Soul Remembered (Soul Series Book 2)

by Laura Winter

  “We’ll just tell her you got sick. We won’t go tonight,” Nate said, lifting his hand to my cheek as I pulled away from him.

  “What if I need to face this, though?” I asked. “What if this helps me finally get over it?”

  He raised his eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  I frowned. “What if the reason I can’t move on is because I haven’t faced it yet? All I’m doing is letting these panic attacks control me. What if I just need to face my fear so I can finally get through this?”

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” Nate asked, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “You don’t have to do anything you aren’t ready for.”

  I thought for a second. “I think I want to try this. Having you at night helps with my nightmares, talking has been relieving some of the stress, so maybe this will help me with everything else.” I leaned my head back into his chest.

  “Promise me you’ll tell me if it gets to be too much,” he said, holding my head closer.

  “I promise, Nate.”

  * * *

  I think because I was nervous I got ready in record time. We didn’t tell our parents where we were going so they wouldn’t be stressed all night, though I could tell Nate was worried about me since I hadn’t realized we were already parked in front of the trail entrance. Several other cars were here already, and you could hear the students chatting as they disappeared into the trees.

  We sat in silence for another few minutes as I stared in the direction of the clearing until Glitch and Luci pulled up next to us. I snapped out of my trance as Glitch tapped on the window, opening the door to help me get out.

  “You okay?” he asked quietly as he hugged me.

  “I don’t know,” I replied, still staring at the trees as he let go of me. He walked over to Nate and started talking quietly, but I was too distracted to listen to what they were saying.

  Luci slid in front of me, causing me to jump.

  “I’m so sorry about earlier,” she said, her voice low and sad. “I didn’t mean to upset you, but I don’t really know what I did. Glitch won’t tell me either. Please don’t be mad at me.”

  I forced a half smile. “Luci, it wasn’t your fault. I just got a little sick. I can’t really explain it, but please understand I’m not mad at you. You did nothing wrong.”

  She seemed to partially accept my answer as Glitch and Nate walked back up. Glitch slid his arm through Luci’s as he pulled her toward the entrance. Nate waited back, letting me make the first move when I was ready. After a minute, I reached out and stuck my fingers through his.

  My legs felt like lead as we started moving. It was an effort to take each step as we got closer to the clearing. Flashes of that December morning played in my head, but as soon as they passed, I felt the tension release from my chest. This might actually be helping, though I still hadn’t actually made it to the clearing yet.

  I paused five feet from the opening, willing myself to go forward, but I needed to come to terms with what I was about to see. I was going to see the first place I woke up after losing my memory. I was going to see the place where I stood against my will, a knife in my hand as my dad tried to kill Nate… and then killed me.

  Nate tightened his grip on my hand. “Take your time. We can turn around if you want.”

  I kept my gaze straight ahead and didn’t respond. If I didn’t go now, I know I never would. I took a deep breath and walked forward.

  It was harder to recognize the space with a giant bonfire blazing in the center of the clearing. Students loitered the area, blasting their speakers and chatting as they drank the alcohol they had probably stolen from their parents’ cabinets. My eyes fixed on a group of seniors who were sitting on a plaid blanket. Underneath that spot, a man once lay dead, his head split open on the rocks after getting caught in my blast. I couldn’t remember doing it, but it had been me. Not far from there, two guys dropped a cooler right where I had stood when I lost my memory of Finnley. That’s where Clara began.

  Then my eyes gravitated to the space that everyone somehow seemed to be avoiding. Maybe they could sense that something terrible had happened there, especially since no grass seemed to grow in that spot. It was where I died, the blood spilling from the knife stuck in my abdomen.

  I ran my hand over the scar, raised but invisible underneath my shirt. The scar that I kept hidden from even myself with the key necklace I refused to take off. But standing here, my breath wasn’t catching. I wasn’t afraid. The pressure still didn’t release from my chest like it had before, but I was okay for now.

  I looked up at Nate who was watching me carefully, his hands prepared to catch me if I swayed. I nodded and leaned into him. “I’m okay.”

  He sighed and kissed the top of my head. “You are the strongest person I know. You continue to amaze me.”

  We walked over to where Glitch and Luci were setting up our blanket. Glitch looked up at me and smiled when he saw I was handling everything well enough.

  “So, what do we do at this bonfire?” Nate asked, helping me sit down next to Luci.

  “We make fun of everyone who sneaks off to make out, watch the fire and stars, and drink,” she said, smiling as she pulled out a bottle of wine from her bag.

  I shrugged. “I like the first two ideas.”

  The night was not as bad as I had expected. Glitch and Luci had run off to be one of those couples who snuck off to make out while Nate and I leaned back on the blanket to watch the stars. I slowly felt the weight lifting off my chest the longer I sat in the clearing.

  “This was a good idea,” I said, smiling as Nate played with my fingers.

