Shadow Soul (Narun Book 1) Read online

  I shook my head to rid myself of the idea and hoped the only thing off about him was his stinking personality.

  *

  After my final lecture of the day, Jill picked me up with her red Mini and drove us to a shopping centre. We’d become closer since she found out about where I came from; her down-to-earthiness was like a safety blanket to me.

  I trailed her from shop to shop as she searched for a dress for a family occasion.

  This was new to me. I’d had girl-friends in Narun, but our days were spent training or riding or playing Tackle with the others. I had never felt comfortable having heart-to-hearts with other girls. He had been the only one who knew me inside out.

  Jill appeared from the dressing room in a golden, tunic-like dress. Her petite, ex-ballerina figure complimented the attire and I gave her the thumbs up. As she disappeared behind the curtain again I glanced at my watch—we were going to be late. Tony had rung to invite us over for bowling with his friends.

  I’d never bowled, but I’d seen people do it on TV. But how hard could it be to hit a few pins with a ball?

  After a few wrong turns, Jill found the low ceiling building with large, neon letters lightning up its side: Hollywood Bowl.

  I followed Jill inside through the glass doors. The entrance hall was spacious, opening wider into rows of bowling lanes. Vending machines and games, ranging from shooting to dance mats, filled a room to the left of the entrance. A cashier’s desk welcomed us on the right.

  I scanned the people: a few families, some students, all and all rather quiet. By the furthest lane, Tony cheered an apparent strike.

  “What shoe size, Mil?” Jill held a pair of black and red bowling shoes in her hand. I stated my size; a young guy handed me a pair and returned to his book. My thanks barely received an acknowledgement.

  “Hey, there you are... What took you so long?” Tony brushed a kiss on Jill’s cheek and let his gaze linger on her face. They’re good together, I thought, as Jill explained our tardy arrival. I checked the scoreboard hanging from the low roof. Two initials stood side by side on the screen.

  “Who are you playing against? Who’s ‘L’?”

  Tony waved his thumb at something on the side of us. I turned—and froze.

  “Surely you haven’t forgotten me yet, Rosebud?” Leo grinned, turning a black ball between his hands.

  My head snapped towards the amused Tony. “What’s he doing here?”

  “Easy, he’s right there…”

  “I know, Tony.” I placed myself between him and Leo, my back to Leo. “But what is he doing here?”

  “He’s your blind date.” Tony winked. “It’s about time you found other people to hang with.” Tony man-handled me aside.

  I wasn’t sure who to be angrier with, Leo or Tony, but I swallowed the bitter pill of defeat, nonetheless.

  Jill gave Leo a coy wave of a hand and introduced herself.

  “Come on then, let’s play. Girls against boys? Too unfair?” Tony nudged my arm. He’d obviously missed a calling somewhere if matchmaking brought him so much joy.

  “Girls against boys is fine.” I twirled around, my ponytail swishing inches from Leo’s chest. “Come on, Jill, let’s show them how it’s done.”

  “Actually, Milla,” Jill smiled wryly, “I’m not that good at bowling.”

  “Well, I am,” I snapped back, and hoped bowling was like target practice: breathe, focus, aim, release.

  Twenty minutes later Tony was dancing his victory dance, punching his fists in the air. Leo’s score, much like mine, was near to perfection. I got the feeling he missed some bowls on purpose.

  Annoyance brewed inside me. I had to get some cooling off time. Alone.

  I excused myself to the toilet, but snuck outside through a staff door, leading to a narrow alley aligned with the building. Littered with bins, it was an obstacle course. The smell of decomposing food mixed with soiled tins and cardboard hung in the air. For the sake of a moment of peace, I sucked it up.

  I walked to the end of the alley and kicked a bin, a little too hard. It thudded against a wall, rattling until the last of its contents had settled. What is it about this guy that gets to me so much? So he was good at bowling. So he befriended Tony. So he followed me around.

  I inhaled deeply, holding the air inside my lungs until I literally tasted the rubbish, and then released it. Of course, there was something more to him. He wasn’t after a date, that was a given.

  I froze as someone called my name. Figures.

