The Soulkeepers

Chapter 37: Reconciliation

Jacob squirms in the uncomfortable chair. Auriel stands in front of him, smiling, what looks like an apple pie in her left hand, a fork in her right. The smell is delicious, spicy and sweet. The air is warm like she's just pulled the dish from the oven.

Her bare knees brush his, her little plaid skirt just inches away from him, her blouse stretched tight over her chest. He tries to reach forward, to touch her, but his hands won't move; they are tied to the chair behind his back.

Auriel places one high-heeled black boot on the seat between his legs.

"Where do you think you're going, Jacob? You can't leave now. I've got something for you." She scoops up a bite of the pie.

He opens his mouth and she spoons it in. At first it tastes sweet, sweeter than pie should taste, but he hardly notices. Her closeness demands his full attention.

Then the bite in his mouth moves. He spits it onto the floor and looks at the pie in Auriel's hand. Under the crust, it isn't apple at all. In the hole where she has pulled up the first bite, the pie is alive. Maggots bubble up and crawl across the fork. Maggots move in his mouth, tasting sickeningly sweet.

He spits again and yells for her to stop. She laughs and scoops up another bite.

* * * * *

Jacob woke spitting into his pillow, relieved that the knocking on his door had interrupted the nightmare.

"Everything okay in there?" John asked.

"Bad dream. Everything's fine."

"Time to get going, Jacob. You're going to be late for school."

"Okay," he yelled back. In fifteen minutes, he was dressed in a long-sleeve black waffle-knit shirt and jeans. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and headed for the door.

"No breakfast, Jacob?" Aunt Carolyn asked as he walked past the pine table.

"I'm not hungry." Dream or not, he could still taste the maggots in his mouth.

"Okay. Don't forget, this weekend is the Pumpkin Chuck. We want to take you, so don't make any other plans."

"Sure," he replied and walked out the door into the fall wind. Aunt Carolyn was nicer to him since Katrina moved away. Katrina never called from school and he was sure the change of heart had everything to do with Aunt Carolyn having an empty nest. He didn't mind. It was nice having one less person hate him in Paris.

He jumped into Big Blue and headed toward town. The road was lined with deciduous trees celebrating their last waking days with leaves of red, gold, and chestnut. Fall in Paris was beautiful. It was the first time he'd seen trees change like this, and it was almost worth the cold.

Pulling into the school parking lot, he was surprised to see Malini standing in front of his usual spot. It looked like she was waiting for him.

"Malini?" he said hopefully as he got out of his truck.

She held up her hand and the stainless steel heart glinted in the sun.

"You know, I don't go out there every day, Jacob." She grinned.

"Wait ... You are talking to me and wearing my bracelet. Does this mean you forgive me?"

She paused, her face serious. "This means I will forgive you as soon as you uphold your end of the bargain and tell me everything."

"Deal. After school today." He reached out and caught the silver heart between his fingers. "It looks beautiful on you. Happy birthday."

"Thanks." She smiled a genuine Malini smile that made him feel like the weight of the world was finally off of his shoulders. It was the kind of smile that made everything good again and, as they walked toward the school, life felt normal for the first time in a long time.