Authors: Katlyn Duncan
Chapter Two
A bit of pride welled within me as we safely arrived at Gate Seven, our final stop. The border between the Realms appeared as a bridge, which always remained the same even though the landscape changed. It appeared differently based on what the soul thought their after-life would look like, which meant we got to experience it with them. The True Soul extracted the image from the soul and projected it, easing the transition from the Living Realm to the After. Most souls imagined endless clouds, but many had other ideas.
Plush green grass filled the landscape as far as the eye could see. A setting sun appeared to rest atop a ridge of mountains in the distance. Joseph’s bridge connected two sides of a trickling stream. His soul heaved, as if it still needed oxygen, a leftover of breathing for fifty-six years.
On the other side of the bridge stood one of the Gatekeepers, Gwendolyn. Her radiant crimson hair ruffled in the wind. Her bright golden eyes sparkled against Joseph’s manifestation of the sun. She’d wait there until Joseph’s soul was ready to let go of its humanity and move on to the After.
I looked into the distance; more Gatekeepers stood on the other side of the border, waiting to welcome their souls. Even though Gate Seven was one place, each soul experienced it as if they were the only soul in existence.
I touched Dylan’s shoulder. “Time to go.”
Joseph knelt in the grass, staring into the distance. Maybe he’d visited this place at some point in his life. It was breathtaking. I took one last mental picture and transported away.
The Soul Collections office, where we were stationed, was nestled on the 68th floor of a skyscraper in downtown New York City. Even though the building was in the Living Realm, the office was in the After. Felix relocated us there about fifty years ago, stating that keeping us close to humans would help connect to our targets better. Somehow.
The wide expanse of the office looked out at the setting sun over the horizon. I never understood why humans were obsessed with the setting and rising of the sun. It was just something that was. Soul Collectors of every human age and size bustled around the office in between Collections.
“Hi, Dylan!” A young girl waved at him, skipping across the floor.
He grinned, waving back.
“Come on,” I said, pushing him toward the massive clear desk in the middle of the main floor. Seven Collections Officers sat behind it. They assigned and closed cases for every Collector.
Dylan barely reached the top of the counter. “Hi, Stacia,” he called.
“Name of soul,” she said, looking down at her hands.
The Collections Officers were a tough bunch but I appreciated the work ethic. Get in then out as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“Um,” he stammered.
“Joseph Bonds,” I answered, patting him on the head.
Dylan wasn’t used to the Caelestium, the original creatures of the After Realm. Stacia, like Gwendolyn, had the looks that many humans over the years had tried to replicate. Flawless skin, long silky hair, and natural charisma. But their biggest distinction were their golden eyes that sparkled as if beams of sunlight were constantly beating down on them.
“Was the transition successful?” she asked.
“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t,” I said.
Stacia’s eyes flicked to mine. Dylan’s jaw hit the countertop.
I winked at her.
She laughed, a high and sweet sound.
She moved her hands across the smooth surface of the desk, confirming the transition. “I’ll be sending your next assignment soon. She’s not due for a little while.”
“Thanks.” I turned to Dylan and pushed his jaw closed with my finger. “You’re done for today.”
“What are you going to tell Felix?” Dylan’s eyes widened.
“You did fine. I’ll be sure to inform him.”
Dylan beamed and ran down the corridor toward the Trainee office.
“Souls running away from you… how unusual,” a voice said, sending chills through me.
Aaron. I’d recognize his high-pitched, sniffling voice anywhere. If souls had dreams, he would haunt my nightmares.
He’d been the biggest failure of a trainee. He didn’t listen, or follow directions; he’d nearly damaged a soul so badly that it might not have survived to Gate Seven were it not for my quick reflexes. He’d been through three trainers before being sent to me.
“Aren’t you going to say hello?”
“I thought you were up to be Recycled?” I asked, hoping he’d leave.
When all else had failed, I told Felix that he couldn’t be of any use to us. Recycling would strip him of his memories and he’d be able to return to the Living Realm as a new human. Although I would have felt bad for the life he’d been assigned to.
