by Brindi Quinn
When the geezer returned with Foster, his smile was craggy and his eyes were lingery. He’d been waiting for this. He’d been waiting to share his tale with the exceptional girl that was both Second and Main. With announcer’s flair, he started in at once,
“I’ve heard I’m here to validate?” He scratched his geezerly chin and waited for a response that didn’t come. “Even though you failed my mark, I’ll tell you, Miss Mountain. I’ll tell you the secret of the true nature of the soul!”
“Get on with it, old man,” said Jobe.
“Eh? Yes. Heeeere we go! I was a Second that took over my Main. Long ago, I became whole. Those things happen on their own, even if they aren’t publicized. The day you gained your huntress license was a special day for you, eh? It was the first day you awoke as a person sustainable by your own means. It was the beginning of the end for your Main.”
“Fill-in Main,” corrected Foster.
“I recognized it. You were . . . lacking in head. But you had a fresh feeling around you, as though you were discovering life for the first time! I wanted to help you reach full control, so I placed you in a situation that I knew would arouse that sort of response. The more dangerous, the better! However, once the eggs and the tartaroise failed to do the trick, I knew I’d have to raise the stakes. I don’t encounter many souls as unique as yours, so I’m sure you can understand why I’d want to inject myself!”
“Better inject yourself with something,” said Jobe.
“What was that, kid?”
“Nothing.”
Tide looked from the lawyer to the judge and back to the lawyer. “How did you know?” she said. “About the judge?”
“My job is to monitor souls,” said the lawyer. “I can devour those who shouldn’t live. I can transport those who should. Naturally, I check in from time to time with the souls that stand out.”
Tide’s hidden conviction bequeathed by her father flared. “Who should and who shouldn’t?” She gained a hint of backbone in the midst of confusion. “How can you distinguish something like that!?”
“Simple.” The lawyer glanced at his timepiece again. “Contrary to your case, once a Second comes into existence, it isn’t right for a Main to remain. I have the ability to reverse the process, but I wouldn’t choose it. I did so for your father only as a favor to the man who created me, but since I am no longer his company’s property, the civic dogs will do with me what they like.” He smiled kindly. “But only until I become unleashed.”
Foster grimaced at the thought of it.
The lawyer went on, “Once Rye came into existence, it wasn’t right for Foster to exist any longer. I should force him out, as I intend to do with the rest of the Mains someday, but I cant. That was the second part of the deal I made with your father. You, Miss Yondo are allowed to choose which of them stays. That was Foster’s condition for agreeing to help. For agreeing to let Rye continue to see you and strengthen you.”
It was just as Rye had feared. An ultimatum. Of course she’d choose Rye because . . .
Because she loved Rye.
Yes, that was the way it was. At some point, she’d come to understand that she loved him. But freely condemning another to death? How was that right? She couldn’t do something like that. She couldn’t tell Foster, the fiancé she’d forgotten, that he had to disappear. And so she was stuck.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to tell him anything.
“It’s okay,” said Foster. “The choice is off. I don’t mind dying. I should have died WITH you. I should’ve died alongside you the first time. At least this way I know that we would have been together in the next life. That we ARE together in our next lives.”
Tide turned white. So did Jobe.
“But you’ll disappear, won’t you?” said the princess. She was meek. Timid. Uncomfortable. But –
“It’s not like that, actually,” said Foster. And he was confident. “I learned so from Chuck. I didn’t think it was possible, but . . . It seems that Ryon is inside of you. When the soul drill put you into Ryon’s Second, he didn’t just get rid of Ryon. He forced him into the new you.”
“Naturally,” said the lawyer. “Why an intelligent boy like you couldn’t perceive that sooner is beyond me.” He turned to Tide. “The right thing, Miss Yondo, would be for Rye to swallow Foster into himself. The reverse of the way it was before. That is the way it should be.”
Tide bit her lip. “But-”
Foster cut her off: “That way I will be with you always. That’s all I really want.”
That was when the gray boy, who’d long been drenched in despair, smiled. It was a smile that cut at Tide’s heart. She was speechless. In shock. Everything about it was crazy – so crazy, in fact, that had her father yet been the one stabilizing her soul, she wouldn’t have been able to handle it and would’ve slipped once more into serpentine darkness.
But Tide was the one in control now, and that meant that drifting darkness would not return.
