Shattered Souls (5 page)

“I know you’re not telling me everything,” I whispered,
as my lips softly tickled his neck. “Now fess up.”

He ran his fingers through
my messy hair in a very deliberate way. I leaned away from him slightly, allowing our eyes to connect.

“No matter how I put this, I’m going to sound like a jerk,” he said, half-smiling.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” I laughed, playfully hitting his cheek. “Seriously though, tell me what’s up.”

“I’m thinking after your mom is settled back
in at the house, I should find my own place. I don’t feel right living here with everything…”

“What do you mean? You were fine with the idea when you had planned on going to college. Why isn’t it the same thing?” I couldn’t believe he was saying this. I’d gotten so used to being with him, I didn’t want to imagine spending my days and nights without him.

“Lots of things have changed since then.” He smiled coyly. “I just don’t think it would be right.”

“I’m completely at a loss,” I said, slowly shaking my head.
“I don’t understand what the difference is.”

“Well for starters…” he
said, squeezing me in tighter, “we’ve kind of gotten close.”

“Kind of?” I attempted a laugh.
“Didn’t you plan on that when you returned for college?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t actually think I had a chance. I thought you’d probably write me off
, and I’d just be rooming here.”

“Yeah
, right. There’s no way that’s what you thought. I’m not buying it for a second.”

He shrugged. “It’s true. I mean you never wrote me back so I assumed.”

I burst out laughing. “Enough with the letters.”

He couldn’t stop laughing and hugged me tightly.

“I don’t think I could separate from you after being with you so long.”

“Who said you’d have to be separate
from me?” His brow raised in confusion. “I thought you’d come with me.”

Chapter 5

The fog circulated
into one of nature’s masterpieces as the droplets unrolled a veil in every direction. I couldn’t see the street from the second floor window, nor could I see the tree that wasn’t more than ten feet from the window. The thought of going outside seemed unpleasant, but winter had already set in and it wouldn’t let up until April. I curled my arms around my chest as a shiver ran through me. I had a camisole, t-shirt, and a wool sweater on, yet it didn’t seem adequate. There was something very isolating about weather like this. Or maybe it was just my mood. I glanced over at Logan and smiled, knowing he’d provide an instant lift, even if it didn’t last.

“There’s a chance of freezing fog,” Logan said, pulling
on a pair of low slung jeans. He was avoiding my gaze and making comments about the weather. This wasn’t the best way to start the morning. He grabbed a grey sweater and slid it over his head, flattening his wet hair against his head.

I couldn’t help but chuckle
, and he quickly moved his hands through it to ruffle it back up.

“Th
at sounds about right for today,” I said smiling. “Thanks for the weather update, Mr. Greene.”

Silence filled the room before Logan took in a deep breath stealing the air away.
I knew what he was thinking. I knew what he wanted to ask. Ever since he’d brought it up there’d been a change between us, which made no sense at all. I turned my attention back to outside and noticed that there were tiny ice crystals forming against the window.

“So have you thought more about my offe
r?” he asked, his voice low.

Thought about it? I couldn’t get mind off of it
all night. I wanted to be with Logan and couldn’t imagine not having him by my side, but I didn’t want to leave my mom alone. My mind thought it was too early to make any decisions, but my heart had already decided.

“I think it would be best
if…”

“Oh,” h
e sighed, his expression dropping.

“If we moved in together.” I smiled, feeling the energy in the room
shift dramatically. “See… you shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions,” I teased.

I stared at him;
drinking him in, as his eyes lit up and the stress vanished from his features. I swear he got better looking every day that went by, and I didn’t think that was possible.

He
walked toward me with his gaze becoming more heated with every step.

“We’ve got to
meet Maddie in less than an hour,” I whispered, feeling the intensity of his grasp bringing me into him. My eyes closed as his fingers ran down my back.

“I just wanted to thank you.” His breath tickled my neck. “I didn’t know what I would do if you said no.”

“I’ve got to ensure my mom’s settled before…” my voice trailed off, taking a step back.

“I understand.”

