Soul Snatcher (39 page)

“
Rosemary,” Annie screamed and forgetting everything
else she ran to her beloved friend. She was only a small distance
away from the house so Annie made it to her in no time. “Rosemary,
what has happened?” Annie gasped as she pulled Rosemary’s head into
her lap and stroked her hair. There was so much blood, more than
Annie had ever seen. Rosemary looked up at her through lifeless,
glassy eyes and her skin was deathly white.

Rosemary lay
dead in Annie’s arms. Annie froze from the shock of it and tears
fell silently from her eyes. Her body began to tremble as she
gently shook Rosemary to try and wake her.

“
Please, Rosemary,” she spoke through sobs to her lost
friend. “What happened?” She whispered.

Before Annie
had time to grieve any longer she was grabbed from behind. She was
dragged away from Rosemary’s body and violently thrown to the
ground. She hit her head against a rock and the pain spread through
her quicker than flowing water. She looked around trying to see who
was there and before blackness had completely stolen her sight a
familiar figure stepped in front of her.

“
Nice to see you again, Annie,” Miss Danes said and
then everything went black.

CHAPTER
38

Annie woke to
find herself locked away in the dry storage room of Miss Danes’
manor. She tried to sit up but when she did her head throbbed. She
reached
and gently touched
the back of her head to find where she hit was still very tender
and covered in dried blood.

“
Ah,” she hissed and moved her hand away immediately.
Her dress was all dirty from lying on the ground but she didn’t
care.

She looked
around the room and saw sunlight filtering in from a small window.
That meant she had easily been there all night, maybe longer. There
were hessian sacks filled with supplies such as; wheat, sugar and
potatoes. Vegetables lined some wooden shelves and she remembered
the room well. It was a small room but was large enough to walk
around in. The heavy wooden door that was the only exit was always
latched from the outside with a long, iron bar that stretched the
length of the whole door. So there was no option of escape unless
she could fit through a window the size of a watermelon or if she
was strong enough to break iron. And she could do
neither.

Annie closed
her eyes and tried to push away the pressure in her head. She could
not think about Rosemary right now because her head felt like it
would explode from the tears. Instead she laid there trying to
regulate the pain which was practically impossible. No one knew
where she was and she didn’t even know if they knew she was gone.
She was at the mercy of Miss Danes and there was nothing she could
do about it.

Eli stood
outside calling to Baden early that morning. After a moment Baden
opened the door and stood there with his arms crossed.

“
Is she safe?” Baden asked, not bothering for
pleasantries.

“
Yes, but I cannot say she is pleased,” Eli said
sharply.

“
I wonder if the reason is that you trapped me here or
you used her to accomplish it!” Baden said
sarcastically.

“
If you were not part of her life then I predict that
she and I would be together now,” Eli tormented. “Happily
together... sharing a bed.” His eyes narrowed on the last words.
Baden dropped his arms to his side and a look of revulsion and
hostility erupted on his face. If he hadn’t been restricted he
probably would have killed Eli where he stood.

“
Do not fool yourself into believing that she wants you
in any other way than a friend,” Baden spat back. “You tell
yourself such things because you do not want to face the truth that
you cannot have the one you want because she does not want you.”
The words cut Eli like Baden had intended them too and it fuelled
his retaliation.

“
You are meant to be dead Baden. If nature took its
course you would be buried along with our parents, which would be
more respectable than what you are.” Eli spoke his feelings
bluntly. Baden paused before he spoke again, his anger was boiling
beyond control.

“
You say this when I cannot get to you. You are weak
and pathetic and as soon as I am free I will kill you with nothing
but my bare hands,” Baden threatened. Eli turned and started
walking away but Baden wasn’t finished. “Know that I will love her
every day of my existence and I will care for her more than you
will ever know. And she will love me with all of herself because
she already does.”

The words
made Eli pause for a brief moment but he forced himself to keep
walking. He didn’t have to be there anymore and listen to Baden’s
words…Baden’s hurtful, truthful words. So Eli left without saying
anything else.

Annie was
sure at least a whole day had passed since she had been taken.
Random people had brought her food and water and she ate when she
couldn’t stop herself any longer. There had been no sign of Miss
Danes, which was a relief, but what exactly did she have planned
for her? Surely someone knew she was missing? Surely someone had
checked on her? So Annie sat and waited. What else could she
do?

Time felt
long and every minute felt the equivalent of an hour. Annie sat
there and thought of Baden every moment and pushed out any pain
about Rosemary. She could not let herself feel sadness or she might
be overwhelmed with defeat. So she relived every tender moment she
ever had with Baden and when she had thought of them all, she
relived them again.

Suddenly the
latch on the door was pulled opened and Annie jumped to her feet.
She had no idea who it would be. If it was Miss Danes she had no
way of defending herself. She moved to the back of the room and
leaned against the wall in a braced position, just like Eli had
taught her, so if the person wanted to harm her they would have to
come at her from the front.

When Micah
came through the door she stood frozen in surprise.

“
Annie,” he said with relief in is voice as he rushed
to her. He gathered her into his arms and crushed her in an
embrace. “I have been so worried,” he breathed the words on frantic
breath. It was too surreal and Annie stood there stiff in his arms.
He leaned back and looked to see what her hesitation
was.

“
Micah, how did you find me?” She asked, sounding a
little ungrateful.

