Praise for KATLYN DUNCAN

‘Katlyn Duncan’s YA debut, Soul Taken, is a thrilling ride that will leave you breathless for the next page, and curious to find the true soul we nurture within.’ Jennifer Murgia, author of the Angel Star series and Between These Lines

‘Wow! Talk about a completely unique concept with tons of new ideas, roles, and characters that took me on an exhilarating adventure.’ 4.5 stars from I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews on Soul Taken

‘I really loved this book. From the first page I was totally hooked and couldn’t put it down until I was finished.’ Dark Faerie Tales on Soul Taken

‘Soul Taken is a BRILLIANT read! …This is one of those books to look out for.’ 5 stars from A Diary of a Book Addict

‘It is a quick read and leaves you excited for the next installment of the series…Can’t wait to read more from this debut author!’ 5 stars from Allie Kacmar* on Soul Taken

‘I loved the book, such a fast read. I felt like I knew each character personally…Then mix in the excitement of the souls being taken, it really makes you think.’ 5 stars from Joanne* on Soul Taken

‘Soul Taken is a tasty morsel indeed.’ 5 stars from Nicky Peacock*

‘Wow! What a story. While I enjoyed the first book Soul Taken, Soul Possessed takes this story to a whole new level. In this book, the stakes have been raised, extra layers have been added to a story that will keep you glued to its pages till you get to the cliff hanger conclusion.’ 4 stars from Realm of the Shappired Dragon

‘Soul Taken and Soul Possessed were super good! The main character was spunky and fun, and utterly different from other main characters. The plot was original and I did not see some things coming. The writing was spectacular, and I read both books in a matter of days. There was the perfect amount of angst, tension, and passion all blended together.’ 4.5 stars from Tween 2 Teen Books

‘ONE of the best I’ve read this year! I dare someone to read this series and tell me I am wrong! DARE! This is a very promising series that I have no doubt will leave everyone who reads it with intense desire for the next chapter!’ from Dark Novella

*Amazon reader reviews

The Life after Trilogy:

Soul Taken
Soul Possessed
Soul Betrayed
Katlyn Duncan

www.CarinaUK.com

Table of Contents

Cover

Praise

Title Page

Soul Taken

Blurb

Author Bio

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Soul Possessed

Blurb

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Soul Betrayed

Blurb

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Epilogue

Endpages

Copyright

Soul Taken

After-life just got a lot more complicated

Maggie is a Soul Collector. It’s her job to transport souls from the Living Realm to the After – but during a mission to find a stolen soul, she ends up stuck in a teen mean girl’s body.

Trapped, Maggie’s soul is catapulted into Ally’s life – and the human world she hasn’t experienced for one hundred years. But, as a descendant of the most powerful beings in the After, Maggie must rescue Ally before the girl’s soul dies…

To survive, Maggie must uncover devastating secrets – because with one soul taken by a terrifying enemy, Maggie’s could be next!

KATLYN DUNCAN has been reading and writing since before she can remember; her earliest memories involve dragging her mom to the store to get the latest Goosebumps book. She earned two science degrees and currently works in the medical field. She spends her free time writing, reading, and renovating her Victorian “fixer upper” in southern New England with her husband.

To Sunday morning donuts, things that are beautiful, and someone I’ve never met. Someday we will meet again and for the first time

Chapter One

“Is it ready now?” Dylan asked for the tenth time in twenty minutes.

I reached my hand into the pouch at my hip and touched the silky essence pulsating under my fingers. “Not yet.”

Dylan was my newest Soul Collecting trainee, fresh from Gate Seven. Very fresh. He looked to have died when he was around eleven human years. Felix, my boss, usually had the young ones under my care as they were the most difficult to train, and since I died at seventeen, they could usually relate to a younger mentor.

I looked into the deli and saw our target, Joseph Bonds, lean over the counter, flirting with the female cashier. I touched the True Soul again, excitement flowing through it. The True Soul mirrored the emotions of its counterpart, and Joseph was very excited about his meal. I didn’t understand why, considering he’d spent all morning digging through a box of donut holes.

After over a hundred human years of my after-life, I had lost all reasoning why an excess of food was important to humans.

Dylan sat on the small wooden bench hugged against the building, his eyes trained on the cars, and his head darted back and forth as they passed. The kid had a fascination with cars.

The bell on the deli door jangled. Dylan jumped off the bench, just missing a woman passing in front of him down the sidewalk; he skittered back, still not used to his non-corporeal form.

Joseph waddled down the sidewalk, his bags crushed against his chest as if any moment someone would steal them. I started after Joseph, but halfway down the sidewalk I realized I was alone. I turned around.

Dylan stood at the edge of the curb, staring at the cars again, flinching.

I snapped my fingers. “Let’s go.”

Dylan blinked and looked at me, as if coming out of a trance. He glanced at the road again then sprinted to my side.

I pushed him forward. “You know I am only supposed to be observing, right?”

He looked up at me, eyes wide, but when he realized I wouldn’t help him out again, he took the initiative, opening his hand between us. I placed the essence in his palm and he swiftly tucked it in his pouch. His eyes narrowed on Joseph and he stepped ahead of me confidently. I couldn’t help but smile at his false bravado. I’d seen this before with him. He’d make it this far then, when it really counted, he would chicken out.

Felix had discussed, not for the first time, that I should put more faith into my training and trainees. But their consistent mistakes made letting go harder and harder each time I took on a new one. The worst part for me was that each failure counted against my record. And if I was going to get the newly opened Guard position, I needed Dylan to step up.

Dylan kept his distance from Joseph, as if he’d turn around any second and find him stalking behind him. I stayed a few steps behind Dylan, giving him working space.

Please do this right, I silently begged.

We arrived at the auto body shop. Joseph fumbled for his keys while balancing his bags of food. He pulled open the door with a grunt and stepped through.

Dylan slunk in right behind Joseph. I waited until the door shut before transitioning through the metal into the building. Collectors could pass through objects and Dylan knew that, yet he still insisted on the human way.

Dylan tailed Joseph, following in his footsteps as if they were in three feet of snow instead of an untidy shop. They weaved through the mess of scattered tools, creepers, and several empty boxes.

Joseph eyed the 1967 cherry-red Mustang that rested on the lift. He’d intended to finish it, but I knew he never would. Too bad for him.

The phone rang, echoing off the concrete walls as it had all morning.

Joseph grunted and waved a hand at it. “I’m on lunch!”

Dylan stopped in his tracks. I nudged him forward. “He can’t see you, I promise.”

Joseph put down his bags on the office desk and pulled a dirty rag from his back pocket, placing it over the phone and its persistent red flashing light. He fisted his left hand and coughed.

Even without the True Soul in my hand, I knew a heart attack was just around the corner for Joseph. I crossed my fingers, hoping Dylan would be able to pick up on it. The talent of spotting the moment or cause of death could not be learned. It was felt through the True Soul. Collectors had to find the precise moment that the soul was the weakest and able to sever ties with the body. Watching a human after their death time could potentially damage the soul. Unfortunately I had pretty much seen all the mistakes the trainees made. The most frequent being a trainee seeing death for the first several times, having a minor panic attack—or fumbling the actual act of getting the soul out of the body—and I ended up having to do it for them, resulting in more strikes against my Collecting record. But not today. I needed one more perfect Collection to put me over the top.

Dylan perched on a second chair next to the desk, watching Joseph strategically spread his food, buffet-style. The kid leaned over, dangerously close to the chili and cheese dog, as if he could still smell it.

Soul Collectors had the sense of smell and touch removed from our souls. Since the job entailed being around death, I thought losing my sense of smell was a blessing, especially watching Joseph shove the dripping hot dog in his mouth.

If I had a gag reflex, it would have been tested at that moment.

I turned away, letting the man have his last meal and reached into my pouch, more out of habit than anything, feeling nothing.

Let him do it on his own, Felix’s words echoed in my mind.

I bit my lip.

“That looks delicious,” Dylan said wistfully.

I balked. Here we were, doing one of the most important jobs of the After by reuniting the True Soul with its counterpart, and all he could talk about was food. I’d have to speak to Felix about his screening process.

“It’s happening!” Dylan shrieked, jumping from the chair. He brought out the True Soul from his pouch, holding it out in front of him.

“Easy!” I warned.

His hands shook underneath the essence.

I swear, if he dropped it— I placed my hands under his, steadying them.

“It’s too wiggly.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not wiggly; it’s, in a way, counting down the time it has until it’s reunited with its other half. Remember how the pulsing intensifies before it stops? That’s when we can do our job. Feel it.” I curled my fingers under his until he mimicked the movement. “Remember what I said about letting it guide you?”

We held the True Soul between us for a few seconds. Dylan’s eyes moved in time with the rhythm of the pulsing. I took my hands away from under his and he stepped closer to Joseph.

“Give the man a minute to finish his food,” I said, even though I wished he would stop. The slurping sounds would haunt me for some time.

Dylan’s almost translucent blue eyes stared up at me, pleading.

Crap. I had broken the kid’s concentration.

“You can do this,” I encouraged.

You will do this, I amended.

“Um… Maggie… so when…” he mumbled.

