Soul Searcher by D.M. Richardson (novel24 .TXT) 📕

“It will relax your muscles. Make you feel better.” I didn’t have the energy to argue so I grabbed a shot glass, the salt, and a lime slice. I took the shot quickly, and it went down smoothly. It was a good bottle.

Zeke took a seat closer to me and poured his own shot. After about three I sighed and felt myself starting to relax. I took one more for good measure, and settled back to wait for it to hit my head. I only had to wait for a couple of minutes. It was a very good bottle.

“I haven’t had tequila this good in years.” I said with a contented sigh. Rob raised a brow at me while he poured a shot for himself.

“And how much tequila have you had in your seventeen years of life.” he asked suspiciously. I shrugged. I was feeling better and relaxed. I didn’t mind sharing some stories.

“Quite a bit. I lived with an alcoholic once that forced us to drink, but I also lived with a very wealthy family. They were expensive drinkers, and never locked their liquor cabinet. I was curious. The alcoholic only got us cheap whiskey.” he grunted as he put another shot back.

“So what’s this mean?” he asked gesturing to the note that was still laying on the table. I glared at the table for a moment in silence while he waited for an answer. When he realized he wasn’t going to get one he sighed. “Okay I guess to get an answer I’ll have to give one.” I looked up at him curiously so far I had managed to keep from meeting his eyes, and I wasn’t so far gone that I would slip up now.

“Do you know what Zeke did the other night?” he asked and Zeke groaned grabbing the bottle again.

“I think the stiff muscles and pounding headache will say that I do.” I answered. He shook his head.

“Yes but do you actually know what it was that he did.” I hesitated then shook my head. The concept was familiar to me, but I didn’t know exactly what it was that he had done.

“It’s called soul reading.” Zeke answered with a slight slur. I had stopped drinking but he hadn’t. Rob glared at him. I grabbed the bottle out of Zeke’s hand, and put it out of his reach.

“Yes it’s called soul reading. With a touch a soul reader can push themselves into another person’s soul and see everything that person had gone through to make them the person they are. Our past is our past, but parts of it define who we are.” I sat up straighter.

“And how can a reader do it?” I asked finally getting a few answers I had been looking for more than most of my life.

“No one knows.” I sighed and slumped back, but he continued. “But what we have figured out is that it passes down the male line of a family. The woman can’t inherit it. Only the men can.” I thought about it for a moment and turned to Zeke.

“How did you bring me with you? Is that normal?” I asked. Zeke chuckled darkly.

“No it’s not normal. It’s never happened before. And even if I had known it was possible I wouldn’t have done it if I had known I would feel like this for days afterward.” he answered.

“Now you know our little secret. It’s time you told me something about what’s going on.” Rob said. I could feel his eyes boring into the top of my head and I looked down at my hands. I sighed and sat up straighter. He was right and fair was fair.

“I don’t know what it’s called, and I haven’t been able to find anything on it…ever. But ever since I was six when I looked someone directly in the eye I could see their memories. I can‘t control it and if I try to hold it back for too long I get seizures.” I finished quickly. Rob and Zeke were staring at me. Zeke in surprise and Rob looked like his suspicions had been confirmed.

“I thought as much. There is a name for that as well. It’s called soul searching. While we have to push our way in you get pulled in. We can learn control from the time it manifests, but there is no way for you to help it.” I slumped in defeat.

“There’s not?” I asked weakly. He gave me a look full of sympathy and shook his head.

“No I’m sorry. It’s your soul’s way of becoming familiar with someone. Of deciding whether or not they can be trusted. And unfortunately what Zeke said wasn’t entirely accurate. What happened between you two isn’t unheard of. It’s just really rare. It’s what happens when one of us tries to force our way into another’s soul that has a similar ability. I didn’t warn him because I wasn’t entirely sure if you were what I suspected or if your past dictated your actions.”

“Why does it happen?” Zeke asked suddenly very interested in the explanation.

“It was Rayne’s own defenses that did it. The reason it was so hard to reach her to begin with was because it was already very well defended. When you spend your life delving into another’s soul your own builds defenses against such an attack. In some ways it will cause you to have a seizure as the soul attacks you back. But in the strongest of soul searchers it takes a more complicated route. Instead of attacking it pulled you in, and forced you to live the worst moments as if they were your own experiences. The reason she took the trip with you was her own soul‘s way of alerting her to what you were doing.”

