Prologue
Cecily
Present
What is a soul supposed to feel when someone is continuously trying to fuck with their body… and not in a fun way either? Anger at the injustice? Fear of the possibilities? Disgust toward those who came up with such vile ideas? Annoyance at the disruption it causes to what little life it has? Bitterness at the events leading up to being in this position? Depressed with the lack of options to change your situation in life? Resolve never to give up?
I’ve never been through modern-day schooling, but I choose option D, all of the above.
Oh, shoot, I forgot one! Vengeful... you can’t help but want justice for the weak and innocent after seeing the things I have. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve certainly tried, but that’s a story for another day. Right now, I’m worried about the man leaving yet another Vlog about his testing plans for my body tonight.
He gets off the stool he’s sitting on and turns the camera toward my body, which is lying on a medical bed. He turns off the camera after saying his spiel, having finished his documentation for now. I was only half paying attention to what he was saying... no, that’s a lie; I didn’t pay attention at all because I have zero fucks to give about his plans. My only concern is whether or not I can stop him when the time comes.
This guy has one of those voices that makes your ears want to bleed. No one wants to subject themselves to that kind of torture, especially when your days are filled with fighting it off nonstop already. Then, there’s the fact I don’t technically have ears. I mean, obviously, I do on my body, but I’m not in my body. Right now, I’m in what I’ve lovingly dubbed my “soul form,” floating above my actual body, standing sentinel like an avenging warrior. Or so I wish... not sure how much longer I’ll be successful in my attempts.
Wilks, the current scientist conducting the tests on me, comes to my bedside.Fuck this dude. If I could set curses upon his family line, you best believe I would... that’s beside the point, though. I prep myself to give him a good zap if he tries to touch my body. His steps are slow and hesitant.Yeah, you better be afraid of me, you sick fuck.
“Hey there, pain-in-the-ass, hope you heard my plans for you tonight. I can’t wait to get started. Whatever bullshit is protecting you is coming to an end, don’t think I haven’t noticed your zaps are getting a little less powerful, and then there’s the burn I was able to give you. I always knew we would find a way to perform our tests on you one day, to uncover all of your secrets hiding underneath that pretty shell of yours. Your time is running out.” The last sentence is tauntingly whispered into my ear. His voice holds a thread of malice and a clear threat that he’ll finally be able to do all the things he’s dreamed of doing to my body soon. I’ve been subjected to hearing all of his plans, and they aren’t worth thinking about if I wish to keep the contents of my stomach, figuratively speaking.
“I’ll be back for you soon, my pretty.” With his parting words, he runs a finger down my cheek. Finally, my moment has come! Pushing forth a surge of energy, I zap that motherfucker as hard as I can. It’s a foolish move. I should be conserving my energy to protect my body later; however, I’m instantly rewarded with the sweet, sweet sound of his frightened yelp.
WORTH IT! Mental high-five!
His face drains of color as he gives my body a double-take, probably questioning his words about my power becoming weaker. Yeah, you better rethink your plans, asshole! I wish I could back up my threats, but unfortunately, I’m getting close to being tapped out. Not a good feeling to be having right about now... or ever really. No sense dwelling on a problem for my future self.
Wilks storms out of the room, rubbing his hand, allowing me to drink in my minuscule taste of vengeance. If I could show any emotion, there would be a smug grin on my face right now. Now that he’s left my body, my soul form floats on a nonexistent wind. I won’t see my body again until it’s touched once more, and I have to protect it. Beginning the process of zaps once again.
After I float through the many layers of materials making up the ceiling of the bunker and the ground above it, I'm finally able to take a deep breath.
Again, figuratively.
I’m thankful for any moment of fresh air I’m able to soak in; it’s good for the soul, you know. I take in the open expanse where my body is currently being hidden, a mixture of open prairie lands with rolling grass and large wooded areas. Life quickly became a lonely place when I realized I was isolated here. Nonstop talking to yourself is no longer a crazy person’s trait when you make up all social norms.
There’s very little I’m able to control in my life. Shit, I can’t even move my body. One of the only things Icancontrol is how much I talk to myself; it’s how I avoid going insane. That’s why I started having story time every day. Little reminders to make sure I don’t forget anything important from my past. Okay, maybe I’m a teeny tiny bit crazy... but only a little bit.
