The Soulkeepers (26 page)

The paper turned to mush in her hand. Still
wet, it came apart in soggy sections and Malini realized there was
a box wrapped in it. By the looks of it, the box had been out there
a long time.

She opened the lid.

When she saw the silver bracelet, she knew
exactly whom it was from. But she pulled out the note and read it
twice anyway.

She agreed with him on one thing: what
happened was the worst thing he had ever done. However, the note
made her wonder if one event defined her opinion of him.

Was Jacob the worst thing he'd ever done?
Could she forgive his trying to force her through the tree? Or did
what happened mean that he was and always would be someone who
tried to manipulate her?

Jacob had lived a hard life, losing his
parents and being forced to leave his home. Of course it had
affected him. Then, with what happened that Saturday afternoon with
Dane, he had probably given up any hope of a normal life. Malini
wondered what that could do to a person, what she might do in that
situation. What risks might she take, if she had nothing left to
lose?

The truth was that Malini hadn't been
completely honest with Jacob either. Technically, he'd never asked
her why she was so interested in his gift. He'd never wondered
aloud, why she felt they were brought together for a purpose. And
she had never offered the information.

A lie of omission.

She crawled back through her window and
walked to her closet. On her tippy toes she felt around on the top
shelf for another box, this one covered in red velvet with gold
embroidery. As her fingers found the soft edges, she remembered the
day the man had given it to her.

Malini was six years old and still living in
India when her father took her on a journey to Ladakh. She didn't
remember much about the travel itself although with how remote the
region is they must have driven for hours to get there. What stood
out in her memory was the Buddha. The gigantic gold man seemed to
be watching her from his seat, his hand raised, as if the Buddha
was waving hello to her. In the background, the snap of the prayer
flags created a soothing hum.

Her father was taking pictures. The job he
wanted in England had come through and they would be moving in just
a couple of months. This was his last chance to capture the beauty
of the region. His right eye saw the Buddha through the camera
lens. His left eye was closed to the world, which explained why he
didn't see the man approach his little girl, an event that would
have surely caught his attention at any other time.

"Hello sister," the soft voice had said to
her.

She looked up into the smiling face of a man
with very short hair and a bright red robe.

"Hello," she said. "But I am not your
sister. I am the only child in my family."

"Not that kind," the man said. "Sister in
faith. You are visiting our Buddha, yes?"

"Yes," she said.

"I have something for you,"

"Because I'm a visitor?"

"No, because you are you and being you,
there is a need for it."

Malini did not understand what the man was
talking about and looked back up at the statue, hoping he would go
away. Instead, the man handed her the box. She opened the lid.
Written in calligraphy on parchment, there was a word in
Sanskrit.

"What does it say?" she asked.

"It is the name of your destiny, given to me
in meditation."

"What is my destiny? What does it say?"

"It is pronounced
apas,
translated
water."

"Water is my destiny?" she giggled.

The man giggled too, as if he found it as
silly as she did. "Well, little girl, for now maybe it is just a
pretty box that you should keep to remind you of your visit
here."

"Okay," she said, looking at the word. When
she looked back up, the man was gone.

Ten years later, Malini found herself
looking at the word in a new light. She opened the blue box from
Jacob and removed the bracelet. She remembered the way he had
brought its predecessor from the water and froze it around her
wrist. The metal felt just as cold on her skin as she worked the
clasp.

It was time for her to forgive Jacob and to
learn the whole truth. It was time for her to face her destiny.

Reconciliation

Jacob squirms in the uncomfortable chair.
Auriel stands in front of him smiling, what looks like an apple pie
in her left hand, a fork in her right. The smell is delicious,
spicy and sweet. The air is warm like she's just pulled the dish
from the oven.

Her bare knees brush his, her little plaid
skirt just inches away from him, her blouse stretched tight over
her chest. He tries to reach forward, to touch her, but his hands
won't move; they are tied to the chair behind his back.

Auriel places one high-heeled black boot on
the seat between his legs.

"Where do you think you're going, Jacob? You
can't leave now. I've got something for you." She scoops up a bite
of the pie.

He opens his mouth and she spoons it in. At
first it tastes sweet, sweeter than pie should taste, but he hardly
notices. Her closeness demands his full attention.

Then, something in his mouth moves. He spits
the bite onto the floor and looks at the pie in Auriel's hand.
Under the crust, it isn't apple at all. In the hole where she has
pulled up the first bite, the pie is alive. Maggots bubble up and
crawl across the fork. Maggots move in his mouth, tasting
sickeningly sweet.

He spits again and yells
for her to stop. She laughs and scoops up another
bite
.

* * * * *

Jacob woke spitting into his pillow,
relieved that the knocking on his door had interrupted the
nightmare.

"Everything okay in there?" came John's
voice.

"Bad dream. Everything's fine."

"Time to get going Jacob. You're going to be
late for school."

"Okay," he yelled back. In fifteen minutes,
he was dressed in a long sleeve black waffle knit shirt and jeans.
He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the
door.

"No breakfast, Jacob?" Aunt Carolyn asked as
he walked past the pine table.

"I'm not hungry." Dream or not, he could
still taste the maggots in his mouth.

"Okay. Don't forget, this weekend is the
Pumpkin Chuck. We want to take you, so don't make any other
plans."

"Sure," he replied and walked out the door
into the fall wind. Aunt Carolyn was nicer to him since Katrina
moved away. Katrina never called from school and he was sure the
change of heart had everything to do with Aunt Carolyn having an
empty nest. He didn't mind. It was nice having one less person hate
him in Paris.

He jumped into Big Blue and headed toward
town. The road was lined with deciduous trees celebrating their
last waking days with leaves of red, gold, and chestnut. Fall in
Paris was beautiful. It was the first time he'd seen trees change
like this, and it was almost worth the cold.