  He laughed. “Well, it was your idea so of course it was good.”

  “I’m not saying this fixed everything, but I think it was helpful. I have to start somewhere. You’re a big part of that. Thank you for trusting me and helping me do this.”

  Nate propped himself up on his elbow to look at me. “Nothing is going to be an immediate solution, but I’m proud of you for this. I know it wasn’t easy, but look at you. This is a wonderful step in the right direction.” He leaned down to kiss me.

  I wanted to pull him back down with me but remembered we were still surrounded by a bunch of high school students. When I sat up, though, I realized it must have been later than I thought. Time really passes when you’re trying to come to terms with the place you once died.

  “Where’d Glitch and Luci go?” I asked, looking around at the very few remaining people.

  Nate frowned and looked around too. “Probably making out somewhere. We should probably go find them.”

  “Yeah, probably,” I said, hopping up. We started walking toward the trees where most of the students usually started.

  Nate and I scanned the nearest areas to the clearing but still couldn’t find them. I could tell Nate was starting to get a little nervous, but I figured they had just gone in a little further. I was about to give up when I saw a yellow flash deep in the trees.

  “What was that?” Nate asked.

  I knew I wasn’t going to like what we were headed after, but as soon as Glitch started yelling, my heart sank further.

  “Luci! Help!”

  Nate and I didn’t hesitate as we took off toward the sound of Glitch’s voice, sprinting and jumping over trees trying to find them. Glitch’s thoughts got louder as we kept running until we finally found him. He was holding Luci, who was unconscious in his arms. Near his feet, a yellow stone was shimmering, spreading light onto the ground around it until it faded back to a dull glow.

  “What the hell happened?” Nate ran over to try to help Glitch lift her up but he didn’t budge.

  He mumbled incomplete sentences, trying to grasp what had happened. “She touched… I don’t know… a power source? What the hell…”

  My thoughts spiraled as I knelt next to the yellow stone. I had hoped we were going to be done with all this power crap, but now Luci might be part of it. If she really touched the stone, some of that power mig
ht be in her.

  I looked up just in time to see a masked person come up from behind and hit Glitch on the back of the head. He crumpled on top of Luci as she slid out of his arms. Nate scrambled back in time as I pushed forward with my power, launching the man back into a tree. He hit with a loud crack and slid down to the ground, motionless.

  How had he snuck up on me? I should have heard his thoughts with my walls down. I didn’t have time to figure it out as three other masked people came out of the trees around Nate. I hadn’t heard them either. Before I could react, something drilled me in the back of my head and I collapsed to the ground. The trees spun around my vision until I finally passed out.

  17

  Clara

  My head throbbed as I sat up on the cold ground. I was in complete darkness, unsure of how much time had passed since I had been knocked out. That wasn’t even the most concerning part. There was complete silence all around me, which terrified me even more when I heard Luci shift next to me. I couldn’t even tell she was in there with me.

  “I feel funny,” she groaned as I leaned her against the wall. My eyes were slowly starting to adjust to the darkness, but there was still nothing to make out in the room. Luci rolled her head around to stretch her neck. “Remind me never to drink again.”

  I checked her for any injuries, but she seemed to be okay. “Luci, what do you remember?”

  “Glitch and I running off. Did I pass out? What time is it?”

  I didn’t really know how to tell her what was going on. I couldn’t even figure out what had just happened, so I ignored her. The empty room was starting to focus, enough to where I could see a small slit of light outlining a door. I got up and wobbled my way to the door, groaning through what was probably another concussion. That’s why I couldn’t think straight enough to remember what happened.

  I got to the door and yanked, but it didn’t respond. One glance over at Luci and I could see the panic growing in her face, even if it was partially hidden in the dark. Seeing me use my powers to open this door would just make that worse, but I could explain them to her after we found the guys and got out. I needed to get her safe.

  Once again, the door didn’t budge… and neither did my powers, but was more than just the concussion. I couldn’t even feel the connection to them anymore. I wrung my hands together and felt something tight around my arm. I held the metal cuff closer to my face, examining the thing that was probably keeping me from using my powers. That meant these people were dangerous. They knew about us and powers. I needed to reach out to find Nate, but I couldn’t do that until I could get myself free.

  “Clara, where are we?” Luci’s voice was shaking as she finally got her bearings. I walked back over and knelt beside her, trying to stay calm and pretend I wasn’t actually panicking on the inside.

  I picked up her hand. “I don’t really know, Luci. Listen, whatever happens, just stay behind me, got it?”

  She was shaking in my grip. “What does that mean? How are you so calm right now?”

  I swallowed hard. “I’m not calm, but until I can figure out where we are, I need to keep a level head. And that’s getting hard with my concussion. If I can get this thing off my wrist, I can get us out of here.”

