The Soul Seekers

by Amy Saia

  “No wait. I promised Gran I’d get her prescription at the drugstore.”

  “Okay, then. We’ll go there. I’ll meet you inside.” He said this with a sly grin on his face. “Race ya.” Leaning his head back, he continued to melt through one of the brick walls, causing me to gasp in shock. I would never get used to it—never.

  I rushed beside the store fronts, sporting a ridiculously huge smile. I knew he would beat me there, and I didn’t care. I wanted to be near him, faster.

  William was already inside waiting for me by the greeting cards. Stopping a moment, I stuck my tongue out at him then continued past to wait at the prescription counter. “Show off.”

  “Anytime.”

  In a flash, William was standing beside me, watching as I dug in my purse for the prescription note. The pharmacist walked up, and I handed it to him.

  “Yes, I need to pick up a prescription for Caroline Highland, please.”

  William smiled playfully. “You’re very polite.”

  “Surprised?”

  “No. Amused.”

  The pharmacist gave me a strange look and turned away with the note.

  I turned to William to speak in a low voice, “Why do they own all the stocks? I mean, isn’t it enough that they steal people’s souls?”

  “Hardly. Don’t forget, it takes a lot of money to keep up their organization. Keeping Springvale the same for so many years means no outside revenue. They’re desperate for funds.”

  “I could give them a fistful of something substantial.”

  He chuckled at the thought.

  The pharmacist came back with the filled prescription in a white paper bag. I handed him some cash and tried not to giggle when a set of fingers dug suddenly into my side. “Thank you,” I choked out, grabbing the bag.

  I eyed William to which he innocently raised his brow in response. “You’re ticklish. That’s good to know.”

  When he reached in for another jab, I jumped away, rushing to the soda fountain counter to sit down.

  “Don’t, William!”

  He came over slow, chuckling at the way I sat with my arms wrapped around my waist in protection. “Afraid?”

  “Yes, very. Don’t you dare.”

  “Such power. If only I had known.” William waggled his fingers in front of his face. “I’ll have to be wise and not overuse my weapons. I’ll resist the urge to torment this girl and just lull her into a state of complete trust.” He cupped my face in his hands. “I’ll seduce her,” his lips came close, “and touch her with softness,” a cold finger ran down my neck, “until she is so overwhelmed,” he drew me into his arms, “that I will be able to do anything I please, whenever I please.”

  “Please,” I whispered, ready to die. Those lips were about to touch mine, I could almost taste, could almost feel the sweetness only he possessed.

  “Emma?”

  The arms were gone, and all of a sudden I was being shadowed by Jesse’s tall form. Steadying myself, I looked quickly to see where William had gone, and found him standing a few feet away by the rotating postcard rack.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, more than a little annoyed. I grabbed a menu to cover the deep blush which had spread across my cheeks.

  “Nice welcome. I saw you walk in here and decided to say hi. Is that a new crime or something?”

  “No.” I glanced at William again, giving a little smile at the finger wiggle he showed.

  Jesse grabbed a stool next to me. “Are you gonna order something? We can eat together.” He grabbed the menu. “This place has the best shakes.”

  “Just the usual, a Dr Pepper.”

  “Okay, I’ll order it for you then.” A clerk walked up in white paper hat and starched frock. “A Dr Pepper and chocolate malt.” Jesse put his arm around me, which I brushed away.

  “Man, you’re in a bad mood. What happened? Can’t handle the late night stuff?”

  “That’s right. Gotta get my full eight.”

  He ripped the menu from my hands and tossed it on the counter. “That’s ’cause you haven’t hung out with me enough. When we get to New York, we’ll be out all night every night. Sleep all day.”

  “When will you have time to record your album?” I asked, ignoring his continued reference to us living together.

  “At night.”

  I laughed, in spite of myself. William turned away a little, looking impatient.

  Sorry, Will. I’ll meet you back at the library, okay?

  William raised his brow at me and shook his head.

  “So,” Jesse said, spinning slowly in the chair to face me. “Find the coin?”

  I swallowed, “Not yet.”

  “Ah, you’re too obvious. What are you waiting for, Emma? Time’s running out. Give me the coin already so we can get the hell out of here.”

  “I told you, Jesse. I can’t.”

  “Yeah, yeah, ’cause you love him so much that you’d die for him.”

  I ignored William’s intake of breath. “Correct.”

  No, Emma.

  Yes.

  “If you love him, then why did you go out with me last night?” Jesse grabbed my wrists and forced me to look at him. “Hmm?”

  The postcard rack flew to the floor.

  Tell him to remove his hands before I do something horrible.

  “Uh, Jesse,” I breathed out, “you’d better let go of me.”

  “Not until you tell me where that coin is.”

  Now, Emma!

  I didn’t have to say anything; Jesse threw my hands down into my lap and turned back to the counter. “Sorry! It’s just frustrating. I know you have it but you won’t tell me. Why? You trust me enough to hang out, but when it comes to this, you turn cold. You-you think I’m one of them, right?”

