Soul Corrupted (15 page)

Grace

I wake with Noah’s shell
digging into my palm. I don’t care about the pain; it gives me something to
focus on instead of my grief. I conjure a gold chain so I can wear it around my
neck, tucked beneath my sweater. It lays right on top of my heart.

The first thing I have to do is find Kobe. I might be
afraid to see him, but he doesn’t deserve to be ignored.

I run through the starlit passageway, trusting it to
bring me to the right place. It stops at a simple wood door, but it’s one I
remember. I smile, wishing I could hear the dog barking on the other side like
when he took me to his house on Earth.

“Kobe?” I knock a few times, then cautiously turn the
knob.

He’s there on the other side, clean and dressed in a
Green Lantern shirt and jeans. His molasses-colored eyes are huge, but bright
and I start crying again, this time from relief.

“Grace?” he whispers, dropping the basketball he’d
been holding. I realize that, while we’re in his little house from Detroit, the
room is somehow also big enough to hold a full basketball court.

I laugh and drop to my knees, throwing my arms open.

He runs into them and hugs me tight.

“Oh, Kobe, I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?” I
rock him back and forth on the ground.

“I thought at least I saved you. I guess that asshole
shot you down, too, huh?”

“Kobe!” I pull back, registering his words. “I was
already dead when we met. Well, more than just that… I’m an Angel.”

I hold my breath while he takes this in, his face a
mask like the old Kobe. He’s deciding he can’t trust me, which makes my chest
hurt.

“So you were my Guardian Angel?” he asks, finally.

“Yeah.” I sigh.

“You did a pretty shitty job, huh?”

I half laugh, half cry as I nod in response.

But then he smiles and relaxes. “Nah. You did great.
You made me remember there are good people out there. That’s why I wanted to
protect you. I probably shouldn’t have gotten all macho. But shit, this is
better than down there. Did you see my court?” He throws out a hand and the
ball flies back into it.

“I did,” I say, sniffling. “But Kobe, I’m so sorry.
You had so much to live for. And your mother and siblings…”

“It’s okay, Grace. It wasn’t your fault. You helped
us. Tom, the guy who brought me here, said my brother’s not here. So I guess he
ended up…you know.” His eyes dart downward.

“Oh.”

“But maybe, well… You’re an Angel, right? Could you
maybe help my mom so she doesn’t get so sad this time? She’s got a lot of kids
to take care of.”

“You’re a good kid, Kobe,” I say. “I’ll try.” I don’t
mention Mr. Griffith and his rules. Maybe I can actually convince him to help.

His little shoulders relax. “Thanks, Grace. You’re the
best. I’m kinda glad I can’t do it myself. I think it would probably hurt more
for her to see me like this, you know? She used to have these dreams about
Martin after he died where she got to see him again. Then when she woke up
she’d cry even harder. She should be taking care of my brother and sisters, not
thinking about me.”

My mouth drops open.

“Is something wrong?” he asks.

“No, I just—you’re a really smart kid. I think
maybe I got it backward. I think you might be
my
Guardian Angel.”

Kobe straightens up. “I would look good in wings and a
halo. Gold’s my color.”

I laugh and it feels so right. Then something occurs
to me. “Kobe, can I ask you something? Did you ever get jealous of any of your
brothers or sisters?”

Kobe dribbles the ball, then takes a shot. It hovers
for a moment in midair before doing a spin and landing right in the basket.
“Hell yeah. Especially Martin. He was Mama’s favorite. She always spoiled him;
gave him extra helpings of everything and bought him new clothes. She used to
tell us all to be more like Martin and talk about how he was gonna be somebody
important like the president.” Kobe shakes his head. “She didn’t know he was in
the gang. Not until the cops told her during the investigation.”

I nod, scooping up the ball so I can shoot, too. “She
must’ve been shocked.” I make a two-point shot, then catch the ball again to
pass to Kobe.

“Shoot, that’s putting it mild. It was like everything
crumbled. She stopped talking about how we was gonna get out of there and
started working more as a dancer. After that, I didn’t feel so jealous. Martin
was a dead liar and Mama knew it. But instead of feeling better, it made me
feel angry. At Martin and the whole unfair world.”

“Thank you, Kobe. I think you might have just solved a
big problem for me.”

“Glad to help, Angel Grace. I’m gonna go round up some
other dead dudes to play a game if you’re interested.”

