Souls Apart (Book 1 in the Lost Souls Trilogy) (2 page)

“I feel a little overdressed, actually,” I admitted.

“It just isn’t you, Charlie.
 
You’re like a different person.”

“I know.
 
Shall
I go change?”

“No, you’re dressed now. It’s good to make an effort
for a man. Lets him feel special.”
 
She
came over and gave me a hug. “My little girl’s all grown up, eh?”

I smiled and gave her a kiss.
 
Ever since Dad died my mom’s been there for
me.
 
She sacrificed a lot to give me a
good education; working two jobs. I made sure she realized I appreciated it, as
often as I could. “I’ll see you later then, Mom.”

“Remember; call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

It was getting dark and I felt apprehensive as I
walked up the hill.
 
I pulled my long,
grey duffle coat closer to my body.
 
I
could hear the sounds of crows and an owl hooting in the distance.
 
I noticed a silhouette of a man, standing
near to the house.
 
He was waving. Phew!
At least he’d turned up. I was worried he wouldn’t have.

“I’m
glad
you came,” he shouted, making his way down the hill to meet me half way.

“Me too,” I said, noticing again how handsome he was.

“Wow, you look amazing” he said.

“You do too.”
 
He was also wearing a long, black,
military-style coat over black jeans and biker boots.
 
He looked like one of those warriors from a
sci-fi movie. I felt so happy as he placed his arm around my shoulder and
pulled me closer.
 
We started to walk.

“You don’t think I’m overdressed, do you?”
 
I asked, worried he was taking me to the local
fast food outlet.

“No. You look perfect.
 
I’m taking you to a great place.
 
It will be our place.”

We walked through the village and onto the
outskirts.
 
I’d never been to this part
before and I was starting to feel a little nervous. He wasn’t speaking
much.
 
I remembered that I didn’t know
his name. “You didn’t tell me your name.”
 
I said.

He turned towards me and his eyes bore into mine again.
“It’s Edward.
 
But you can call me,
Eddie.”

I shuddered when he gave me his hand to shake. It was
probably some sort of reaction to how handsome I found him.

“Where are we going?”
 
I asked, because it seemed we’d been walking
for over an hour.

He stopped still.
 
We were in the middle of some sort of forest.
 
He leant back against a tree and pulled me
towards him.
 
He gazed directly at me
again and I felt all my nerves vanish. “You ask too many questions,” he said
before taking his hand and running it through my hair. “You have beautiful
hair. Exactly as I remembered.”

“Well I haven’t really done that much with it since
this morning—”

“Sshhh,” he said. “We’re almost there.
 
We’re going to my house.
 
I hope that’s ok?”

I really wanted to see where he lived and so I nodded
as he got up from the tree and grabbed hold of my hand.
 
We continued walking.
 
I realized that I wouldn’t remember how to
get to his house as it was all so unfamiliar.
 
He lived miles from me.
 
How could
he have seen me around the village when he lived so far?

We passed through a cemetery and I felt shivers again
as I heard more owls hooting.
 
A noise
from the bushes startled me, but it was only a cat.
 
Its eyes widened when it saw us and it arched
its back and hissed.
 
I was so frightened
I forgot we’d only just met and I buried my head into Eddie’s chest.
 
I felt his arms around my shoulders and I
felt safe again. Once I heard the cat run back into the bushes I looked up.

“Are you ok?”
 
he asked, his hands stroking my cheeks.

“I am now,” I said.

Our faces were so close that I half expected us to
kiss; I sure wanted to kiss him, but instead he took hold of my hand again and led
me out of the cemetery and towards a small black hut. “This is it,” he said.

I was scared again.
 
It wasn’t a proper house; it was some sort of run-down shack. “What’s
the matter?”
 
he said, his eyes darkening
again.

“Nothing.”
 
I
took some deep breaths.

“Come on, It’s much better inside than out.”

He pushed open the door, which wasn’t locked and he
put his hands in his pocket, taking out a lighter.
 
He lit a candle which was pinned to the wall
in a black, cast-iron, holder.
 
I could
see the room better now. The floor was made of wood and he’d placed some colorful
rugs onto it. There were beanbags on the floor which he used for chairs and in
the corner was a camp bed.
 
It was very
basic.
 
There was no kitchen; just a
shelf with some tins of beans on it.

“You live here?”
 
I said, wondering how someone could survive
like this in the twenty-first century.

“I like it,” he said, defensively.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that; it’s just not like
most people’s homes.”

He smiled “I’m not like most people.”

I sat down on the bean bag next to him, which was
surprisingly comfortable and watched as he opened a wooden box and took out two
silver wine goblets and a bottle of red wine.

He poured out a glass and handed it to me. “Wait here,”
he said before leaving me alone.

I was scared now.
 
I took out my mobile phone so I could text my mom but there was no
signal.
 
I heard strange sounds outside
and for one horrible moment I seriously considered that Eddie might be plotting
to murder me.
 
I placed down my wine
glass.
 
I didn’t want to be poisoned,
thank you very much. There was a very strange atmosphere inside the hut and I
noticed that Eddie didn’t seem to have many things.
 
Maybe this wasn’t his real home.
 
Maybe this was his lair – a place where he
lured girls, plied them with drink, had his wicked way and then murdered
them.
 
