Soul Mates: Scent (The Soul Mates Series) (3 page)

“Merci, Max,” Anna said placing her hand gently on my arm and letting it linger.

“You‘re welcome,” I replied, noticing Vanessa’s hateful gaze. I rolled my eyes, and regretted having to pull away as I strolled back to my seat next to Jeremy West.

“Dude, who’s the hot chick?”

I glared at him, hoping he would shut the hell up. It didn’t work.

“She is smokin’ hot!”

“Anna Lissa. Her name is Anna Lissa Felidae.” I flipped open my Biology book and prayed that would be the end of it, but apparently I wasn’t that lucky.

“Did you and Jenny break-up?”

I glanced at him, frowning my displeasure. “We‘ve been broken up.” I really didn’t want to talk about it, but apparently I wasn’t going to be able to avoid it. “Why are you asking?”

“Dude, everyone in school is askin’ that. You’ve been acting all crazy ‘bout this new girl and Steve said you nearly took his head off in homeroom.”

“I just met her this morning,” I said, which was strange because I felt as if I had known much longer. “She’s a nice girl. She doesn’t need every guy in school hittin’ on her.”

“Every guy? From what I hear, nobody has had a chance with her, what with you ready to rip into them the second they get too close.”

“Whatever.”

“So… you’re completely broken up with Jenny?”

“What’s it to you?” I grumbled quietly.

“Hey, just askin’, ya know?”

I fumed through the remainder of class.
When
did
my
life
get
to
be
so
complicated?
Oh.
Yeah.
The
minute
fate
or
whatever
decided
to
send
Anna
Lissa
into
my
life.
And on top of all of this, I was starting to miss the voice in my head that sounded like her. Funny how she had suddenly gone quiet inside my mind, but I could still smell that unique perfume of hers. It took me a second to realize she was standing in front of me.

“Are you going to walk me to lunch Max? I am très affamé. What do they serve in the café?”

Apparently the bell had rung ending class and I had missed it. Again. This wasn’t going to bode well for my grades if it kept up. I smiled at Anna and breathed in her unique perfume. It seemed to have a calming effect on me. I took her books from her as I stood. “Well, they serve all kinds of things. Today, I think we are in for mystery meat, masquerading as over cooked meatloaf, steamed veggies, a bread stick and applesauce.”

I watched Anna’s face fall. She looked as though she were going to throw up at the sound of lunch.

“Hey, it’s cool. They have salads too if you’re into that sort of thing,” I said hoping that she would perk back up. She surprised me instead.

“Mais non! La salade est pour les lapins! Je veux de la viande réelle. Viande rare.”

I know I stared at her in obvious confusion as she continued on in French for another minute before she realized I didn’t have a clue what she was saying. When she finally stopped her tirade, she grinned and shook her head.

“Je suis desole. I’m sorry, Max. I forget that you cannot yet speak the French. Do not worry; it will come to you soon.”

I still had no idea what she was talking about, but she sounded good saying it, whatever it was. “No problem.”

“I will eat later. It is not that long until school is out. I will be fine.”

“So do you wanna go to the lunch room?”

“Oui. I will watch you eat your mystery meat, Max.”

I laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know how much of it I can stomach either.”

Once again she looped her arm through mine and we headed off to the cafeteria.

Looking back now I realize that I shouldn’t have walked into the cafeteria with Anna Lissa on my arm. It was like we were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. You know how it was after Brad left Jennifer? Yeah it was like that. Everyone was staring at us and speculating.

I knew it was going to get back to Jenny and make things with her much worse. Then again I really didn’t care as long as Anna was with me.

The lunch room got really quiet as Anna and I made our way to the buffet line. I first heard their whispers as I passed by the geeks table. The geeks were the computer whiz types, mostly really brainy kids. Normally they don’t pay attention to the popularity stuff, the "who’s dating who" etc… stuff. Today was different. Apparently even they noticed that I seemed to be attached at the hip to, in their words, the gorgeous new girl. Their speculation ran more to wondering if the gorgeous new girl was as smart as she was beautiful. The debate was that if she was so smart, what was she doing messing with the head cheerleader’s ex-boyfriend. As if a smart girl would know better than to take on the most popular girl in school on her first day.

“Do you think he and Jenny broke up for good?” I heard one girl whisper at the drama club’s table.

“I bet Jenny broke up with him. I mean really he’s not all that hot and she could do so much better. Steve is better looking than Max.” I heard another girl whisper and I felt the heat creep up my neck.

The giggle was back. I could hear Anna’s silky light laugh in my mind before her words penetrated my thoughts
.
I
’
m
sorry
Max;
I
did
not
realize
the
drama
I
would
be
creating
in
your
life.
Would
you
like
me
to
drop
your
arm?

She didn’t really sound all that sorry. She sounded amused. I glanced at her and smiled. “Don’t you dare,” I said between my teeth.

Finally we made it through the line and back to my normal table with the rest of the guys on the team. As I set my tray down next to Tony, I prepared for the onslaught of questions.

“Hey,” Tony said. “You gonna eat your bread?”

“Err… no. You want it?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Tony grabbed the stick off my plate and bit into it. “So, did you get that play for Friday’s game down yet?”

I stared at him, wondering why he wasn’t asking to be introduced to Anna and salivating at the thought of hitting on her. “Yeah, yeah I got it.”

“Max, I will be right back.” Anna said as she stood up.

I glanced up at her, suddenly worried that she wouldn’t be coming back. I don’t know why, it was just a weird feeling. “Okay…” I said hesitantly.

