The Soul Guardians

chapter 6

Oh, what more could've gone wrong, I wondered.

Zayan shrugged and slung a comforting arm around me before we followed River into Aisling's bedroom.

River kept his eyes between Zayan and I before he entered, eyebrows raised. I tried to ignore him but ended up telling him off with my eyes, which I rolled as hard as I could just to emphasize that he was making a big deal out of nothing— nothing had happened between Zayan and I outside the door. Nothing was going to happen. Did he wish something happened?

"Gooood morning ladies", River sang as he slid in between the other two who sat cross legged on Aisling's bed.

I didn't want to try and squeeze in and so I plopped down on the mustard couch opposite it. Zayan sat down next to me, his fingers brushing mine as he did so. I placed my hands in my lap feeling awkward after what happened just moments ago outside of Aisling's door.

"What's so good about the morning?" asked Yaseerah somewhat groggily.

"Need some coffee?" I asked. "You sound like you didn't sleep much."

"She already had two cups," laughed Aisling in response.

"Well clearly looks like it didn't help much," River pointed out as he patted down the strands of hair that was escaping from Yaseerah's bun. She looked like she'd been electrocuted.

"Oh hush you. Way to treat a girl on her birthday," she mumbled in response before she turned to me. "I'm good Esme but thanks for the offer. I just couldn't sleep after the... you know..." she trailed off.

"Wait, did something else happen?" asked Zayan.

His eyes softened and he looked at Yaseerah like he was looking down at a lost puppy that had turned up at his front door. His hands grazed her face as he cupped it, squeezing her cheeks to check for any signs of harm. It looked kind of funny actually but we all knew he was extremely serious about Yaseerah's safety ever since she'd been bullied at ballet.

"No, I uh, just got scared because of that strange woman," she said.

The unsteadiness of her voice alone was enough to give her away but she also refused to meet her twin's eyes as she played with the button eyes on one of the stuffed animals that crowded Aisling's bed.

"They also heard something suspicious," River added.

Grateful for the change in topic Yaseerah looked up and responded quickly, "Yeah! It had to do with that old lady from yesterday. While we were hiding away in a closet we heard two people walk by. A new doctor—"

"Dr. Calgary," I interrupted. They looked at me with question marks in their wide eyes. "His name is Dr. Calgary. He's my new stand in doctor. I met him this morning," I explained. "I just know it was him."

I knew everyone in the hospital. I grew up in these pristine white corridors with wide windows that caught the sunlight on both sides, with a tube almost always always strapped along behind me. I had visited every ward, even the ones I was told not to. Every nurse knew me by name by the age of eight as they were put under strict instructions by Nurse Maggy to "keep an eye on me". I never understood why they were so afraid I'd run away. I wasn't exactly a track star who could put miles between me and the staff if I ever ran away and to be honest I'd probably get run over by the first car I encountered.

"Okay, so he's a new doctor... But what was he doing there... at night... with Nurse Maggy?" Yaseerah asked.

"Wait, nurse Maggy was there last night? Why didn't you call me? I could've accompanied her on a midnight walk," River looked up at the ceiling as if imagining it.

We all stared at him in silence for a few seconds. No matter how much time we spent together I could never get over his obsessive infatuation with our head nurse. All she had done was hold his hand as he took an injection at the mere age of ten and had claimed they'd fallen in love.

"Seriously?" Aisling said as she gave him a mixed look of bewilderment and disgust.

"I'm very serious. When am I not serious?" He asked.

"You are the most unserious person in this building," Yaseerah said flatly.

"Listen, I'm just saying it could've been the perfect opportunity," he remarked wistfully.

"Well now's really not the time for it. So, you snooze, you lose," Aisling appeared to be mimicking the way he always spoke to her.

Yaseerah blew away a strand of hair that had fallen over her face as she attempted to hide her grin at Aisling's boldness. I covered my face with my hand to hide the smile that wanted to form on my face. Zayan gave Aisling a thumbs up in response which made it even harder for me to keep my mouth still.

"Well damn when did you get so sassy," River huffed. "See what spending too much time with Yaseerah does to a kid?"

"She's nine, what did you expect?" Yaseerah said.

"Pfffff, nine my ass," River began. "She's got the attitude of a nineteen year old."

