Seven Souls

Where's Kylie?

Christiana’s POV

My eyes flung open, and I quickly sat up, gasping for air. I clutched my chest, feeling no air in my lungs.

Hearing the heart monitor noise increasing, I was having a panic attack. I closed my eyes, trying to regulate my breathing, but failed.

I felt a hand rubbing my back. My eyes snapped to Sam, who was trying to help me. “Sophia, breathe,” he said in a worried tone.

His eyes zeroed into mine. “Just look at me,” he mumbled, wiping his hand over my cheek. I watched him as he took a deep breath in and I copied him.

Minutes later and my breathing went back to normal. The doors opened, and a nurse entered, along with a doctor.

I could see my surroundings now, the room dimly lit from the sunlight that escaped through the closed curtain.

Sam glared at them. “She wasn’t breathing. Where were you?” He snapped at the doctor, who looked sorry.

I grabbed Sam’s hand and squeezed it, and he sighed, tearing his gaze from them.

“I want to leave,” my voice came out broken.

Sam had a sad smile on his lips and brushed my hair. He helped me lay down on the bed. “You still have physical therapy,” he said in a soft tone.

The doctor approached me with the nurse. Sam glanced at them, then left my side. The nurse changed the IV solution while the doctor checked my chart, his eyes glued on the paper.

When the nurse was done, she left the room.

The doctor removed the cover off my body and held my feet. “Can you feel my hand on your feet?” He asked, and I nodded.

“Can you move your feet? Just try to arch it,” he ordered, and I nodded.

I breathed in and tried to do what he said. “Is it moving?” I asked, my gaze going to Sam, who watched from the corner of the room.

He smiled widely, his eyes twinkling with happiness. “Yes, Ms. Adams, it’s moving,” the doctor said.

“When do I start the therapy?” I asked again, excited to walk on my feet so I could find a solution to this problem.

“We will run some tests first,” he said as he walked to the door.

I sighed, and the doctor smiled slightly, trying to reassure me it was fine.

He left the room and Sam pulled a chair over, setting it next to my side. “Do you want anything?” He asked.

I turned my head to the side, glancing at him. “Don’t you have work? Or when was the last time you slept?” I asked, concerned about how tired he looked.

He had dark bags under his eyes. Redness surrounded his pupils from the lack of sleep and probably from crying too much. He chuckled, and I frowned at him.

Even though he was chuckling, I could see the tears forming in his eyes. “I didn’t sleep for a month. I couldn’t sleep knowing you were on the verge of death,” he breathed.

His tears failed him as they rolled down his cheeks. “I couldn’t go to work, leaving you here alone.”

I extended my arm, reaching for his face. I cupped his cheek, and he put his hand over mine, kissing my inner wrist.

I don’t know why I was doing this, but if I was helping Sophia, I would not ruin her life.

And Sam was her life.

He smiled through his tears. “Your last words to me were I love you after you hyped me up for a surprise for the night, and I couldn’t go home without you that night,” he mumbled, his lips quivering upside down.

He was heartbroken.

I wonder if my family was like this over my death?

I died alone and I couldn’t crossover to the afterlife, which means I have unfinished business.

Or is that the definition of ghosts?

I really needed a spiritual guide who could help me crossover or explain what happened to me.

“I’m here now, Sam,” I whispered, his hazel eyes meeting mine.

He got up and placed his soft lips on mine, sitting next to me on the bed. I didn’t blink or even kiss him back. He grabbed my neck, and I woke up from my trance, closed my eyes at his igniting touch. His lips were moving slowly against mine, and I kissed him back.

Sophia will be mad at me.

I shouldn’t have kissed him back. But Sam kissed Sophia, and I was in her body.

Was that considered cheating?

Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he deepened the kiss, grazing his thumb on my skin. I pulled away, resting my forehead on his as I breathed in the air.