“What is that?” I asked, pointing at a vial full of mist that he tucked in his pocket.

“
Insurance,” he replied, smiling coyly.

“Is that what was in your pocket last night?”

He nodded, ushering me toward the stairs.

“So
off to the undercity,” I sighed.

We quickly
found parking along the street and were walking down the long sidewalk. I stayed focused on every step I took, narrowly missing ice-patches and uneven concrete from invading tree roots. I didn’t need to make any missteps to complicate this morning. I wanted to get answers and get on with everything without injury.

The
boutiques, cafes, and coffee shops that filled the old, brick buildings were bustling with people. A person couldn’t go more than a block without having access to coffee of some sort in this town. I loved Seattle, even with everything that was changing about it.

U
ninviting alleyways were scattered along the path we followed, and the longer we walked, the more anxious I felt. The wind from the water worked its way up the hill, blasting us with cold air. Plain and simple, I was just nervous.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked.

“It’s kind of hard to explain, but we’re almost there,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the street.

We
were coming up to another alley when I felt Logan’s pace slow. I craned my neck around the corner to peer down the compact alley where Logan stopped. There were caddywhompus brick buildings lining each side of the alley, with colorful doors and stairways dotting the sides. A couple of dark, green dumpsters peppered the narrow stretch, along with some escaped trash. Not as welcoming as I had hoped.

“Well?” I squeezed his hand.

He smiled, looking down at me, as we began walking down the alley. The cobblestone alley was uneven. I doubt any car, besides a Fiat or Mini, would fit down this alley. As we passed back entrances to bars and restaurants, I began wondering where we were really going. I canvased the entrances as we continued to walk, expecting to stop at one of them, but we didn’t. Then it hit me…

“We aren’t actually,” I stopped. “Where we’re going doesn’t actually have to do with…”

Logan’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and he began pulling me a little quicker down the tiny alleyway until we were directly in front of it.

“That’s so
nasty,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“But so fitting,” he laughed.

“I guess that’s one way of keeping people away. Although apparently not completely.” There were a few tourists, holding their Seattle guidebooks tightly, staring directly at it.

The empty brick wall gave way to a
colorful but completely disgusting wall with already chewed gum plastered all over it. There were tiny yellow bits and green bits, mixed with red bits and white bits all stuck in with blue pieces and purple pieces. It was absolutely gross but kind of mesmerizing. A woman bundled in a black coat, blue scarf and hat hopped over to the wall and pulled out a piece of gum from her mouth with her index finger, sticking the pink chunk right on top of all the others. A man, equally as bundled for the weather, took a picture of her proudly pressing her index finger into the mess. It only occurred to her after she attempted to remove her gloved finger that her piece of gum and several others would stick to her glove. She shook the rubbery mess frantically, flinging the old gum to the ground.

“At least we got the picture,” she squeaked to the man.

“Ugh. Hard to believe of all the things Seattle has to offer that this would make it on the list,” I moaned. “Is the entrance really behind that wall?”

“Yep, right th
rough it,” Logan laughed. “At least, that’s what your aunt told me.”

“Does make it the perfect place to hide an entrance. I mean I certainly don’t want to go over there.”

The woman started laughing as she checked out her picture on the camera, and the group she was with slowly walked out of the alley.

“Guess it’s time.”

“This is so icky on so many levels,” I whined.

Logan wasted no time as he hauled me over to stand directly in front of the gum.

“Hold onto me,” he commanded.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that however we were going to travel between the alley and the other side of the wall wouldn’t actually require us to touch any of the sticky or hard matter that had been placed with such careful intentions over the years.

“
Sub Civitatem Aperi Nobis,”
Logan chanted.

I
held onto him tightly as a cold blast of air hit me. Unable to resist what I might be missing, I opened one eye to see the layers of gum rolling away, exposing a clean brick wall. Logan traced his finger along the bricks, which broke into several pieces and separated, unmasking a gloomy room with a staircase leading down into darkness.

“
Do I still need to hold on?” I asked.