  “What do you want?” I faced Leo, vexed.

  “To talk.”

  “Then talk.”

  Leo took four steps forward, leaving a calculated space between us. He hid his hands in his pockets. Light was scarce but there was enough to reveal the shreds of self-reproach shining through his eyes.

  “You played well,” he said, his tone soft, verging on complimentary. I raised a shoulder and Leo continued, “Your aim is precise. Rehearsed?”

  “I got lucky.” I rubbed my fingertips together, increasing in pressure, as we stared at each other, undisturbed by the surroundings.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?”

  “I wasn’t born in Bridleton, no,” I said, aloof.

  Leo sighed. “Let’s speed this up a notch. I know where you’re from.”

  I maintained my composure to a tee. Of course, he knew. I just hadn’t wanted to admit it. Or let him call off my cards so easily.

  “Oh yeah?” I kept up my stance of feigned boredom. “And where’s that then?”

  “Narun,” he answered simply.

  “Narun? Is that a brand of cleaning detergent?” I considered marching back inside but to reach the door I’d have to go past Leo. I suspected that wasn’t going to happen.

  “Why don’t we cut the denial and get to the chase? I know you’re from Narun, and I know you used to be a Defender.” Leo levelled his gaze on me. “They sent me from Narun to find you.”

  Chapter 9

  It felt like fire ants ran up and down my back. Leo stepped forward, halting as my arm rose to warn him.

  “Camilla,” Leo’s voice wavered. “I know I should’ve told you straight away, but I wanted to make sure it was you.”

  “Who are you?” I held him tight in my vision, alarm bells ringing.

  “I’m a Messenger. I travel to find fugitives, like yourself.” Leo bowed his head slightly towards me. “I’m basically the human version of pigeon post.”

  I gave myself a moment, focusing on being angry to have a better hold of my raging emotions.

  “How did you find me?”

  “Trade secrets, my friend.” He tapped the side of his nose. “It wasn’t easy but after observing, or stalking as you so aptly put it, for some time I knew it had to be you.”

  “What, you never saw a picture?”

  “I did. You look different.”

  He had me there. I had changed. “Right. And what message do you have for me?” I bit my lip as the memories of my last days at Narun raced through my mind.

  What did they want? How much did they know?

  “They asked me to escort you back home. They want you to re-join the Guard.”

  My lips parted; it wasn’t what I had expected. Had I been pardoned? Did they not know? Was it a trap? What does it mean?

  I focused on the one thing I did know.

  “If you think you can throw me over your shoulder and drag me back, you’re mistaken.”

  “As delightful as that sounds, I’ll give you some time to think about it.” His playful wink grated my nerves like they were a chunk of cheese.

  But I couldn’t think about it, not with the memories pounding on the door of my thought-life. Not with anxiousness choking me. And definitely not with his smirking face distracting me while Tony and Jill waited inside.

  I needed an exit.

  “Whoa, not so fast.” Leo stepped in front of me as I started for the door. “That’s it? You don’t have any questions? You don�
�t want to talk?”

  “Not here, not now,” I bit out and added a glower for good measure. “Get out of my way before I physically remove you.”

  Leo laughed but moved. “Alright, hotshot. We’ll take a rain check.” He reached for the handle, bowing theatrically as he opened the door. “Please, be my guest.”

  I marched inside and stopped short as the noise in the bowling alley stunned me. It had gotten busy. I brushed a hand across my forehead, melting the creases under my palm. I did not want to get into this with Tony and Jill.

  Speaking of whom…

  “There you are! We’ve been looking for you.” Tony sauntered over with his arm anchored on Jill’s shoulders. I smiled as if nothing had happened. “Ah, I see what’s going on. You two are hitting it off, eh?” The wink of approval he threw Leo nearly made me tilt him.

  “No, that’s not—” I had to stop mid-sentence. A hand rested on my shoulder, sliding to the front of me until it lay horizontal across my shoulders. Before I had time to react, the firm grip pulled me towards itself, making me stumble. My back thumped against Leo’s chest.

  “You called it, Tony.” Leo’s voice was fluid. “It’s like we’ve always known each other.”