I hated that feeling in my stomach; I wasn’t in love with him. I

I fluttered my eyes open, locking gazes with him. “I love you, Soph,” he whispered, and I could feel his warm breath fanning over my face.

What should I do?

“I love you too,” I blurted out, feeling my cheeks go warm.

I never said that word to anyone except in acting. Even kissing in acting never gave me butterflies.

Speaking about acting, I can just pretend I’m Sophia, and that way I wouldn’t feel guilty whenever Sam kissed me or comforted me.

That was a big fat lie. They shared a lot together while I only knew a few like he was her fiance and she was pregnant. There was a lot to learn about them. Maybe I could ask Sophia the next time I see her.

My mind replayed Sam’s face when the doctor spoke about the miscarriage. He sat back in his chair, looking at me with care.

The same look he gave me when the doctor spoke about the baby. He was waiting for me to let out my feelings, but I didn’t know what to say.

Was I supposed to cry over a child who wasn’t mine?

I sounded like a b***h saying those words.

We locked gazes, and I nibbled on my lips, not knowing what to do. He forced a small smile on his lips, hiding his feelings behind it.

“Are you okay?” I asked, and he nodded. He got up and kissed my forehead.

“I’m just glad you are getting better,” he mumbled, hugging me to his chest, crushing me with his muscles.

“S-Sam…” I breathed out, and he chuckled, pulling away.

“I won’t go anywhere, also I’m hungry,” I added, and he rushed out of the room without adding a single word.

Only a few minutes passed and he was back with the hospital food. “I know it’s not your favorite, but I promise once you are out of this place, I will bring you a cheeseburger,” he said, flashing me a wide grin as he settled the tray on the over-bed table.

He dragged it across the room and set it next to the bed. I regret asking for food. I scrunched up my face, looking at the yellowish soup with disgust.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he said, sitting down next to me.

He held the spoon and dipped it in the soup, raising it to my mouth while I blinked at him. “I’m not a baby,” I retorted, and he chuckled.

“A lot of girls dream of me feeding them.” He tried to annoy me, and I rolled my eyes.

He kept talking about what I missed as he fed me, then he apologized for putting our dog away because he couldn’t take care of it.

Thank God he did that. I hated dogs.

“Sam?” I called out. He was placing the table at the end of the room. Then he turned back, looking at me.

“Yes,” he said, strolling towards me. He sat down next to my leg and grabbed my hand.

“Who came to see the woman who died?” I asked.

He pressed his lips together, trying to remember. “I can’t remember, really,” he mumbled.

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t know you would seize,” he added, rubbing my hand.

I heard a knock on the door and my gaze snapped to the door, waiting to see who knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Sam said, raising his voice.

The door opened, showing an older version of Sam. He had balloons in his hands and a basket full of chocolate.

“How’s my favorite sister-in-law doing?” He said, smiling at me.

I was about to answer, but Sam was ahead of me. “She’s fine, Alec,” he said harshly.

“It’s not his fault,” I said, gazing at Sam.

He clenched his jaw as he glared at his brother; I reached out and placed my hand on his knees, his gaze turning on me.

Alec strolled towards the couch and placed the basket along with the balloons. Then he grabbed a chair and set it across my bed.

I looked at him as he had a sad smile, full of guilt.

I zoned out, having a quick flashback. I was in a company, my eyes were focused on Sam as he was holding files in his hand.

“Could you please pick up my brother at the airport? Mom and dad are busy,” he said, lifting his gaze off the files, looking back into mine.

So, that’s his brother that Sophia was supposed to pick up.

I felt a hand on my knee and I quickly got pulled out of the vision. “Are you okay?” Asked Sam with concern.

“Yeah, I just zoned out,” I answered.

I looked again at Alec as he nibbled on his lips nervously. “I’m sorry, I feel guilty for asking for you to pick me up, I just needed to talk to you.”

I smiled softly at him. “It doesn’t matter, I’m fine now.”

“And what did you want to talk to my fiancée about?” Sam asked him with a harsh tone.

