Soul Keepers (Editing) #Wattys2020

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Millie shook her head. She would have loved to unload all her problems on someone. Have them tell her what to do, but there was too much crap in her life to allow that.

“Well you’re young; you still have your entire life ahead of you to worry about things so much. Things always fall into place when it needs to. Just don’t let that stop you from living. The best moments in life are the ones we’re present for.”

“Thanks Mrs. Burge.”

The older woman nodded, and walked over to Millie surrounding her in a warm, fruity scented hug “Don’t worry honey, everything will fine.”

"I hope so," she returned as Mrs. Burge picked up her mug, cradling it in her hand before returning to her room.

She'd said it so honestly that Millie knew that she had believed it, but she wasn’t all that young, even if she did have an endless future to think about.  Slowly she sipped the warm liquid her gaze once again casting on the white blanketing the backyard.

*  *  *  *  *

The light musky scent of aged paper that surrounded her in the belly of the college library. It was a familiar scent that she had grown very accustomed to and gave her moderate comfort. The pale light filtering in from the stained glass window bathed her in a soft glow. Millie poured over the mountains of books that she was buried among that filled the tabletop, until her eyes felt scratchy and grainy.

Leaning back, she ran her hands down her face and let out a low groan. Her fingers dug into her tense neck muscles, feelings of hunger creeping up on her. With a glance at her watch she realized that it was almost midnight and she had worked through dinner. For two days now she’d been coming here after her classes and searching for the answers to her questions. She didn’t really want to attend her classes, but she needed to blend into the student population and missing classes would have just added suspicion to her.

Yawning deeply, she pressed her fingers into the eyes, rubbing lightly before she resumed her reading.

It was bare ten minutes later when nausea gripped her tightly and refused to let go. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, unable to see anything but a blurry mess in front of her. She gripped the edge of the table tightly until her knuckles turned white, inhaling and exhaling deeply hoping to stop the strings from tugging at her mind.

She hated when he called her. Knew what it meant when he did. She could and did usually fight off his call--even if is was a futile effort--but she'd let herself get too tired to do so.

A headache throbbed in her skull and she stumbled away from her table with her eyes still closed, fighting off the sick feeling overcoming her. She wouldn’t risk the vision, not until she was away from anyone—though she hadn’t sensed anyone for hours now. On instinct she maneuvered between towering shelves, hidden in the limited light and let herself succumb to him.

“Hello Milliana,” his voice slithered over her skin draining her of all warmth.  

Reluctantly she opened her eyes and was immediately met by his emotionless gaze. There was a smile on his handsome face, and his intense light blue eyes raked her body from head to toe. His dark hair was short and spiky, his face shadowed in the darkness, but no less handsome—he had high cheekbones and a lush mouth—his long limbs and wide shoulders hidden beneath a leather jacket and dark jeans.

Millie took a step back in retreat and a crooked smiled twisted on his lips. He’d brought her here—though she wasn’t exactly sure where here was—not in body but in spirit. It was called Spirit Calling, and it was where she would remain for as long as he decided to hold her. It never lasted long, five minutes at most, but those minutes ticked slowly and painfully by, churning revolt in her stomach.