Unbeknownst to the princess, she would never see her king again.
“I’m going to leave so that you can speak to the others.” Foster nodded to the lawyer. “I’ll be in the back.”
Tide closed her eyes and let it settle. She concentrated on Jobe’s arm. She concentrated on her uneven breaths. She concentrated until –
“GRACES, TIDE!” Y ran to the worse-for-wear girl’s side.
“Y.” Tide snapped her eyes open. She needed proof. “When did we meet?”
“Huh?” Y tipped forward and peered into her friend’s eyes. She was checking for trauma. “Uh, about a year ago. That’s when you started climbing, remember?”
Tide remembered, vaguely. “What was I like then?” she asked.
“Why?”
“Just answer her!” snapped Jobe.
“Sure, crabby face! Uh, you were always busy back then. Every time I came over, your father told me you were out. I figured you didn’t like me. Thus, I tried even harder! And we became closer friends, and you started coming around more and more and your father was around less and less and . . . and . . . sometimes you were a weirdo . . . and . . .”
But Y had always suspected that there was something off about Tide Yondo. Something that made the squat girl question the princess’ identity. She’d never voice it aloud, though. And she didn’t intend to now because she didn’t WANT to know.
A sudden urge came over her. If she stayed, she might find out, and she didn’t want to. She couldn’t bear it. She shot to her feet.
“I’m going to leave now, Tide!” she blurted awkwardly. “I’ll be here for you when all of . . . whatever THIS is is over.”
“Wait, Y!” Tide started up, but Jobe held her down.
“That’s probably best,” he said.
Flustered, the orange-haired girl threw Tide a glance of apology before racing out of the office and down the dome’s long spiral staircase.
It was a good thing, too, for Foster was deep into the blank-paged book that allowed him to transfer his soul to Rye. If Y had stuck around, she’d have been forced to see the ‘thing’ in action once more.
“Well then,” said the judge. He was still lingering around the office with lingering eyes. It was his office, so he had the right, but Tide didn’t really want him there. His gaze still put her on edge, and that was that last thing she needed at the moment. If the judge noticed, he didn’t care. “I suppose I’ll tell you the story of my Main,” he said.
“No thanks,” said Jobe.
“Now, now, kid, why don’t you listen to what I’ve got to say-”
But he wouldn’t get a chance to say much of anything, for just then Rye came bolting into the room. He pushed the geezer out of the way and threw himself at Tide.
“OW!”
“Easy, copycat!” yelled Jobe. He jumped from the bed and shot a fowl sneer at the boy who dared to resemble his ex.
“Whoops!” Rye wrinkled his nose sheepishly. “That was WAY much, right? I just got so excited that I couldn’
t help myself!” And then he noticed. “Gah! You’re hurt!” He rolled off of Tide too hastily and fell to the floor.
Thump!
“Oops.”
“Klutz,” muttered Jobe, face crusty.
Rye pulled himself over the side of her bed. “Listen, you’ve clearly just had your mind blown, and I’m just being hyper. I’ll try to calm down.”
But Tide didn’t care that he was hyper. Her heart was pounding just because he was close to her. Just because he was okay. She snatched his hand and held it tightly. To feel his skin. To keep him from wandering away again. Rye understood. He locked his fingers with hers.
“I’m here,” he said, cheeks warm. He rested his head on the side of her cot.
“So you know everything now?” whispered Tide.
He nodded.
“Is it . . . is it true?” she said.
“I heard it from your father.”
“My father?” But there was something she needed to know more than anything from the person she loved more than anyone. “Tell me, Rye. What am I? I’m my Second’s Second supported by my father’s soul? What does that even mean? That I’m a . . . I’m a monstrosity!?” And in the presence of the person she liked best, the young princess let it all out. She let out everything she’d been holding back, and the tears came.
Careful to avoid her bandaged cheek, Rye hurried to wipe them away with his thumbs, but when that didn’t stop them, he kissed them sweetly. He cupped her face, and he kissed her tears; and she drew in his fresh laundry scent and let her cheeks be tickled by his tousled hair.
“What am I?” whispered Tide.
Rye didn’t answer, so Jobe did.
“You’re a blended soul,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter. You’re you. You’re-”
“The person I love,” said Rye. He pulled himself away and stared into the pretty, dark-haired girl’s eyes; and for the first time since reawakening, Tide found the forbidden color that she loved. The color of the exposed tattoo.
