Soul Stones

Chapter 1

I do not own the cover, but the story is mine. All the characters are mine. Please don't steal or copy any part of it. Why? Because legal jargon, that's why.

Some said the human race was playing with fire, and in more ways than one I was tempted to agree. What we were doing was unnatural. Inhuman. Immoral.

This knowledge did not stop a single person in my group of 87 from fidgeting in excitement, not even feeling the cold chill of wind that roared through the cave. I might have been the only one who huddled into myself, arms crossed over my middle to try and conserve body heat. No one else seemed to notice the temperature had plummeted since leaving the sun warmed air outside, but then I was one of the unlucky ones. I had been pushing up the back of our class, lingering behind the others, and had been one of the last to enter the cave as a result. Because of this, I couldn't find a spot on dry ground and resorted to following up the stream of ice cold water that rushed down from somewhere deep in the cavern and covered my sneakers well past my ankles.

I was also a bit more reserved than the others about what we were doing here. Not quite as okay with it as the majority. I was planning to give up my humanity, after all. I quite liked my humanity.

My eyes glanced around in the dim light in awe. It looked like we were standing in a giant multicolored geode. Stones of all sizes glimmered and shined, every color of the rainbow dancing in a symphony of colors. Even I couldn't pretend I wasn't excited about this, loss of humanity aside. This was a rebirth. Thousands of people had stood in my shoes before me, and millions would after. We were the lucky ones. We were given a chance at something greater. The world didn't have much use for humans anymore, anyway. It would be a great catastrophe to fail now, after having come so far. I had been trained since childhood, since the moment it was discovered that I was a little smarter than the average person.

The older werewolf who led our group into this cave lifted a purple rock about the size of his fist above his head, waving it for all to see. "This is a Soulstone." His voice boomed and echoed. It was an unnecessary announcement. We all knew what it was, but I tipped my head to the side and studied it like a good student. Mr. Cedric wasn't my favorite teacher, but his knowledge in the matter at hand begrudgingly forced my respect. And we all respected his short temper.

Plus, he might say something vital, some secret he could only share within the dim light of this cave. I wanted to be privy to that secret.

I had heard about the Stones my entire life, but this was the first time I had ever seen one. It was likely the first time any of us had. And maybe the only time, too. I couldn't help feeling a little...disappointed. The one he held was kind of dull. Like an amethyst that had tarnished; lost its luster. It was large, though, as Soulstones go. Most were only the size of a golf ball. Whoever got accepted by this stone would be very powerful.

"You are here because you are considered the best." He continued repeating what we had been told relentlessly since elementary school. "Smarter than the average human. Faster. We have seen something in each and every one of you that leads us to believe you are a good candidate for the Bonding. In each one these," he lifted the innocuous purple stone a little higher, "is the soul of a Shadow Wolf. In a fashion much like what the humans call reincarnation, they are reborn in a never-ending cycle within these stones."

A shoulder brushed against mine and broke my concentration. I subtly glanced to my left to catch Micah, my self-proclaimed best friend roll his eyes in my direction. His blonde brushed over his eyes. I barely contained the urge to brush it out of the way. How did he see anything through that veil of yellow?

I smiled at him and shrugged, but I understood his frustration. We knew all of this already. Couldn't we just get on with it? Apparently not.

He continued. "If you feel a pull to a particular stone, go to it. Pick it up. Give it a chance to analyze your soul. If it likes what it feels, and if you are lucky, it will choose you as a soul partner and you will become one."