“When you feel the vibration within the True Soul intensify you will know it’s time to coax the soul from the being,” I instructed.

“I think I feel it!” Dylan shouted. He covered his mouth with his arm and looked at Joseph. The human sucked his fingertips as if they were going to somehow manifest more food.

“Relax,” I said.

I led Dylan to the back of Joseph’s chair. “Where is the connection?” I prompted.

“Here.” He moved the True Soul to the back of Joseph’s neck.

“Okay… good,” I said. “Lightly place it against the body. There you go.”

As much as Dylan annoyed me while on our missions, his attention span more akin to a goldfish, I found that when the job became serious, so did he. I sensed my reputation had a lot to do with that. Other Collectors didn’t think I heard the whispers behind my back about my rigorous training methods, but any damage my trainees made to the human soul was on me, which didn’t bode well for my record. Or the souls. But, as much as I was feared, I knew they respected me and that was all I cared about.

Besides, it wouldn’t be too much longer before I said goodbye to the Collecting job. Soon enough, I’d be on the Guard. I imagined donning the black uniform and strapping the massive standard-issue broadsword to my back. All the stress of Collecting behind me, and it would be worth it.

The Guard were an elite group of souls. Soldiers that protected humans and participated in top-secret missions, earning collective respect from everyone in the After.

“Um,” Dylan mumbled, pulling me back to the present.

I let Dylan position the True Soul against Joseph’s head. My fingers moved as if I held the essence. Each Collector had their own methods of coaxing the soul from the body but I wouldn’t let any of my trainees into the field until my technique was perfected. It made the job quicker if the True Soul made contact with the body right before it died.

Joseph stilled at the unseen intrusion. That was the point in every Collection where everything was out of our hands. The True Soul takes over.

Joseph coughed and clutched his chest.

Calm spread through me as we watched Joseph struggle with his left arm. The man shook it a few times before squeezing the skin over his heart. He coughed a sputtering breath and moaned, leaning back in his chair.

“It’s going to be okay,” Dylan whispered, low enough that I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to hear it.

Joseph continued to gurgle and cough, leaning forward in his chair.

Dylan’s hands wavered as his target moved but I reached over and pressed my hands against the back of his.

“If you screw this up I’ll make sure you don’t touch another one for a year. Understand?”

A squeak burst from his lips, but he nodded in agreement.

Dylan repositioned his hand and I moved mine away.

Joseph reached for the telephone but, before his fingers could brush against it, he stilled.

The True Soul finished its work, the essence lit up like a star in the night sky as Joseph’s soul released from the body. The True Soul secured its connection to the back of Joseph’s neck and melded into the soul.

A younger and fitter version of Joseph stood in a not-quite solid form before us, staring at his hunched-over body. “Who are you?”

How a soul looked when Collected differed with each case. Usually when younger humans died their soul would reflect an imprint of their body, like in Dylan’s case. In older humans, like Joseph, the soul molded itself to whatever time in the human’s life that represented the happiest or most influential moments.

I grabbed Dylan’s hand and he did the same to Joseph. The younger Joseph looked frightened as he stole one last glance at his body before the world shimmered around us into a bright white light.

Chapter Two

A bit of pride welled within me as we safely arrived at Gate Seven, our final stop. The border between the Realms appeared as a bridge, which always remained the same even though the landscape changed. It appeared differently based on what the soul thought their after-life would look like, which meant we got to experience it with them. The True Soul extracted the image from the soul and projected it, easing the transition from the Living Realm to the After. Most souls imagined endless clouds, but many had other ideas.

Plush green grass filled the landscape as far as the eye could see. A setting sun appeared to rest atop a ridge of mountains in the distance. Joseph’s bridge connected two sides of a trickling stream. His soul heaved, as if it still needed oxygen, a leftover of breathing for fifty-six years.

On the other side of the bridge stood one of the Gatekeepers, Gwendolyn. Her radiant crimson hair ruffled in the wind. Her bright golden eyes sparkled against Joseph’s manifestation of the sun. She’d wait there until Joseph’s soul was ready to let go of its humanity and move on to the After.

I looked into the distance; more Gatekeepers stood on the other side of the border, waiting to welcome their souls. Even though Gate Seven was one place, each soul experienced it as if they were the only soul in existence.

I touched Dylan’s shoulder. “Time to go.”

Joseph knelt in the grass, staring into the distance. Maybe he’d visited this place at some point in his life. It was breathtaking. I took one last mental picture and transported away.

The Soul Collections office, where we were stationed, was nestled on the 68th floor of a skyscraper in downtown New York City. Even though the building was in the Living Realm, the office was in the After. Felix relocated us there about fifty years ago, stating that keeping us close to humans would help connect to our targets better. Somehow.

The wide expanse of the office looked out at the setting sun over the horizon. I never understood why humans were obsessed with the setting and rising of the sun. It was just something that was. Soul Collectors of every human age and size bustled around the office in between Collections.

“Hi, Dylan!” A young girl waved at him, skipping across the floor.

He grinned, waving back.

“Come on,” I said, pushing him toward the massive clear desk in the middle of the main floor. Seven Collections Officers sat behind it. They assigned and closed cases for every Collector.

Dylan barely reached the top of the counter. “Hi, Stacia,” he called.

“Name of soul,” she said, looking down at her hands.

The Collections Officers were a tough bunch but I appreciated the work ethic. Get in then out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

“Um,” he stammered.

“Joseph Bonds,” I answered, patting him on the head.

Dylan wasn’t used to the Caelestium, the original creatures of the After Realm. Stacia, like Gwendolyn, had the looks that many humans over the years had tried to replicate. Flawless skin, long silky hair, and natural charisma. But their biggest distinction were their golden eyes that sparkled as if beams of sunlight were constantly beating down on them.

“Was the transition successful?” she asked.

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t,” I said.

Stacia’s eyes flicked to mine. Dylan’s jaw hit the countertop.

I winked at her.

She laughed, a high and sweet sound.

She moved her hands across the smooth surface of the desk, confirming the transition. “I’ll be sending your next assignment soon. She’s not due for a little while.”

“Thanks.” I turned to Dylan and pushed his jaw closed with my finger. “You’re done for today.”

“What are you going to tell Felix?” Dylan’s eyes widened.

“You did fine. I’ll be sure to inform him.”

Dylan beamed and ran down the corridor toward the Trainee office.

“Souls running away from you… how unusual,” a voice said, sending chills through me.

Aaron. I’d recognize his high-pitched, sniffling voice anywhere. If souls had dreams, he would haunt my nightmares.

He’d been the biggest failure of a trainee. He didn’t listen, or follow directions; he’d nearly damaged a soul so badly that it might not have survived to Gate Seven were it not for my quick reflexes. He’d been through three trainers before being sent to me.

“Aren’t you going to say hello?”

“I thought you were up to be Recycled?” I asked, hoping he’d leave.

When all else had failed, I told Felix that he couldn’t be of any use to us. Recycling would strip him of his memories and he’d be able to return to the Living Realm as a new human. Although I would have felt bad for the life he’d been assigned to.

I turned around, the shivers now ice-cold nails digging into my soul.

“You like my new outfit?” he said, holding his arms out.

It wasn’t a regulation Soul Collector white pants and jacket. It was… no, that wasn’t possible. I examined the regulation Guard gear: black pants, shirt, and vest. I blinked a few times, hoping to make the shining broadsword at his back disappear.

Cooper, another Guard, came up behind Aaron and clapped a hand on his back, turning his gray eyes on me. The Guard and Soul Collectors rarely made any contact in the field, but I had learned as much as I could about each of them since I intended on becoming a part of their group.

“Hey there,” Cooper said, raking a hand through his dirty blond hair. Where Aaron’s outfit tugged at his not so flattering figure, left over by his gluttonous human life, Cooper’s gear fit him as if it had been tailored to every inch of his body.

“Maggie, right?” Cooper extended his hand.

I nodded, tearing my gaze away from Cooper’s body. I absently shook his hand.

“What do you think of Aaron’s promotion to the Guard? He has you to thank for that.”

Excuse me?

“Soul Collecting wasn’t my gig,” Aaron said with a wicked smirk. “Felix promoted me this morning.”

The noise in the office trickled down to a dull roar. I felt others turn their attention to us. It wasn’t a secret that I wanted the job, and now Felix’s decision had been made. The wrong one.

“She doesn’t say much, huh?” Cooper said to Aaron.

“This is rare. I think I surprised all the snark from her; she’s a tough cookie,” Aaron smirked.

Tough cookie? Who says that?

I found my voice. “How is this possible? You’re incapable of handling a True Soul, never mind a human one. And how were you even in the running? That was my position! Not meant for an—an—imbecile like you!”

“Hey—” Aaron said.

“You—” my finger was close to touching his nose, but I didn’t dare soil my soul with his grime “—were the worst to train; who in their right mind would promote you instead of sending your ass to Recycling?”

“I did,” Felix’s booming voice rattled my soul.

Dammit.

Cooper and Aaron clapped their arms at their sides, standing at attention.

I pivoted on my heel to face my boss, the dark, hulking Caeleste looking down at me. His golden eyes sparkled but I felt the heat behind them. His skin appeared darker today against his unblemished white suit.