My floating form passes over an amphitheater, where a band is performing last-minute sound checks before they start letting people in. The line is already forming, leading around the building. I love watching concerts—scratch that. I love watching concerts, as long as I’m not pulled away right in the middle of one. That’s just the worst!
Man, music sure has changed over the years. Sometimes, I try to imagine my reactions to the differences if I wasn’t present to experience the evolution myself. Like listening to the descriptive song all about a lady’s camel toe, or the one titled My Dick. How about the classic I like big butts and I cannot lie, or the one that talks about getting dicked down in Dallas. Dang, forget about me, what would my mother’s reactions have been?
Along with the changes in music came an evolution in dancing styles. Couples used to dance with choreographed movements in a group, where it was taboo even to touch. Now, girls bend over and back that badonkadonk up into a guy’s crotch while wiggling it around to the music. Give me a moment to clutch my pearls, at the fact this is socially acceptable. I mean, it looks like a blast, but lord, would women have fainted at the sight back in the day. Let’s not even get started on the clothing style leading up to booty shorts and crop tops.
Out of all the changes I’ve observed over the centuries, my not-so-secret favorite is fucking. Sex used to just be a means to bear children for the humans, and it was not only frowned upon for a woman to enjoy an orgasm, but highly discouraged. Now people are tossing the salad like it’s going out of style, and begging to be spanked. Boy, do I ever want to be in my body again so I can try out some of the positions I've seen.
Saying I felt slightly horrified the first time my soul observed a couple performing coitus is an understatement. I wanted to avert my eyes, but couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried. I had felt a phantom blush burning my cheeks, with no way to fan a cool breeze over them to save me from my flustered state. You’d think the Fates were playing a cruel joke on me with the amount of live porn I've been privy to all this time. It would be like them to mock me for not heeding their warning in not completing the bond with my mate.Okay, okay, I get it. Message received loud and clear!
As I stare out into the horizon, the sky is beginning to change colors with the setting sun. Dawn and dusk are my favorite times to be traveling on the wind, seeing as how I get little time outside of the bunker these days. I love the different shades of orange, red, and purple displayed in tonight’s sunset. It’s like the intensity of the colors is enough to bring me peace.
Ohh, I should have story time before Wilks gets back and we begin our game of ‘stay the fuck away from my body.’ Here’s a little story I like to call my life...
Once upon a time, there was a princess, destined to lead her people. She was a shifter who trained endlessly, trying to hone and perfect her use of magic. One day she met her mate. Blah, blah, blah, shit happened. He rejected her and betrayed her in the worst way possible.
Our princess doesn’t believe in the old saying, “time heals all wounds.” She thinks it’s total and complete bullshit. The pain over what happened to her is just as debilitating today as the day it happened. In fact, it has festered and become even more unbearable as time has passed, almost akin to a hot poker stabbing anytime she thinks of it.
Anyway, after she was betrayed, her magic reacted out of desperation to save her. Death wasn’t an option, but this is where the story gets a little fuzzy. Who's to say what would've happened if she wasn't so drained of magic, but when she awoke, she found herself in an endless sea of blackness, with no sounds of comfort to be heard. It felt empty, like her heart, after she found out having a mate sucked! Until the day she wasn’t in blackness any longer, and learned a new meaning to the words “let there be light.” The day she woke up, she realized there was a whole new horror to face in her life. She was a floating ball of invisible nothingness. No body, no ghost form, just a whole lot of NOTHING. Obviously, she was terrified.
It took some time for the panic to subside, and to replace frantic thoughts with clear ones. But once she did, the princess finally realized her consciousness had become attached to her soul, and her soul was no longer attached to her body.
By all estimations, she spent around five hundred years floating around in the world having various adventures, as the most beautiful floating ball of soul one ever did see, or not see. No matter how much she traveled, though, she never encountered one of her subjects. As much as she would’ve wanted to see how they were doing, how things were going for them, and if her absence created any consequences, she never got even a hint of their existence. The Fates must’ve known it would be too painful for her to handle. Especially when there would be no way for her to help them. She never forgot them. In fact, she reminisced about them fondly through memories and stories every day...
