The Harper Brothers' Weddings

Dealing with a restless soul

Valentine

As the boys got older, a family member passed away. Losing a beloved family member was hard, but losing a quint devastated Tino. He would refuse to move from the casket when we paid our respects.

Most of the family questioned Tino's behavior. We didn't and understood why.

I needed more answers and took Kadia with me to visit Serena. At least I had backup, so people didn't think I was crazy. 

We sat on her plastic-covered couch while Serena sipped tea. What was with this lady and tea?

"So, you say your son becomes heartbroken when a family member dies. Did I understand you correctly?" Serena asked.

"Yes." We nodded.

"It sounds like you have a restless soul."

"A what?" I gave Serena a sideways glance.

"It sounds like bonds breaking with your grandfather's soul."

"What does that mean?" Kadia asked.

"When two souls become one and create a life, they deposit a piece of that soul into the new life. It forms a connection between parents and child."

"I didn't have that connection with my dad." Kadia shook her head.

"Not everyone does, my dear. A tainted soul cannot form a connection. It must come from a loving bond. That's how people disconnect from each other. A soul won't connect to one that possesses darkness. Light will attract it."

I thought about Serna's words. Demarco mentioned having a tainted soul, but I didn't understand his meaning. "I have a cousin who claims he has a tainted soul."

"Your cousin experienced a traumatic event, resulting in him believing he has a tainted soul. He doesn't. But there is one lurking around your family." Serena cocked her head and regarded us.

"What do you mean?"

"There is a tainted soul within your proximity. It doesn't care, has no feelings, and is cold. It will stop at nothing to destroy an unfathomable love. Its jealousy knows no bounds."

I rubbed the back of my neck as uneasiness seeped into my body. I haven't felt like this since Trevor. Even years of therapy never took away that uneasiness. It lingered beneath the surface, waiting to emerge.

"How do we stop it?" Kadia asked.

"You don't. Until the two souls reunite, you won't stop the tainted soul. The souls that inhabit your child and others have been through this before. Only they can stop what's coming," Serena said.

"How do they do that?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"By not repeating the same mistakes." Serena smiled.

Kadia and I looked at each other before rushing from Serena's home. We needed to get our hands on Aunt Luna's books. I wasn't sure if Mason would let us see them, so I called Grandpa Matt.

Grandpa met us at Mason's house and knocked. Mason opened the door and looked at us.

"We need to see your ma's books," Grandpa said.

"I would have to dig through the boxes," Mason said.

"We can help."

Mason nodded, stepped aside, and let us inside. He closed the door behind us and led us to a bedroom with boxes stacked in it. "I haven't had a chance to go through my folks' things."

"I understand."

Mason nodded in response.

We moved to the boxes and started unfolding them. We searched through different boxes until we found Aunt Luna's books and flipped through them.