Immortal Souls (The Immortal Souls: Magic & Chaos)

Chapter 38

An entire month had passed by without a single strange occurrence. Life went on as it would have if Sam had been a completely average eighteen year old high school student.

Which was why she felt on edge.

The attacks on her had been happening on and off for her entire life. Over the past couple of years, they had stuck to a bi-weekly schedule. But the attack on Jamie was the last run in she'd had with any form of Hunter.

She knew that her Magic was strong enough to shield Jamie from Vampire Hunters, which explained why there had been no more attacks against him. But all the bad guys knew where she lived, and even though they couldn't step foot inside her house, they had in the past—on more than one occasion—caught her outside of it. So she knew they could get to her, and was confused by the fact that they hadn't tried.

Jack was keeping a look out for any activity from them during the day, while Jamie slept and Sam was at school. Not that she'd been able to pay all that much attention in her classes, due to the overwhelming dread that knotted at her stomach when she thought of what was surely coming.

The locker next to hers slammed shut loudly, causing her to jump slightly and shake herself out of her own thoughts. She peered around the locker door, looking towards Elliot who was now on his way to class.

His silhouette grew darker the further away from her he moved, and as she watched him go, his shadow growing darker than was possible with each step he took, her mind was transported back to her time at the library, where she had encountered those strange shadows. She shook her head, willing those thoughts away as she turned back to her locker.

Something about Elliot always brought her mind to dark places. It was one of the reasons why she always went out of her way to ignore him whenever he was around.

With a sigh, she threw her math book into her locker, exchanging it for the ones she needed for English.

"Sam!"

Sam turned sharply to find Scott standing behind her, watching her with that expression again. This can't be going anywhere good, she thought warily. Scott looked down at his shoes, his hands nervously fidgeting with the end of his hoodie. "Um, I was just wondering if you're going to the dance with anyone?"

Sam sighed tiredly. I knew this wasn't going anywhere good. "I'm not going to the dance," she said firmly, hoping that Scott could just leave the conversation at that.

He didn't.

"Would you go with me?" he asked.

Sam sighed again, this time more impatiently. She hated when he did this. Why couldn't he just hate her and go be with someone else? "Scott," she said. He gazed at her hopefully. "We broke up almost two years ago."

"Yeah," he said. "I know. But I was still kinda hoping that maybe we could un-breakup."

Sam looked at him sadly. Of course she still had all of those feelings for him. Which was exactly why she couldn't be with him. She shook her head. "You could do so much better than me."

"But there is no one better than you."

Sam instantly looked away, deciding she'd rather stare at the footprint smudges on the linoleum rather than at Scott's sad expression. Why does he always do this?

She heard him sigh dejectedly. "Does this have anything to do with that guy?"

Sam looked at him in confusion. "What guy?"

Scott scowled. Which was honestly the angriest expression she'd ever seen him wear. "Sam, I know about the guy." Sam gave him the same confused expression. He elaborated, "The guy that you've been hanging around with . . . He meets you outside of school every day."

"Oh," Sam said and quirked an amused smile when she realised he was talking about Jamie. Sam didn't really consider him to be a guy. He was just . . . Jamie.

"That guy." Sam shook her head. " . . . No, it has nothing to do with him."

"So he's not your boyfriend?"

Sam laughed despite the fact that she was vexed by the idea that anyone could think she was with Jamie. "No."

"Well, then who is he?"

"He's just a guy." Sam shrugged. "That's it."

Scott gave Sam a scrupulous look. "That's it?" he asked, as if he found that hard to believe. "You're not, like, best-friends? You haven't been on a date . . . nothing?" Sam shook her head. "Well, then why do you spend so much time together? Madison told me that he's at your house almost every day."

"You have Madison spying on me?" Sam asked in angry disbelief.

Scott looked taken aback. As if he hadn't realised that he'd said that last part. "No." He shook his head. "It's not like that. You know the way Madison is. She feels the need to know everything, and tell everyone about it."

Sam sighed. "We're not friends. We've never been on a date. We've never kissed. We've never even hugged. I don't even know why I'm telling you this." She gave him a sombre look. "We're not together anymore, Scott. I don't have to explain myself to you."

Scott turned his face away. "I know," he said sadly.

Sam sighed, thinking that she should say something just to make him feel better. "I'm just helping him with some stuff. That's it."

Scott looked at Sam curiously. "What kind of stuff?"

"You know . . . just . . . stuff."

His eyes were wide with disappointment and sadness.

Sam let a sigh of exasperation. She really hated when he did this.

"I don't like him like that, so can we just drop it?"

Scott paused thoughtfully for a moment, then sighed as he decided to drop the conversation. "Are you going to Madison's on Halloween?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know."

Scott nodded. "Okay, well maybe I'll see you there?"

She forced a smile and nodded slightly. He was still trying to push her, but asking if she was going to a party was better than the countless times he'd asked her out directly. "Maybe," Sam answered as she closed her locker door. "I'm late for English."

"See ya 'round," Scott said with his ever hopeful smile, as Sam walked away.