Huh. I’d never even considered finding other souls to
befriend outside of my job. I guess I didn’t have the chance at first. I wonder
again what else Ms. Alvarez should’ve told me when I got here.

“No thanks, Kobe. I have to visit someone. Someone I
gave up on too easily. You go and have fun. We can hang out later.”

“Suit yourself.” Kobe tosses a three-pointer.

It’s time to find Josh and clear the air.

I head through the starlit hall, concentrating on
getting to Josh, but after a few minutes of walking through space, no door
appears. I turn back to find Kobe’s door gone and I start to panic, wondering
if I’m going to be stuck floating alone in the universe for the rest of my
eternal life.

Concentrate
, I order myself and I
focus on Shona, the only other person I can think of. A new door appears, and, with
a sigh of relief, I recognize her grand entrance. Her room is a library.

“Grace!” Shona stands the moment I appear in the
doorway. She’d been sitting on a red chair with an open book and a steaming cup
of tea. I shudder for a moment, thinking of Ms. Alvarez, but remind myself that
just because they both drink tea doesn’t mean they’re similar in any other way.

“Hi,” I say, unsure how to tell her everything that’s
happened.

“Please, sit down. She conjures a second chair, and a
mug of coffee lightened to a milky tan appears right beside it.

I smile and sit, reassured. “You know me so well,” I
say, taking a sip. “Thank you.”

“I heard about your punishment,” she says in a low
voice.

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I ask, lowering the
mug halfway and wrapping both hands around it for warmth. “So you know everything?”

She nods. “I wish you hadn’t gone to Noah, but I do
understand why you went.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes, soaking in the
scent of aged books and the taste of our drinks.

“I was actually looking for Josh,” I admit, studying
my coffee as it refills itself. “But the hall wouldn’t take me to him. Has that
ever happened to you before?”

“Mmm. It means he’s not up here.”

My heart sinks. He must be on Earth with Hope. It’s my
own fault. I pushed him away because I wasn’t ready to acknowledge that he
wasn’t perfect. I refused to listen to him when it came to Noah, but he was
right. Everyone has flaws.

“I need your help, Shona.”

“What can I do for you, Grace?” She sets her cup down
and smiles at me, making what I have to ask even harder.

“I need to find a way to get back to Earth.”

The smile on Shona’s face melts. “You can’t visit
Earth. You’ve been banned. I’m sorry, Grace.”

“I know, I know. It’s just…Mr. Griffith is the one who
suggested I patch things up with Josh. He told me to talk to him.”

“I’m sure he meant when he’s here. He will be back
eventually.”

“Please, Shona.” I put every bit of desperation I feel
into those two words.

Shona sits perfectly straight. “If you’re caught
anywhere near your family or interfering with any potential Antichrist, you’ll
be banished from Heaven, Grace. Being banished is the end. I know you came back
once, but it’s never happened before and it would be beyond a miracle if it
happened again.”

A shaft of light from the overhead window falls
between us, illuminating hundreds of particles of dust. It must be the way
Shona pictures her library. Funny, some of the things people conjure in Heaven.
“I know that. I have to find him. I can’t explain why, but I have this feeling
that it can’t wait. That I need to go down there.”

“Expecting to get back together with him now is nothing
more than wishful thinking. If he’s really happy with someone else, you’ll get
your heart broken all over again.” She leans forward, stern, but gentle with
her words.

“I still have to talk to him. I can’t leave things the
way they are. Please? We’re friends, right?”

“Of course,” she says, exasperated.

I have no more ammunition, so I chew a stray curl,
hoping that even with her warnings, she’ll still consider helping me.

“Grace, you must not go looking for Noah or your
parents. Promise me that.”

“I swear. This trip is about finding Josh.” I cross my
heart.

“Very well. I will assign you to another soul. It’s
rarely done. I’ll probably be scolded for it, but it’s my first offense and I
won’t be risking what you would.”

“Thank you!” I jump up from my seat and throw my arms
around her skinny frame.

“Good luck, Grace.”

Keira

“Put on your other face and go
to the coffee shop. Now,” Lucifer snaps, and I barely have time to morph into
Hope before I’m transplanted inside the buzzing coffeehouse. The smell of fresh
roast fills the room and I have to compel a guy to take his laptop and leave so
I can have a table.

“Oh.”

I look up to find Grace, awkwardly twiddling her
thumbs and trying not to make eye contact with me.