I glared at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. Alec rubbed his neck, his face turning red. “Nevermind, you will know once you get out of here,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes, having doubts about him. But I dropped the subject.

Alec stayed for thirty minutes, then left as he got things to do. Then the doctors came and did a lot of tests and stuff. I was fine and maybe I would be discharged next week.

Unfortunately, I had a lot of physical therapy.

Currently, it is midnight. Sam and I were watching a movie, but he fell asleep as I could hear his soft snores. His head was next to my leg.

I couldn’t help myself but grazed my finger over his toned jaw, then I ran my fingers through his hair. When I tried to move my hand, I couldn’t.

I’m sure Sophia could still control her body, or maybe it was me doing this and I’m convincing myself it’s Sophia.

How could I even resist this handsome man?

Not only was he hot, he was sweet and kind, he’s also charming and just perfect. I didn’t know men like him existed anymore.

My body was getting relaxed, and I knew I was about to meet Sophia again. It wasn’t the sleep drowsiness; it was like my soul was being pulled out. That type of feeling came around when she wanted to talk.

I rested my back on the bed and closed my eyes, finding myself in a white room, Sophia standing in the middle of the room. Her arms were crossed, and she was glaring at me.

“What?” I questioned as I strolled towards her.

“I told you no funny business!” She screeched at me, and I rolled my eyes.

“First, he kissed me, and whenever I touched him, it was you, not me.” I cleared out.

“You kissed him back!” She shouted, and I felt a twinge of pain in my chest.

“What was I supposed to do?” I asked, placing my hand on my chest, moving it in a circular motion.

The pain eased down as Sophia calmed down. That was odd.

“You promised you would tell him,” she said, holding in her tears.

“Did you see how broken he was over you?” I asked, and she shook her head. “Exactly what I expected,” I said mockingly.

“I could shatter his heart in seconds by telling him, but I didn’t want to,” I spat at her.

“Does he know about the baby?” She asked, and I sighed, nodding my head.

“He looked heartbroken, and he’s waiting for me to break down at any minute. He comforts me, kisses my forehead, or sings. I think he’s comforting himself that way,” I said, staring at her.

Her lips quivered as she held her hands close to her chest. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t talk about it, it’s not my business,” I said, tearing my gaze away from her.

“If you aren’t telling him about the soul thing, at least act like me, so he wouldn’t worry about me,” she pleaded, and I nodded.

“So what did you want from me?” I asked.

“I met a woman who could help us, or she found me first, actually,” she mumbled.

I knitted my eyebrows. “You could leave this body?” I questioned.

“Yeah, but the woman warned me if I did it again, I might be gone forever since a soul is occupying the body,” she explained, lowering her head.

I crossed my arms, hugging them close to my chest. “Where do I meet her? Is she a spiritual guide, because I have theories-” she cut me as she snickered.

“What?” I asked, knitting my eyebrows.

She guffawed at me, lifting her gaze to meet mine. “What’s so funny, Ms. I know everything?” I said, getting annoyed.

“You barely can walk and you didn’t tell Sam what’s happening, so you have no one to help,” she said, smiling at my face.

She was right; I had no one around me; I know.

Except for my sister.

I had to find Kylie.

“Well, I have someone and it will take a couple of weeks, maybe a month till I can walk on my own,” I trailed, and she clasped her hands together.

“Great, I’ll hang in here, watching what you are doing to my fiance while you…” I put my hand on her mouth, shutting her up.

“Please, shut up. I just can’t tell him. He looks happy that you are alive. Imagine telling him that your soul is currently on the verge of crossing over to the afterlife.”

I removed my hand, and she pursed her lips, nodding her head. “I’ll wait,”

“And I’m that person who would crossover,” I mumbled.

The room darkened. “What’s happening?” I asked, looking around myself.

“You are waking up,” she muttered. My eyes went to her, and we had eye contact.

I took her hands in mine. “Don’t worry,” I muttered, and she nodded.