been.
My mind raced to process everything that had happened to me in the last thirty minutes. There was one thing which stood out most in my mind: the simple fact that I hadn’t been able to say goodbye to my father the way I would have liked. Even though I was positive most didn’t get the chance to say their goodbyes to loved ones, it still bothered me. I worried about how my father would handle my death, especially after he’d already lost so much.
“ Well, that was something,” Jet said. “Nothing like being uprooted and dropped someplace else in the blink of an eye.”
“ Sorry.” I apologized, my thoughts shifting to him.
“ Don’t be, I didn’t mean it like that.” He smiled. “You must be something special; I was sure they were going to make you become a Soul Seeker for a while with the way they were talking.”
There was something odd about the way he looked at me, like questions were burning in his eyes but he didn’t know how to voice them.
“ I’m glad they didn’t,” I said, smiling to hide my sudden unease. “Soul Seeker? Am I even supposed to know what that is?”
Jet’s eyes softened and he let out a chuckle. Interlacing his fingers with mine, he caressed the top of my hand, moving his thumb in slow circles. A sigh escaped my lips as I savored the sensation it stirred within me. I closed my eyes when he pulled me against him and nuzzled my head underneath his chin.
“ You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he whispered into my hair.
“ Oh, I can imagine,” I said with a smile.
Chapter Thirteen
Two weeks’ time passed before the moment of my first Reaping came. Jet and I had grown closer and I studied his every move, learning how to become a Reaper. He never went into detail, but told me repeatedly that when the time came I’d understand what he felt and know why he’d never been able to describe it.
An urgency so strong there was no possible way to ignore it pulsated through my limbs and I found myself relishing the sensation of actually feeling something.
“ Do you feel that?” Jet asked. “That force willing you to come to it?”
I opened my eyes, instantly drowning in his gaze. “Yes, I can feel it,” I whispered.
“ It’s the soul screaming to you to be released.”
The after-burn of his words hung in my mind. I felt cruel and sick to be standing in the hallway of a hospital, enjoying the sensation of someone’s soul screaming.
“ What are we waiting for, then?” I demanded.
Jet’s brow furrowed and his gaze shifted to the closed door before us. “For it to cease.”
“ What ?” I snapped. “Isn’t that considered cruel and unusual punishment?”
How was I supposed to do that? It was impossible to resist this urgency calling me. I was here now and I needed to help; anything else was unacceptable.
Jet’s hand gripped my arm. “Rowan, all you’re hearing is the soul panicking. It’s the body’s natural mechanism to make sure we’re near.”
Confusion clouded my mind. “What do you mean natural mechanism ?”
Jet cupped my chin in his hand. “Did you really think I could be so cruel as to stand back and listen to someone in utter pain?”
I looked down the hall to the faces of those who couldn’t see me, avoiding the one that could. “No.”
“ Listen to me,” Jet said, placing both his hands on either side of my face, forcing my eyes to his. “When a person is on the verge of death, their soul sends out a distress signal to us, in order to ensure we’re near them at the exact moment their soul needs released.” He removed his hands from my face in favor of my waist. “When the soul stops screaming its urgency call, then you will know it’s time to proceed.”
“ Why do I have to wait?” I wondered. “Why can’t I just do it now, since I’m already here?”
“ Because the soul must become dormant first, or else you run the risk of damaging it,” he answered simply, then wrapped his arms
My mind raced to process everything that had happened to me in the last thirty minutes. There was one thing which stood out most in my mind: the simple fact that I hadn’t been able to say goodbye to my father the way I would have liked. Even though I was positive most didn’t get the chance to say their goodbyes to loved ones, it still bothered me. I worried about how my father would handle my death, especially after he’d already lost so much.
“ Well, that was something,” Jet said. “Nothing like being uprooted and dropped someplace else in the blink of an eye.”
“ Sorry.” I apologized, my thoughts shifting to him.
“ Don’t be, I didn’t mean it like that.” He smiled. “You must be something special; I was sure they were going to make you become a Soul Seeker for a while with the way they were talking.”
There was something odd about the way he looked at me, like questions were burning in his eyes but he didn’t know how to voice them.
“ I’m glad they didn’t,” I said, smiling to hide my sudden unease. “Soul Seeker? Am I even supposed to know what that is?”
Jet’s eyes softened and he let out a chuckle. Interlacing his fingers with mine, he caressed the top of my hand, moving his thumb in slow circles. A sigh escaped my lips as I savored the sensation it stirred within me. I closed my eyes when he pulled me against him and nuzzled my head underneath his chin.
“ You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he whispered into my hair.
“ Oh, I can imagine,” I said with a smile.
Chapter Thirteen
Two weeks’ time passed before the moment of my first Reaping came. Jet and I had grown closer and I studied his every move, learning how to become a Reaper. He never went into detail, but told me repeatedly that when the time came I’d understand what he felt and know why he’d never been able to describe it.
An urgency so strong there was no possible way to ignore it pulsated through my limbs and I found myself relishing the sensation of actually feeling something.
“ Do you feel that?” Jet asked. “That force willing you to come to it?”
I opened my eyes, instantly drowning in his gaze. “Yes, I can feel it,” I whispered.
“ It’s the soul screaming to you to be released.”
The after-burn of his words hung in my mind. I felt cruel and sick to be standing in the hallway of a hospital, enjoying the sensation of someone’s soul screaming.
“ What are we waiting for, then?” I demanded.
Jet’s brow furrowed and his gaze shifted to the closed door before us. “For it to cease.”
“ What ?” I snapped. “Isn’t that considered cruel and unusual punishment?”
How was I supposed to do that? It was impossible to resist this urgency calling me. I was here now and I needed to help; anything else was unacceptable.
Jet’s hand gripped my arm. “Rowan, all you’re hearing is the soul panicking. It’s the body’s natural mechanism to make sure we’re near.”
Confusion clouded my mind. “What do you mean natural mechanism ?”
Jet cupped my chin in his hand. “Did you really think I could be so cruel as to stand back and listen to someone in utter pain?”
I looked down the hall to the faces of those who couldn’t see me, avoiding the one that could. “No.”
“ Listen to me,” Jet said, placing both his hands on either side of my face, forcing my eyes to his. “When a person is on the verge of death, their soul sends out a distress signal to us, in order to ensure we’re near them at the exact moment their soul needs released.” He removed his hands from my face in favor of my waist. “When the soul stops screaming its urgency call, then you will know it’s time to proceed.”
“ Why do I have to wait?” I wondered. “Why can’t I just do it now, since I’m already here?”
“ Because the soul must become dormant first, or else you run the risk of damaging it,” he answered simply, then wrapped his arms
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