Cheating Heart, A Lost Souls Novel: A Lost Souls Novel (16 page)

“What is it you want to show me?” Vienna asked, waiting for some sort of answer or sign.  Something or someone had led her here for a reason.
Vienna closed her eyes and listened to the water.  The more she concentrated on it, the louder and clearer it grew.  She opened her eyes and the fog had lifted slightly.  She hoped that the ghost was giving her an answer by thinning out the fog.  Still in a crouching position, she gently waved her hands trying to shoo the rest of it away.  With an odd roll, the white cloud of vapor slithered away from her in a wave like motion. That’s when she saw it.  Her stomach lurched into her chest and she suddenly felt sick.  A man with light brown hair and pale white skin was lying in the water, directly in front of where she was kneeling.  She was within arm’s reach of him. 

Vienna jumped back and landed on her bottom. 
Water quickly soaked through her sweatpants.  Struggling, she splashed about while trying to find her balance to stand up on the slippery algae covered rocks.  Once up, she stared at the man.  He was unmoving.  She could see large smooth rocks beside and beneath him.  His head was turned to the side and covered in blood.  Vienna couldn’t see his face and was grateful it was pointed in the opposite direction.  She reached for him and did the first thing that came to mind.  She felt his neck for a pulse.  Not that she knew exactly where to check, but she’d seen it in movies and felt she had to do something.  She couldn’t just leave him there.  The man was ice cold to the touch.  And she was pretty sure he was dead.  But she’d hate to leave him if he wasn’t.  What if he was still alive?  He might just be unconscious. 

“Hey,” she said, “sir, hello?”  She gripped his shoulder and tried shaking it.  “Are you okay?” she asked.  “I’m here to help you
… Sir?”  She shook him a little harder hoping to wake him up if he’d been knocked unconscious.  Then she wondered if she’d be strong enough to pull him out of the water. 

Pro
bably not,
she surmised. 
He’d be way too heavy.
 

“Please, wake up,” Vienna pleaded
desperately.  “You’re too heavy for me to lift and I don’t want to leave you here.  Come on…”  She hadn’t realized just how hard she’d been shaking the man until his head rolled towards her and she caught sight of his vacant sky blue eyes.   

“Oh
my God!” Vienna screeched while lurching backward.  Her feet slipped on the rocks.  She stumbled a bit, but was able to catch herself before falling back into the water.  She then glanced at her hands in horror.  They were red and sticky with the man’s blood just like in her nightmare.

The
trickling water current of the creek was lapping in small waves against the side of the man’s body. Vienna shivered, but not from the cold as she stood ankle deep in the shallow water.  Grimacing, she turned and began to scramble back into the vegetation to escape the creek.  She didn’t want to spend a moment longer near the dead man.  She wanted to go home.  Where the hell was Jack when she needed him? 

T
he fog began to close in on her as if it was trying to keep her from leaving.  Vienna’s moccasins were sinking in the mud, slowing her down.  She grabbed a handful of thick grass-like plants in front of her, to help pull her forward when the tall dark haired man she’d been following earlier, appeared.  He towered over her.  His dark menacing eyes stared into hers.  His mouth was pulled into a tight grim line. 

“What do you want from me?” Vienna asked. 

He clutched hold of her wrist with an ice cold hand and squeezed.  Telepathically Vienna knew the man’s name.  It echoed in her head.  His name was Roberto.  He was a murderer.  Filled with terror, Vienna screamed.

***

Jack was getting restless.  Where was James?  He should’ve been here by now.  He wasn’t going to wait any longer.  He needed to do something, Vienna was in trouble.  Lifting his hand, he prepared to strike the ghost with a blast of energy when something stopped him. 

“Do not interfere,” Clarisse’s voice echoed telepathically in his ears.  Jack turned his head in surprise as she appeared next to him.
  Her silky blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders and gleamed a soft beige and the long white dress lit up the world around her in the otherwise dark dismal surroundings. 

“Vienna needs my help.” 