“Him?” I said. “Seriously?”

I’d been the oldest Soul Collector on Felix’s service. Most of them couldn’t handle the death after so many years and opted to be Recycled. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with returning to the Living, hence our familiar tone.

The other Caelestium continued on with their work but the other Collectors and Guard paused whatever they were doing and stared at the confrontation. I scanned the room and, with each soul I claimed in my gaze, they scrambled either out of the room or down to their desks, pretending to do work.

“Let’s speak in my office,” he said.

Aaron’s grin made my hands itch. I stepped closer to him; his body swayed.

“Now,” Felix said.

I glared at Aaron. “This isn’t over.” I followed Felix to his office.

Felix closed the door behind me, tuning out all sounds from the main office. He walked to the opposite end of the office and stood at the open space where in the Living Realm a window might be. In the After, the temperature remained clement and unchanging. And even though we were high off the ground, there wasn’t a need to have a fear of falling, especially for us souls. It’s not like we could die twice.

“Aaron?” I spat. “Out of everyone.” Including me. “You chose him? Dylan or half of the other trainees would have been a better choice. How was he even in the running? I thought you were going to Recycle him.”

“I considered your request but this position fits him well.”

“How?” I charged to his side and stared up at him. “He couldn’t even take one life successfully; how can you trust him to do anything for the Guard?”

“You are finished.”

I flailed my arms up, slapping them at my side. “Hardly!”

Felix’s eyes darkened. “I’m not asking. I’m telling.”

I pressed my lips together. We stood in silence, staring into the sprawling After. Bright pinks and purples streaked across the endless sky. Collectors and Guards wandered the streets below.

“Not every soul is made for this life,” Felix said suddenly. “But every soul is given a choice. Aaron’s lack of Collecting abilities didn’t make him not meant for life here. His compassion for humans and their well-being are a few of the essentials that all the Guard possess.”

“Yet his skills at doing a simple Collection didn’t disqualify him? He couldn’t even transition to G7 properly; how is he supposed to be in charge of a human life?”

“His unwillingness to take life is a strength of his.” Felix turned the full force of his gaze on me.

“So my willingness to take life is a weakness? You need Collectors!”

“The role of Soul Collector is extremely important, and you do it with efficiency and grace. But the Guard works differently. Most of the time they work as a team.”

“I can work as a team,” I said. “I work as a team every day training the new recruits.”

“And you are a great trainer but when you are finished do you make time to interact with them outside of a mission?”

I crossed my arms. “When I’m done training I have my own cases.”

“Because you requested to have more,” he said. “Maggie, I’m not putting anyone’s job at a higher level than the other. All are cut from different cloth. Just as Aaron wasn’t meant for Soul Collecting, you…”

“That job was mine,” I said through gritted teeth. “My record is perfect and I deserved that job; you’d said so yourself.”

“Things change,” he said, his golden gaze trained on mine.

No way was this conversation over. The most recent Guard that underwent the Recycling process, Ani, had said I was a shoo in for the job. I thought his recommendation had meant something.

“What changed in the week from Ani’s Recycling? You’d said I could have the position if I kept my record—”

“Your record is far from perfect,” Felix snapped.

I clenched my jaw. “I think you should reconsider counting the trainees’ record against mine. It’s not my fault that they don’t listen. It’s not fair. Not for this position. I deserve it.”

“Please enlighten me,” Felix said.

I straightened and ticked the reasons off my fingers. “I am a hard worker. I get the job done quickly and efficiently. I take on more cases than half the team. And besides the blemishes that you insist on counting against me, I do have a perfect record.”

“Those are all great qualities for a Soul Collector, but not one for a Guard.” Felix moved away from me toward his desk. “Aaron is more suited to the position. And maybe if you show me something different, when the next spot opens up I might consider you.”

I balked. “When will that be? In my hundred years under your service there hasn’t been a single promotion.”

Felix said nothing.

“So that’s it?” I said.

“I’ve made my decision,” he said.

Conversation over.

I clenched my jaw. “If I work harder to fit into your idea of a Guard, I want to know that you are going to actually consider me.”

Or else what was the damn point of all this? I might as well be Recycled if there wasn’t any point to working so hard. I could be an idiot like Aaron and get the job no problem.

“If you can show me that you are capable of the job, then I’ll consider it.”

That was the best I was going to get at that moment. The Caeleste could be quite stubborn.

“You might start your new attitude by congratulating Aaron,” he said.

I gave him a tight-lipped smile and exited the office and stormed out.

Yeah, right, congratulate that buffoon. Not if my entire after-life depended on it. Aaron might have won that round but round two was all mine.

I marched down one of the hallways that branched off the main office, toward my private one. I passed the Guard suite, where Aaron stood in the middle of a group of Guard. He shook their hands and some even patted him on the back. His stupid grin widened as he spoke to them. I didn’t bother listening. He was probably telling them one of his lame jokes. I had to listen to them for quite some time during his training. I’d never get that time back.

I continued down the hallway past the Trainee suite. I nearly passed it but stopped and stood by the door, listening to the laughter behind it. I homed in on Dylan’s giggle. Maybe I could work on my social skills. I hesitated at the door, but a small chime rang from my office, signaling the arrival of my next assignment.

Maybe next time, I thought.

I opened the door to my office and my entire soul relaxed. It wasn’t as large as Felix’s but it was my own space. One wall opened to a view of meadow, the tall grass swaying in the wind. I sat on the couch I’d set up close to the view, as if I were floating above the landscape rather than looking down at it. I took it all in and my whole being relaxed. My office was my sanctuary and before missions I religiously calmed my soul so I’d be able to focus. After a few minutes of meditation, I rose from the couch and walked to the wall behind my desk. A bright light flickered from my inbox. The Collections Officers were alerted when a soul needed Collection, which would call up the True Soul from their heavily guarded vaults below the building.

Pressing the lit button a door opened, revealing my assigned True Soul floating in the opening. I took it, with one touch knowing whom I was to Collect and where I needed to be, and transported without another thought of Aaron or the Guard.

Chapter Three

That lasted for two minutes. While I sat with an elderly woman, Irene, peacefully swaying in her rocking chair at a nursing home, I pondered what Felix had said.

“I care for humans,” I grumbled. “Here I am, sitting with one, knowing she won’t die for another hour. I could be off doing whatever until the last second, like Aaron did.”

The thought of Aaron made me want to punch things, so instead I focused on the woman.

Her glossy eyes slid over to the space where I sat; my soul stiffened. It always freaked me out when humans looked in the area that I occupied.

That might be part of the problem, my rational side chimed in.

The Guard appeared corporeal in the Living Realm when they needed to and conversing with humans was part of the job. I don’t think I would fit in very well with humans if I freaked out every time one of them looked at me.

I stared back at the woman, who held my gaze. I leaned closer to her and her eyes followed mine. I tried to stay put but my soul screamed for distance. I jumped out of the chair and stepped back from her.

She blinked and returned to staring at the space where I’d been.

My trainer, who had moved on to be Recycled soon after I’d been cleared to work solo, had told me that sometimes older humans knew when their time was near. It was like at Gate Seven; when they were ready for it they were able to breach the border from Living to After. Sometimes it worked like that when they were still in their bodies. They knew the end was near and they could sense their True Soul.

My assigned cases were usually the ones that the newbies couldn’t handle, the deaths a little more traumatizing. They didn’t affect me; it was just a job that needed to be done. That thought rolled around in my head for a second. I wondered if my nonchalant attitude toward human death had been a deciding factor for Felix. But if I wasn’t going to do it, who would? Maybe Felix didn’t want to lose me from his service and that was why he’d turned me down? If that was the case I’d have to have another serious discussion with him. I didn’t need his selfishness getting in the way of what I wanted.

I needed to prove to him that I was perfect for the job. And I’d start with Irene. I sat back down in the chair in front of her. Her eyes moved up to mine again. A feather-light touch moved down my spine, but I held my place.

Irene smiled at me, revealing a toothless mouth. Her lips quivered as she tried to hold the smile. I couldn’t help but match her grin.

A young staff member entered the room, carrying a tray. I got up from the chair, not wanting to touch the girl’s living body as she sat down in the seat I’d previously occupied. Humans couldn’t see or feel us, but if a soul ever made contact with something living, the intrusion to our being was like a sharp knife ripping through us. I avoided it at all costs.

The girl fed Irene her lunch, some sort of pureed mush. Irene’s hands weren’t strong enough to hold a napkin, never mind a fork. She watched me while she ate, smiling and grunting to herself. The staff member paid more attention to her male co-worker in the next room to notice Irene’s behavior.

“Grugamm,” Irene mumbled.

“Yes,” the girl said. “Yum.”

Irene’s eyebrows narrowed. Her shaky hand lifted in the direction of her dresser then at the space I occupied.

The girl stood up and picked up the only decoration on the dresser, a small picture frame.

“Your granddaughter?” the girl asked. “She was here yesterday. You had a good time playing cards.”

Irene pointed at me again and mumbled.

The girl held the frame out, her patience waning. I snuck a look at the picture. Irene and a brunette girl sat on a swinging bench, Irene’s arm around the young girl.