“
When I realised you were missing I searched for you.
When I knew you were here I came for you immediately,” he
explained. It all sounded so easy when he said it.

“
Where is Miss Danes?” Annie was still too confused
with the details to feel relieved.

“
As soon as she was confronted she fled.” Micah said it
very simply, as if she should stop questioning him. It all sounded
so bizarre to Annie. She looked around the room as if it would make
things feel real again and tried to step out of Micah’s arms. He
held onto her tightly and kept her close against him.

“
I still do not understand?” Annie insisted. She felt
as if it was all an awkward dream and had arrived at the moment
where you realise you are dreaming but remain asleep.

“
Annie, when I thought I would never see you again it
almost killed me. It has been torture not knowing you were safe,”
Micah said, ignoring her words. She looked at him, her brow
furrowed in confusion. What was he talking about?

“
I am sorry you felt that way but it was not pleasant
sitting in here either,” she said starting to realise Micah tended
to think of his own feelings before others. Suddenly his hands were
nestling her face in a way that made her feel
uncomfortable.

“
Annie I cannot live without you, I cannot do life
without you,” he declared and before she could say anything or try
to move away he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her
lips.

He held her
so tight she couldn’t move but her lips remained stiff from anger
during the unwanted affection. As soon as he pulled his head back
she spat off to the side and pushed hard against his chest to get
away from him. He released her as she wiped her mouth and
spluttered the kiss away. He stood there without moving, obviously
offended by her reaction.

“
Why on earth would you do that?” She asked, allowing
all of her annoyance show. “I have told you time and time again
that I do not feel that way about you. I am in love with Baden,
Micah!” She was so taken by surprise that she almost yelled the
words. He stood there glaring at her for a moment and his gaze
started to make her a little fearful. He stepped up to her and
stood so close that she could feel his breath on her
face.

“
You can love a monster like Baden but you cannot love
me?” He asked in a tone so deathly it sent a shiver down her
spine.

“
Micah, you do not understand,” she argued.

“
I do understand, Annie,” he interrupted and before
anything else could be said Micah shoved her into the sacks full of
wheat. She stumbled back hard against them but braced herself with
her arms as best she could.

“
Micah,” Annie said horrified but he left without
another word and locked the door behind him. She ran up to the door
and banged hard against the wood. “What are you doing?” She
screamed. “Let me out!” But it was no use, he was gone and there
was no one else who could help her.

Annie walked
over to the back wall and slid down to sit against it. How could
this have happened? How could Micah be someone she hardly knew
after all these years? As she sat there contemplating what had come
over him she heard footsteps coming towards the door. She stood to
her feet and waited for the door to open.

Micah
practically threw Miss Danes into the, now prison, and slammed the
door closed, locking it hard. His footsteps were the only thing
that the two women heard through the silence of their shock. They
stood facing the door expecting it to reopen but it remained
closed. They looked at each other awkwardly after both of them
realised that the new arrangement meant they would be bunking
together.

“
I guess I have some explaining to do then,” Miss Danes
said and the defeat that Annie saw there was genuine. “You may want
to consider taking a seat, it is a long tale,” Miss Danes
suggested.

Annie moved
and sat in the furthest corner away from her new inmate, as Miss
Danes took the opposite corner.

It seemed
that things were about to get more interesting.

CHAPTER
39

Eli had
waited more than a day to let Annie have some space to herself. He
didn’t want to push her into making amends that weren’t sincere, so
now he headed there to see if there was anything they could do to
start repairing their friendship.

He arrived to
find the house in order. Everything was neat and in place but there
was no Annie. Eli went through every room three times, only to find
that some of her clothes and belongings were missing. She must have
packed her things and left. Now she was out there all alone and it
was entirely his fault, she left because of what he did to
Baden.

Eli jumped
back on his horse and went straight home to speak with Garrick
about his next course of action. No matter what, he had to find
her.

“
I apologise if I offend you by asking this Miss
Danes,” Annie started.

“
Please, call me Martha,” she offered. Annie looked at
her uncomfortably for a moment before trying the name
out.

“
Martha,” she said cautiously. “How is it that you find
yourself in here?” Martha let out a sigh and leaned back on the
wall as if she had given up hope for everything.

“
I will start at the beginning dear, innocent Annie,”
Martha said her name affectionately. Her care made Annie feel
uneasy so she kept her guard up. “Many years ago I was going about
my daily business when I was accosted from behind. When I woke up I
had been turned into a soul snatcher. I had no idea what was going
on but Micah soon explained everything.”

“
Micah said that you demanded he change you,” Annie
interrupted.

“
Of course he said that. It was all part of the plan,”
Martha explained. Hopelessness was ripe in her voice as she spoke.
“Everything he has told you is a lie. Everything he has ever done
for you was an act to gain your soul,” she revealed. All of a
sudden it clicked and Annie realised.

“
Micah has never truly loved me, it was all an attempt
to soul snatch,” Annie said under her breath as she gazed at
nothing in particular. She couldn’t believe that their friendship
had all been a lie. All those years, all those secrets between
them, all the things that only friends understand were nothing but
a lie. Refocusing, she looked back to Martha.

“
Tell me, how much of it was true?” Annie asked, her
voice almost begging there to be a sliver of hope. Martha shook her
head and was obviously struggling to hold back tears.