The raid continued to go on as planned. The windowless van would pull inconspicuously into a grocery store parking lot. I would then hop out of the van and go shopping, piling my cart high with food I knew would keep. As always, it felt much too easy. Other souls would pleasantly flash smiles in my direction and sometimes even strike up genuinely friendly conversation as I meandered through the store. I reciprocated the kindness and pleasantries easily, feeling at ease among my own kind. I would then unload my spoils into the back of the van where the four people I loved most in the universe awaited my return.
Despite the simplicity of it all, Ian's attitude was unalterable. Every single time I left the car Ian's face would tighten with worry and his entire body took on a tense posture. Mel told me how he would peer out the window intently, waiting eagerly for my return. Ian wouldn't relax until he could see me walking back safely. He would jump at the smallest of noises. And it was getting worse. The farther we traveled north, the more anxious Ian became. Everyone was beginning to notice it.
One night I finally broke down and asked him about it.
He responded defensively, "You can't expect me not to worry Wanda... I mean look at yourself."
"Hey, what does that mean?" I retorted quickly.
"If something were to happen to you, what would you do? Your body isn't strong enough to fight anyone off," he said matter of factly.
"Fight anyone off? Ian, don't be silly. Fight isn't a word souls understand," I said softly, trying to placate the worry burning through his midnight eyes. I traced my hand wordlessly along his face, allowing my palm to warmly cup his cheek. His hand wrapped around mine, holding my hand to his face as I caressed it gently.
"But what if it's something else? What if you run into a human who doesn't have any idea who you are?" Ian whispered worriedly.
"Ian the chances of that happening are impossibly small. No lone human in their right mind would walk into a grocery store full of souls in the middle of the day. You're being ridiculous," I said gently. He was silent for a few minutes, his eyes fixed on the ground.
I placed my other hand on his face so that it was being held between them and looked deeply into his eyes.
"Ian, what's wrong? You've been on raids with me before and you have never acted this way. Sure, you've been worried but not to the extent you are now. What are you thinking?" I said softly.
"I don't know..." he trailed, "... I am just not getting a good feeling about this raid. Every time you leave, I'm terrified you won't come back, terrified that I am going to lose you. I know it is entirely ridiculous, but for some reason I feel like there is something I should be worried about... I just don't know what yet."
"Ian O'Shea," I said confidently, drawing his attention with the use of his full name, "I am not going anywhere. Even if something were to happen, I would do everything in the world to come back to you. I promise." To this Ian responded with a heavy sigh and simply pulled me closer to him. That was the end of that conversation.
The trip continued to be uneventful despite Ian's relentless worrying. Today in particular was a cool, cloudy day. As I took a deep breath I noticed how alive the cool air made me feel. I slipped on a thick coat as I stepped out of the car and walked into the store, business as usual. I grabbed a cart and I was off. My body stepped into a pattern of walking easily through the aisles and getting what we needed.
I got to a particular row where all the canned goods were and spotted exactly what I was looking for: soup. A big flat of canned soup sat on the top shelf, only slightly out of my reach. I feebly attempted to lift up my arms to grab the flat, part of me already knowing that it would be a wasted effort. Even if I had been able to reach the flat, I would be in danger of dropping it on my head when the flat was so precariously located.
"Can I help you with that?" an unfamiliar voice asked sweetly. I turned around, smile already in place to greet the soul who had offered to assist me.
"That would be great, thanks!" I said pleasantly. The face the unfamiliar voice belonged to was striking. He had harsh, defined features with dark, pointed eyebrows and a mess of dark brown hair on his head. His skin seemed unnaturally pale. His eyes were a piercing black color, the glimmer of a soul shimmering faintly beneath the darkness. He easily grabbed the flat of soup and loaded it into my shopping cart.
"No problem," he said in return, a goofy smile spread across his face. A look of concern flitted across his face as he met my eyes. I noticed a spark of recognition as he timidly asked,"Do I... know you?"
A cold fear crept through my mind. Did this strange soul know who I was? Or more accurately, did he recognize Pet's body? He did not stir any of Pet's old memories which I still retained. Aside from his dramatic features that were unlike many others I had met, there was nothing significant about this stranger. There was, however, something odd about him. It wasn't anything necessarily bad, he was just as pleasant and caring as any other soul I had met along this trip. It wasn't necessarily human either. It was something... other. Something about the way his smile stretched across his entire face. There was some sort of spark in his eyes... something vibrant and wild that I couldn't quite place my finger on. This was a moment I wish Mel was still here in my head, here able to see what I see and tell me what she thought about this unusual man.
"I...I'm afraid not," I stuttered, trying to pass of my fear as confusion. I added a small smile on the end of my sentence.
"I'm Matthew," he said with his too wide smile, offering his hand out. I took it and shook slowly.
"I'm Crystal Spires," I said quietly, giving him a generic name from the bears.