I assumed she thought I was her granddaughter. She wasn’t entirely at fault. We shared similar features, blue eyes and brown hair, but as I looked closer I saw a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

“Grugamm,” Irene insisted.

The girl shook her head and wiped Irene’s face, then placed the frame in her lap.

“I have to go now, Irene,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.” She left.

Irene sat back in her chair, smacking her lips together. “Ree—reaa—”

I reached into my pouch. The still True Soul radiated peace.

“Ready?” I helped.

Her eyes didn’t leave mine as she slowly blinked.

I pulled the essence from my pouch and stepped closer to her, placing it on the back of her neck.

She sucked in a small breath and closed her eyes. The True Soul did its work by coaxing the rest of the soul out of the body. When it was finished, Irene Rogers’ soul stood next to me. I thought it was interesting that her soul portrayed her elderly looks. She had been happy with her children and grandchildren and it had imprinted her soul. She stood up straight and her hands no longer shook. The bright light around her was stunning.

“Hello there,” she said, her voice clear and crisp. “Aren’t you beautiful?”

I took her hand and transported us to Gate Seven.

Felix established “off days” for Soul Collectors around my fifth year in service with him. Even though we never tired, he thought it was “good for the soul” to have time away from the job. He encouraged us to explore the world since we could transport anywhere we wanted. One of the limitations to Collectors was our transporting capabilities. Unlike the Guard, who could transport over long distances in the Living Realm, Collectors could only transport to the Living Realm then we had to use traditional human methods of transportation such as walking or riding a bus. Only in transporting back to the After would we be able to choose our next destination.

I spent most of my off days in cemeteries. Other Collectors had found my choice of destination morbid and redundant to my daily life. But I found beauty and peace in them. Over the years I had traveled to every cemetery I could find, my favorites being the crumbling mausoleums in New Orleans. But in the spring I enjoyed staying close to home. I’d visited many of the New England cemeteries, yet one of them always stirred something inside of me.

I walked down the middle aisle of the cemetery listening to the wind rustling the leaves in the trees outlining the property. A few humans visited their loved ones, but I steered clear of them, allowing them to mourn in privacy. A burial took place at the far end; a sizable crowd had formed around the service.

I scanned the stones as I passed, taking in the names of the deceased. I wondered who these people were and hoped that their lives had been happy. Not that any of them could take those memories with them to the After.

A prickling sensation at the base of my neck stopped me mid-step. I turned toward the feeling. There was nothing behind me aside from the stones.

I squinted to focus on the source of the sensation. In the distance by the road a young man stood under one of the trees. His gaze focused on something behind me. I wanted to turn around and see what he was staring at, yet I couldn’t look away. Something stirred inside of me that was both exciting and terrifying. I couldn’t focus on his face but his body had gone ridged as if the same chill crept up his body. I turned in the direction of his gaze and nearly crashed into a hard, muscular chest.

I tripped on my foot, sailing backwards toward the ground.

Cooper caught me by the arm, holding me inches from the ground. “Sorry about that.”

I looked behind him, but the stranger in the distance was gone. “Were you spying on me?” I balanced myself and he let go of my arm.

“No,” he said. “I just got here. Felix sent me for you.” He sounded in a hurry.

“It’s my off day,” I challenged.

Not that I would turn down a case, but this guy didn’t know that.

“Felix needs your help with something,” Cooper said in a strained voice.

“What is it?”

“We don’t have a lot of time,” he said, disappearing as quickly as he came.

I took one last glance at the empty space where the man had been before transitioning to the After.

I arrived outside of Felix’s office and lifted a hand to knock, but stopped when I heard the hushed voices inside.

“I thought they couldn’t come back here,” Cooper was saying.

Who couldn’t come back here? A chill ran through my soul, not unlike when I’d seen the man at the cemetery.

“Never underestimate a Shadowed,” Felix’s voice grumbled.

“Okay,” Cooper snipped. “What’s next? We need the Collector to find it? Are you sure she is the right one for the job?”

I stiffened.

“This True Soul will call to her, and her alone. She will not fail.”

Pride swelled within me. I knew my talents weren’t underappreciated.

Their conversation turned from rushed to silent. The door opened in front of me and Felix’s form crowded the doorway. He indicated for me to enter the office and closed the door behind me.

Felix turned his gaze on mine. “A Prognatum True Soul has been taken.”

“A what?” I asked. “What’s a Pregnortom?”

“Prognatum,” Cooper corrected.

“Aren’t there a dozen Caeleste guarding the vault at all times?” I asked. And why is this Prognatum soul so important?

“I need to get back to her,” Cooper interrupted.

“Yes, absolutely,” Felix said then trained his gaze on mine. “Go with Cooper and do what he asks. Treat his orders as if they are coming from me.”

Cooper hesitated. “Are you sure about this?” he asked Felix.

Felix’s expression darkened. “It’s the only way.”

Cooper nodded and reached his hand out toward me.

I stepped back from him, my head spinning. Someone got into the most coveted place in the After and Felix wanted me to, what, confront them? “What am I up against here?”

“Maggie, this is important,” Cooper said.

I stood my ground. If I was going into this blindly I’d need an incentive. “Will this help me with my promotion?”

“Like I said,” Felix stated, “you have to prove yourself worthy.”

I clicked my tongue. “See, that’s not good enough for me.”

“Are you serious right now?” Cooper snapped.

I shrugged, keeping my eyes on Felix. “I don’t know. Am I?”

Felix’s nostrils flared; something he did to strike fear in his Guard. But I wasn’t buying it. “This situation is very serious, Maggie.”

“I understand,” I said. “And so am I.”

We stood, holding each other’s gaze. Cooper remained silent, but I felt his restiveness.

Felix broke the stand-off first. “Do this job and I will reconsider your case.”

Good enough for me.

I stuck out my hand toward Cooper. “Let’s do this.”

He entwined his fingers with mine, the touch sending a spark of energy through me and Felix’s office dissolved around us.

We landed in front of a high school. The wooden welcome sign read: “Fairview High School, Home of the Colts.” A breeze whipped a flag around a pole, next to the sign. I scanned the campus. The three-story tan brick building reminded me of a detention center I’d Collected from a few years back more than it did an educational institute.

Cooper dropped my hand as if it were covered in scales.

He disappeared from my side then reappeared at the school entrance where a few Guard were stationed.

Couldn’t he have transported us any closer? He probably did it on purpose, getting back at me for negotiating my soon-to-be status on the Guard. I opened and closed my buzzing hand as I walked across the pavement toward the school.

By the time I made it to the group of Guards, they dispersed.

Okay, time to be serious. I needed to show Felix that I could work on a team.

Aaron was the last member of the group to leave on his assigned task. “Good luck with this one,” he said, grinning at me.

I wiggled my fingers at him. “Bye bye now.”

I didn’t need to work with all of them.

Cooper and I transitioned through the front doors. He disappeared at the bottom of the stairs to the second floor.

This transitioning thing was going to get old real quick.

He reappeared at the top of the stairs seconds later. “Come on,” he said, that rushed tone back in his voice again.

I took the steps two at a time. I didn’t want him to leave me to wander the halls alone. Even though they were empty now, I’d been at enough schools to know what happened when the bell rang. I shuddered at the thought of that many humans passing through me.

At the top, I followed Cooper’s quick pace down a hallway lined with metal lockers peering into each classroom we passed. Each of them was filled with bored-looking students and enthusiastic educators.

We stopped at a classroom near the end of the hall and transitioned inside.

A dozen waist-high benches faced a white board at the front of the classroom. An experiment was outlined on the board and the students quietly worked in pairs. The only sounds were the soft hissing of the open flames and the tinkling of glass rods against the beakers as the students swirled the liquid.

A pulsing throughout my body broke my trance. I wandered to the back of the room where Cooper stood next to a female Guard I hadn’t met before; they conversed inaudibly. So I studied her instead. Her short black hair formed around her face like a lion’s mane and she stood at Cooper’s height. I guessed her soul age to be around twenty-five years.

“Thanks Calliope,” he said to her as I neared.

Her eyes flicked to mine. “You’re the Soul Collector?”

“Yeah, I’m Maggie.”

“Cool,” she said. “Nice to meet you.” She turned back to Cooper. “I’ll be by the car until you need me.” She placed her hands on his shoulders, bringing their faces close together, forehead to forehead. “It’s going to be fine.”

I turned away, feeling like I was intruding on a personal moment between them and looked around the room at the students. A persistent pulsing flowed through me as I walked down the aisle growing stronger as I neared the front of the room.

I stopped next to a bench where two girls sat. One of them, a dark-haired girl, played with a phone in her lap. I had Collected a few souls who were playing with those while driving. But it wasn’t her that called to me. The golden-haired girl next to her radiated a glow I’d only seen from a Caeleste. She looked up at the board and I couldn’t hide the gasp whispering across my lips. She even favored the looks of the Caelestium, with smooth, unblemished skin and an unmistakable otherworldliness to her. Her green eyes sparkled with the very essence of life.

“That’s Allegra, but she prefers Ally,” Cooper said, suddenly standing next to me.

“What is she?”

“What do you think?” he answered reverently.