“Red.”
Maybe her strange attraction to it had been because she’d known all along what sort of secret was buried down deeply within her own Second body. Maybe she’d been aware of her true nature – the nature of her soul. It didn’t matter now. All that mattered was that she could be with him from there on out.
“I love you too, Rye.”
Tide reached up and touched the mark that was already starting to fade.
~
Tide, Rye, Jobe, and Y stood together at the edge of the gear-turning city that was St. Laran. The hissing steam sounds of processed Bororore filled the air behind them, but somewhere in the distance before them were the southern wilds.
“You didn’t leave anything behind, did you, space case?”
Jobe knew the way, and he would lead them. He hadn’t given up on Ryon. Instead, he had decided to honor the Second’s last wishes:
Save Tide! Always save Tide.
It was enough to know that the boy remained somewhere in the partner who’d become his friend. If his bond with her could become strong enough, maybe he too could become mated. Maybe in the next life he’d be with Ryon.
It was a painful hope to carry.
“Ugh. Let’s go back and get some lunch first. I still can’t believe I’m doing this, but . . .”
For Y, it was a field study project. What better way to master landscape sculpture than to study nature ‘in the flesh’? Or so she’d deceived herself into thinking. Really, though, she couldn’t stand the idea of Tide having a grand adventure without her. She felt uncomfortable around the blond Second whose tattoo had mysteriously disappeared, but she did her best to ignore it. For Tide, she would ignore it. And also for the insane, cute, longhaired hunter guy that was to accompany them.
“It feels SO good out here! This is great!”
Rye was free. Rye was whole. Never again would he be forced from his body. But there was something new inside of him now. A gray-blue sadness – Foster’s sadness – that he would have to harbor from there on out. His heart, that had felt so much glee, was now multifaceted. But that was okay; that was what it meant to be alive. With a flawed heart, he would love his princess forever.
“Refreshing . . . or something.”
The young girl looked ahead into the clearness that was the world beyond St. Laran. Wistful, she brought a hand to the front pocket of her jacket where a note had taken up residence. The note contained a magic incantation, and there it would stay until the end of her days.
My princess,
Most of the things I’ve done are wrong, but I don’t regret them in the least. Use your time to the fullest, sweetheart. Climb on. Be alive. Love always,
Dad
To the fullest. That was their intent. And to their fullest, they would live.
Somewhere in the city behind them, a hungry dark thing growled. It would be watching them, and if their souls became weak or corrupt, it would devour them, too. The way it had devoured the king of the mechanized Midwest, it would devour them.
The demon’s job was far from over.
Thanks for Reading Seconds!
If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review and tell a friend!
If you enjoyed the style of this book, you may also enjoy The World Remains or Zillow Stone, also by Brindi Quinn!
More Info
About the Author:
Seconds: The Shared Soul Chronicles was MN author Brindi Quinn’s fourth published work.
Shortly after finishing college in 2010, Brindi began her mad dash into authordom. The Heart of Farellah Trilogy was first to hit shelves in 2011, and she hasn’t stopped since. In addition to her debut trilogy, Brindi’s publications include: Sil in a Dark World: A Paranormal Love-Hate Story; The World Remains, a dystopian adventure; Atto’s Tale, the miniseries spinoff to Heart of Farellah; The Eternity Duet, a two-part fantasy romance; The Death and Romancing of Marley Craw, a sexy postmortem tale; and The Ongoing Pursuit of Zillow Stone, a post-apocalyptic series.
Brindi considers herself a nerd, indulging heavily (when she can) in video games, anime, manga, horror flicks and good sci-fi TV. Brindi recently set off on a grand adventure. After spending a time near the northern coast of California, she’s currently tucked away in a cozy hobbit hole near Seattle.
Follow Brindi on Twitter:
@Brindiful
AND connect with her on Facebook:
Facebook.com/Brindiful
About the Cover Artist:
Ene Karels is a young artist working from her home studio in Minnesota. She creates both digital and traditional art using watercolors, acrylics and pencils. Her works are in styles ranging from anime, to cartoon, to realistic. From people, to animals.
She has done several book covers and countless character portraits.
Follow Ene on Tumblr:
http://angeleneart.tumblr.com/
