orientation, of course. Level One.”
“Orientation?”
“Yes. All mortals who have passed must go through Orientation. That's where you're going.” Chimp 5M51 clamped his feet around the edges of the chair and extended an abnormally long arm in the direction of the elevator's control pane. He pointed to the brass buttons.
Kara leaned over for a better view. The panel read:
1. Orientation
2. Operations
3. Miracles Divisions
4. Hall of Souls
5. Department of Defense
6. Council of Ministers
7. The Chief
A feeling of dread slowly rose up inside her. She stared at the panel, dizzy, her knees weak like she was about to collapse. “This…this doesn't make sense. I…I'm dreaming. This is a dream!”
Kara shut her eyes and pressed her back against the elevator wall, trembling. “It can’t be happening. It just can't! I need to wake up now. Kara you need to wake up!”
“You're dead, Miss.”
Kara opened her eyes. The word dead echoed in her ears like some sick joke. The weight of his words started to pull her under. She fought against the overwhelming feeling of panic.
“I'm not dead!” she hissed, “I'm right here, you stupid BABOON!”
“…Chimpanzee!” Spat Chimp 5M51. “Think what you must,” he said, as he lifted his chin. “But think about this. Can you remember the events before this elevator?”
Kara floundered, trying desperately to remember. Bits and pieces flashed inside her brain: a white light …metal … darkness …
The bus.
Kara dropped to her knees. The city bus had hit her…pulverized her core and crushed her like a tomato. But then she remembered something else, something that didn’t make any sense. It was coming back to her now, like a faded memory sharpening into a clear picture. It flashed before her eyes...she saw an arm reach out and touch her during the bus crash. Someone had tried to save her…
“See? You're dead,” said the chimp matter-of-factly, and Kara detected a hint of amusement in his voice, as though he enjoyed watching her struggle in misery and confusion.
As she pulled herself together she pressed her hand against the left side of her chest, she couldn't feel a heartbeat. She pressed down on her rib cage. Nothing. She clasped her wrist. No pulse. No beating. No movement at all.
“See. No beating. No heart…you're dead,” declared the chimp again. Kara felt herself wanting to punch him.
But before she could make sense of what was happening, she was thrown off balance as the elevator stopped abruptly.
“Level One. Orientation!” The chimp announced.
“Wait!” Kara pushed herself away from the elevator wall and wobbled up to the chimp. “I don't understand. What's Orientation?”
With his finger still on the button, he turned his head. “Orientation is where all the new GAs are categorized.”
Kara stared stupidly into chimp 5M51’s yellow eyes. “What are GAs?”
“Guardian Angels.”
“Huh?”
Kara heard the swish of doors opening. A hint of a smile reached the chimp’s lips. He raised his arm and pressed his hand on her back. Then she flew out the elevator.
About the Author
Kim Richardson is the author of the SOUL GUARDIANS series. She was born in a small town in Northern Quebec, Canada, and studied in the field of 3D Animation. As an Animation Supervisor for a VFX company, Kim worked on big Hollywood films and stayed in the field of animation for 14 years. Since then, she has retired from the VFX world and settled in the country where she writes fulltime.
To learn more about the author, please visit:
www.kim-richardson.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/KRAuthorPage
http://twitter.com/Kim_Richardson_
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