  I shook my head, accepting the soda from the waiting clerk. “I don’t think anything, other than you’re my friend and—”

  Jesse let out a loud groan, looking past me to the rack and all the cards on the floor. He took a long slurp of his malt and repeated, “Friends. The worst word a man can hear. Listen, if you’re set on being my friend, then you’ll trust me.”

  I looked over to William again. Just go. I’ll be there in a minute. Please? I didn’t want him to hear another second of our conversation. Most of all, I wanted to handle it on my own without anyone making judgment.

  William gave a reluctant nod, and flashed away through the store—so fast that my eyes barely registered the movement. It was amazing how deft he was.

  I turned back to Jesse, speaking low. “Sometimes, I think the only reason you talk to me is because of the coin.”

  “You know that’s not true.” He dunked his straw up and down through the chocolatey mush

  “Do I? It’s part of our conversation every time we meet.” I dared to meet his eyes, but he looked away.

  “You’re being paranoid. Hey, I-I refused that first night, remember? If I only cared about the coin, don’t you think I would have taken it right then?”

  “True. Look, there’s a lot going on right now, and I need more time.”

  “That’s the problem, there isn’t more time. The dude who wants to buy it says he might have another offer, and if we don’t jump the gun we’ll lose out. You have to make a choice, today.”

  Now I was the one to avoid his eyes. If we sold the coin today, it might affect the ceremony and would pretty much guarantee William never coming back to life. If I didn’t sell it, many things would fall in the fire. Jesse’s future, my future. No. William would not do that. It was the worst possible ending, and I shut down all walls in my brain to keep the thought from spreading.

  “No,” I choked out. “No. Tell the guy to take the other deal. I don’t have the coin.
It’s gone for good. And since there’s no coin, you can stop pretending you care about me.”

  In silence, he reached to pull out his wallet and threw a few dollars on the counter. He stood up, shoving the wallet back into his pocket, looking over my head the whole time. He brushed past me, leaving only the smell of his leather jacket behind. I turned to watch him stride slowly through the aisles of the store. The front bells clanged, and he walked south past the window. I was alone.

  I took my time walking back to the library. Clouds had started to build again, putting a slight chill in the early afternoon breeze. I didn’t know why I felt miserable though; Jesse had been playing me, it was obvious. He’d been jealous, spiteful, and at times, mean. But I still remembered the day he helped me out after I had stupidly bought the car. He had been there for me, had been the only person who cared—even before William.

  14: Wet Fender

  “Hi, Ethel.” I stopped my greeting midair at the exasperated look on her face. Not the usual exasperated, but a new, I’m-going-to-kill-somebody-and-enjoy-it exasperated. “What happened?”

  “Oh, nothing. They just came in here threatening to close us down because I haven’t pulled all religious and local history books off the shelves, per ordinance.”

  She held up a crinkled letter and waved it in my face. “I got it the other day and thought it was a joke. I mean, really, do we not have a Constitution? These men think they own the whole god-dammed world—pardon the expression—just because they have a church in a little town called Springvale. Well, I’m sorry, but my family hasn’t kept this place going for four decades for nothing. If they touch one book in this collection, I’ll go straight to Washington and make a case so big, their heads will explode.”

  “Wow. Well, I can still shelve, right?”

  She stopped me from grabbing an armload of bios. “Actually, no. I hate to do this, but our funding has been cut and that means no jobs. I’m sorry, hon.”

  “You’re firing me?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. At least, until I can get this whole thing straightened out.”

  I dropped the books down in disbelief and grabbed my purse.

  “You do understand, don’t you? It’s not me, it’s them.”

  Them, them. I wanted to march straight to that church and slap all their horrible faces.

  I reached to grab the same Jane Austen book William had thrown across the room and careened my neck to get a glimpse of the corner. The sight of a black-tipped boot made my heart race. “I understand. I’ll be a customer then. That is okay, isn’t it?”

  “More than okay.”

  “Good. I’ll just go and read.”

  She nodded, and I made my way through the shelves, my knees a little weak at the sight of his bent form. He silently, without looking up, pushed my chair out for me with his boot-tip, and I sat down.

  “You told Jesse goodbye.”

  “Yeah.”

  “No way out of town now.”

  “That’s right.”

  “A stupid move. God help me, I’m overwhelmed with joy.”

  “I would never leave without you.”

  Our conversation stopped. Ethel made a curse out by the front desk about something. Silence.

  “I’m dying to hold you.”

  I didn’t run this time. I stood up slow, my purse dropping to the floor without care. He looked up at my hesitance, then gasped at what he saw. It was all there, stark as the sun on a bright summer day, my love, everything, so obvious that there need be no words to explain.

  “Hurry, Emma.”

  That’s when I ran, and fell. His arms wrapped around me.

  “Oh God, I would never have dreamed to feel this way. Not in a million years—ever, ever, Emma.”

  “I know. I’m useless around you.”

  “Oh, never useless.” He touched my lips with a soft kiss, which lingered, warmed until I was melting. “There’s a lot you’ll be doing. Studying to protect yourself, for one, which you should do right now.”

  I held tight. “Maybe in a minute.”