  Tony chuckled, utterly misreading the situation.

  “Get. Off.” I shoved against Leo’s arm, without much luck. Jill mumbled something in my defence but was cut off by Tony’s suggestion to move to the games’ room.

  Leo told them to go ahead as I squirmed against his hold, digging my fingernails in the skin of his arm. As I was about to kick him in the shin, his grip pulled me even closer. He lowered his head next to mine, his lips mere inches from my ear. “Go on, I dare you.”

  Flames burned my vision. He was trying to make me use my skills!

  I met Jill’s eyes as she glanced back over her shoulder before hurrying after Tony. Not here. I swallowed hard, and let my arms fall to my sides limply.

  “Can you please let go of me?” You arrogant goat.

  Leo dropped his arm, copying my polite tone. “Of course, my apologies. Thanks for asking nicely.”

  I dusted myself off and sped after Jill without glancing at Leo.

  “What was that all about?” Jill asked me wide-eyed as I caught up with her. “Are you…you know, is it true you’re hitting it off?” Her voice hardly amounted to a whisper. My glare said it all. “But Leo—”

  “Leo is trying to wind me up.” And doing a good job with it.

  Tony deposited a coin into a machine called Need for Speed. Leo took the seat next to him, and Jill and I watched as the boys started the game. Jill kept giving me a look; I kept my focus on the screens. Now wasn’t the time to get into it.

  “Are you going to explain what’s going on with you two?”

  She had to ask. “There’s nothing going on.” I licked my dry lips. Jill didn’t deserve the abrupt tone. “Sorry,” I added hastily. “He winds me up.”

  “He seems like a nice guy,” Jill tried softly.

  Traitor. “I can’t believe Tony brainwashed you too. You only just met the guy.”

  Jill shushed me and glanced to see if the boys heard us. “I mean in general, he’s nice. Tony spent the afternoon with him and he can’t stop singing his praises.”

  I scoffed, blood pooling under the skin of my cheeks, and turned my focus back to the boys’ race. Why does he irritate me so much? And why did I get the feeling he was bending the truth?

  Tony slammed his hands on the wheel as his screen flashed ‘Game Over’. Leo’s car passed the finish line five seconds later.

  “Can I have a go?” The others stared at me, perhaps because my tone indicated otherwise. “I wanna play against Leo…” everyone followed my extended finger towards a virtual boxing ring on the other side of the room, “on that.”

  Leo cocked his head at me. Tony showed his approval, and with a hesitant Jill in tow, he walked towards the ring.

  “You sure that’s a good idea?” Leo’s voice was hushed as he caught my arm.

  “I think it’s a great idea,” I hissed and marched to the boxing ring.

  “You gotta play nice now, Milla,” Tony said, and turned to Leo. “Last time we played on the Xbox she got so riled up she broke the controls.” Tony chuckled at the memory until Jill jabbed him in the ribs. He had to keep reminding me of the one time I was having a bad day. Other than today.

  “Duly noted—sore loser, tendency for violence.” Leo cringed playfully.

  “Right, kids, no real hitting. It’s called virtual for a reason.” Tony handed us helmets and two sticks to hold in each hand. A large screen lit up on the side of us.

  “You ready?” Tony held a finger on the green button, excited about the prospect of a fight, even a virtual one. I nodded, and so did Leo.

  For a game, the surroundings felt surprisingly real. I was transported into a boxing ring, faced with a character of Leo crouching in front of me, his fists held up to block his face. A smile flickered on my lips. I motioned towards Leo, raised my hands, and took a stance.

  Leo threw a punch, one easy to block; I went for his chin with a jab. With reflexes like a hawk, he dodged it, hitting both my arms down. Within a split second my knee was in his gut, and then he was behind me, holding me in a strangling grip. I freed myself by smacking his side and Leo’s virtual character doubled; it was weaker than the real him. A moment later, we faced each other with a matching warrior pose, the characters making it look off. If anyone other than Jill and Tony were watching they’d think we were being theatrical. Or nuts.