"It's nice to meet you," he said warmly. Much too warmly. He nodded to nothing in particular, a slight crease in his eyebrows almost as if he didn't believe me. I fought the urge to back away from him, a feeling of discomfort filling my mind. I simply nodded and let my body language do the rest of the talking, positioning myself to walk away, sending him one more half smile. He picked up on the cue and continued on his way. I let out a small sigh of relief that he hadn't pressed me for conversation.
I returned to the van and tried to remain as casual as possible. I didn't want to give Ian any reason to be worrying about me, as it probably was nothing.
"Hey guys," I said happily, plastering a smile on my face as I opened up the back of the van that was parked in the farthest corner of the lot. I tried to avoid eye contact, knowing that would give me away almost instantly if either Mel or Ian saw.
"Hey Wanda, did you bring back anything good?" Jamie asked excitedly. I absentmindedly tossed him a bag of M&Ms.
"Thanks Wanda, you're the best!" he said, catching the bag in midair. I also passed around sandwiches I had picked up for lunch.
I thought I was doing pretty well, answering the usual questions of how the shopping was and what food I picked up. It wasn't until we were a few miles away from the grocery store that I dared look up to read the expressions around me. Jared was driving the van, not at all looking in my direction. Jamie was chattering along, not noticing that anything was amiss. Ian and Mel, on the other hand, had noticed despite my efforts. Mel work a half smirk, probably laughing at my attempt to conceal my thoughts from her, but concern colored her eyes. Ian was nothing but worried, his eyes tight. I finally scooted next to him as he pulled me into his lap.
"Wanda, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" he whispered gently into my ear, his hand reaching up to gently stroke my hair.
"I'm fine Ian," I said flatly, trying to hide the lie and failing miserably. Ian chuckled.
"I don't believe that for a second, honey," he replied sweetly, nothing but concern coloring his voice. It was this naked, honest care that convinced me to break down and tell him. I couldn't really hide anything from Ian. I knew that. It came out in a jumble of words, as I quickly explained my encounter with the odd soul that had made me feel so uncomfortable. The entire car fell silent, listening to my story.
"Do you think he was a seeker?" Jared finally asked from the front when I had finished. Straightforward, down to business. That's just how Jared was.
"No, no. I don't think so," I said quickly, "He wasn't nearly... pushy enough for that. He was just trying to be helpful. He just struck me as... strange."
"Are you sure you have no idea who he is?" Mel questioned.
"None at all. I mean I can try looking, but as far as I know he didn't stir any of Pet's memories..." I trailed off.
My words hung heavily in the car. No one was comfortable over the fact that someone may have recognized me. The last thing we needed were Seekers going out and looking for Pet, especially so long after she had been missing.
The day passed on. We decided against staying at a hotel that night. Jared decided we would put some distance between us and the soul, just in case Matthew was a serious threat. We stopped at a gas station and I switched into the drivers seat, ready to drive the next portion of the trip. Ian took shotgun to keep me company, while Mel, Jamie, and Jared slept soundly in the back.
The night was quiet. The sky was a purple, violet color: the color before a rainstorm. Excitement welled in my chest. I loved the rain. Or more appropriately, this host loved the rain and I couldn't help but agree. I loved watching fat drops of water fall from the sky and soak into the earth. Unlike home, the rain here didn't disappear into the dry, thirsty ground never to appear again. Here the rain seemed to feed the vibrant life around us. Great, big trees with large, green foliage became more common the farther north we drove.
Ian held my hand sweetly as we watched the world pass by. There were no other cars on the road besides us. The pavement moved quickly beneath the wheels of the van. We fell into easy conversation. Ian told me about life before the invasion. I loved hearing his stories; his voice always took on a dreamy quality and he would gaze into the distance, lost in another time. His thumb softly stroking my hand was the only sign that gave away that he was still present in the car.
"... and then there was this one time when Kyle got up into the rafters of the gymnasium during a school assembly and dropped a whole bucket of frogs intended for dissection in the middle of the room. You should have seen Mrs. Brown's face when one landed right on her chest and fell down her shirt," Ian paused to catch his breath because he was laughing so hard.
I lifted hand to wipe away the tears streaming down my face, unable to stop the laughter shaking my entire body while fighting to stay quiet and not wake the sleeping passengers in the back. Finally the laughing subsided. I looked over at Ian to see his handsome smile and brilliant eyes looking fondly at me.
Out of my peripheral vision a light caught my eye. I glanced over to see a car fast approaching us. The car had its brights on, shining a harsh light across the road. This was unusual, as I was going right at the speed limit and souls generally followed the rules. Unless it was a seeker. Cold fear leaked into my veins.
"Ian.." I murmured worriedly. He instantly caught on but a minute too late.
The car was zipping past us, passing us on the two lane highway. The bright headlights reflected off the rear view mirror and into both mine and Ian's eyes. My eyes reflected brightly, casting their glow before me. Ian's eyes were merely blinded by the light, without any sort of reflection as only human eyes could be.
I looked over to the soul who was driving the vehicle to see that dreadful, maniacal grin staring back at me. I locked eyes with Matthew and felt my heart shattering into millions of tiny pieces.
A/N So I'm back. It's pretty exciting. As always I would love to hear your thoughts. - Bae