I turned around, the shivers now ice-cold nails digging into my soul.
“You like my new outfit?” he said, holding his arms out.
It wasn’t a regulation Soul Collector white pants and jacket. It was… no, that wasn’t possible. I examined the regulation Guard gear: black pants, shirt, and vest. I blinked a few times, hoping to make the shining broadsword at his back disappear.
Cooper, another Guard, came up behind Aaron and clapped a hand on his back, turning his gray eyes on me. The Guard and Soul Collectors rarely made any contact in the field, but I had learned as much as I could about each of them since I intended on becoming a part of their group.
“Hey there,” Cooper said, raking a hand through his dirty blond hair. Where Aaron’s outfit tugged at his not so flattering figure, left over by his gluttonous human life, Cooper’s gear fit him as if it had been tailored to every inch of his body.
“Maggie, right?” Cooper extended his hand.
I nodded, tearing my gaze away from Cooper’s body. I absently shook his hand.
“What do you think of Aaron’s promotion to the Guard? He has you to thank for that.”
Excuse me?
“Soul Collecting wasn’t my gig,” Aaron said with a wicked smirk. “Felix promoted me this morning.”
The noise in the office trickled down to a dull roar. I felt others turn their attention to us. It wasn’t a secret that I wanted the job, and now Felix’s decision had been made. The wrong one.
“She doesn’t say much, huh?” Cooper said to Aaron.
“This is rare. I think I surprised all the snark from her; she’s a tough cookie,” Aaron smirked.
Tough cookie? Who says that?
I found my voice. “How is this possible? You’re incapable of handling a True Soul, never mind a human one. And how were you even in the running? That was my position! Not meant for an—an—imbecile like you!”
“Hey—” Aaron said.
“You—” my finger was close to touching his nose, but I didn’t dare soil my soul with his grime “—were the worst to train; who in their right mind would promote you instead of sending your ass to Recycling?”
“I did,” Felix’s booming voice rattled my soul.
Dammit.
Cooper and Aaron clapped their arms at their sides, standing at attention.
I pivoted on my heel to face my boss, the dark, hulking Caeleste looking down at me. His golden eyes sparkled but I felt the heat behind them. His skin appeared darker today against his unblemished white suit.
“Him?” I said. “Seriously?”
I’d been the oldest Soul Collector on Felix’s service. Most of them couldn’t handle the death after so many years and opted to be Recycled. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with returning to the Living, hence our familiar tone.
The other Caelestium continued on with their work but the other Collectors and Guard paused whatever they were doing and stared at the confrontation. I scanned the room and, with each soul I claimed in my gaze, they scrambled either out of the room or down to their desks, pretending to do work.
“Let’s speak in my office,” he said.
Aaron’s grin made my hands itch. I stepped closer to him; his body swayed.
“Now,” Felix said.
I glared at Aaron. “This isn’t over.” I followed Felix to his office.
Felix closed the door behind me, tuning out all sounds from the main office. He walked to the opposite end of the office and stood at the open space where in the Living Realm a window might be. In the After, the temperature remained clement and unchanging. And even though we were high off the ground, there wasn’t a need to have a fear of falling, especially for us souls. It’s not like we could die twice.
“Aaron?” I spat. “Out of everyone.” Including me. “You chose him? Dylan or half of the other trainees would have been a better choice. How was he even in the running? I thought you were going to Recycle him.”
“I considered your request but this position fits him well.”
“How?” I charged to his side and stared up at him. “He couldn’t even take one life successfully; how can you trust him to do anything for the Guard?”
“You are finished.”
I flailed my arms up, slapping them at my side. “Hardly!”
Felix’s eyes darkened. “I’m not asking. I’m telling.”
I pressed my lips together. We stood in silence, staring into the sprawling After. Bright pinks and purples streaked across the endless sky. Collectors and Guards wandered the streets below.
“Not every soul is made for this life,” Felix said suddenly. “But every soul is given a choice. Aaron’s lack of Collecting abilities didn’t make him not meant for life here. His compassion for humans and their well-being are a few of the essentials that all the Guard possess.”
