My Soul Keeper (10 page)

“Oh my God, is he dead? He’s not moving,” she whispers.

“I’ve already checked his vitals, he’s just unconscious.”

I reach over and stroke away her tears. Minutes pass before the sound of sirens fills the street and come to a stop in front of us; paramedics come rushing at us and ask people to step back.

“What happened?” The women medic directs her question to me.

“He was hit by car, been unconscious since.”

She nods. “Right. Please step back. Does anyone know his name?”

“It’s Jacob,” Simone murmurs.

I reach my hand to her, which she takes then steps into me. I feel the heat of her body curl into my side; her head rests on my chest and her tears soak my shirt. I stroke down her arm, holding her tighter against me. I feel her anxiety drain from her with each stroke.

“Simone, you riding with him?” Liam asks, holding out his hand for her to take. Her eyes look up into mine; they have a glass sheen from her tears, making them shine like diamonds.

“Yes,” she breathes, stepping from my grasp. I offer her a small smile and nod as she lets her friend direct her toward the ambulance. Her eyes don’t leave mine until the doors close. The sirens blare and fade the farther away the ambulance gets.

“You can ride with me,” Leah suggests.

“I wasn’t going to go to the hospital,” I tell her.

“What? But Simone’s going to need you there.” She grabs my hand and drags me across the street to a Volkswagen Beetle. It’s pink - bright pink. I gesture to her car and furrow my brow. “What? She’s my baby. Get in,” she tells me in a commanding tone, which makes me laugh.

“Okay then.” I pull open the door and take a seat; there’s a vase with a flower in it on the front console, which makes me shake my head.

“Hey, don’t mock my pink lady,” Leah warns.

I hold up my hands. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“So, mall hunk, what’s the deal?”

I look to her. “Mall hunk?”

“Yeah, that’s what I call you,” she says, like it’s a normal name.

“Okay. My name is Shamar; feel free to call me that.”

“That’s a weird name.”

“It means Keeper.”

Her eyes look to mine and her brows pinch a little. “Keeper? Like goalkeeper?”

“No.” I can’t help the humour in my voice; she’s quite a unique human.

“As in keeper of something precious like life.”

“Well that’s weird. I want to know what your intentions are with Simone.”

Her blatant question leaves me to pause for a few seconds, gaining me a raised eyebrow from her.

“I find myself drawn to Simone, she’s quite a girl.”

Leah nods. “She’s amazing and has been screwed over before, so I don’t want her hurt again. If you’re just trying to get in her pants, I think you should look elsewhere. She’s not that type of girl.”

I sense her genuine protectiveness for her friend and I like this girl. She loves Simone. “I know what type she is and believe me, I would never hurt her.”

A smile lightens her face. “Glad to hear it.”

We pull up at the ER entrance and it’s packed with students.

“Wow, he’s well-liked then?” I say to Leah, who gives me a questionable look.

“He’s the star quarterback.”

Okay...
,
not someone I thought Simone would be interested in. She seems too timid for that kind of crowd.

The doors slide open as we trigger the sensor. Leah walks in ahead of me and I’m suddenly pushed backward by Gabrielle.

“What is going on?” she questions me.

“Your Destined’s boyfriend got hit by car.”

“I know that, but why are you here? She’s meant for another. You need to get over this crush you have.”

“A crush, really?”

“Well, what else would it be? You need to stay away. Don’t make me go above you. I will speak to your father.”

I look at her with disbelief. “That’s a pretty big threat.”

“I can’t have her falling for you. She’s meant to fall for someone else. It’s her destiny.”

Dread washes through me like ice. Having it confirmed, that she’s meant for a man, is like the worst torture. I can’t help how I feel for her and she has awakened a light in me I wasn’t sure I possessed.

I leave and manage to stay away for a week.

The flurry of activity in the hospital of the nurses and doctors cutting away Jacob’s clothing, inserting needles into his skin, and shining lights into his eyes and ears leaves me feeling sick. I can see his leg’s broken; it looks out of shape, and a sob escapes me.

“He plays football; it’s his life,” I tell them as they discuss the damage to his leg.

“I’m sorry, please let us work,” is all they keep saying.

When his parents arrive, the rush of emotions leaves me drained. His mom cuddles me to her and thanks me for being with him. When they have him stabilized and patched up, he’s left to sleep. Machines beep around him; his leg is in a cast from hip to toes.

“This will destroy his scholarship,” his dad retorts.

Jacob’s mom shakes her head in disbelief. “He's alive, David. That’s all that matters,”

I take my leave and tell them I’ll be back in the morning.

My house feels empty. Mom has taken Junior to visit her sister for the evening so I’m left alone. The usual warm presence isn’t here so I strip off, take a hot shower, and then curl up in my duvet. I toss and turn all night and wake feeling more exhausted than when I fell asleep.

I rub my weary face and stretch out my body. Slipping into some jeans and a tank top, I pull my hair up into a ponytail and reach for my phone. I send Leah a text.

Going to hospital, Be at school for lunch x

My phone chimes with her reply.