“Not yet,” Clarisse said.  “She’s strong.”

“He’s hurting her.”
Jack raised his hand and Clarisse gently put her hand over his, stopping him. 

“She cannot learn if you prevent her.”

“This isn’t written into her chart,” Jack argued.  “None of the lost souls are.  So it’s not listed as her lesson.”

“No,” Clarisse agreed.  “But she must learn how to use her strengths to help them.
  It’s something she declared before coming here.  If you interfere, she will never learn to use her abilities.”

Watching Vienna
struggle against the darkness was killing him inside.  He wanted to be her knight in shining armor.  He wanted to be the one to save her.  To save her the way he couldn’t save his precious Elizabeth all those centuries ago.  He could still picture Elizabeth’s pale face and frail body as he cradled her in his arms.  He’d been completely helpless.  Nothing he could’ve done would’ve saved her.  But he could save, Vienna.  He could step in and protect her.  His energy could be used as a shield and together they were strong.  If any harm came to Vienna because he didn’t intervene while he had the chance, he’d never forgive himself. 

“I’m her spirit guide,” Jack said.  “I need to protect her.”

“I’m her spirit guide, too,” Clarisse reminded.  “I’m doing what’s best for her.”

“And I’m not?” Jack asked.  “I’m her
head
spirit guide.  I make the decisions.”

“
That is true.  But as of late, you’ve been overstepping your boundaries.  It seems to me that your physical feelings are clouding your judgment.”  Clarisse looked over at Vienna who was struggling to get her wrist free.  “You’ve been acting with impulsive human feelings.” 

“I’m doing what I believe is right,” Jack argued.
 

“I understand,”
Clarisse stated.  “That is why I’ve notified the council.”

Jack stood still.  The council
was comprised of a group of elders.  No changes in a person’s chart on the earthly plane, plus the hierarchy of the spirit guide and angels assigned could be changed without the consent of the council.  Each person on earth was tied together through the intricacy of each of their charts.  Any slight deviation from the agreed upon chart that had been constructed before the person was born could throw off many other charts.  Jack knew that because of his actions in the garage, and James having seen him, there was a riff in the relationship that was supposed to take place between he and Vienna.  The council could remove him from his role as head spirit guide for changing Vienna’s chart or even worse, he could be reassigned completely.

“Maybe it’s been too long since your reincarnation,” Jack said, hoping this would give Clarisse something to mull over.  He knew for a fact that Clarisse had only been incarnated once.  She’d had a hard
, painful experience, and had never reincarnated since.  Instead, she’d spent her time studying life’s lessons by watching and aiding others.  “Perhaps, you’ve forgotten what it was like to be in human form; to have compassion.”  

Knowing that his job as head spirit guide was at stake,
Jack still couldn’t just stand by and watch Vienna being harmed.  He had to do something.  He truly hoped that his words may have caused Clarisse to re-evaluate the situation. 

Jack tried again to raise his hand, but Clarisse’s gentle touch became more rigid.  She refused to move her hand from his.  “Give her more time,” she said.

Frowning, Jack lowered his hand.  If he was reassigned, he’d no longer be Vienna’s guide and didn’t like the thought of being away from her either.  He wanted to be with her, helping her.  He had no choice.  He’d have to back off and listen to Clarisse.  He knew she was doing what she felt was right.  She also didn’t want any harm to come to Vienna. 

“I will make this right,” Jack said, thinking about Vienna’s relationship with James. 
He knew that Clarisse was thinking about it, too.  “I will fix her chart.”

“I know you’ll do your best,” Clarisse said. 

Jack knew that she was still concerned with his behavior.  He had to prove to her that he had Vienna’s best interests in hand.  And in order to do that, he’d have to back off and push James into his role.  James had to be the knight in shining armor.  Not him.