“Hi, Grace!” I greet her with feigned enthusiasm. I’m
still trying to process what’s happened with Noah. “Have a seat.”

“I was looking for Josh,” she says.

“Well, he’s not here.” I spread my arms, indicating
the empty chairs around the table.

“I see. Well, thanks anyway. Please tell him I’m
looking for him if he comes by.”

“Wait.” I stop her from leaving. “Please sit down. I
was hoping to talk to you.” I’m stopping her because the Boss sent me here, not
because I’m worried about Noah—right?

Grace swallows, eyes darting around in search of an
escape route. Finally, she sits.

“Were you and Josh a thing?” I ask, leaning in,
telling myself to do my damn job.

She gasps a little and nods. “He didn’t tell you?”

I shrug. “I haven’t asked. And to be fair, we’ve been
kind of preoccupied with other things. You know how it is when you first fall
in love.”

“In love?” Grace’s voice is weak. Her whole body wilts
in defeat. “Yeah. I remember what it’s like.” She lays her chin on her arms on
the table. “All you think about is the other person. You don’t feel whole until
you’re with him. No—it’s more than that. You’re more complete than you
thought you could ever be when he’s there. You feel safe and understood.
Everything becomes more beautiful, more exciting, more fun.” She stops, choking
on her next thought. For once, I don’t press.

“That’s exactly how it feels,” I say, Noah’s face
dancing in my head. Golden Boy. He understood me. He was the only one. He made
everything more fun. I felt like…
more
when we were together.

Does that mean I’m in love?

It’s all I ever searched for. All I ever wanted before
death and since. The realization barely hits me before reality crashes down.

If he’s the Antichrist—Lucifer’s equal on Earth—then
he’ll never be my Demon companion. He’ll be like…like Lucifer. I’ll be no more
than a slave. He won’t love a slave.

“Grace, I’ve screwed up. Royally.”

Grace raises her head in question.

“I have to tell you something. But first you have to
promise not to leave until I’ve told you everything.” I pick at the tips of my
gloved fingers.

“Okay,” Grace says, curious.

“We can’t do this here. We need to go somewhere
private.” You can’t hide from the Devil, but I have a pretty good idea where he
won’t want to look. I won’t be safe there, either—but it’s my only option.

*
* *

“Why here?” Grace asks,
confused.

She probably assumed I meant we needed to be alone
somewhere, not in the middle of one of those Christian gift shops. It’s the
closest I can get to a church while still getting inside. I just have to be
careful not to touch any of the crosses or other various, religious
paraphernalia.

“Okay. Here goes. But remember—you promised,” I
point out again, making sure no one is looking our way before I morph back into
the form she’ll recognize.

I brace myself, hoping she won’t try to strangle me,
because then I’d surely die. Clearly I have gone insane.

“Keira?” she whispers, backing away.

“You can’t run away,” I say, reaching out, but not
touching her. “Please.”

She hesitates, eyes swimming with tears yet again.
This girl could solve the world’s drought problems.

“Hear me out,” I say. “It’s about Noah. And Josh.”

“Okay. But I go first. You seduced Josh?” she asks,
crossing her arms. “Then why hasn’t he been cast from Heaven?”

Of course she’d ask that. She knows about those rules
firsthand.

“He knows it’s me and hasn’t touched me. Well, that’s
not completely true.” I pull off my glove for her to see my withered pinkie.

“Josh did that?” she asks, letting her arms drop to
her sides.

 “He hates me. He believes I’m pure evil, so his
touch is deadly to me. Remember, it’s all about belief, and he’s an Angel—pure
goodness. Get it?”

“Okay, then why did he pretend to date you? Was he
that desperate to get rid of me?”

“Grace, you idiot. He loves you. The only reason he’s
not with you is because he made a deal with Lucifer to break up with you in
exchange for making Noah’s deal null and void.” I’m dead. Lucifer’s going to
tear me atom from atom when he finds out I’m doing this.

Grace sits down on the floor, probably because there
are no chairs and her legs won’t hold her. I guess that was a lot to spring on
her. I squat nearby, waiting for her to recover enough to continue.

“Noah made a deal with Lucifer? And Josh knows about
it?”

“He was trying to save someone you love from making
the worst mistake of his life. Because he
loves
you. But that’s not
important right now.”

