The Soul Catcher (Harry Styles)

18 - Twins Just Mean Double Work

"Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it's enough."

- Robert Heller

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"Did you take Ada inside?" I asked Elaine once we crossed over to Shimmerland.

We didn't rush the twins to the Council hall, but let them take in the beauty of this place instead.

Elaine nodded. "They don't know what to do with her yet, said they want to get her into prep school with some other kids."

I mused about that idea for a minute. "Sounds okay. I mean, she said herself that she never got a full education. I'm quite curious to learn what they'll do with the twins."

"Do we always have to get inside with the souls we catch?" Elaine asked, sitting down on the grass.

After a moment, I sat down cross-legged beside her. "No. I only once went inside with a little girl, her name was Hannah. She wasn't that much older than Ada, actually."

"Good. For a moment, I was really pissed," Elaine admitted, her fingers playing with the soft grass.

"Why?" I watched her as she plucked some daisies and braided them.

"I thought you had just abandoned me." She bit her bottom lip and looked to her left, avoiding my eyes.

I took her chin in my fingers and turned her head back to me, forcing her eyes to meet with mine. "I know you still haven't forgiven me for dragging you across the bridge, but one day you'll see it was better this way."

Elaine shook her head, escaping my grip. "No, no. It is better, I get it. On earth I could do what I wanted to do, but I was alone. Now I at least have you, even when you're a cocky arsehole most of the time."

My lips twitched and I fought the smile that threatened to appear. Not even denying her words, I simply shrugged. "You're quite a bitch sometimes."

She looked down to the braided daisies in her hands and continued her work effortlessly. "I know. I don't mean to be, but sometimes it's just easier this way, you know?"

I nodded, finally feeling like I did actually understand her. It was self-defence, an act of not getting hurt. "See it like this; you know all the things you've learned on earth, but you're even wiser now. It's a fresh start somewhere else, where literally no one knows you."

"It's peace and love," she added, a small smile on her lips.

I sighed in relief. We were finally getting somewhere. "What's on your mind?" I tried, wanting to know what really was bothering her.

Elaine kept staring at her fingers. I watched her braiding both ends of the line, making a flower crown. Not flinching back, I let her put it on my head. "Pretty," she complimented, "the white of the daisies harmonises perfectly with your brown hair."

I smiled at her and put a hand on her forearm. "Elaine, you can talk to me when something's bothering you, okay?"

Her eyes flickered up to mine. "I know, but I guess it's nothing. Like, I'm not really sure if it really happened. Maybe I've just imagined it."

"Imagined what?" I pressed.

Before she could answer, one of the twins stopped in front of us. I couldn't tell who was who, so I simply decided it was Ernesto.

"We want to see our sister," he said.

I looked back at Elaine. Although she was smiling, I could tell that it was forced. She nodded her head towards the twins, urging me to carry on.