"Back to the reason we were rushed over here," Zayan started. "What happened when you were hiding away?"

"Well nothing technically happened," Yaseerah said.

"It's more what we heard," I continued. "They both seemed agitated and were looking for a sickly woman."

"Everyone here is sick, it's a hospital," River interrupted.

"Yes, but the way talked about her was strange. They said that she 'wouldn't be able to get far' and that she was 'going to die anyways'," I said.

"Have you heard about the old lady who passed away last night?" Zayan asked. "All the nurses were on about it this morning because somehow, somewhere they'd made a mistake or something..."

"A mistake?" I asked.

"There must have been a mistake, because none of them had seen it coming. They thought she was recovering quite well. Or at least that's what Nurse Alice said," Zayan added.

"What's the likelihood that the old lady who passed away yesterday was the same one we'd seen?" River asked.

Worried glances were passed around the room.

"Nurse Kate was saying something to me this morning about... unexpected deaths happening more and more often. And apparently that's why they needed nurses to take on more shifts."

"This doesn't sound like a coincidence," Yaseerah shook her head. "Or like... that would be a very strange coincidence."

"Yeah strange," River blurted out when the room went silent.

"And it's not just that. Ever since we saw her in the courtyard strange things have been happening," I continued.

"Strange things like what? You've been seeing ghosts, Cooper?" River teased.

"Ghosts aren't real you said so yourself," Aisling suddenly sat up straight and I remembered all the times River had to stay in her room while she fell asleep because she was scared.

"They aren't," he whispered. "Unless you've, you know, lost your hook," River made a "koo-koo crazy" gesture with his finger running circles on the side of his head.

"How does your hook look, Esme?" Aisling asked with a fearful look in her eyes, "maybe we can help you find it."

I stared at her blankly as she gasped and grabbed one of her colorful teddy bears. "Maybe the ghosts took it!"

River slapped a hand over his forehead and shook his head at the little girl. He opened his mouth to say something but Zayan glared at him so he immediately shut it again.

"What's been happening that made you feel uneasy?" Zayan asked.

"I don't know. I just got these really cold chills," I started. "I kept seeing these weird gray moths everywhere. Ever since last night I've been hearing whispers and movements nearby but when I looked there was nobody there."

I released a breath and waited awkwardly for a response as all my friends passed each other looks I couldn't quite read.

"I really might be losing it," I sighed.

"Hey, no, you're not crazy," Zayan said.

"Maybe you're just creeped out by what that old lady said last night?" Yaseerah suggested. "And it's like messing with your head."

"That's another thing, how did she even know my name?" I asked, frustrated. "What was she even talking about? About letting go? Who am I supposed to help?" I continued to question as I laid down across the bed.

I grabbed the stuffed penguin in a police hat and a goofy mustache that was poking me in the ribs. "I'm just so confused," I confessed to Aisling's stuffed animal before I threw it across the bed.

I closed my eyes as I felt the beginnings of another headache. I had been getting them more frequently and it had become a nuisance that I learned I could ignore if I just closed my eyes and slept.

Two small hands grabbed onto my shoulders and pulled me up. I blinked and stared into Aisling's dewy, chocolate eyes, staring back at me determinedly. She moved her hands to her hips and stood in front of me like she was about to tell me off.

"You're not crazy," she said, "if you were, we would've known."

"We're all confused," Yaseerah admitted. "Strange things are going on but at least we don't have to deal with it alone."

"The moths are probably just due to the summer heat," River assured me with a nod.

"And the summer heat is yet another result of global warming," Aisling said to me, causing us all to break into laughter.

Zayan pulled me by my arm so that he sat closer to me, his arm hung loosely over my shoulder.

"We're here right?" he said.

The sudden close interaction made me embarrassed and all I could do in response was nod. I just hoped my face hadn't begun to turn pink or at least hoped that nobody would have noticed.

"So, that's got to count for something," he grinned, "we're living proof that you're not crazy because we saw the same things as you."

My worries still plagued me at the back of my mind but I found myself able to ignore it in the comfort of his arms and his warm gaze. I wanted to hide myself here in this room. Away from my parents and their constant questioning, away from the sad, solemn gazes of the nurses and away from the sickness that pestered me every moment of every day, as if I didn't already have enough to deal with.