The Soulkeepers

  * * * * *

  Jacob woke spitting into his pillow, relieved that the knocking on his door had interrupted the nightmare.

  “Everything okay in there?” John asked.

  “Bad dream. Everything’s fine.”

  “Time to get going, Jacob. You’re going to be late for school.”

  “Okay,” he yelled back. In fifteen minutes, he was dressed in a long-sleeve black waffle-knit shirt and jeans. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door.

  “No breakfast, Jacob?” Aunt Carolyn asked as he walked past the pine table.

  “I’m not hungry.” Dream or not, he could still taste the maggots in his mouth.

  “Okay. Don’t forget, this weekend is the Pumpkin Chuck. We want to take you, so don’t make any other plans.”

  “Sure,” he replied and walked out the door into the fall wind. Aunt Carolyn was nicer to him since Katrina moved away. Katrina never called from school and he was sure the change of heart had everything to do with Aunt Carolyn having an empty nest. He didn’t mind. It was nice having one less person hate him in Paris.

  He jumped into Big Blue and headed toward town. The road was lined with deciduous trees celebrating their last waking days with leaves of red, gold, and chestnut. Fall in Paris was beautiful. It was the first time he’d seen trees change like this, and it was almost worth the cold.

  Pulling into the school parking lot, he was surprised to see Malini standing in front of his usual spot. It looked like she was waiting for him.

  “Malini?” he said hopefully as he got out of his truck.

  She held up her hand and the stainless steel heart glinted in the sun.

  “You know, I don’t go out there every day, Jacob.” She grinned.

  “Wait … You are talking to me and wearing my bracelet. Does this mean you forgive me?”

  She paused, her face serious. “This means I will forgive you as soon as you uphold your end of the bargain and tell me everything.”

  “Deal. After school today.” He reached out and caught the silver heart between his fingers. “It looks beautiful on you. Happy birthday.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled a genuine Malini smile that made him feel like the weight of the world was finally off of his shoulders. It was the kind of smile that made everything good again and, as they walked toward the school, life felt normal for the first time in a long time.

  She sat next to him in English and ate lunch directly across from him at their usual table. It was just like old times, except something about it was more fragile.

  “Why can’t you tell me now?” she asked.

  Jacob glanced in both directions. When it was clear there was no one listening, he leaned forward and whispered, “I can start but I’m warning you, it’s complex.”

  “Try me.”

  “Well, Dr. Silva says I’m a Soulkeeper.”

  “A Soulkeeper?”

  “She says that God allowed water to flow out of the Garden of Eden, to reach the descendants of Adam and Eve. Only the ones who were pure of heart, who genuinely wanted to rid the world of evil, could see and drink the water. Those people who drank it experienced changes. It altered their DNA. I am a descendant of one of those children. Actually, more like two or more. See, the gifts were lost—like recessive genes—as the sons and daughters married normal people. But every once in a while, two people with a recessive gene get together and their child—”

  “—shows traits of the recessive gene. Jacob, are you telling me you have a heavenly gene?”

  “Yeah I know it’s crazy but I guess you could call it that.”

  “But how did she know?”

  “She said there are records. I don’t think Dr. Silva is … normal. Anyway, when I found the tree, she said it was a clue. She said only a spiritual being could have found it on their own.”

  “What does the tree have to do with any of this?”

  “It doesn’t have anything to do with me. It has more to do with Dr. Silva. She buried her husband in her garden and it grew out of his body.”

  “Eww. Creepy. And you didn’t think that thing was dangerous?”

  “Malini, I’ve been through it twice, safely. But again, I’m really sorry.”

  “So, what does being a Soulkeeper give you? I mean besides being able to control water.”

  “I don’t really know. Dr. Silva was supposed to be my Helper. She was helping me discover my gifts. She said that every Horseman has different abilities and you have to exercise them to know what they are.”

  “Horseman?”

  “Oh, that’s what she says I am. I guess there are three types of Soulkeepers. There are Horsemen like me who are supposed to battle evil, like soldiers who protect humans. There are Healers that fix things, cure people and situations. And then there are Helpers, who serve the other two by getting them what they need. My gift, as far as I know, is that I can control water. I guess that’s a Horseman thing, a weapon.”

  “You said Dr. Silva was supposed to be your Helper. What happened? Isn’t she helping you now?”

  “No. She found out about my taking you to the tree. I must have left the gate open. That’s against the rules. She freaked out and said she wouldn’t help me anymore.”

  “Wha—what happens if you leave the gate open?” Malini’s face had gone white. He supposed this was a lot to take in at one sitting.

  “Evil things can get to our side. This is the part that I never really bought into. She says there are fallen angels among us. She calls them Watchers. Says they come to steal people’s souls from God. That’s why I’m a Horseman, to protect people’s souls. I don’t really believe it though. Sounds pretty crazy.”

