My Soul to Take (Soul Keepers (Young Adult paranormal romance)) (25 page)

When I get back to the hotel, I stop in the lobby and write down all of the weird things the guy was talking about. The stray sits outside the window watching me like he was a stalker. Even the dogs in New York are insane.

Back at the conference, all I keep wondering is how the man knew my name. I paid cash for my drink and they didn't take my name for the cup. I'm not wearing a name tag. I try and focus on the meet and listen but my thoughts keep drifting off. Malfas, is that what he said his name was. What an odd name. I Google it, and it corrects my spelling to: did you mean Malphas? So I click on the Wiki link and read about a mythological creature of hell. My day just keeps getting stranger. I stare at my notes until the words just look like spider webs stringing together. Memories, future, the words keep blinking back and forth like a railroad crossing. I miss the comforts of home and Sam. God do I miss Sam. He’s at school now, probably about to join Emily for lunch under our tree. I wish I’d never come to this God forsaken place.

What if this guy wasn't crazy?
He really looked like he knew me, and knew me well. What if these are my own memories. He said they've wiped my memories. Who is the “
they”
he is referring to? He said we'd met before. He mentioned Elijah, what if that's the name of the DHS (dark haired stranger)? I cross out DHS in my notes and replace it with the name Elijah and read through it again.

It doesn't jog any memories, if that's what these even are. I feel antsy
. I check my watch for the tenth time in fifteen minutes. The key note speaker is hard to follow this year and has a droning voice that I try and tune out every chance I get. Our team sits at a large round banquet table nibbling on light refreshments of punch and fruit, cheese and crackers. Two of the girls keep whispering back and forth and it’s grating on my nerves.

Finally we get to break into our councils and begin. I can’t focus like this. I excuse myself and go to the restroom to splash some water on my face. When I return I’m still a jumbled up mess. As I start on the first of my three key points I keep having to go back and correct myself. These mistakes will lose our school any chance of an award this year. I’m angry by the time I finish
, though I try and remain professional.

When we’re finally dismissed for the day
, I skip the New York tour and opt to stay in the hotel room alone. I’ve seen enough of New York to know that it’s not my kind of place. Some of the other council members came up to me after words and complimented my speech, so maybe I didn’t do as bad as I thought I did. Tomorrow can make or break us. I’ve got get my head in the game.

I click on the television, flipping through the channels three times before turning it off. I try Sam’s cell again and still get his voicemail. It’s not like him to be unreachable for so long. I try his house phone and no one answers. The room is eerily quiet so I put my music on and break out my spiral again. I stare at the pages until my eyes water.

A white fog rolls into the room and another vision begins to emerge. I’m in school I recognize the dress I’m wearing, it’s the first day of school last year. A montage of the days memories flash by in waves. I meet Sam for the first time and the feeling of that first attraction clenches at my gut. In my next class the boy behind me taps me on the shoulder and it’s the same blurred face as in the past. My face could rival a raspberry in color when I notice him. I try and recall if that really happened that day or not.
They’ve wiped your memories
. Malphas repeats in my head.

The vision continues and the scene shift
s to me running up the stairwell. I’m crying. Now I do remember crying that day. During lunch with Emily and Sam I started to miss my dad so much. I ran off to the top of the stairwell and cried until Emily found me.

Instead
, in this foggy vision I run into
him
.  He’s so large and well-muscled, but not like a body builder large. More like a male model perfect. Definitely not the Malphas character. He was much slimmer. The guy pulls me in and calms my tears. Then he kisses my lips, his fingers tangle in my hair and suddenly he lets go. He apologizes and bounds down the stairs and there is where I sit until Emily finds me. The fog rescinds its tendrils and I’m left wondering what the hell just happened. The voice of Malphas repeats in my mind.
I can give you your memories back. Just say my name.

I click on the internet and research his name once again re-reading the same tale about this character. “
Your life used to be very different.”
What if it was? Can I go on, not knowing if I’m involved in some larger than life brainwashing scheme?
Won’t I always wonder? These visions don’t seem to be showing any reductions in fervor anytime soon.

“
Malphas.” It rolls off my tongue like honey, bounces around the quiet room almost in an echo. I suddenly feel like an idiot. Why I’m so quick to jump to the supernatural world? “They” if there is a “they,” are more likely to be from some secret experiment run by the government. Or maybe a better explanation is I’m just plain nuts, crazy as a loon, I don’t have any lapses in my memory. No one can just wipe someone’s brain and replace it with a whole other life.

A quiet knock raps at the door. That was a creepy coincidence. I laugh at myself as I open the door, judging from the mess in the room it’s probably housekeeping.
Only it’s not.

It’s him! He’s really here! Shit, what the hell? I slam the door in his face, but he sticks a foot in the doorway and the door bounces wide open.

I back away as far as I can, looking for a weapon of some kind. He shuts the door behind him and locks the bar lock so that no one can get in.

“
Still don’t remember me?”

“
Please get out. Don’t hurt me.”

“
I’m sorry I can’t agree to your request but you called me and I always keep my dates.”

He inches closer as if cornering a wild animal. My back is against the
glass. I find the sliding door handle and unlock it, sliding it open and running outside. The moon is full and night has fallen. A crisp wind slices through me and shovels my hair in my face and I’m blinded momentarily.

I’m twelve floors up, great plan Bren. I
start to scream for help but Malphas points his thin finger at me and my voice is gone. I back up to the railing. From outside the room I hear the dog barking and growling in the hall. How in the world did he get up here? Malphas flicks his finger in the direction of the noise and the dog cries out in pain. Malphas smiles as though he’s pleased.