Ok xxx

When I arrive at the hospital, they have moved Jacob. His mom meets me in the hallway and embraces me.

“I’m so glad you’re here. He has been asking for you.”

I look to the withdrawn, tired-looking woman whom I’ve known for years and nod.

When I enter the room, Jacob’s eyes find mine straight away. He has bruises and cuts on his face.

“Simone.”

He sobs as tears fall down his face. I rush over to him and take his hand. “Don’t cry, Jacob.”

He drops my hand and swipes at his face. “This is so fucked up. My leg’s ruined, Simone. I’ve lost everything.”

Tears sting my eyes. I feel so awful and guilty; he was rushing to me without looking because of an argument with Lucas about me.

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. I place my hand on his face, over a nasty cut on his forehead. I feel the tear hit my cheek. Jacob closes his eyes from the touch of my hand. I want to offer him comfort and take away the horrible cuts and bruises. My eyes close and I feel warmth in my hand. My eyelids flutter open; my hand has a small glow emanating from it.

I gasp and pull it from his face; terror rips through me. I notice the cut - the deep one on his forehead - has healed.

I jump back and knock my hip on the side table, causing me a small amount of pain and redirecting my focus.

“What’s wrong, Simone? God, do I look that bad?”

“No, sorry, it’s just…”

I look to my hand and back to his face.

“Did you get blood on you?” he asks, confused.

I shake my head and offer a weak smile. “I didn’t sleep much last night. I’m just tired. I’m going to take off.”

“Please don’t go, Simone,” he pleads.

“I’ll be back,” I tell him as I bolt for the door and down the corridor. I take the stairs two at a time and rush for the exit.

I inhale, filling my lungs with much needed air.
I’m going crazy,
I tell myself. I look at my hand again and see my normal hand that I’ve always had.

I head straight to the back garden after the drive home. The clear sky immediately brings me peace. My erratic heartbeat slows as I breathe in the sun. My eyes flutter closed, the motion of floating takes over my body, like I’m being summoned by the sky.

My phone chimes, bringing me back to Earth.

Where r u?

I check the time and realise three hours have passed. I jump up and feel more energised than earlier; I must have fallen asleep. I go to my car and drive to school.

People stop me in the hall to ask me how Jacob is. I tell them he’s awake but that’s all. When I see Liam and Leah, I’m grateful for the hug I receive.

“I’m heading over to see him now. How is he?” Liam asks.

“He is awake but his leg is in a bad way.” I don’t need to say any more than that; Liam knows what effect this will have and what rides on Jacob’s recovery.

“Okay, I’m off.” He kisses Leah on the lips to both of our surprise.

“What the fuck, Liam?” She shoves him, looking down the hall to see if anyone saw. I shake my head.

Everyone knows she and Liam have a thing. “Life’s too short, Leah,” he huffs.

The rest of the week passes. I spend my time at the hospital when I’m not in school and I’ve had no more weird hallucinations of glowing hands. I haven’t touched Jacob since that day, either.

My mind keeps drifting to Shamar. I miss him, which is a bizarre feeling to have for someone I’ve only had moments with. Granted, they’ve been pretty amazing moments.

Why hasn’t he asked me out? Or given me his number? God, maybe he has a girlfriend.

“Simone, are you listening?”

“I’m sorry, what?” I look to Jacob.

“I was saying that my mom wants to start our vacation early. She thinks I should try recuperating at the lake house. I won’t be back to school now, which means I won’t be taking you to the prom. I’m really sorry. I had so many plans for you and for the prom. I just-”

I cut him off. “Don’t be stupid, Jacob. I think you should just worry about getting better. That’s all that matters. When are you being released?”

“Next couple of days.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll be back tomorrow, then. Do you need anything before I go?”

He gestures to his water jug and smiles. I laugh as I pick it up and leave the room, heading to the kitchen. It’s empty, which is a good thing as the nurses tell me off for coming in here. I go to the sink and fill the jug. I turn off the tap and exit, nearly colliding with a doctor. His pale green eyes mesmerise me; they’re so much like Gabrielle’s.

“Sorry,” I croak.

“Please. It was my clumsiness.”

He smiles and moves around me. I smile back and continue on to Jacob’s room, but when I look over my shoulder. I see him standing there, watching me.

“Everything okay, Simone?” Jacob asks.

I realise I’m just standing in his doorway, looking down the hall. “Fine.” I pour him some fresh water before saying goodbye.

“I love the ocean.”

I smile as I approach Maliki on the beach. “Me too. It’s so peaceful yet underneath its surface, there’s a whole world.”

“Hmm, just like the skyline.” Maliki grins and hands me a guardian book. I look to him with confusion, “Its Gabrielle’s. I… let’s say ‘borrowed’ it. She’s not in there, Shamar.”

“What? How can that be?”

“It’s unheard of. All guardians’ Destined are written here. I must admit, I was intrigued by this. So I went to see the girl for myself.”

“And?”

“And you’re right. Her soul is so bright. I’ve never seen anything like it. She’s very beautiful.”

“Yes, she is. So why wouldn’t she be in here?” I hold up the book tapping it.