  “So does moving water with your mind, but you can do it.”

  “Point taken,” Jacob said. The bell rang. “We’ll have to finish this later.”

  “Yes. I want to know everything. McNaulty’s after school,” Malini said. It was not a question but a demand.

  Jacob nodded. “Oh, Malini, my aunt and uncle want to take me to something called a Pumpkin Chuck this weekend. Do you want to come?”

  “Yeah! I went last year—very cool. I heard it’s supposed to be better than ever this year.”

  “That makes one of us. I haven’t heard anything. How is it you always know what’s going on?” Jacob asked.

  “Because I listen,” she answered, giggling.

  The rest of the day crawled on as Malini and Jacob tried not to talk about his secret. During chemistry, Malini knocked over a beaker of water and it was all he could do to allow the liquid to spread across the table. The afternoon was heavy with knowing glances and words left unspoken. Finally, the last bell rang and they headed out toward the parking lot chatting about Malini’s new car. She promised to give him a ride to McNaulty’s so he could check it out. He was almost to the cherry-red door when the weight of someone’s eyes boring into the back of his skull distracted him.

  “Jacob,” a voice said from behind him. Auriel was leaning against his truck. She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.

  “Oh hi, Auriel,” Jacob said. He tried to ignore the butterflies that charged his throat from his stomach. With Malini right there, it was more embarrassing than ever.

  “I thought we were going to talk today. I came to meet you.”

  He cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten that he’d invited Auriel to meet him today at McNaulty’s, too.

  “Auriel, this is my friend, Malini. Malini, this is Auriel. She’s new here. She goes to St. Mary’s.”

  Auriel held out her hand toward Malini. “Nice to meet you.”

  Malini didn’t move. She was covering her nose with the back of her hand. Her face turned a pale, greenish color and she ran to the nearest garbage can to vomit.

  “Oh my God, are you all right?” Jacob ran to Malini’s side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “Yeah, I think so,” she said. Then she looked up at him and grabbed his wrist. “Jake, I can’t explain why, but
something tells me that she’s not right. Stay away from her.”

  “What do you mean? I just met her yesterday.”

  “I know. I can’t explain it. It feels like when you’re a kid and something in you just knows that a spider is more dangerous than a butterfly. No one has to tell me that she’s a spider. I just know. Please…” There was a familiar look on her face as if she’d decided something. The same one Jacob remembered from his snake dream and when she’d refused to go through the tree.

  “Hmm.” He thought about how his dreams had a way of coming true lately, even if things didn’t happen in exactly the same way. There was something unusual about Auriel, unnatural. “I think you’re right,” he told Malini.

  “Good, because I’m going home. I’ve obviously got the flu or something. Sorry we couldn’t hang out but we are still going on Saturday, right? To the Pumpkin Chuck?”

  “Definitely. We’ll pick you up.” Jacob walked her to her car and helped her in, backing toward Auriel as Malini pulled out of the now almost empty parking lot.

  “So are you still up for McNaulty’s?” Auriel asked. She closed the gap between them and said the words into his ear. With her body this close, he could smell her scent, spicy and sweet, like fresh-baked pumpkin pie. The scent was irresistible. Even with the memory of his nightmare and the warning from Malini, he found himself drawn to her. As he turned and saw the bend of her neck above the clingy white blouse, he felt helpless to resist. It was as if he were seeing fire for the first time. He knew it could burn but every cell in his body wanted to play with it, craved to see how close he could get.

  “I think I should go,” Jacob forced himself to say. His voice sounded weak, the hesitation of uncertainty lengthening the vowels. She moved in closer and her presence wrapped around him, an intoxicating and tangible thing that flowed through his body like electricity. Everything felt warm. His fingers and toes tingled. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her. Just. One. Kiss.

  “What are you doing here?” Dane Michaels descended the last steps to the parking lot, attitude rolling off of him like bad cologne. He looked at Auriel and then at Jacob with blatant jealousy in his eyes.

  “Dane,” Jacob said, taking a step back from Auriel, whose expression morphed into rage. “Have you met Auriel?”

  Dane didn’t acknowledge him. “Do you have some of that stuff you gave me before?” he said to Auriel, sliding up to her and taking her waist. Apparently, she smelled just as good to Dane because Jacob saw him breathe deeply and lean in closer to her. “It was great but I’m all out.”

  “Leave or die,” she said through her teeth.

  Dane backed off a half of an inch and gave a shrug like he was just goofing around. “What’s with you? I told you Lau has a girlfriend. I’ve been trying to get him to come meet you since last year. He’s not interested. Why don’t you come hang out with me like before?”

