Forgotten Souls (The Saving Angels 2)

The back of my foot was run over twice by shoppers not paying attention and I had to put a restraining hand on Mark's arm when a guy around our age dropped a two liter bottle of soda on my foot and didn't acknowledge it at all. "It's fine," I said, bending down to pick up the offending bottle of Mountain Dew and placing it back on the shelf.

Needless to say, by the time Mark pulled out of the parking lot, I wasn’t feeling overly thrilled about the store.

"Well that was a nightmare," Mark said, finally sounding like himself.

I let out a burst of laughter, relieved that at least he was acting normal again. "Um, that's putting it mildly. I can't believe people subject themselves to that torture every week. We would starve if that was our only option," I added jokingly.

"Good thing we're junk food junkies," Mark said, grabbing onto my hand as he steered the vehicle with his other.

"Yep, guess so. It will be nothing but burgers and chocolate for us every single night," I declared.

"And pizza," Mark added.

"And French fries," I threw in for good measure.

The rest of the drive was lighthearted as we bantered back and forth, throwing more and more junk food onto our list. My fears on the drive out seemed silly and immature. Mark obviously just needed a little space to process things without me throwing in my own insecurities into the mix.

Relieved to be back, we arrived at Mark's house to find a white Suburban sitting in Mark's usual spot. We both climbed out apprehensively. It was a surreal experience to know that we were about to meet others like us.

"Well, here we go," Mark said, linking his fingers through mine as we headed up the front walk.

I was surprised that the house was as quiet as a tomb as we opened the front door. Puzzled, I glanced at Mark who had tensed up at the silence. He even stepped in front of me protectively as we cautiously walked toward the living room, hyperaware of our surroundings.

I ran into his back when he halted abruptly in front of me.

I prepared myself for whatever danger awaited us. Frightened of what I was going to see, I peeked around Mark's back. I couldn't help the gasp of surprise that left my lips.

Chapter 14

One of the bands had arrived, and they were unlike anything I could have ever imagined. They weren't as imposing as Haniel, but they definitely projected an aura of greatness. They portrayed the very definition of unity as they stood together. To place their age would have been difficult. They had the builds of our youth, but the maturity of a wiser and older generation. They stood together as one. My friends, on the other hand, were scattered around the living room, looking disjointed.

The women were by far the most beautiful I had ever seen. Their hair shimmered in the light that streamed through the French doors. Though they were different heights and builds, they all shared the same honey-colored skin that made them look every bit their Angelic role. The men on the other hand looked like warriors from a gladiator movie. Their builds were broad with bodies that looked like they had been carved out of marble by a talented artist. Perhaps their greatest assets were the adoring ways they looked at their Soul Mates others. There was no question who belonged to who.

"Ah Krista, Mark, you have arrived. Come, let me introduce you to everyone. This is Amelia and her Protector, Paul," Haniel said, pointing to the first couple. "And this is Jenna and her Protector, Keith, Kieran and her Protector, John, and Grace and her Protector, Thomas," he said, rattling off the rest of the names. My head spun trying to keep the pairs matched up as I nodded to each of them.

"Hi," I said, bewildered at the atmosphere in the room. I tested the waters, trying to get a sense of it, but it was like the feelings in the room had been snuffed out. My own bewilderment began to fade as I felt the alien blanket of passiveness creeping over me.

Trying to fight it off, I struggled to push it back. My attempts felt feeble, compared against theirs, and I felt my own emotions retreating. I should have been pissed that they overtook me so thoroughly, but I couldn’t seem to muster enough emotion to care, as I sunk down on the couch next to Sam.

"You are witnessing what a united, experienced band can accomplish. As you can see, it can be highly effective when properly administrated," Haniel said.

At his words the blanket left us and my emotions became my own again. Though they were like us, I couldn’t help feeling exposed by their easy access to my inner feelings.

"Ugh, well I didn't like that at all," Sam said, breaking the silence.

One of the women from the other band laughed. "No, it's not pleasant as a Guide to have your feelings tampered with. I hated this exercise when Haniel used to make us practice it with the more experienced bands."

Her words broke the rest of the silence in the room, and soon questions were flying back and forth. Our band seemed to fascinate them, and they peppered us with questions.

"So, how exactly did all of you find each other?" Amelia, the quietest of the band asked.

"We felt the pull of the city," Lynn said. "Each of us had a chain of events that led us here."

"Do you feel disjointed with the absence of the missing pair?" Jenna, the more outspoken one of the band asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Shawn asked.

"When our band is separated we feel the absence like a gaping wound. It's as if a crucial piece of a puzzle is missing. We prefer it when our band is not far apart," she said.