Do
not
worry,
mon
amour.
I
will
only
be
a
few
minutes.
I heard her in my head again as she brushed her fingers across my neck in a slight caress before she headed out of the cafeteria. I watched her until she was completely through the door and I couldn’t see her anymore.

“Dude, you have it bad.”

“Huh?” I turned to look at Tony, still slightly dazed.

Tony shook his head and laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, she’s definitely hot, but... there’s just somethin’… off about her. I don’t know. Anyway, I can tell she’s knocked you out of the game so hard you aren’t thinkin’ straight. If you were, you would have gone about getting with her on the side, away from prying eyes.” Tony nodded toward the cheerleader table.

“What do you mean something off about her? She seems normal enough to me.”

“See, you don’t even care that Jenny is going to rip your head off the minute she sees you again.” Tony laughed. “Look all I am saying is, watch it. There is somethin’ different about her. Somethin’ not normal. She is just too graceful, too…I don’t even know how to phrase it, dude. It’s like she is a predator stalking prey and you’re the prey.”

“You’re insane. Anna is no predator,” I said but my thoughts went back to something she had whispered in my head earlier.
But
of
course,
mate.
Where
you
go
is
where
I
shall
go.
I
do
not
intend
to
lose
you
now
that
I
have
finally
found
you
after
all
of
this
time.
And then to the fact that I had seen her watching me weeks before she walked into my homeroom. “Okay, so maybe there is something different about her. I’ll give you that one. But, predator…”

“Ah you have thought of something. She is stalking you!” Tony accused.

“No… no. No, not stalking. Not really. It was just something she… said.” I frowned, wondering if I should share it.

“What was it?”

“Well, she kind of implied that she had been looking for me for a long time. And I sort of saw her… watching me a couple of times.”

“See. Stalking, dude.”

“No, I don’t think that’s what she meant. It was more like… It is more like a part of her was missing and… I’m that part.” I cringed knowing he was going to laugh.

“What? Like you are two halves of one whole? Like soul-mates? Come on.” Tony raised his brow, clearly disparaging the thought.

“I know, it sounds really kooky, like new-age and all that shit, but stranger things have happened.”

“Dude, my mom talks about that kind of shit all the time. She says and I quote, that if you meet your soul-mate, you will know it, because it’s like links in a chain, solid and unbreakable once they are brought together, end quote.” Tony stared at me quietly after divulging this. His eyes got strangely fuzzy for a moment and it seemed he was looking right through me. “Max… I think…I’m… I mean she’s right. My mom I mean. It’s weird, but I can see it happening with you and her.”

“Anna. Anna Lissa Felidae,” I said mulling over his words. Soul-mates… two halves of one whole…made sense in a way.

His eyes got that same fuzzy look to them as he stared at me again. “Yeah, it’s like I can see the cosmic welder soldering your fates together.” He blinked and looked thoughtful and then something else crossed his face that I can’t describe, fear maybe? I don’t know... it was unusual either way. Tony didn’t usually comment on stuff like this. I knew his mom was some kind of psychic, but Tony never discussed any of the weird freaky stuff his mom believes.

Mate,
I
see
you
are
beginning
to
understand
more.
I
like
this
friend,
Tony.
I
hope
you
will
properly
introduce
me
when
I
get
back
to
you.
I could hear her once again in my head and I smiled.

“Anna’s on her way back.”

“Dude, how do you know that? She just walked through the door on the other side of the cafeteria and your back is to her,” Tony said with awe and maybe a little bit more happiness than I would have expected.

“I don’t know. I just knew it. It’s like I can feel her when she is close by.”

Tony nodded. “Well, just be careful, there is still somethin’ different about her that I can’t put my finger on.”

I turned in my chair and just watched Anna as she crossed the room. Her eyes never wavered from mine. As she moved closer, a sultry smile spread across her lips and her hips swayed just the tiniest bit more. I could feel my pulse begin to speed up and I was breathing in fast gasps, like I couldn’t get enough air. I think she was trying to give me a heart attack.

No,
mate,
never
that.
I heard her giggle again and couldn’t help but smile. I took her hand and helped her into the chair next to mine.

“Anna Lissa, it’s nice to meet you,” Tony said, his hand out-stretched toward her, his eyes still wary.

Anna smiled. “It is nice to meet you too Tony, and please, call me Anna. I am sure we shall be
bons
amis
, good friends.” Anna shook his hand slowly.

I watched as Tony nodded and pulled his hand away, gently, his eyes still on Anna. He smiled then and it reached his eyes chasing away the wariness that had lingered there.

“Max… good luck,” Tony said as he picked up his tray. “You’re going to need it when Jenny catches up to you.” He laughed. “See you at practice. Bye Anna.”

“Bye Tony.” Anna turned her attention back to me. “I like your amis, Tony. He has a good sense of humor and is très intelligent.”

“Yeah, he’s kind of surprised me with his intelligence today.” I grinned back at her.

“He is correct though, Max. There is something different about me. We are soul-mates, and I have been searching for you for a long time, très longue période.” I watched her flip her raven hair over her shoulder; the silky strands stroked my arm as she did, sending a shiver of pleasure down my back.

“I don’t care that you are different. In fact I kind of like that you aren’t like other girls.”

Anna smiled almost gently, as if what she was about to say was hard. “Well, you are different too Max, though you haven’t discovered it yet. And you must accept that side of you Max, and soon. Our lives depend on it.”

“Huh?”

“Now is not the time to go into it Max, we must go to class. But you need to speak to your mother about her family. It is très important, Max. Promise me you will ask her?”