Souls in Peril (56 page)

“
Polka dot
bikini,” she corrected. “I see heaven hasn
’
t worn off those rough edges yet.” She playfully punched his arm as another tear escaped her eyes.

“How do you know I made it to heaven? Maybe I
’
m in the other place. Did you ever think of that?”

“No, you
’
re in heaven,” she said with confidence.

“Em, will you help Leo? I
’
m worried for him. He
’
s really struggling.” She nodded.  “And
, please keep friending JD. He needs good friends.” Max said.

“I will. He
’
s really sweet. You
’
d like him.” She touched his face, as if to see if he was real. “He
’
s doing better every day. Monday they arrested that horrible man who beat him all the time. He was trying to steal a car. My dad said that should keep him in jail for a while.”

“We need to get back, Max.” Gabe gave his shoulder a little squeeze.

“I have to go. Promise me you
’
ll let me go. Promise you
’
ll live, Em. Live for the both of us.”

She jumped in his arms, kissing him with all she had. Max kissed her back with the same zeal. He pulled away first. It was the hardest thing he ever did.

“I promise,” she whispered.

“I
’
ll love you forever, Em.”

“Times ten,” she replied.

“Times a million.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

She sank back against the tree and closed her eyes, tears again caressing her cheek. Gabe let go of him.

“She
’
s going to be okay, Max. She has a great support system around her, and she
’
s a strong young woman.”

Max scrunched his eyes shut. “Get me out of here.”

With a snap they were back next to the building. “I need an assignment. Now. Right away.” Max paced back and forth in front of Gabe.

“I don
’
t have any at the moment. Well, I have one but . . . “

“I
’
ll take it. Please, Gabe. I can
’
t just sit around thinking about her.
I
’
ll go crazy.
”

“Max, this isn
’
t the right assignment. If you wait
a few days
, I can find one that—”

“Please.” Max blinked back the tears as he begged.

“It
’
s a short assignment
. Only
a day or two.”

“I
’
ll take it.” He doubted it would be long enough, but hopefully
when he got back a longer one would be available.

Gabe nodded. “Okay. We don
’
t usually like to do this, but if you promise to behave yourself.” He gave Max a stern look.

“Yes. Scouts honor.” Technically, he was never a scout, but
figured it would still hold
. Em under the Angel O
ak flashed into his mind again.

“Alright. But you have to go now. We only have a small window here. There
’
s no time to brief you
,
so s
tay in the bedroom until I can get there to explain the situation. Give me thirty minutes.”

Max nodded. “Thanks, Gabe,” he said humbly.
“Let my parents know.”

“Okay.
On three. One. Two.” Snap.

Max sat up straight. Whomever he was here to help had been asleep at a desk. He squirmed as he stood. Something
bound
him, and he didn
’
t like it. The room was decorated in retro 1960
’
s décor. From t
i
e-d
y
ed curtains and
a
bedspread, to beads hanging from the window as curtains. A lava lamp sat in the upper right corner of the desk and a full-length mirror with peace sign stickers along the frame hung on the back of the bedroom door. Max laughed to himself. Again the binding dug into his sides.

What the heck?
He reached under his arm pit, stopping dead. He looked down at his stomach, or tried to. But there was something in the way. He ran over to the mirror, turning sideways. He had breasts! He
glanced
up at his face. He had breasts
and
he was hot!
This is going to be a great assignment!
He turned around, admiring his new profile from the other side.
Not even the sweats and ratty t-shirt hid the fact that he was a smoking hot girl
. He stood admiring his new figure in the mirror for a good minute until the thought hit him.

“Wait a minute.” His hand jumped to his throat and the soprano sound coming out of it. Not a good thing. “If I have these,” he tugged on the bra strap near his shoulders, “does that mean I don
’
t have a . . . ?”

Max swallowed hard. Squeezing his eyes shut, he looped his thumbs around the waistband of his sweats, tugging them about five inches out from his body before dipping his head down. Max sucked in a deep breath and pried his eyes open.

“GAAAAAAAABE!”

The End

Letter to the readers of Souls in Peril:

Spoiler alert! If you have not read
Souls in Peril
, do not read this letter yet!!

While JD and Izzy both come from challenging homes, this in no way implies that all those who are bullied have dysfunctional homes. This is ju
st not true.
Souls in Peril
is
a work of fiction and examines the fictional lives of its characters.

Sadly, those who are bullied come from all walks of life. Good homes, struggling homes, rich homes, financially challenged homes, homes with one, two, or no parents. There is no mold for those who are bullied. The reasons are as vast as the human race itself. The same can be said for those who
choose
to bully, and it is a choice.

To the bully: Stop it! Enough said.

To everyone else: Let’s look around for these souls in peril. Unfortunately they are everywhere. I truly believe it is our responsibility to reach out and help our fellow mankind. We don’t need to be the most popular person on the planet to reach out and help someone, to offer friendship, a kind word, and to be accepting of someone who lives differently than us.

Bullying in all its form has to stop.
From cyber-bullying clear down to the playground bully.
My hope is that not another soul will perish at the hand of a bully, either directly or indirectly.

To the bullied:
Never
give up. I can’t stress this enough! It
will
get better. Keep reaching out until someone reaches back. Just hang in there. You are not alone. Many great people were bullied: Sandra Bullock, Steven Jobs, and Michael Phelps to name a few. Take all the negative energy and use it to win. Be your own hero! Never,
ever
give up!

Sherry Gammon

Other novels by Sherry Gammon

Unlovable: Book One on the Port Fare Series

Pete &
Tink  A
novella

Read more about Sherry and her work at
www.WordpaintingsUnlimited.com

Drop by and say hi!