Page 49 of A Soul's Curse
I’m at the cemetery, I replied. She’d probably be here in about ten minutes.
A horrific scream ripped me from my conversation. When I looked up from my phone, I saw Ellie digging her hands into her skull, her face twisted in agony. She let out a raw, broken sound that barely resembled anything human. Her ghostly form pulsed and glitched, the edges of her body fraying like smoke caught in the wind. She wasn’t just in pain, she was breaking apart piece by piece, and I could see the fear in her eyes.
“Ellie?Ellie!” I scampered over toward her. “What’s happening? What should I do?”
Emily was next to us in an instant. “I don’t think there’s anything youcando, Theo. I’m not a magic expert, but I do know ghosts. I’ve seen this happen before when their magic doesn’t react well to accepting death.”
She didn’t need to explain any further. Ellie was dying. Her time was up. I could do nothing but stare at her for the next ten minutes, unable to touch her, to offer any comfort. Anxiety twisted in my gut until bright headlights approached in the distance. My sister was here.
“We’ll keep an eye on her, Theo,” Sam Adams offered. “Just … do what you need to do.”
I hesitated leaving Ellie behind like this, but she was in better hands with Sam and the others than she was with me. I trusted them, and if anything changed in the meantime, I knew they’d immediately find me.
I joined my sister in her beat-up sedan, and we drove to her apartment in silence. She asked me nothing other than if I needed anything. When I said no, she offered some blankets, a pillow, and her pull out couch. I laid down on the hard mattress—still in my jeans and t-shirt, since the only change of clothes I had was Ren’s hoodie I never returned which was still in my backpack.
I stared up at the ceiling for what seemed like hours. Sleep refused to come, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The blankets felt too heavy, the silence too loud, and no matter how many times I shifted, I couldn’t shake the feeling of restlessness pressing down on my chest. I was worried about Ellie, but I was also worried about someone else.
“Ren,” I mumbled out loud, unable to keep myself from wondering if he was okay. It was the last thing on my mind before exhaustion finally claimed me and my eyes fluttered shut.
20
Paigewasgonebythe time I woke up the next morning. She was always working extra shifts, given the assisted living facility was short-staffed and she always needed the extra money. She left me a note on the kitchen table, telling me to help myself to whatever I needed and that she’d be back late afternoon.
It was late morning by the time I could muster up enough energy to get my ass off the couch and do something. I tossed my clothes into the wash while I showered, resigning myself to using Ren’s hoodie in the meantime. His spicy, peppery scent made my heart ache.
I changed into my clean clothes once they were done drying, and found myself back in the kitchen looking for something to eat. My sister’s apartment was a cozy yet stylish space nestled in an old brick building close to the assisted living facility our mom was at. It had the bones of a well-kept space, but the signs of her busy life were everywhere. An abandoned coffee cup sat on the counter and a stack of unsorted mail was piled up on the diningroom table. I watered the withering plant I had given her for her birthday.
Evidence of Paige’s long-gone roommate remained, like the extra key she left me in case I wanted to head out. There was a picture of both her and Taylor pinned to the fridge, and I was pretty sure the blanket and pillow I was given last night had once belonged to her ex-roommate before she moved out.
I poured a bowl of cereal, pushing aside the memory of the morning I woke from the museum fiasco in Ren’s home and he offered me breakfast.
Desperately hungry, but not really in the mood to eat, I forced the cereal down my throat and tried to swallow the past along with it. I thought perhaps I’d go visit my mom and sister later. Who knew? If the Syndicate ended up owning me, I might never be able to visit them again.
I ate in silence, hating the loneliness and the bitter aftertaste of isolation. I was finishing up my cereal when the veins in my arm started glowing a bright golden hue. Panic struck me as I shoved the bowl away from me and jumped from my seat. A few seconds later, I was assaulted by two tiny hands that pressed against my chin.
“I’ve had enough of this, Theo.” Lyric’s voice was a melodic blend of frustration and resolve. “We’reconnected,you know. I could sense you needed something, and I decided that something was me! Here I am. You can stop pouting now.”
The little pixie’s completely ridiculous assumption brought a smile to my face and a laugh to my lips. She fluttered around me, iridescent wings catching in the afternoon sun spilling through the kitchen window.
“Thanks, Lyric.” She sat down on the edge of the cereal bowl and flipped her lilac hair off her shoulder. “I could really use a friend right now.”
“He’s fine, if that’s what you’re wondering.” My heart skipped a beat at her words. “The one you’re worried about? That foul-smelling demon named Ren?”
“You can sense him?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know where I was going with that statement.
Lyric’s eyes narrowed with an odd mix of amusement and curiosity. “His scent lingers near the front of the apartment, but it’s not a scent of danger.” She tilted her head, inhaling deeply, as if testing the air.
“Wait, you’re saying Ren was here?” I asked, disbelief shaking my voice. Was he following me again? I hadn’t sensed his uneasy magic, but he would have never visited my sister before, nor would he have even known where she was living. Maybe hedidfollow me home last night. My heart struggled to decide on whether to be relieved or repulsed by that.
“It’s not a very strong scent,” Lyric added. “It’s like he was here and gone, but he was definitely here.”
The doorbell rang, and at the same moment, a flashing blue light on the wall lit up—a device placed there specifically for my sister who wouldn’t have been able to hear the chime.
I dashed from the kitchen, racing toward the front door with a nervous excitement. Ren. It had to be Ren. Who else could it have been?
Lyric zipped beside me, nestling herself in my still slightly damp hair as I swung open the door.
The smile on my face dropped into a frown. “What areyoudoing here?”