  Jacob backed up another step. The wind picked up and the coolness of it brought him to his senses. The smell of pie was replaced with a hint of burning leaves and all of that fresh air brought clarity. Dane had met Auriel. He said he’d been trying to get Jacob to meet her since last year. That meant Auriel was lying when she said she was new in town. Jacob thought about the day at the grocery store and the afternoon in the hall at the school. Dane had insisted there was someone he’d wanted to introduce him to. Auriel had been trying to reach him for a long time. But why hadn’t she introduced herself before? Why was she so interested now?

  “He’s right. Dane is much better company than I am. And, I’m not really feeling well. Maybe another time.” Jacob moved around Auriel to get to his truck.

  “Problem solved,” Dane said. Auriel looked confused, like she couldn’t decide what to do next. She bit her lip in frustration and then, as Jacob opened the truck door to slip behind the wheel, she cracked.

  Her arm shot out and grabbed Dane behind the neck. At first she looked like she was going to kiss him. She brought his face within an inch of her own and said in a voice he could barely hear, “You should’ve left when you had the chance.”

  Dane’s body folded in half over her knee. She flung him onto the pavement with one arm, his body limp like a rag doll. His head hit the concrete with a sickening crack and blood splattered the hood of the truck. Jacob didn’t want to think about how hard someone had to bust a head to get blood to spray like that. He couldn’t see if Dane was moving because his body had fallen too close to the front of the truck but he could hear a high-pitched wheeze. Dane was trying to suck air back into his lungs.

  Auriel didn’t let up. Her lips were pulled back from her teeth like an animal. Her upper body flinched as she kicked Dane again and again. The rage in her eyes, it didn’t seem human.

  Leaving now, just driving away, would be the smart thing, the simplest thing. He didn’t owe Dane anything. But Jacob couldn’t do it. It just seemed cowardly, what with him having the power he did and Dane as helpless as he was. Jacob decided to take the high road. In the cup holder of his truck was exactly what he needed.

  “Auriel, stop,” he commanded as he opened the car door and stepped toward her, a half-empty bottle of water in his hand.

  She stepped back from Dane, who Jacob could now see was trying desperately to crawl away from her, his head bleeding profusely and his face a swollen mass of bruises. One arm hung oddly against his body, probably broken. He stepped in front of Dane and faced Auriel.

  “I was just protecting myself, Jacob,” she said, her hand going to her neck. “You saw how he practically attacked me.”

  “Sure,” Jacob replied, thinking hard. One wrong word and he could be next. “But maybe you should let me take him home now. I think you’ve made your point. I’m afraid someone might see and blame this on you.”

  “You’re right.” She looked down at Dane and said, “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut about this.” Then she turned back toward Jacob. “Will I see you later?” she breathed. The warmth, the scent, folded around him again, only this time Jacob held his breath. He could feel the water sloshing against the side of the bottle, pointing at Auriel.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it.” He forced himself to smile.

  “When?” she demanded, and then smiled to cover her harsh tone.

  “Tomorrow? McNaulty’s. We can pick up where we left off.” Jacob watched her consider this as she gave the situation a calculated perusal.

  “See you then.” She turned to leave looking like any gorgeous teenage girl might, except for the blood that covered her legs and boots from the knee down. She climbed into a red Jeep in the corner of the lot and took off.

  As soon as she was gone, Jacob knelt down beside Dane. He wasn’t moving. There was blood everywhere. With shaky hands, he placed his fingers against Dane’s neck, relieved to feel a pulse, even though it felt too fast to be normal. He tried to lift him but he was too heavy, easily two hundred pounds of muscle. Jacob poured the water over the sleeves of his sweatshirt and willed it to help. He scooped Dane up, taking care to place him in the passenger’s side as gently as possible. After wiping Dane’s blood from the front of his truck with some paper towels John had in the glove compartment, he climbed in behind the wheel and sped for help.

  St. Mary’s hospital was barely the size of a large clinic. He pulled into the emergency entrance and tried to think up a story that would explain Dane’s condition. He decided to stick with a version of the truth.

  “I need help!” he called through the door and a group of people in scrubs came running. They carefully transferred Dane to a stretcher. As they rolled him toward the double glass doors, Dane’s good hand shot out and grabbed Jacob’s elbow.

  “Thank you,” he wheezed.

  The staff had Dane inside before Jacob could respond.

  A nurse returned through the doors and asked him the question he knew was coming.

  “How did this happen?”

  “I don’t know,” Jacob said. His voice sounded authentically s
haken. “I came out of school and found him like that in the parking lot.” It was a good lie, a necessary lie.

  “You found him like that after school?”

  “Well, not right after. I left but had to go back into the school because I needed something out of my locker. When I came back out, the parking lot was empty except for Dane. He was like that when I found him.”

  “That must have been horrible thing for you to see, honey,” she said empathetically.

  This time, Jacob could be entirely honest. “Yes, it was.”