I glance around to see if I can make it to the next balcony over but it’s too far away.
“Now, now calm yourself. I would want to lose your pretty little soul before I can collect it. He swiftly lunges forward, graceful as a pouncing cheetah and we both go over the edge of the rail. A silent scream is all I can manage before my world fades to black.

“
She’s coming around now sir. Yes. No. Yes sir, she’s secure.” The man’s voice gets further away as he speaks, sounding like he’s on a phone. I can’t see anything. Something is over my eyes. It feels like I’m on a bed. My wrist are bound tightly to the rails as are my ankles. My voice is still unable to even whisper. Panic floods through my body like rush from a dam bursting. My heart pounds out in my ears so loud I can barely hear anything else.

“
Don’t move around too much or you’ll hurt yourself like last time.” The same man’s voice says. The room smells sterile and a bit like menthol.
What last time?
I hear him walk away, leaving me alone. The more I move, the more my restraints cut into my skin. Tears run down my cheeks and wet my ears.

I try and make sense of what happened, wondering most of all
, why I’m not dead. Wait, maybe I’m dead. We fell from a twelve story balcony there’s no way I survived that. I hope the insane man who pushed me over is dead too. This is not heaven and not exactly what I expected hell to be like either. It’s not even that hot, comfortable really. A mild seventy-five degrees. I never got to tell Sam good bye. I blink away tears again.

He was always so good to me. I can’t believe I spent the last two days of my life worried about some mystery guy, when
I’ve the perfect guy all to myself already. I should have given up Harvard. Texas has good schools. What’s the point of an Ivy League education anyway? Especially if it’s traded for love.

I hear someone enter the room I’m in. A single pair of shoes walk in as if they owned this world and I know it’s him. He lifts the blindfold from my eyes and I blink rapidly trying to recover my bearings. He peers over at me without a scratch on him. I glance down and my own body and find nothing amiss. How is this possible?

A stark white room with bright lights nearly blinds me. It looks like an old fashioned doctor’s office that had been meticulously restored to its original splendor. White subway tiles, line the walls and hideous mint green cabinets display an odd assortment of medical supplies that look as if they would do more harm than good. Something tells me if I’m not dead yet I’m going to wish I was very soon.

“
Now then, about our deal. Perhaps I finally have something you want to negotiate with. The chance at true love, your grandmother’s life, none compare to the loss of a life once had.

Don’t try and speak yet. You’ll have your turn.
” He paces back and forth at the end of my bed with his hands behind his back. I lie in the bed, helpless and afraid.

“
You may not realize this, but the chosen ones have been hard at work, destroying every inkling of the life you actually led for the last few months. Perhaps the good tree can bear bad fruit after all. They even restricted the one guardian who could have protected you tonight. I stole you right from his embracing wings. It seems they ordered him to protect you without becoming visible to you. Are you following me so far?”

I grasp at my parched throat trying to speak.
“Nod yes or no?” His voice has an edge to it. I nod, not wanting to upset him further.   This guy is certifiable. I can't believe I'm shackled to a bed with him going on about men with wings. His face scrunches up like he doesn't believe me.

He closes his eyes and removes his shirt looking rather annoyed. His strip tease sends another round of adrenaline through my veins. I struggle uselessly as he frowns again. A strange sound causes me to look back up at him.

My mouth hangs agape at the sight of the bare chested man gifted with two jet black wings and yellow eyes. He blinks slowly and in an instant he is a full black raven, the size of half the room. He screams out an ear piercing cacophony and I cringe. What the hell is this dude? Oh God I'm really dead. I'm in hell. Tears pour out of my eyes like a faucet left on.

He reverts back to wingless man in seconds, sounding like a chicken just got tossed into the chopper.
“Now do you follow me?” I nod. He’s already fully dressed as well. He wipes my tears with his handkerchief. He points at my throat and after a few sputtering coughs I can speak again.

“
What are you?”

“
I’m a fallen angel, sent to help you retrieve your lost memories. I didn't mean to scare you but there is no nice way to kidnap someone.”

“
Am I dead?”

“
No, you are alive.”

“
The vision's I've been having, are those the memories that you say they wiped from my head?”

“
Do they involve a blue-eyed, coal black haired man and an unrequited love?”

“
I think so. I can never see his face.”

“
Then yes. There is much more to the story but I'm afraid that will come at a price.” He snips the plastic bands holding my arms and legs and motions for me to follow him. At the door he grabs my arm and we change rooms without even moving.

Two extravagant white doors open at his silent command.  He directs me inside. I step into the room and take in the opulence that drips from every inch of the miniature palace. A magnificent four poster bed takes up the center of the room. Deep crimson bedding cover
s it in layers of luxury.

“
If you give over your soul, we can offer you your memories back and protection from the chosen ones. They won't be able to take anything else from you. And when you pass on, from old age of course, you can live here forever.”

“
Here as in hell?” I question sitting on the edge of a silk tufted chair. Only his eyes move to examine my expression. He’s trying hard to hide his annoyance. He’s a horrible salesman.

“
Yes you would technically live in hell but this is hardly the pits of hell. The master takes good care of his special guests.”

“
So I would never see my dad or Grandma again?”  This guy is fighting a losing battle. “And what good are my old memories when I’m happy with the one’s I’ve now?”

“
They wouldn’t even miss you. They have no way of knowing how much time has passed in Heaven.”
“Was I happy before?”

“
You made the best of your situation.”