***

James spotted Vienna’s rental car.  He walked over to it and gripped the handle.  It was locked.  He leaned in and tried to see in through the tinted glass.  He knew it was a long shot, but wondered if she could be sleeping on the backseat.  He thought about how he’d done that on several occasions in his truck.  There had been times when he’d been feeling depressed and just needed to get out to clear his head. When he didn’t know where else to go, he’d settled on his truck.  And since it was so chilly out, he couldn’t imagine Vienna wanting to wander very far or wanting to sit out in the cold for too long.  But still, the car wouldn’t be much warmer without having the keys to turn the heat on.  From what he could see, the car was empty.

Looking around the parking lot, James thought about where he’d go from here.  If he
needed to be alone and didn’t go for a drive, or just sit in his truck, where would he go?  That’s when he spotted the underpass at the far end of the lot.  If he wanted to walk, he’d probably go through there.  James headed for the dark underground tunnel to see where it led.  When he got to the opening, he was thankful to see there was at least a working light even though it was dim.  He stepped into the underpass and his heart plummeted.  Vienna was sitting on the ground, her back leaning against the wall and her head tilted forward.

“Vienna!”  James crouched down next to her and felt her cheek.  Her skin was cold, but there was still
some warmth.  “Are you okay?”  He gently shook her shoulder.  “Wake up, Vienna.”

She
didn’t move.  James cradled her in his arms and felt a deep sadness.  “I’m so sorry about tonight.  I didn’t mean to upset you.  I, I’ve been having feelings for you…” 

Vienna’s eyes moved rapidly beneath her eyelids and she began to
cry out in her sleep.  James wasn’t sure what to do.  He gently moved her to the side of him and pulled his phone from his pocket.  He called Steve.  “Hey, yeah, I found her,” he said when Steve answered.  “I thought she was asleep, but now I don’t know.  I tried to wake her…we might need an ambulance…”

Kim got on the phone. “
Where is she?”

“I’m gonna call for an ambulance.”

“No, wait!  She might be dealing with the ghost,” Kim said.  “Tell me where you are.  Is Jack with you?”

“What?” James couldn’t believe she was
talking nonsense about a ghost and asking about Jack.  Was she freakin’ delusional?  Jack was probably the one that had knocked Vienna unconscious.  “Are you kidding me?  You’re asking about the psycho?”  He was just about to tell her off for being so naive when he heard a click.  They’d been disconnected.  James checked the phone for service.  He only had one bar which was probably why he lost reception.  He went to dial Kim back when Vienna mumbled something that sounded like, “What do you want from me?”  James set the phone on the ground next to him to pull her closer. 

“Vienna, are you okay?  Can you hear me?” 

“There you are!” Jack said, appearing in the tunnel.  He was standing in front of them.  “I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t make it in time.”

“What the…
?” James’ body tensed.  He couldn’t believe that this psycho had the nerve to show up here.  It took all the strength he could muster not to go ballistic. 

“She needs you,” Jack said. 

“What did you do to her?” James barked.  He wanted to jump up and bash Jack’s face in, but he was afraid to let go of Vienna.  He had her cradled in his arms.

“I’m n
ot allowed to interfere.”  Jack frowned.  “You must be the one.”

“All right
, nutcase!” James’ voice deepened.  “The police will be here shortly to haul your ass away!”  He scooped up his phone from the ground.  When he went to dial 911, the dim lighting in the underpass began to flicker; a beam of white light hit the phone, shorting it out.  “What the…?”

James looked up to see Jack glaring at him.  A ball of
sparkling white energy was hovering over the palms of his hands.  His hands were held out in a receiving position with the palms up.  “Now isn’t the time.  You must help Vienna.”

Stunned, James didn’t know what to say or do.  “I, uh…how?”

“Put your forehead to hers, close your eyes and feel her soul.”

“Um, what?  How’s that going to help her?”

“She’ll feel you…she needs your strength…”

“I don’t understand…”

Jack kneeled in front of Vienna.  His hands glowing.  “Watch me, I’ll guide you.”  Jack leaned forward, his forehead touching hers.  James didn’t know whether he should jerk Vienna away or let this happen.  Suddenly Jack’s body shimmered and then disappeared.