“There is a sort of dark corruption in Sorra, one I have never before seen, not like the soulless, not like myself—and, after I left, that corruption devoured the souls of all my people, not slowly, but very quickly; then, their bodies continued to move and function for years, although inside, they were hollow.”
“Such a thing is not possible,” I said, continuing my walk to the car.
“I assure you, I have not lost my entire mind yet.”
I then remembered the reason this soulless was next to me. “You killed the rightful heir of Haleston’s throne, along with his wife, and injured their child, the next heir to the throne. What do you have to say to that?” I turned to look at him. Dark hair, beady eyes, and pursed lips faced me. His clothing,while possibly fine on their own, appeared to be sitting upon a skeleton of a human. The dark circles under his eyes and the gaunt look of his face would forever haunt my memories.
“Take me.” It was a plea, his black eyes serious as he gazed upon me.
“Take you?”
“End me, now. I know I am useless to the Ancients; I forsook my soul—if it wasn't for you, I would be in the corruptor’s grasp, and indeed, I am now aware and grateful to you, but I do not wish to suffer thenot-knowing, the changing at the end, the powerlessness of it.”
“I cannot kill, outright—” I paused, touching my chin with my forefinger, willing to find another way to help him cease to exist on the mortal plane.
“But there might be another way to meet your end.”
“Yes?” he asked as I got into my car. He remained standing by the driver’s side window as I rolled it down.
“Get one of your soulless brothers or sisters to do it for you.” I, for certain, was not going to do it. I had only killed once in my life, and I could still feel the effects from it. I was saving any future killing for two people and two people alone, and although I did not like Ten in the slightest for what he had done, it wasn't enough to warrant getting my hands bloody. There were only two souls who were worth that—not Ten’s. I drove off, hoping to never see that particular murderer ever again.
Chapter nine
Aflash of bluish-green, and I opened my eyes to darkness and screaming, which wasn't at all uncommon for me. I sat up, realizing that I was laying upon a bed,an actual bed,and not the stone floor of my prison cell. I looked around the room, hearing my melody so loud as it reached out for and ached to be with its soul-song. I closed my eyes, reaching out with my soul toward Emma.
She was still dreaming.
If you are still standing, that means you haven’t lost yet,I whispered toward her.
Her worries and fears flowed into me in a pleasant way. My connection to her was getting harder and harder to handle because of the physical distance between us. It was a good thing that later that morning I would be at Oak High, myself. I didn’t think I could handle another day of not seeing her; the pull was so strong.
I flung the covers back from my body and stood there for a moment in the still morning. I walked to my closet, aware that most people on Earth did not dress as formally as Terrans. Icouldn't recall, exactly, what it was about a suit and tie that made me feel so in control. Maybe it was the fact that I had never worn finery before my time away from Terra. It was refreshing to say the least. I pulled on my clothes while looking out of the large window into the forest. The sun finally broke through the tops of the trees as I finished tying my tie. I watched, frozen, as the warm light spilled on top of the entire world like ancient magic. I didn't think I could ever become bored with such a display. I had never seen a sunrise, nor a sunfall, before arriving on earth, had never seen how a day grew from light to dark; it was truly magnificent. The prison cell where I had spent most of my life was beneath the palace; there were no windows, no fresh air, and no real signs of life, other than my own breathing, for company. When I entered Earth, I was amazed at the beauty I had missed for the entirety of my life. I walked to my dresser and pulled out my camera. The ability to freeze a moment in time, almost as if I could literally hold that moment in my grasp? Yes, it was only printed on paper, and no melody was there to share the emotions with me, or to tell me the story. However, there was so much that a picture, a photograph, could share without any use of melodies or words. It was so incredibly powerful to me. I snapped a few shots; I had hundreds of pictures of days’ beginnings and days’ endings and plenty in between. I clicked the camera off and walked down the stairs to see the status of the soulless still in my care.
“One more down,” Aiden said as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of milk. I downed it and looked over at him.
“One more to bury?”
He nodded.
“Well, I dug a few extra graves, so let's take care of it before school.”
Aiden nodded, bowed, and went down the stairs. I sat on the couch, looking at my hands. They shook as my melody swirled around me.
Sometimes, talking about this stuff out loud makes it sound way too impossible.Emma’s melody called to my own. I smiled and responded back to her.
It’s not impossible.
She chuckled before being surprised and worried about my responses to her. I frowned as she wondered if I was Shad speaking to her.
Maybe,I need to tell someone.She couldn’t tell anyone; that would have ruined my plan.
Please don’t,I said softly into her soul, waiting for her response.
She thought about how she was possibly going crazy; then she answered her aunt, who had been speaking with her.
You are not losing your mind,I said with a laugh, trying to pull her back to talk with me. She was adorable, and I needed to be closer to her, and soon.
This is Shad, right?she asked, clearly afraid of my answer.