  I gave it another tug, but it wasn’t budging. My next option was going to be dislocating my thumb, but the cuff was so tight, I’m not even sure that would work. I really wished this headache would go away. I needed to focus on one thing at a time.

  “What does that thing have to do with getting us out of here?” Luci was confused and frustrated, but I didn’t have time. I heard the door unlock and pushed her back against the wall, standing in front of her to protect her.

  As the door slowly opened, I calculated my attack. I wasn’t really excited to have to fight off some unknown number of people without my powers, but at this point, I was the only hope of the two of us getting out. Luckily, just one man walked around the door cautiously. I made my move, but the light from the door filled the room, revealing my approach. He stepped out of the way easily as he dodged my punch. Without much effort, he grabbed my wrist and slammed my chest into the opposite wall as he twisted my arm behind my back.

  “Clara!” Luci yelled helplessly from the other corner.

  “Not so cold without your powers, are you?” The man’s voice was deep as he pressed my face harder against the cold surface. I wriggled, trying to free my left arm that he had pinned behind my back, but it was useless. He was a lot bigger than me and had a significant advantage.

  “What are you talking about?” I grunted as he twisted harder. I could feel the stone on my ring digging into my back.

  “Don’t play dumb. We know what you are,” he hissed in my ear.

  “Who is we?”

  I shifted enough to swing my leg up and kick him square between the legs. He dropped back as I freed my arm and swung around, sweeping my leg to trip him. As he fell to the ground, I planted my knee on his neck, pressing hard as I pinned him down. The world was spinning from moving so quickly, but I was more confused that he didn’t seem intimidated by my move.

  “You still can’t do anything without your powers,” he laughed.

  “I can crush your windpipe. Answer my question. Who is we?” I gritted my teeth as I pushed him harder into the ground.

  He avoided the question. “I’m surprised we got this far with you. We figured the Cold Soul would be harder to stop. You don’t live up to your reputation,” he scoffed.

  I lost focus and the man took advantage of my hesitation. He threw me off, rolling on top of me. This time he pressed his weight into my legs so I couldn’t kick at him, digging his fingers into my arms as he pinned me against the ground.

  “Get off me. I’m not the Cold Soul,” I growled. I couldn’t fight back and keep myself from losing my bearings, but I wasn’t going to keep from trying to find a weakness.

  “I don’t believe you. You’ve had ninety years to find new ways to hide, but I’m finally on to you,” he snarled.

  I caught Luci watching in confusion and horror as she saw him dig harder into me. I needed her help, but it was clear she was too afraid to do anything. This was not how she should have found out about powers, but I needed to get free somehow. There was no other choice or weakness. I looked back up at the man, now illuminated by the light from the door. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties, his black hair damp with sweat as he fought to keep me pinned to the ground. At least I was a good fight, even without my powers, because he had me by about thirty pounds of muscle.

  I grunted underneath the pressure. “I can prove I’m not the Cold Soul. Take off my necklace.”

  The man hesitated as we studied each other. He was trying to see if I was lying while I was still trying to find a weak spot. His eyes narrowed.

  “You try anything and I’ll hit you so hard you might never wake up.”

  “You’re already on top of me and I can’t use my powers. Just take the damn key off so I can get you off of me.”

  He thought about it for a second before slowly releasing the grip on my right arm. He pulled at the chains on my neck, shifting the collar of my shirt down to pull the key out from under the fabric. I shot my hand up and grabbed his wrist before he could reach any further.

  “Watch where you put that thing or I’ll rip it off with my teeth,” I growled. I pulled the key out for him and lifted my head as I took it off my neck, watching his face as he leaned back and looked at my arm. He looked closer at the scar.

  “But it’s not… your arm…” he muttered, trying to come to terms that he had been wrong.

  “Yeah, blue. Not black. I told you I’m not the Cold Soul. Now get the hell off me,” I said, pushing him. He fell back, still shocked and staring at me. I sat up and looked over to Luci who was horrified at what she had just seen.

  I reached out to her but she stepped away from me, bumping into the wall trying to stay away. “What the hell…?”

  “Luci, I’m so sorry. I’ll try
to explain everything, but first,” I turned back to the guy who was standing up now. “You’re gonna tell me where Nate and Glitch are. And get this damn thing off me.” I yanked at the cuff that was starting to cut into my wrist.

  “They’re down the hall. Come on,” he replied, walking past me and ignoring my request.

  Luci followed him at a distance, eyeing me carefully as she slid through the door, keeping the same distance from me. I trailed behind, watching Luci carefully. Now that we were supposedly going free, I could focus on her. She had interacted with a power source and there was no telling what she was capable of now. But she still had no idea what had happened to her. She was holding her arms tight around her stomach, observing the basement hallway that we seemed to be in. It was chilly and unfinished, but I don’t think that was what bothered her. It was almost like she was dragging, though I was too. There was no telling how long we had been in there.