I leaned closer to the girl. “I thought the Caeleste couldn’t cross over?”

“The Prognatum are descended from the few Caeleste who mated with humans centuries ago. This practice has since been forbidden but there are a few genetic lines left. It’s another job that the Guard take very seriously. We are sworn to protect these humans from birth until their transformation at eighteen.”

I tore my gaze away from her as she added more chemicals to her beaker. “Transformation?”

“At eighteen they join the Guard as special operatives for the Caelestium.”

I flinched. “So they are born to be a part of the Guard?”

“Yes.”

Jealousy surged through me. Imbecile Collectors and unsuspecting humans can get the job but I can’t?

“Why do you need me?”

“As a Collector you can sense the True Soul. Even if we were able to find it, we couldn’t touch it. The Caeleste spread the power around so no one soul can have complete control.”

“I know all of that, but apparently someone did,” I pointed out.

A shrill bell rang and none of the teens moved.

“Aren’t they supposed to leave now?” I asked.

Cooper chuckled. “Her chemistry class is two periods long. She’ll be here for another forty-five minutes.”

“Why would someone do this? What do they want her soul for?” I asked, moving away from Ally. I could see why someone would want even a small piece of the girl, but to what end?

He stiffened. “That’s classified information,” he said. “Guards only.”

I frowned.

“Not my rules.” He held up his hands. “But just know that she is extremely important to the Caeleste.”

“How did someone take her True Soul?”

Cooper shook his head slowly, not meeting my gaze. “I have no idea. And the fact that Felix doesn’t either scares me a lot.”

Chapter Four

For the rest of the day Cooper and I followed Ally through her school routine. I attempted to gain more information from him but was denied each time due to “protocol” and “Guard only” excuses. Fed up of butting up against an impenetrable wall, I turned my attention to Ally.

With just the smallest look Ally commanded the respect of her peers. It was as if they sensed she was unlike them. In between classes, the other kids allowed her to pass with a wide berth.

When we arrived at the cafeteria a herd of students burst from a nearby hallway and I moved desperately away, plastering my soul against the window, not daring to touch any of the hungry teens.

Cooper waved to me from across the room. I held up a finger. When there was a break in the mob, I sprinted across the room, pressing my body against the far window, nearest to Cooper.

“Sorry,” he said. “I forgot you can’t transport in this Realm.”

I looked around the room full of students. “I’m safe back here, right?”

He smiled. “Yes, you will be fine.”

The same prickling sensation I’d experienced in the cemetery settled at the base of my spine. I looked outside and saw the same young man standing in the courtyard outside of the cafeteria. He was younger than I’d thought, his dark hair lifting and falling as the breeze swept through it. He wore dark jeans, hugging his long legs, and his long-sleeved black shirt was almost like a second skin. His gaze met mine and he pressed a finger to his lips. Something deep inside pulled me towards him… I shivered.

“Cooper,” I said.

But before Cooper turned around the man had disappeared.

“Do you sense it?” Cooper asked, his eyes darting across the courtyard.

I shook my head at the sense I was missing something important. “No, I just thought I saw something.”

“There are plenty of Guard around,” he said, turning back to Ally. “Just focus on finding the True Soul.”

I took one more look into the courtyard and then turned back too. We watched her pick at the salad bar for a few minutes, separating her food into groups on her plate. The dark-haired girl from Ally’s chemistry class stood next to her, her fingers flying over the screen of her cell phone.

Ally play-slapped at her friend’s phone and nudged the girl to move up in line. The girl giggled and shook her head as if she forgot where she was. They paid for their food and made their way to the empty table in front of us.

A girl at the next table leaned closer to her friend. “God, I wish I had her legs.”

“No,” her friend said. “Definitely her hair.”

Most of the kids looked up from their conversations and lunches to get a peek at Ally. Even though she ignored them, they only had eyes for her.

I moved closer to the table, avoiding the touch of the young humans.

At another table all the kids were dressed in black with numerous piercings; their comments weren’t as complimentary, but I sensed their jealousy and envy more than hatred. One of them supplied a particularly nasty comment and I wished for the ability to become corporeal so I could defend Ally.

Ally sat down at the table. She and the dark-haired girl, who I learned was called Heather, were joined by another girl, her mocha skin flawless against the curtain of her long black hair.

“Where were you first period, Krystal?” Heather asked the newcomer.

“I overslept,” she said, shrugging off the comment. She pulled a bag of apple slices from her purse and munched on one.

“That’s all you’re having?” Ally asked, crunching into a grape tomato.

“I’m not hungry,” Krystal said.

“Since when are you not hungry?” Heather accused.

“Since when is this pick on Krystal day?” Krystal snapped back glaring at Ally.

Ally matched the glare, her perfectly plucked eyebrows raised in high arches. “PMSing, are we?”

Heather stifled a laugh.

“Whatever,” Krystal said, pulling out her phone and scrolling through it.

Ally rolled her eyes at Heather and continued to eat her salad.

“Can you believe it’s only a week until our last Spring Dance? I’m so bummed we are leaving school, like, forever,” Heather whined.

“I’m not,” Ally said flippantly. “I’m done with this place and these people.”

Heather gasped making Ally grin. “Obviously not you guys.”

“Or Seth,” Heather said in a sing-song voice. “Speak of the devil.”

I followed their gaze to a group of boys entering the cafeteria. Their voices rang over the already loud conversations of the room.

A blond boy caught my attention. His hair was shaved close to his head and his green eyes lit up as if his entire world existed for the girl at this table. The flurry of conversations that had focused on Ally earlier turned to this boy.

He sauntered over to the table, while his friends headed for the food, and placed a tender kiss on Ally’s lips. “Hey babe. Sorry I couldn’t bring you to school this morning. Dad sent me out on a delivery.”

“It’s fine,” she said, feeding him a cucumber from her plate.

Krystal crumpled up her now empty plastic bag and pushed out her chair, scraping it against the linoleum.

“Where are you going?” Ally said.

Heather and Seth looked at Krystal.

“I forgot my Algebra book,” she snapped. “Why do you care?”

“I have mine,” Seth said, lifting his backpack. “We can share.”

“My homework is in the book,” she said, standing up and stomping toward the door.

“Drama,” Ally whispered to Heather.

Seth’s friends squeezed in at the table and I jumped out of the way before any of them touched me.

Moving back to the window next to Cooper I said, “So you just sit here all day and watch her?”

“Pretty much.”

Maybe this Guard job wasn’t what it was cracked up to be. “I guess it’s entertaining, though. I feel like I’m watching a soap opera.”

Cooper laughed. “Don’t be fooled. She’s a lot smarter than she gives herself credit for.”

I’d believe that when I saw it.

I meandered to the back window, staring out at the football field. I snuck a look in the courtyard but didn’t see that guy again. Maybe my eyes had been playing tricks on me. Or maybe a Guard was messing with me. No doubt Aaron had put him up to it. A man on a riding lawn mower rode across the field several times.

That was one reason I didn’t want to be Recycled. I looked at all the students in the room, with their insecurities and bleak futures ahead of them. There were probably a few that would make their lives into something but the rest might as well be the groundskeeper spending each day doing the same boring work.

Definitely not for me.

By Ally’s sixth class, I was itching to get out of there. I assured Cooper I didn’t feel the True Soul around.

“Are you sure?” he asked for the third time.

“Yes,” I said calmly.

He remained skeptical but I left the room before he could ask me again to wander down the hallway, getting a better look inside the classrooms. After eating, the kids were like zombies, barely awake as their teachers droned on about things they’d probably never use after high school. Reason number two not to be Recycled.

Further down the hall, music poured from one of the classrooms. I peeked inside to discover an art studio where six students stood in front of easels, painting. The teacher was in a flowing purple and green dress, her long scraggly blonde hair wild across her back. She swayed to the music and stopped at each student, offering encouragement. The atmosphere was lighter in this room, unlike the other classroom. I followed the teacher’s path, examining each student’s work. Overall, their talent surpassed my expectations for a high school art class. Brightly colored paint strokes depicted the fruit bowl at the center of the room.

I looked around for the teacher; she stood next to a girl separated from the group. What made her so special? I deviated to her spot. White cords hung down from her ears and into her pocket. Her long brunette hair was tied at the nape of her neck and bobbed as she mixed her paint. She popped one out and listened to her teacher.

“So creative,” the teacher said in her breathy voice. “Is this another one of your dreams?”

The girl nodded.

“Keep it up; I think this is the piece we should enter into the showcase,” the teacher said, flouncing away.

I stepped as close as I could to the girl without touching her. Her painting depicted a classroom, not unlike any of the other ones in the school. The brush strokes were precise but the classroom looked out of focus, blurry even. But those desks and chairs weren’t the focal point; it was the person standing at the back of the room. I moved closer to get a better look. He was dressed in head-to-toe black, his face hadn’t been painted in yet, but his sandy blond hair looked familiar.

This girl, somehow, had seen and by memory painted Cooper.

The bell rang and, unlike the rest of the classrooms, none of these kids moved. I knew Cooper would be looking for me, so I tore my eyes away from the painting and into the hallway.