“Yet his skills at doing a simple Collection didn’t disqualify him? He couldn’t even transition to G7 properly; how is he supposed to be in charge of a human life?”
“His unwillingness to take life is a strength of his.” Felix turned the full force of his gaze on me.
“So my willingness to take life is a weakness? You need Collectors!”
“The role of Soul Collector is extremely important, and you do it with efficiency and grace. But the Guard works differently. Most of the time they work as a team.”
“I can work as a team,” I said. “I work as a team every day training the new recruits.”
“And you are a great trainer but when you are finished do you make time to interact with them outside of a mission?”
I crossed my arms. “When I’m done training I have my own cases.”
“Because you requested to have more,” he said. “Maggie, I’m not putting anyone’s job at a higher level than the other. All are cut from different cloth. Just as Aaron wasn’t meant for Soul Collecting, you...”
“That job was mine,” I said through gritted teeth. “My record is perfect and I deserved that job; you’d said so yourself.”
“Things change,” he said, his golden gaze trained on mine.
No way was this conversation over. The most recent Guard that underwent the Recycling process, Ani, had said I was a shoo in for the job. I thought his recommendation had meant something.
“What changed in the week from Ani’s Recycling? You’d said I could have the position if I kept my record—”
“Your record is far from perfect,” Felix snapped.
I clenched my jaw. “I think you should reconsider counting the trainees’ record against mine. It’s not my fault that they don’t listen. It’s not fair. Not for this position. I deserve it.”
“Please enlighten me,” Felix said.
I straightened and ticked the reasons off my fingers. “I am a hard worker. I get the job done quickly and efficiently. I take on more cases than half the team. And besides the blemishes that you insist on counting against me, I do have a perfect record.”
“Those are all great qualities for a Soul Collector, but not one for a Guard.” Felix moved away from me toward his desk. “Aaron is more suited to the position. And maybe if you show me something different, when the next spot opens up I might consider you.”
I balked. “When will that be? In my hundred years under your service there hasn’t been a single promotion.”
Felix said nothing.
“So that’s it?” I said.
“I’ve made my decision,” he said.
Conversation over.
I clenched my jaw. “If I work harder to fit into your idea of a Guard, I want to know that you are going to actually consider me.”
Or else what was the damn point of all this? I might as well be Recycled if there wasn’t any point to working so hard. I could be an idiot like Aaron and get the job no problem.
“If you can show me that you are capable of the job, then I’ll consider it.”
That was the best I was going to get at that moment. The Caeleste could be quite stubborn.
“You might start your new attitude by congratulating Aaron,” he said.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile and exited the office and stormed out.
Yeah, right, congratulate that buffoon. Not if my entire after-life depended on it. Aaron might have won that round but round two was all mine.
I marched down one of the hallways that branched off the main office, toward my private one. I passed the Guard suite, where Aaron stood in the middle of a group of Guard. He shook their hands and some even patted him on the back. His stupid grin widened as he spoke to them. I didn’t bother listening. He was probably telling them one of his lame jokes. I had to listen to them for quite some time during his training. I’d never get that time back.
I continued down the hallway past the Trainee suite. I nearly passed it but stopped and stood by the door, listening to the laughter behind it. I homed in on Dylan’s giggle. Maybe I could work on my social skills. I hesitated at the door, but a small chime rang from my office, signaling the arrival of my next assignment.
Maybe next time, I thought.
I opened the door to my office and my entire soul relaxed. It wasn’t as large as Felix’s but it was my own space. One wall opened to a view of meadow, the tall grass swaying in the wind. I sat on the couch I’d set up close to the view, as if I were floating above the landscape rather than looking down at it. I took it all in and my whole being relaxed. My office was my sanctuary and before missions I religiously calmed my soul so I’d be able to focus. After a few minutes of meditation, I rose from the couch and walked to the wall behind my desk. A bright light flickered from my inbox. The Collections Officers were alerted when a soul needed Collection, which would call up the True Soul from their heavily guarded vaults below the building.