“You actually never had to. I just liked how it felt.” Logan’s lip turned up slightly.

Trying not to laugh, I rolled my eyes and took a step toward the gaping hole. I ducked my head and walked through entrance, standing on the platform. Logan stood next to me and traced his finger along the interior brick wall. The hole quickly closed up and the room became very dim. I reached for my wand, allowing the tip to light the way for us both. The small area smelled very musty, and my nose began tickling incessantly.

“Ready?” I asked, sliding my hand along the wooden banister.

Logan nodded, and I began walking down the stairs, waving my wand to light the way.

“So is it just Maddie who lives here?” I asked.

“No. There really is a whole little city, of sorts, down here. Maybe more like a commune.”

“Huh.”

“You’ll see.”

There was a
tiny door at the bottom of the staircase, and I started to panic. I stopped and turned around to face Logan.

“The room or wherever we’re going isn’t that small
, is it? I’d have to hunch over and…”

“No. I th
ink it’s just the opening that’s that tiny.”

“Phew
.”

We got to the bottom of the staircase
, and I looked around seeing only brick walls.

“Ready?” Logan asked.

I nodded, unsure if I was supposed to open the door or do a secret knock or something. Although, a secret knock probably wasn’t necessary since the place was hidden between a gum wall that only a spell would unveil — so yeah. I’m overthinking things, yet again. I placed my hand on the knob and twisted, pushing the door inward. I wasn’t prepared for what was on the other side of the door — nothing. Why was this turning into a pattern?

I turned around and looked at Logan who
nodded, placing his hand on the small of my back as he gently pushed me through the door. Standing in the middle of the empty room, I spun around noticing crumbling brick walls, covered in timber near the ceiling, supporting the deteriorating structure. Not an area someone like me wants to be during an earthquake. The room was musty with the moisture of Puget Sound seeping through the crevices of the underground world. Holding up my illuminated wand, in the far corner there was a faint outline of a door etched into the bricks.

“After you.” I ushered Logan in front of me.

He reached the door in only a few steps as I quickly shuffled after him.

“Not a typical door, I’m assuming,” I muttered.

Logan pressed his palms onto the middle of the outline. A click sounded at the same moment the large brick door began scraping against the floor, moving into the next room.

“Huh.” I followed Logan into the room, which was much larger and brighter than where we were previously.

The room was oversized; the ceilings taller than I would’ve presumed, and the doors were massive in size, composed of wood and metal — masterpieces, actually. Beautiful scrollwork was engraved into the wood. Each door, with its own story to tell, provided a glimpse of what was waiting behind. The tiny brass plaque on each of the doors was too difficult to read. Not because the room was that big, but because the print was precisely that small, especially in comparison to the mammoth size of the doors.

“Why in the world would the first door be so tiny and everything else so enormous?” I asked.

Logan’s eyes danced with amusement as he shook his head.
“Just wait. I have a feeling there’s a whole lot of eccentricity waiting for us on the other side of the door.”

“Doors,” I corrected, smiling.

“Well, we can’t go into all of them at once,” he countered, not missing a beat.

I walked to the nearest door that
had the most intricately carved detail, letting my hand fall to trace the rounds and edges of the wood. The scene that was depicted on this door included a forest with tall trees reaching for the top of the door, with woodland creatures scattered in every direction below.

“This is beautiful,” I whispered, still feeling the dips and peaks
of the wood, absorbing the story it told. “Woodland creatures and...” I stood on my toes, attempting to read the plaque. “
Adflictas Regnum Protector Magna et Parva.”

“
Kingdoms,” Logan said.

He was standing next to me looking at another beautiful door. He turned his head quickly,
locking my gaze. “Protector of kingdoms destroyed… shattered, I think. Not sure. Might have it reversed.”

“Really.
” A shudder went up my spine, remembering the page from the spell book.

He turned
his attention back to his door, running his fingers along the carved wood. There was something different about him as he stared at the carvings. He was quiet, reserved as his eyes followed every turn and twist of the artistry. “Absolutely amazing.” He shook his head.