Maybe he had appeared corporeal at some point? But he would never have done it inside the school, at least not dressed for regulation Guard duty. I’d mention it to him later.

I found Cooper and another Guard following Ally down a hallway on the third floor.

Cooper raised his eyebrows.

“Still nothing!” I said. Half the kids in the hallway were taller than me. What did they eat for breakfast? Growth hormones?

I avoided their touch but one particularly rushed boy passed through me. My soul turned ice-cold. I needed to get out of here.

I weaved through the rest of the kids and down the front stairs as quickly as I could. The first floor was nearly deserted so I walked down it and found myself outside the school gym. A few students stood in the middle of the space, bouncing basketballs.

“Mags?” a voice called.

I turned to see a shadow move into an open office across the hall from the gym. Something about the nickname was familiar. I couldn’t remember anyone ever calling me that, yet my soul responded by moving toward the office.

Inside, a desk took up most of the small space. Mounds of paperwork were strewn across its surface. Team photos were tacked to the walls in no particular order. Suddenly the door creaked behind me and I whirled around.

I bumped into someone’s chest. “Cooper?” I said, taking in the boy’s face.

Okay, not Cooper.

The young man I had seen in the courtyard and the cemetery stood in front of me. He looked to be around my soul age. Maybe a year or two older and was over a foot taller than me. His tousled black hair stuck out at all angles, looking as if he’d just rolled out of bed. But when he stepped closer, his head tilting down to mine I couldn’t move. His piercing pale blue eyes had turned my legs to cement.

“I did see you at the cemetery,” the boy said, almost breathless, a smile tugging at his lips.

I tore my eyes away from his gaze and stepped back shaking my head. “Do I know you?” I asked, because no matter how my soul responded to him, I didn’t recognize him.

His smile faded.

“Maggie!” Cooper called from the hallway.

The boy scowled. Taking another step forward he pulled my body close to his, the touch sending electric currents through me. Unconsciously I lifted my arms, pressing my fingers against him for balance.

“He lied to us,” he whispered, his mouth touching my head.

The contact stirred something deep within me. I looked up at him. “Who lied?” I said, my voice shaking slightly.

“Maggie?” Cooper’s voice was right outside the door now.

“Don’t say anything,” the boy said quickly, his piercing eyes suddenly pleading. His hands lightly squeezed mine then he disappeared.

A second later Cooper opened the door and looked around the room. “What are you doing?”

I dropped my hands down to my sides. I could still feel the boy’s touch, but his warning was fresh in my mind. “Nothing.” I mumbled.

Cooper walked with me to the parking lot, even though he could have easily transported there. I tried to focus on the job, but my thoughts kept turning to the mysterious boy and the feelings he’d awoken inside of me. A lightness was surging through me, it was something I had only experienced before when I was holding a True Soul.

“Are you okay?” Cooper asked.

I blinked. “Yeah, why?”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “You looked confused.”

I shook my head and said as firmly as I could, “I’m fine.”

Focus, Maggie!

We hustled across the parking lot. Students milled around their cars, shouting and laughing. Their attitudes were completely opposite from when they were in the building. Buses chugged across the lot toward the front of the school. We passed a few Guard who were stationed at numerous spots along the way. They nodded to Cooper.

I looked over at him. Cooper seemed well respected by the Guard. And I hoped that someday others would look at me like that too.

“Where’s Ally?” I asked.

“They’ll be out shortly. Calliope is watching her, with Aaron,” he said.

I rolled my eyes.

Cooper caught me. “Aaron’s nice; I don’t know why you don’t like him.”

“Do we have all day?” I griped and watched Cooper’s eyebrows shoot up. Which reminded me of Felix and his “critique”. If I wanted to be a Guard, I’d have to play nice. For now. “He is a nice guy,” I said trying not to sound too insincere. “He just wasn’t meant for Soul Collecting.” I opened my hands at my sides, repeating what Felix had said.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get the job,” Cooper offered. “But Felix did say you were the best Collector; I can’t imagine he’d want to lose you from the team.”

I already knew I was the best, but that shouldn’t have stopped him from choosing me for the Guard.

We stopped walking by a black Mercedes and Cooper excused himself, appearing next to the two Guard standing at the entrance to the lot.

I heard their clicking heels before I saw them. Ally, Krystal, and Heather walked across the lot, each of them holding their bags on the same shoulder, all three skirts swishing across their smooth legs. Ally held a cell phone to her ear while Heather typed something into hers. Krystal looked smug, as if she was aware of a joke that the other two weren’t. Calliope and Aaron flanked the girls.

Ally ended her phone conversation, and Heather lifted her phone to Ally’s face.

“See, I told you it was the same outfit!”

Ally glanced at the screen and waved her hand over it, the gold bangles on her wrist clinking together.

Heather put her phone in her purse. “I bet she had to put on three sets of spanks to fit into that dress. She’s really packed it on since Derick broke it off with her.”

“Oh please,” Ally said with a snort. “He was just the excuse for her to eat her feelings. That was, like, four months ago. Get over it, heifer.”

The girls laughed and piled into the car.

“Anything?” Calliope asked suddenly appearing next to me.

Trying not to show my surprise, I closed my eyes and concentrated on my surroundings. Nothing stirred within me. “Nope.”

Opening my eyes I caught a glimpse of Aaron. His eyes were closed, as if he tried to feel it as well.

He was such an idiot. Soul Collectors and Guard inherited separate powers from the Caeleste. When he was transferred to the Guard all of his Soul Collecting abilities were taken from him. He wouldn’t be able to sense a True Soul even if it was right in front of him.

“Can you ride in the car with the girls?” Calliope asked.

“Why me?” I demanded, whipping my head around to look at her.

“Well, Cooper usually does, but he thought it would be better if you did so that if you come across the True Soul at any point you can interfere.”

“Alright,” I said. “Let’s assume the one who broke into the Fort Knox of the After comes for her. How do you expect me to protect her?”

“You won’t have to do anything. We’ll be in the cars behind and in front of you. He just wants her to be safe.” Calliope transported to the black car next to Ally’s and nodded at me from the driver seat.

I guess that meant the decision had been made. I had no choice.

“Here goes nothing,” I said and transitioned into the backseat of the car.

If it weren’t for the fact I was already dead, I might have experienced a heart attack during the thirty-minute drive. Music pumped out of the speakers at an ear-shattering volume and Ally and Heather sang loudly along. They seemed to know every song that came on the radio, each one more exciting than the last, at least that was what I gleaned from their “I love this song!” as each one started. Turning my attention to the road, I attempted to ignore them. Ally swerved in between the other cars, jerking back and forth through traffic. I turned in my seat several times to make sure we were still being followed, but Calliope kept up easily enough.

When we pulled into the parking garage at a mall I was so relieved and made a mental note to have someone else drive home with her. Ally parked the car in a spot close to the entrance. Ally and Heather flipped down their respective visors and used the small mirror to touch up their makeup. Krystal sat next to me, unmoving, as she had the whole ride there.

“Latte anyone?” Heather chimed in.

“Yes please!” Ally cheered. Krystal said nothing.

I transitioned out of the car. The girls hopped out and six Guards appeared surrounding them in formation. Cooper stood closest to Ally, an invisible bodyguard.

Calliope smiled as she appeared out of her car and nudged me to follow the girls as they strutted into the mall.

“Is this normal?” I asked indicating the six Guards.

“Not usually, but we can’t be too careful in this situation.”

We kept up following right behind the group. As we walked through the entrance of the mall, a sharp blade ripped through me. Something was wrong, really wrong. Flames burned through me as if my whole soul was engulfed in fire.

“Argh!” I groaned, signaling for her to stop walking.

Calliope turned around, and transitioned next to me, placing a hand on my back. But her touch just intensified the burning.

“Don’t—” I sputtered.

“What’s wrong?” She signaled to Cooper.

Cooper appeared next to us. “What’s happening?”

“It’s here,” I choked through the pain. “I feel her True Soul.”

Chapter Five

The only time I’d experienced a True Soul go through that much agony was when Aaron had waited too long to reunite the True Soul with the human body. I’d never wanted to feel that again yet here I was. Surges of unyielding emotions ripped through me. Ally’s True Soul was calling to me. It wasn’t ready to be reunited with her soul, but it knew she was nearby and yearned to keep its distance.

“She can’t be here,” I said to Cooper. “If it gets too close to her, her soul could be removed from her body.” Why anyone would want to do that was beyond me, and I didn’t dare think of the consequences.

Cooper fixed his gaze on Calliope, his voice commanding. “Callie, I’m going to her. You two, find it!” He disappeared.

I dodged through the crowd of mall patrons, cringing each time one of them came close or brushed past me, but I kept pushing. We finished searching the top floor and made our way down to the one below.

The True Soul continued to call to me though it didn’t give away its position but I knew I was getting closer when a tugging sensation pulled me toward a railing overlooking the food court.

Where the rest of the mall had scattered patrons, the food court area packed in enough humans to be well over capacity. They swarmed the food stands and milled about, looking for places to sit.

I shivered. I didn’t want to go down there unless absolutely necessary.

Scanning the area I saw kids attached to their mothers by short ropes, elderly groups moving slowly with their trays, and a considerable amount of teenage girls, but none of them stuck out to me as a threat.