“You know a lot about this. Did you do it to someone else?” I asked. His expression turned to one of embarrassment.

“Yes. She was a very good friend of mine, but she kept me at a distance. My curiosity was killing me. So one day I took her hand. I went through her life with her, and by the end she was fit to be tied. She didn’t talk to me for a couple years.”

“How long do the aftereffects last?”

“Three days. By the day after tomorrow you’ll feel like new.” I nodded and grabbed the note. I didn’t read it. I knew what it said by heart.

I know what you are.

“Who could know?” I whispered.

“Is there anyone significant that you’ve searched since you’ve been here?” Rob asked. I shook my head.

“No the ones I have didn’t know it and I never said anything to alert anyone.”

“Then I don’t know. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you go home and get some rest. I’ll make a phone call and see if I can’t find someone to help you. Take the bottle with you I have another one.” I nodded and slipped the bottle into the inside pocket of my jacket. It fit perfectly and if I held my arms just the right way you couldn’t tell it was there.

I walked home, and wasn’t intercepted as I made my way up to my room. I hid the bottle under my bed and changed my clothes. I fell asleep quickly completely exhausted.

The next day I woke up and rolled over to look at the clock. I blinked a few times to clear my vision. When I was finally able to see through my headache I gasped and jumped out of bed. I stood still clutching my head from the sudden movement. It was after ten o’clock I was very, very late for school. I went down stairs and found Sara in the kitchen washing the dishes from breakfast. She looked over at me and smiled. Not exactly the response I was expecting.

“What happened?” I asked in exasperation.

“I turned your alarm clock off last night. You just seemed so tired and sick I thought you could use a day off.” I sighed and leaned back against the counter. I nodded and went back up to bed.

A couple hours later there was a soft knock on the door. It sounded like a sonic doom to me. I sat up just as Rob walked in.

I blinked at him in question and he looked at me in sympathy. He looked down at the floor to see the liquor bottle peeking out from under my bed. I had only risked a shot here and there, because Sara kept coming in to check on me. I looked up at him miserably.

“I thought you said it would get better.” I accused softly. He walked in and sat down in the desk chair.

“The last day is always the worst, but by tomorrow you’ll feel like it never happened.”

“I hope so because if it doesn’t I’m coming after you.” I said weakly. He chuckled softly.

“Come on. Get up and get dressed I have someone you really need to talk to.” I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head. He chuckled again and I felt him stand. “I know, but it’s important. I know you can do it.”

“Fine” I muttered into the pillow and I heard him leave closing the door softly behind him. I grunted as I got out of bed and made my way to my closet. I grabbed random clothes and dressed blindly. I slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed the bottle from under my bed. I slipped it into my jacket and stumbled my way out of the house. Rob had already given Sara an excuse for my absence.

I walked into their house without bothering to knock. They were expecting me so I didn’t bother with manners for the first time in my life. Well the second as I didn’t care much for manners when I had stormed in the day before.

I found them in the living room and collapsed on the couch as far from Zeke as I could get since he was sitting on the other side of the couch. I pulled the tequila out and drank straight from the bottle. Zeke had a bottle of his own at his feet. He had his head laying on his arm and his eyes were closed. I studied him with narrowed eyes. His muscles were relaxed and his breathing was deep. He was sound asleep.

I reached over and smacked his shoulder. He jumped and turned bleary eyes on me.

“Wake up!” I snapped he winced at the loud sound of my voice and it made my head pound as well, but at that moment I felt it was worth it.

I heard a female voice chuckle and I turned to see a woman about Rob’s age sitting in one of the recliners. She had light brown hair that was just starting to turn gray, and a lot of laugh lines. She wore a light blue business suit that brought out her eyes.

It took a moment for me to realize I was making eye contact with her. I dropped my eyes, but not before I saw her pupils dilate completely. She gasped and her smile was replace by a look of pity.

“Oh you poor thing.” she whispered reaching for me. I pushed back into the couch out of reflex. I never like to