She glares at me, golden sparks in her eyes. I didn’t
know her eyes could spark. “This is about Noah,” I say hurriedly. “He’s in
trouble and I’m afraid it’s my fault.”

The sparks go out and her face blanches for a moment. “Noah’s
in trouble because of you? What a surprise,” she mocks. “Why do you care?”

“Because I do. Because maybe I might have some
feelings for him.” I clear my throat quickly. “But that’s besides the point.
Let’s focus here. See, I apparently did such a good job that he’s now—” I
stop. What good would it do to tell Grace her brother’s the Antichrist? According
to Lucifer, she can’t touch him. But we’re talking about Grace here—do-gooder-fixer-of-all-problems-already-beat-the-devil-once
Grace. And there’s no one else to ask for help.

“What?” she demands.

“He’s not in a good place,” I say vaguely, though
she’s going to figure it out sooner or later. “Lucifer says Heaven can’t
interfere anymore.”

“How is that possible? Even if I’m not allowed to see
him, why wouldn’t some other Angel be able to?” Grace rises, growing more and
more shrill and attracting the attention of the pimply salesman.

“Um,” I say, “see, things have changed now, because…”
I stop again. I guess breaking news gently isn’t my forte.

“Spit it out!” Grace yells, stalking toward me and
backing me into the corner display of gospel music. “I am so damn sick and
tired of everyone trying to spare my feelings.”

“He’s the Antichrist,” I hiss. “Okay? And before you
go blaming me—I had no idea. Lucifer didn’t let me in on that little
secret. But it’s done. Over. He belongs to Lucifer and there’s nothing Heaven
can do. It’s all up to Noah now.”

“All Noah?” Grace’s voice is so high I’m surprised I
can still hear her. “How did this happen? When did this happen? This is a
mistake. A lie.” She glares at me and I back away. “He’d have to commit murder
first. That was the deal with Cam.”

“He did.”

Grace stops breathing for a moment, eyes wide with
shock, followed by determination. “You’re the one who did this, Keira. If he
hurt someone, it’s because of you—whether you knew about the Antichrist
thing or not. I should kill you right now.”

I stare at her hand as she reaches for me, but instead
of running or begging or crying, I straighten up and close my eyes, thinking,
I
deserve this end
. I hope she’ll find a way to save Noah from becoming like the
Boss. When Grace’s hand finds my bare arm I squeal in fear of the pain, but there’s
nothing but unpleasant static. I check my arm to be sure and find no shriveled
or blackened skin, just my own satiny-chocolate color.

“You didn’t end me,” I say, despite the obviousness of
the statement, and throw my arms around sweet, sweet Grace. She doesn’t believe
I’m completely evil. She, Little Miss Perfect, sees something redeemable in
me
.

“Get. Off. Of. Me.” Grace barks and I let go. “Of
course I didn’t kill you. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to. We have to
find a way to save Noah.”

“We?” I ask.

“Yes,
we
. You claim you have feelings for my
brother. Was that just a load of shit or are you serious?”

“I am. I do. But I can’t go near him. Lucifer said so.
So what do we do?”

“I have to go to Mr. Griffith,” Grace says, as though
that name means anything to me. “If you see Josh, tell him to find me.”

“Wait—Grace?” I tug at her wrist to get her to
stay. She glares at my touch, but doesn’t move. “You can’t let Lucifer know I
told you this. You can’t let on that you know Josh made that deal.”

“Will it endanger Noah?” she asks, concern in her
eyes.

“It’ll be the end of me,” I say. “Lucifer will torture
and destroy me.” Or give me to Maxwell for a few hundred years. “You don’t rat
out the King of the Underworld.”

“And I care because?” Grace asks.

“I don’t know,” I say, hugging myself. “Because you
have mercy?”

“I might be a little low on mercy for Demons that
seduce my brother, force my boyfriend to break up with me, and, oh yes—try
to kill me by giving a psychopath an Angel-destroying knife.” She vanishes.

I guess I should’ve expected a response like that. But
if she can stop Noah from becoming like Lucifer, I can suck it up for a little
while. Then a new thought occurs to me. What if Grace does succeed, but
succeeds so well she
saves
Noah? I can’t be with him if he goes to
Heaven. I consider this for a moment.

Then I smile, running my finger along the wooden trim
of the bookcase behind me.

It doesn’t change a thing. I would’ve done it anyway
if it means there’s still an iota of a chance I can be with him.

Let Lucifer come.