“Oh my God! Are you serious?” Ally’s laughter rang out.

I turned to see Ally and her friends step away from a coffee cart, each holding a steaming cup. Cooper and the rest of the Guard were in a tight formation around the girls as they made their way to a descending escalator.

“It’s down there!” I yelled to Cooper.

He shouted orders to his Guard and a few of them appeared in the food court; they spread out among the crowd. At least they had it covered.

“Where?” Calliope asked her eyes darting around the food court.

I shook my head. “I’m not sure exactly. It’s down there but whoever has it is concealed pretty well.”

Then Ally’s high-pitched scream ripped through the air.

We all watched helplessly as her body soared over the moving escalator stairs. Her coffee sailed over the railing, splattering the people below. The now wet targets shouted up at her, but when they saw the falling girl, their shouts were silenced.

Ally’s body slammed into each step. Bones crunched and joints popped with each hit. She tried to stop her fall by grabbing for anything. Her hands rubbing against the glass partition, making her attempt for leverage useless. Heather’s screams matched Ally’s but by the time Ally hit the floor Heather was the only one still screaming.

I bolted down the escalator after Ally, not caring that I’d just passed through Heather and Krystal’s bodies. I knelt beside Ally and leaned down close to her body. Her breaths were shallow, but present.

She was alive! But for how long?

A crowd had gathered around us and I couldn’t see around them so I stood up. None of the Guard were in sight.

Where had they gone?

“Hey! She’s still alive!” I shouted, twisting around, desperately trying to see over the concerned patrons. Why was no one helping her?

Then I saw them. Cooper, Calliope and the other Guard were on the second floor. They stood in a line, side by side, their backs facing me with their swords raised. A chill ran through me.

Cooper didn’t look over the side but I heard him clearly. “Maggie, protect her!” Then his body disappeared from view as he ran toward the unseen threat.

The patrons were oblivious to the battle that raged above; they focused on what they could see – the twisted body of the pale, yet still beautiful girl crumpled on the floor. I looked over at Heather and Krystal, who were carefully making their way down the escalator, both on their cell phones.

I knelt down again next to Ally and reached out to touch her skin. Even though the sensation was unpleasant, I could feel her pulse as it rapidly declined.

“No,” I moaned. I looked up again to see if any of the Guard could help, but no one was around.

I looked back down at Ally. Her face was paling by the second. My soul started to tingle. I leaned closer to her body, reaching my hand out to touch her face again, when her arm moved toward mine.

I jumped back.

Heather pushed through the crowd. “Did she just move? Did I see her move?” Streaks of black mascara ran down her cheeks.

A ringing sensation tickled my ear and I tuned in to the True Soul’s presence. I looked at each human. The True Soul was close, but who had it? They all seemed equally shocked at the tragedy.

An uncomfortable pressure in my chest drew me closer to her body. My soul slanted toward hers until I was practically on top of her. I helplessly watched my hand morph and stretch toward her body.

“What the—?” I tried to pull back but the strength of whatever was happening had other ideas. My hand disappeared first, then my arm, then my torso.

But before I could call for help, my world went dark.

A suffocating heat pressed all points of my soul. Even though I hadn’t breathed in a hundred years, I felt the need to inhale, yet I couldn’t. A fire burned in my chest.

I attempted to open my eyes, to move one finger, a toe maybe, but the pressure immobilized my body. The burning sensation tore through me over and over until I had just about given up the fight.

But, just as quickly as the pressure came, it lifted, bringing a seemingly endless barrage of images. I was experiencing someone else’s memories, as if I took a back seat in her mind and watched her life flash before our eyes. I caught her image in a mirror, a small golden-haired girl.

Ally?

I tried to slow the images or possibly make sense of them but, just as I grabbed a hold on one of them, it slipped through my fingers and moved onto the next. I followed this girl through all the moments of her life as her memories flashed before my eyes.

Darker emotions overlapped the girl’s happy memories. I saw a young red-haired girl in an old-fashioned dress; her demure eyes looked back at me. Jealousy flared through me. My heart squeezed, watching this girl who was not part of Ally’s memories. A rush of energy pumped through my body; the power touched every fiber of my soul. Then the vision dissolved and I was forced back to experiencing Ally.

Was I dreaming?

Souls didn’t dream. I told myself firmly.

The visions started to slow and I was able to focus on one.

I had to tell them, even though Dad said I couldn’t. But in a week I wouldn’t be the same girl. Or would I? I still wasn’t clear on everything. Becoming a Guard: it was my life’s mission, he had said. A life that was no longer my own. Would it be easier to let this life slip away? I would regret each day if I didn’t. Maybe I would start with Seth. Sweet Seth. He’d be crushed, but someone would take my place. Dad had said something about people—humans—was I not human? Humans were drawn to those like me. Maybe Seth only liked me because I was different, unexplainably different.

I ripped the paper off the coffee sleeve. It was now or never.

“Hey guys,” I started, trying to find the words. Heather looked at me expectantly.

Something hard stabbed into the skin of my calf. My knee popped and I fell over, far over. Nothing held back my swift descent down the escalator.

My crushed bones offered no strength or grip. My teeth chattered against each other with each hit. I landed on the floor, my elbow close to my face.

That didn’t seem right.

Dozens of pairs of shoes filled my view. The squished gum stains on the floor would normally have been a deal-breaker but I lacked the ability to raise myself off the floor. A pretty girl knelt beside me, her almost clear blue eyes looked straight into mine, and I knew I would be safe.

My vision fogged up as tears blurred my vision, but they never fell. I watched a gray mist billow up behind the girl as she leaned over me. I tried to tell her about the mist that lifted and swirled over her head. But my eyelids were so heavy. Maybe I’d just rest for a minute…

I drew in my first conscious breath of air and gulped a few times. I sat up, opened my eyes and immediately closed them.

“She’s awake,” Calliope’s voice said. “Get Cooper.”

I lay back down on the bed and draped an arm over my eyes against the harsh glare.

“Bright,” I croaked.

I tried to open my eyes again but they burned.

I heard the light switch click, and the brightness behind my eyelids subsided.

I opened them again, one at a time. A sliver of sunlight peeked through the thin window shade, offering a less invasive light. The outline of flowers packed the shelf by the window.

Inhaling, I took in the beautiful scent of them, the mix tickling my nose in the best possible way.

I lifted my arm again and stopped. “This isn’t—” I inspected the manicured fingernails attached to the hand and arm that definitely was not mine.

“Turn on the lights, please,” I said, attempting to maintain calm. I tried to sit up but something hard rubbed against my leg, keeping me in place.

“Maggie, I—”

“Now Calliope!” I shrieked.

She flipped the lights on, blinding me for a second but the arm still wasn’t mine.

“Maggie, listen; don’t freak out. Her Caeleste blood is helping her heal but to do that her body needs to rest a little while longer.” Calliope was speaking from the side of the bed I was in.

I glanced around the room, which looked exactly like every hospital room I’d ever been in, except this one only had one bed, and actual furniture, including a leather couch.

Throwing the covers off I stared at the body that was very much corporeal and not mine. I inspected the arm I’d covered my face with. Tiny blonde hairs stood up on end at the sudden change in temperature. I grabbed a chunk of the golden hair attached to my head and pulled.

“Ow!”

Heat crept up my—no, not my, Ally’s body. Splotches of red mixed with the blue and purple bruises that peppered her skin. A rapid thumping throbbed inside of me.

A heartbeat!

I squeezed my eyes shut. This had to be a dream, or some sort of not-so-hilarious prank. I channeled the power I used to transition everywhere to transition out of the body. Opened my eyes and saw Calliope still in the same spot.

I slapped a hand on the bed. “Argh!”

Cooper appeared at Calliope’s side. “Shit,” he said in disbelief.

I stared at him. “No kidding! What happened?”

“Can you get out?” Cooper asked.

“Oh wow Cooper, I didn’t even think of that. Thank you so much for the suggestion.” Ally’s husky voice sounded strange in my head.

“It’s a valid question, Maggie,” Calliope snapped at me.

I crossed Ally’s arms. “I tried to transition out but I can’t.”

Cooper started pacing the small room. “Did you see what happened?” he asked.

I sucked on Ally’s lip. “There were a lot of people there. It could have been anyone.”

Calliope leaned forward. “Do you remember anything else?”

I lifted Ally’s arms, that were riddled with small bumps, and shivered. “Something pulled me inside of her. It was weird, almost as if her body, like, sucked me inside of it.” I stopped talking and moved Ally’s arm closer to her face.

“We know,” Cooper said unhelpfully.

Ignoring Cooper I twisted Ally’s arm in front of my eyes and saw the outline of my soul moving inside it.

“I can see me—” I swallowed. “In her? Is this normal?”

Cooper snorted. “Nothing about this is normal, but, yes, we can see you too.” He waved his hands, encompassing me. “Inside of her. You know most souls match the body they belong to so usually there isn’t a difference but I can see your soul… and her body.”

I stuffed her arm under the covers, hiding the fact that my soul was inside a human body.

Creepy.

“If I’m in here,” I stuttered, “where is she?”

They looked at each other.