Pulling into the school parking lot, he was
surprised to see Malini standing in front of his usual spot. It
looked like she was waiting for him.

"Malini?" he said, hopefully, as he got out
of his truck.

She held up her hand and the stainless steel
heart glinted in the sun.

"You know, I don't go out there every day,
Jacob." She grinned.

"Wait…You are talking to me and wearing my
bracelet. Does this mean you forgive me?"

She paused, her face serious. "This means I
will forgive you as soon as you uphold your end of the bargain and
tell me everything."

"Deal. After school today." He reached out
and caught the silver heart between his fingers. "It looks
beautiful on you. Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." She smiled a genuine Malini smile
that made him feel like the weight of the world was finally off of
his shoulders. It was the kind of smile that made everything good
again and as they walked toward the school. Life felt normal for
the first time in a long time.

She sat next to him in English and ate lunch
directly across from him at their usual table. It was just like old
times, except something about it felt more fragile.

"Why can't you tell me now?" she asked.

Jacob glanced in both directions. When it
was clear there was no one listening, he leaned forward and
whispered, "I can start but I'm warning you, it's complex."

"Try me."

"Well, Dr. Silva says I'm a Soulkeeper."

"A Soulkeeper?"

"She says that God allowed water to flow out
of the Garden of Eden, to reach the descendants of Adam and Eve.
Only the ones who were pure of heart, who genuinely wanted to rid
the world of evil, could see and drink the water. Those people who
drank it experienced changes. It altered their DNA. I am a
descendant of one of those children. Actually, more like two or
more. See, the gifts were lost—like recessive genes—as the sons and
daughters married normal people. But every once in awhile, two
people with a recessive gene get together and their child—"

"—shows traits of the
recessive gene. Jacob, are you telling me you have a
heavenly gene
?"

"Yeah I know it's crazy but I guess you
could call it that."

"But how did she know?"

"She said there are records. I don't think
Dr. Silva is…normal. Anyway, when I found the tree, she said it was
a clue. She said only a spiritual being could have found it on
their own."

"What does the tree have to do with any of
this?"

"It doesn't have anything to do with me. It
has more to do with Dr. Silva. She buried her husband in her garden
and it grew out of his body."

"Eww. Creepy. And you didn't think that
thing was dangerous?"

"Malini, I've been through it twice, safely.
But again, I'm really sorry."

"So, what does being a Soulkeeper give you?
I mean besides being able to control water."

"I don't really know. Dr. Silva was supposed
to be my Helper. She was helping me discover my gifts. She said
that every Horseman has different abilities and you have to
exercise them to know what they are."

"Horseman?"

"Oh, that's what she says I am. I guess
there are three types of Soulkeepers. There are Horsemen like me
who are supposed to battle evil, like the soldiers who protect
humans. There are Healers that fix things, cure people and
situations. And then there are Helpers, who serve the other two by
getting them what they need. My gift, as far as I know is that I
can control water. I guess that's a Horseman thing, a weapon."

"You said Dr. Silva was supposed to be your
Helper. What happened? Isn't she helping you now?"

"No. She found out about my taking you to
the tree. I must have left the gate open. That's against the rules.
She freaked out and said she wouldn't help me anymore."

"Wha—what happens if you leave the gate
open?" Malini's face had gone white and I supposed this was a lot
to take in at one sitting.

"Evil things can get to our side. This is
the part that I never really bought into. She says there are fallen
angels among us. She calls them Watchers. Says they come to steal
people's souls from God. That's why I'm a Horseman, to protect
people's souls. I don't really believe it though. Sounds pretty
crazy."

"So does moving water with your mind, but
you can do it."

"Point taken," Jacob said. The bell rang.
"We'll have to finish this later."

"Yes. I want to know everything. McNaulty's
after school," Malini said. It was not a question but a demand.

Jacob nodded. "Oh Malini, my aunt and uncle
want to take me to something called a Pumpkin Chuck this weekend.
Do you want to come?"

"Yeah! I went last year—very cool. I heard
it's supposed to be better than ever this year."

"That makes one of us. I haven't heard
anything. How is it you always know what's going on?" Jacob
asked.

"Because I listen," she answered,
giggling.

The rest of the day crawled on as Malini and
Jacob tried not to talk about his secret. During chemistry, Malini
knocked over a beaker of water and it was all he could do to allow
the liquid to spread across the table. The afternoon dragged on,
heavy with knowing glances and words left unspoken. Finally, the
last bell rang and they headed out toward the parking lot chatting
about Malini's new car. She promised to give him a ride to
McNaulty's so he could check it out. He was almost to the cherry
red door, when the weight of someone's eyes boring into the back of
his skull distracted him.

"Jacob," a voice said from behind him.
Auriel was leaning against his truck. She smiled but it didn't
reach her eyes.

"Oh, hi Auriel," Jacob said. He tried to
ignore the butterflies that charged his throat from his stomach.
With Malini right there, it was more embarrassing than ever.

"I thought we were going to talk today. I
came to meet you."

He cursed under his breath. He'd forgotten
that he'd invited Auriel to meet him today at McNaulty's too.

"Auriel, this is my friend Malini. Malini,
this is Auriel. She's new here. She goes to St. Mary's"

Auriel held out her hand toward Malini.
"Nice to meet you."

Malini didn't move. She was covering her
nose with the back of her hand like she smelled something bad. Her
face turned a pale, greenish color and she ran to the nearest
garbage can and vomited.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" Jacob ran to
Malini's side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I think so," she said. Then she
looked up at him and grabbed his wrist. "Jake, I can't explain why,
but something tells me that she's not right. Stay away from
her."