  Virtual Leo attacked, mixing hooks with jabs against my blocks. We exchanged blows, ducking and diving, and taking the occasional hit onto our virtual bodies. The few second delay was frustrating, and the scrabble didn’t produce anywhere near the effect I was after.

  Yet it wasn’t the poor technology that made me fume. A thought in the back of my head was becoming clearer. When the match ended and announced a draw, I knew my hypothesis valid.

  I yanked the helmet off and launched it at the unsuspecting Leo. “You lied to me!” My words flew like darts and hit the bullseye.

  “What—” Leo started, but was finished by Tony, “—was that? How did you get them to do that?” Tony’s eyes resembled beach balls.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t find out? That I wouldn’t figure it out?” I shoved at Leo, who still looked at me baffled.

  “Calm down, Milla. It was just a game,” Tony attempted from the sidelines. I blatantly ignored him.

  “Drop the act, Leo, you know exactly what I mean! A Messenger? Really?”

  Leo straightened his posture, glancing at Tony and Jill as they took in every accusation. “Why don’t we go talk—”

  “Did you think I wouldn’t put two and two together? Messengers aren’t trained as we are. Your reflexes, your composure, your aim, and your moves… I don’t care if it was virtual; I could tell those moves from anywhere!” I shoved Leo’s chest.

  “I’m not sure I follow.” Leo clasped my wrists, holding them inches away from his chest.

  “Don’t give me that. You’re an Attacker, aren’t you? The story about being a Messenger was a lie.”

  In an instant, Leo grew serious, his jaw tight. “Calm down or you’re going to say something you regret,” he said between his teeth, trying to appeal to my good senses.

  “Like expose you in front of everyone? They already know who I am; it’s only fair they know the truth about you.” I wavered even as it came out. Truthfully, I didn’t want to drag Tony and Jill into this. But I had already said too much.

  “The truth, Leo. What are you really doing here and how come I’ve never met you before?”

  “I don’t think this is the place.” With a stern look, he pressed towards me so that my hands were now resting on my chest, my back slightly arched due to him towering over me. “I’ll tell you the truth, but not here. If you’ll clear your head from psycho mode, you’ll see we’ve pulled quite the audience.” He leaned in even closer, making
sure I was the only one hearing him. “Fugitive or not, you still don’t want any harm on our Land, do you?”

  I flinched, and something switched in my brain. Curious observers stood by the doorway. I slowed down my pulse and gave Leo a sharp nod.

  “Can we borrow your car, Tony?” Leo addressed our immediate audience.

  “Only if we can come with you.” Jill’s voice surprised me as it cut Tony’s out.

  Leo took inventory, before agreeing.

  Jill was the first to move. As she turned, half a dozen observers disappeared from the entrance of the game room. Tony followed her, glancing back to make sure we followed.

  Leo escorted me outside, gripping my arm the whole way, and shoved me on the back seat of Tony’s car, sliding in next to me. Jill and Tony mounted the front. Heavy on the gas pedal, Tony reversed out of the car park.

  We drove in silence, the others perhaps afraid to say anything that might spark another torrent of accusations from my part. I waited, stock-still, until Tony had parked in a quieter neighbourhood. As soon as the engine flicked off, I jabbed Leo’s bicep. Jill gasped, taken back.

  “Never touch me again!”

  Leo didn’t grant me the pleasure of rubbing his arm.

  “Okay, what is going on?” Tony stared us down, leaning on the wheel.

  “Yes, Leo, why don’t you tell us what’s going on and who you really are? And what you’re doing here?” The questions flooded out.

  “Okay, hothead.” Leo pulled some slack on his seatbelt. “Take it easy or you’ll pop a vein.”

  I scowled, and a grin flashed on Leo’s face. A blink later it was gone.

  “Why didn’t you admit you’re an Attacker?” I ignored Tony and Jill staring at us the best I could.

  “I didn’t think it was relevant.”

  “So, you admit you lied?”

  “I might’ve misled you a little.” Leo remained frustratingly calm. “But the rest is true.”

  Tony’s eyes popped as the penny finally dropped. “Wait, you’re from Nauru too?”

  “Narun,” Leo and I corrected in unison. Leo continued, “That’s right. I’m pleased you know our true origin.”