  I traced the line of his jaw with my fingers, moving to the back of his neck and up. His head fell into my grasp.

  “Why do I get the feeling a minute lasts forever in your book?”

  “Because it does. Or maybe it’s because when I’m around you there is no time.”

  “It’s my fault?”

  I zeroed in on the little dimple in his chin. “Completely.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, the things I’d do if I could control time.”

  “Like what?” I asked, nestling my head in his arms and gazing up into his face.

  “Take you to the places of my youth; erase the bad memories with brand new happy ones. Linger forever like this.”

  “I’d like that. Forever. With you.”

  A look of concern crossed his face. “We must not think it can happen, you know. Part of me is preparing for the worst.”

  “Don’t.”

  “I have to; call it protection if you will. Everything has been taken from me—my mother, my father, my sister—and I can only assume that you . . .” He shook his head. “You’re right. What is wrong with me?”

  “I don’t know if this helps, but my grandmother has a bit of the psychic gift, and she mentioned a vision of me leaving town with someone. Maybe that’s why I’m not worried.”

  He thought about it for a long moment. “I’d love to believe in what you say, but visions can be very misleading. They can change due to some flip in action, or can be more symbolic than realistic.” He looked down at me. “Did she say who the person was that you left with?”

  “No.”

  His silence made a hard knot form in my throat. Why couldn’t he just trust and let go?

  “Time to study,” he said, helping me sit up. I, as usual, wasn’t ready to leave his arms, and so I clung and pressed my lips into his neck.

  “Don’t you want to be prepared?” he asked, gentle, and with a hint of a smile.

  I nodded. “Maybe this is how we end up protecting ourselves. Love is much stronger than anything else on the earth, don’t you think?”

  “Another idea I’d like to believe. Unfortunately, I sit here as little more than a ghost. I can’t allow myself to underestimate their powers again. It would be foolish.”

  “And all of that happened when you were alone.”

  He considered my words. “How wonderful to not be alone anymore.”

  I met his lips one more time, then slid off. “Okay. Now I can study. Which books should I grab?”

  “100.12Pre, 100.12Vis, 100.15Haw.”

  I grabbed as he listed, and came back to the table with a full armload. “Wow, you have this place memorized.” I dumped the books down. “Here we go.”

  We studied for the rest of the afternoon. Give or take a few breaks. It was all material I would’ve laughed at weeks before. Meditation, mind control, astral projection—basically everything metaphysical. At five o’clock Ethel came back to check on me, brow raised at the mess of books piled all over the table.

  “Closing time, my one and only customer. Want to help me shut down the lights, sans salary of course?”

  “Sure.”

  I jumped out of my chair, holding back a giggle at the sudden rib-tickle I received. The boy was out of control. I turned to give him an evil look, nodding at his promise to meet me outside, then proceeded to flip off all the switches, pushing in any crooked chairs I found along the way.

  Ethel lingered at the front desk. “Thank you, Emma. Feel free to come in anytime until this gets cleared up.”

  “How about tomorrow?”

  “I’d be ecstatic. I still want you to get out of town, but as long as you’re here, call the library your home. I’ve loved every
minute of having you around.”

  “I couldn’t have asked for a cooler boss.” I gave her a hug, standing back a little at the prickly mess of her hair. “I know you didn’t really have the money to pay me. Thank you, Ethel.”

  She looked embarrassed with our sentimental talk, leading me outside while she locked the front door. As always, we went our separate ways. And that’s when I saw Marcus.

  William phased to my side in an instant. “Do me a favor, Emma; don’t try to make a statement. Let’s get out of here.”

  It was too late. Marcus sauntered over to where I stood, leaning over the curb with his eyes fixed on me. It wasn’t long before the other four had filed in and taken place at his side. I held my stance, arms crossed, my hands clenched at my side.

  “Stop, Emma.” William pulled at my arm.

  With chin raised, I met their eyes—those awful, mercury eyes that were beyond inhuman. Then, I felt it—just like he’d told me—a sucking in my chest like a freight train running over me. My body bowed over in agony. All the breath sucked out, and waves of horrible pain pulsed through every muscle, making them cord up, ready to spring from each joint.

  “Stop!” William yelled, catching me before I fell to the sidewalk. “So what, you can paralyze a girl! Are you proud? Leave her alone!” His voice was angry, frantic. From within my numb state I heard a sick chorus of laughter, then watched as they came over to stand around us.

  “She takes well.”

  “God damn you Marcus, stop it!”

  Another pulse rocketed through my body, making my bones feel like chalk, ready to snap in pieces. William smoothed my hair back and begged me to breathe. He looked up at Marcus again, speaking through snarled lips.

  “If you’re doing this to get me, fine. You can have me. Just say when!”

  Marcus made no reply. A long moment passed with him and William glaring at each other. I heard a sharp breath being sucked in. William’s arms tensed around my body.

  “Never!”

  Marcus’s tongue clicked hard inside the cavern of his mouth. He swept his foot aside of my jelly legs and left, the others following close behind. After a few moments, I tried to stand up, but my legs were utterly unwilling. That’s when the shaking started.