This place was in the middle of
nowhere.
 
He could have buried bodies
here and got away with it. My mind was working overtime.
 
I was about to make a run for it and try and
find my way back, when I heard his footsteps outside the door.
 
He pushed it open and I noticed he had a
package in his hands.

“We can’t have dinner without food,” he said with a
little giggle that made me feel warm inside. He opened the bag and took out
some sandwiches.
 
He’d made a selection
and so I took a cheese salad one.
 
He’d
also brought chips and some cookies. As we snuggled together I started to hate
myself for thinking such bad things about him.
 
He was gorgeous.
 
I felt so sorry
for him having to live here.

“Where did you get these from?”
 
I asked pointing to the sandwiches and other
goodies he’d brought.

“I made them earlier.
 
A friend of mine lets me use her kitchen.
 
She’s only around the corner.”

I felt a stab of jealousy cut through me. He had a
woman friend who let him use her kitchen? She had to have ulterior motives.
Surely it wasn’t only me who could see how gorgeous he was.

We talked for what felt like minutes but it was
actually four hours. I almost jumped when I checked my watch. “My mom will be
worried sick,” I said standing up and putting on my coat. “I’ll have to get
going”

He, too, stood up and put his coat back on. “I’ll walk
you back, then.
 
I’ve had a lot of fun.”

“Me too.”

Our faces were close again and I felt my heart beating
so fast against my chest.
 
I thought I
would stop breathing. And then he kissed me.
 
I’ve kissed quite a few guys, but this was so different. It felt as
though we were meant to be together. It was like I’d never kissed anyone else
and it had only been him and would always be him. I didn’t want it to end, but
I thought about my poor worried Mom and so I pulled away first. I was shaking.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking hold of my hand and
leading me out of the hut.

As we walked back I felt a strange sense of
security.
 
Usually on first dates I was a
nervous wreck; wondering if we’d see each other again or if he’d let me down
gently with the promise of a phone call which would never materialize; but,
with Eddie it was different.
 
I knew he
felt the same way and I knew he was special.
 
I was going to marry him. I didn’t care that I was only seventeen.
 
When you meet the one, you just know.
 

He dropped me off at the end of my street and promised
to meet me again tomorrow.
 
I felt happy
as I unlocked the door.
 
Mom had gone to
bed.
 
Turns out she hadn’t worried about
me at all.
 
Still, it was only early days
with Eddie.
 
We had a lifetime to spend
together and I thought it best to take things slowly.

-3-

I knocked for Amber on the way to school. She was
wearing the long, black gothic dress she got from the attic sale.
 
She’d teamed it with doc martens and a long
silver necklace.
 
She’d spiked her short
red hair too and I thought she looked really cool.

“So, how did your date go?”
 
she asked, her mouth full of gum.

“Oh,
Amb
, I think I’m
in love.”

She screamed. “
Agghh
! That’s
so great!”

 
 
She gave me a huge hug and offered me some
gum.
 
I shook my head.
 
I knew it wasn’t real food, but I couldn’t eat
anything.
 
I’d not slept all night
either.
 
I’d just lay there, thinking
about that kiss. “I’m seeing him again tonight.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.
 
Have you got any photos?”

“No. I didn’t think to take one. It’s only early days
yet anyway.”

“He sounds so cool, not like the dorks we have to put
up with in class, right?”

“He’s nothing at all like a high school guy.
 
He’s a writer.
 
He’s so romantic.”

Amber grabbed hold of me. “You got it bad, gal!”

We both giggled as we made our way to class. I didn’t know
how I made it through a day of school.
 
I
was surprised I didn’t get told off at least once, for daydreaming.

***

Home time couldn’t come fast enough.
 
After saying goodbye to Amber, I rushed home
and was disappointed to see Mom had made curry.
 
Usually, I would beg her to make it, but tonight I had no appetite. Mom
was already eating hers. She beckoned me to sit down. “I’ve been waiting all
day to hear about your date,” she said.

“Oh, Mom, He’s so great.
 
I’m
meeting
him again tonight.”

“
Oooh
, it sounds serious.”

I took hold of my fork and started to move morsels of
meat around my plate. I placed a small mouthful of chicken into my mouth.
 
I had to eat something, I guess. “I can’t believe
we’ve only just met. It’s like we’ve known each other for years.”

Mom smiled. “I still remember the first time your dad
and I met.
 
I’d taken my car into the
shop because of a flat and he came to take a look, but he ended up looking at
me more than my car!”
 
She laughed, and
then sighed. “He was so cute. It’s a pity you didn’t really get to know him.”

I felt tears welling up. “I know, Mom.”
 
I changed the subject. “This curry is yummy,
as usual.”

She pushed her plate away, with half of it uneaten. “Oh,
well.
 
I’d best get ready for work.
 
Late shift tonight.”
 
She gave me a kiss on my head and I ate a few
more mouthfuls myself before rushing upstairs, eager to get ready for my date.

-4-

We met by the big house again and this time he pulled
me close and kissed me before he even spoke. “I missed you,” he said.

“Me too.
 
I can’t
stop thinking about you.”

“I wanted to take you somewhere special tonight. I’m
glad you wore jeans like I asked.”