“What did Felix say?” Calliope asked Cooper, changing the subject.

“Felix knows about this?” I shrieked. “Did he tell you how I can get out?”

“He said that if you couldn’t get out on your own then it might be something else,” Cooper said, moving toward the window avoiding my eyes.

“Like what?” I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

“A Possession,” Cooper said.

Chapter Six

“Excuse me?” I said affronted. “I did not possess her body. Her body possessed me!”

“I’ve heard of this,” Calliope said sagely. “It was a practice the Shadowed used centuries ago to possess influential bodies so they could walk among the humans, procuring souls for their side.”

“Like zombies?”

“In a way, yes,” she said.

“Who are the Shadowed?” I looked from Cooper to Calliope. “Were they there? Were those the ones you were fighting when Ally fell?”

At that moment Aaron poked his head into the room. “We have company.” He looked at me and squinted. “Can you guys—?”

“Yes,” the three of us snapped. Aaron stepped back into the hall.

“Just sit tight and don’t talk if you can help it,” Cooper said. “We don’t want to alert anyone that Ally isn’t Ally.”

“Why?”

Cooper’s shoulders sagged. “The longer she isn’t well, the longer she stays here; we need to get back to the house where the wards can protect her.”

“And me?” I said.

“Yes,” Cooper nodded. “That’s what I meant.”

“Fine,” I watched Cooper and Calliope disappear from the room, leaving me alone.

An uncomfortable twinge spread across Ally’s arm. I scratched it with her long fingernails. When the sensation receded, I traced a finger across her arm, making those little bumps again. Then the twinge reappeared on Ally’s leg. I tugged the sheets off her left leg and saw a pink cast covering her from knee to foot. I scratched at the hard cast but the feeling didn’t go away.

“Here.” A wooden tongue depressor appeared in front of my face.

I sat back in the bed hurriedly.

A petite girl, around Ally’s age, stood by the bed. Her long dark hair twisted at the nape of her neck, sticking out in all directions. I looked at the badge that hung from a thin rope across her chest. It read, “Jamie Blackhorn, Volunteer.”

The name struck me as something I should be familiar with. A memory of Ally’s surged forward.

“Watch it, freak!” Ally snapped, her books scattering across the floor at her feet.

Heather, Krystal and a few other classmates scrambled to pick up Ally’s things from the floor.

Jamie looked up at Ally, terror etched across her face. “I’m—”

Heather and Krystal flanked Ally, all three pairs of eyes glaring at her.

Jamie shivered under her baggy paint-stained jeans and T-shirt.

Ally leaned over toward the girl’s trembling body. “Stay out of my way or I will destroy you.”

A tear streaked Jamie’s cheek as she nodded at Ally and bolted down the hall.

Ally watched the girl go, turning her glare on the rest of the kids that had formed a crowd around her. “And that goes for the rest of you.”

I blinked and the vision disintegrated. What was that?

“What is this for?” I pointed at the wooden stick, aware the girl was staring at me.

Jamie swallowed, her eyes darting across Ally’s face. “I broke my arm once, and it itched like crazy. I found a ruler and it became my best friend for eight weeks.” She squinted her eyes a few times.

What kind of people did they hire at this hospital? “What?” I said.

Her head shook furiously. “Nothing. The stick is for scratching.” She moved her hand in a sawing movement.

The tingles started up again and I grabbed the stick, slid it between the skin and cast and rubbed it against Ally’s skin. I moaned in pleasure and leaned Ally’s head back against the pillow. “That—is—amazing.”

“I’m glad to help.” Jamie smiled. “I need to take your vitals now. Do you mind?”

“No,” I said. I’d Collected many human souls from hospitals and seen them take these “vitals”; it didn’t look too painful.

Jamie placed a cuff around my arm and pumped a small rubber ball. The cuff tightened around Ally’s skinny arm, smothering it. I bit Ally’s lip and turned away, willing the agony to end. I held my breath as I felt Ally’s heartbeat in her arm. What sadistic person thought up this torture? How did humans stand it?

When she got her reading the pressure subsided and I let out a breath with it.

Jamie next put a stethoscope in her ears and placed the round part on the exposed skin of Ally’s upper chest. The cold circle sent a shock through me. I shifted under it.

“Sorry.” She took it away and rubbed it with her palms. “I forget how cold it gets in here.”

With each test I anticipated a new bodily reaction so as not to alert this girl that Ally wasn’t Ally. Or human for that matter.

Be human, be human. I repeated the mantra in my head.

I watched Jamie work, her hands swift and gentle, navigating the areas around Ally’s bruised arm so as not to touch them. She leaned into the bed, examining Ally’s arm.

“I did just fall down an escalator,” I said. Jamie was looking a little too closely, surely she couldn’t see what the others could?

She jolted and dropped Ally’s arm. “You’re a quick healer,” was all she said.

Before I could respond, a nurse came into the room and checked Ally’s chart. She introduced herself as Nurse Lucy. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

I repeated my new mantra in my head. “Good.”

“You took a nasty tumble there. You were lucky to only come out with a broken leg and some bruises.” She checked Ally’s skin and her brows furrowed. “Well, you did have bruises… I see someone takes her Vitamin C.”

She made a note in the chart. “Well, it looks like if you are feeling okay, you can leave right after the doctor sees you. I need a parent or guardian to sign your discharge papers.”

“Marie Lopez is here,” Jamie said.

“Who’s Marie?” I said before thinking. I pointed at my head, hoping that I could use Ally’s fall as an excuse for my oversight. “I meant, where is Marie?”

“Right here, Ms. Ally.”

Nurse Lucy and Jamie turned around, revealing a stout brown-skinned woman stepping through the doorway holding two cups of steaming coffee. The scent tickled my nose.

Another strange vision started to creep up, but I blinked it away.

“Here you go, Ms. Ally.”

I took the steaming cup from her hand and nearly dropped it. It was hot! I grabbed it with Ally’s other hand, touching only the top rim of the cup; it seemed to be the coolest part.

“She can’t have that,” Nurse Lucy said.

“You just said she is okay, right?” Marie challenged.

The nurse stiffened and checked the chart. “Just one cup,” she consented. “Are you ready to sign the paperwork, Mrs. Lopez?”

“It’s Miss.” With her accent it sounded like Meeez.

Nurse Lucy nodded and waved a hand for Marie and Jamie to follow.

“Feel better,” Jamie said, stepping out of the room.

“Thanks,” I smiled.

She opened her mouth to say something but stopped and gave me a quick wave before she left the room.

Cooper appeared at my bedside, and this time I did spill the coffee.

“Do you really have to pop in here unannounced?” I wiped at the stain spreading across the sheet. I could feel the heat through the thin material.

“We need to get you home, where David’s wards can protect her,” Cooper said.

“Yes, I am aware of that. The nurse said I have to meet with the doctor first.”

I took a sip of the coffee so I’d have less to spill on myself later. It tasted like burnt toast but the scent was delicious.

Cooper looked at me funny.

“What?” I asked, gulping down the rest of the coffee, even though it burned the inside of her mouth. A few drops dribbled from her lips.

“Attractive.” Cooper laughed.

I swiped the liquid off her face. “Shut up. What’s with the look?”

He shrugged. “You’re taking this seriously.” He sounded genuinely surprised.

“What else can I do at this point?” I said. “It’s not like I can transition out of her body.”

Cooper jutted his lip out and nodded as Calliope popped into the room. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when the doctor knocked on the door.

“Good afternoon, Allegra,” he said with a hint of an Indian accent. “Let’s check you out so we can get you home and into your own bed.”

The doctor examined me, just as Jamie had, but a little more in depth. He got me with the cuff again but the pain wasn’t as bad the second time around. He asked questions about Ally’s health and Cooper assisted me with those. He poked Ally’s skin and I had to pretend she was in pain. He gave me a bottle of pain medication and arranged a follow-up appointment.

“I’ll have Jamie bring you some food to take with the pills.”

I waited for the doctor to leave before I acknowledged Cooper.

“How did I do?” I asked.

“You did fine,” he said.

I smirked and heard Calliope chuckle.

“So what’s the plan?” I turned to Cooper again.

“The plan is to get you home and keep you there until we find Ally’s soul and somehow get it back inside her body.”

“Okay,” I said. “That sounds easy enough. How long do you think that will take?”

They exchanged a look.

“Felix is working with the rest of the Guard as we speak. Hopefully they can retrieve her soul soon.”

“At least before—” Calliope started, but Cooper silenced her with a hand.

I looked between the two of them. “Before what?”

Calliope clasped her hands behind her back. “She should know what we are up against.”

Cooper scrunched his nose and sighed. “Like I explained before, the Prognatum undergo a transformation at eighteen.”

“Okay,” I said, not really understanding where they were going with this. “How old is Ally?”

“Seventeen,” Cooper answered.

“Then we should have plenty of time; it’s not like her birthday is tomorrow.”

Neither of them met my eyes.

Ally’s throat tightened and I swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat. “Her birthday isn’t tomorrow, is it?”

“No,” Cooper said.

I exhaled, lifting a hand to Ally’s chest. “You two had me going there.”

Calliope stepped forward. “Her birthday is Friday.”

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