to get higher levels; it is only their first list though, I told them. Seemed to help a little bit. How’d your list turn out? I know you got at least some level three’s, possibly a four?” he asked.
“ Yeah, I have a few three’s and definitely one four. That’s actually what I...”
“ That’s amazing, Cendall!” he said, interrupting me with a huge hug. “The boys are going to be so jealous when I tell them my daughter got higher-level souls. Nice work!!!” he said with a smile and I just smiled back. I couldn’t complain about my higher-level one now. Surely, if I complained about the soul, they would take it away and question my abilities.
“ Why the grim face? I know you’ll do great; I have no worries. Are you worried about Drake finishing his list before you and people doubting your win at the Reaping? I have no doubts that you’ll come out on top again, Cendall.”
“ You know it!” I tried to say with confidence. “I’ve got to go do some tracking; I’ll be home later.” What the hell was I going to do now? I couldn’t let anyone know about that soul now. They would for sure think I was “complaining.” If anyone else in my class got it they would be extremely happy, especially Drake. Everyone in the realm would have already heard about it. But, man, five Guardians to get around? This was going to take some major work. I would just have to follow her all day until I saw a good opportunity. That was the only way I was ever going to get this soul. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could fight four high-level Guardians on my own. I would have to become a stalker and wait for my opportunity.
Chapter 8
Six months gone by
Following the high-level soul for the last six months, was really starting to take a toll on my sleep schedule. I’d even missed my own 17th birthday dinner that Dad and Dave had planned. They waited all day at the house to catch me, but I never came home. Saying ‘sorry’ seemed to work, because they didn’t seem too upset with me. It was my birthday I’d missed, not theirs, so that made sense.
The days just blend together for me now. While most Reapers have time to rest and rebuild, I use that time to get my lower-level souls.
The day when I would finally have her soul would be a nice break. Yawning, as I came up to do my regular stalking of the day, I slid behind the oak tree that was across the street in her neighbor’s yard. It was always the same stalking routine—humans were such creatures of habit it made me sick. She slept, went to school, went to ballet, attended church on Sundays, and then went home. While she was at home during the week, she did the normal things that I researched human kids did. She watched TV, did homework, and was constantly on the computer with something called Facepage. She also played with her fat canine, which I researched to be a pug. Crazy, chubby creature this thing was. Short legs and rolls of ‘fluff,’ the girl called it, but its stomach hung barely two inches above the floor. Stupid thing would always bark at me when I first got to her house. You’d think it was another Guardian with how this thing wouldn’t leave the girl’s side. To be honest, this dog, which I heard the girl call ‘Debbie,’ was all the protection this soul needed. Why she had to have multiple Guardians boggled my mind, so whoever had given these Guardians the assignment, must have some overprotective-thing for blondes.
My fingers started counting down the seconds. In ten , she would be slipping out of her house to walk across the street and wait at the bus stop with the other teens. They would then chat about the meaningless drama that was going on in their high school. From what I gathered, from a distance, she was single and many boys were trying to change that. She was what my textbook would describe as “popular.” This would only add more complication,
“ Yeah, I have a few three’s and definitely one four. That’s actually what I...”
“ That’s amazing, Cendall!” he said, interrupting me with a huge hug. “The boys are going to be so jealous when I tell them my daughter got higher-level souls. Nice work!!!” he said with a smile and I just smiled back. I couldn’t complain about my higher-level one now. Surely, if I complained about the soul, they would take it away and question my abilities.
“ Why the grim face? I know you’ll do great; I have no worries. Are you worried about Drake finishing his list before you and people doubting your win at the Reaping? I have no doubts that you’ll come out on top again, Cendall.”
“ You know it!” I tried to say with confidence. “I’ve got to go do some tracking; I’ll be home later.” What the hell was I going to do now? I couldn’t let anyone know about that soul now. They would for sure think I was “complaining.” If anyone else in my class got it they would be extremely happy, especially Drake. Everyone in the realm would have already heard about it. But, man, five Guardians to get around? This was going to take some major work. I would just have to follow her all day until I saw a good opportunity. That was the only way I was ever going to get this soul. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I could fight four high-level Guardians on my own. I would have to become a stalker and wait for my opportunity.
Chapter 8
Six months gone by
Following the high-level soul for the last six months, was really starting to take a toll on my sleep schedule. I’d even missed my own 17th birthday dinner that Dad and Dave had planned. They waited all day at the house to catch me, but I never came home. Saying ‘sorry’ seemed to work, because they didn’t seem too upset with me. It was my birthday I’d missed, not theirs, so that made sense.
The days just blend together for me now. While most Reapers have time to rest and rebuild, I use that time to get my lower-level souls.
The day when I would finally have her soul would be a nice break. Yawning, as I came up to do my regular stalking of the day, I slid behind the oak tree that was across the street in her neighbor’s yard. It was always the same stalking routine—humans were such creatures of habit it made me sick. She slept, went to school, went to ballet, attended church on Sundays, and then went home. While she was at home during the week, she did the normal things that I researched human kids did. She watched TV, did homework, and was constantly on the computer with something called Facepage. She also played with her fat canine, which I researched to be a pug. Crazy, chubby creature this thing was. Short legs and rolls of ‘fluff,’ the girl called it, but its stomach hung barely two inches above the floor. Stupid thing would always bark at me when I first got to her house. You’d think it was another Guardian with how this thing wouldn’t leave the girl’s side. To be honest, this dog, which I heard the girl call ‘Debbie,’ was all the protection this soul needed. Why she had to have multiple Guardians boggled my mind, so whoever had given these Guardians the assignment, must have some overprotective-thing for blondes.
My fingers started counting down the seconds. In ten , she would be slipping out of her house to walk across the street and wait at the bus stop with the other teens. They would then chat about the meaningless drama that was going on in their high school. From what I gathered, from a distance, she was single and many boys were trying to change that. She was what my textbook would describe as “popular.” This would only add more complication,
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