Seven Souls

Uncertainty

Sophia’s POV

“I can’t believe she lied to me,” Kylie sniffled, her warm blue eyes staring at the nothingness. “She just wants me to move on, I understand, but I wanted to spend more time with her. She’s my only family.”

I only felt myself pulling Kylie into my embrace, hearing her muffled cries as she closed her eyes, letting more tears fall down her cheeks.

“I brought you hot cocoa,” Milo announced, placing the mug down on the table and sitting across from us.

“Is she okay?” He mouthed to me, and I glanced at her.

She wasn’t okay, and I didn’t know how to comfort her. When I was in control of my body, Kylie stopped visiting, using the excuse of being sick, but I know she didn’t want to come because her sister wasn’t there.

I was selfish enough to mess things up that I almost killed myself.

“I f*****g want to slit her throat for lying straight in my face. She didn’t even care how I would feel about it,” she hissed, and Milo’s eyes widened at her aggressive choice of words.

“I’m s-sorry… I tried to have some time with Sam with the fear of my soul passing away that I never realized how much Christiana meant to you,” I breathed, closing my eyes as I felt the tears forming. “It was very selfish of me to think about my last moments with Sam over Christiana’s with you. She loved you more than herself.”

How relieving to get this off my chest, confess it to someone rather than keeping it to myself.

I opened my eyes when Kylie pulled away from my embrace, finding both Milo and her staring at me. “All of this is my fault.” The words slipped past my lips as I wiped my tears.

“If I didn’t ignore my symptoms, I could’ve known about my episode and didn’t drive that day-“

“Then why didn’t Tiana drive away, she could’ve done that, and lived for another decade,” Kylie cut me off, showing me both Christiana and I picked wrong decisions.

It was fate that brought us together. She was destined to be there, and I was destined to crash into her.

I didn’t answer her because I didn’t have an answer for her. Christiana had her reason, and she never told me.

We weren’t friends; we were just sharing the same body. Now, she was staying with my fiance, my family while I was here with her sister in a deceased person’s body.

“Did Allegra pick up her phone, Milo?” Kylie asked as she wiped her tears, turning her gaze to him.

It had been a few hours since we told her she had Marley drop her off at her apartment, saying she wasn’t feeling well. And we waited until Marley left.

On the other hand… Kylie didn’t take the truth so well. She was angry at Christiana for lying straight in her face, telling her she was dead.

Allegra had an important call about our little problem, and she left like she always does.

“Yeah… She is visiting a friend of hers for an answer, leaving me in charge of you, dead girl,” he mumbled, and I threw him a glare.

“So, what do we do now? Tiana is alive, she has unfinished business, and that’s why her soul is still here. What is the next move?” She asked as her eyes flickered between Milo and me.

I always wondered what was the next move, but we always took the wave, hoping it would crash somewhere safe.

Milo snorted, remembering the exact words he asked when we were in the car. “We don’t know… we just follow the wave, and wait for the outcome,” I used the same answer.

Kylie blinked at me, a frown formed on her forehead as she slumped on the couch. “Sam is glued to Tiana. She goes everywhere with him except for therapy. If we took him out of the way, then we could get to Tiana and confront her,” she intoned.

And that’s how we worked together.

Back to the recent time.

All three of us didn’t move, waiting for whoever came to speak, to announce himself because we were too scared to turn around and figure it out ourselves. I’m sure we were caught.

It couldn’t be Sam, because Kylie made sure everything he needed was in his office.

Only my parents and Alec had the keys.

“Kylie? Sam told me you’re here,” Alec’s deep voice echoed in the silent room, and we let out a kind of relieved sigh.

“Oh, who is this?” He asked in a surprised tone, and the three of us snapped our gazes in his direction. His dark grey eyes scanned us. He furrowed his eyebrows once his gaze met mine.

I looked at Kylie for an answer, and she pushed a wide smile onto her lips. “She’s my cousin, Daisy… her parents traveled for business and left her with me for the weekend,” she came up with a smooth lie.

It wasn’t really a lie, but ever since I told her the truth, I’ve been staying with her. Even when I caused her sister’s death. She opened her home for me.

This made me realize that after this problem is sorted out, she would be alone. Christiana was really her only family. Their parents were shitty, and I’ve already seen it. Alec was being an asshole. He hardly took her to any appointments.

Barely even took care of her.

Sam was the only one who called her along with Marley, who accompanied her to most of the appointments, even cooked for her, and invited her for lunch.

Alec was like one of my brothers, and he shared almost everything about his life. He trusted me with his secrets. But I guess after the accident, it created a diversion between us. When I was in control for two weeks, he avoided me, and I didn’t pressure him for an answer.

I’m sure after the last surgery he pushed himself away even more, and Christiana didn’t try to rekindle with him, not knowing the bond we had together.

My gaze snapped to Christiana, watching a frown growing on her forehead as she looked intently at him.

He noticed her looking at him, and pressed his lips together in a thin line, avoiding her sharp gaze. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell Sam I’m bringing someone with me.” Kylie trailed off, but not even looking sorry.

“You don’t need to apologize, anyone is welcome here,” Christiana chimed in, glancing at me before eyeing Alec slowly.

“I thought you two were staying together…” she spoke her mind out, and his gaze locked with hers, looking at her with guilt.

“But I guess she’s doing okay by herself.” She continued, and the look of guilt grew on his face. He knew what she was thinking of him at the moment. “Do you want anything, Alec?” She asked with a fake smile.

He was being a d**k to Kylie. And I already know Sam gave him long lectures on how to treat Kylie right, but I guess they were useless.

I know Sam only cared about Kylie out of guilt.

The guilt of me living and taking her sister’s heart.

“I’m here to pick things up for Sam. He forgot an important file,” he announced, fidgeting his fingers together. “Do you actually have a second, Soph?” He asked, and the answer to his question was Christiana getting up, walking ahead of him to the stairs.

He threw us one last look before following her to Sam’s office; I assume.

My gaze rested on Kylie, who had her piercing blue eyes focused on the staircase. Her hands were on her bump as she took in deep breaths. “You look very nervous,” I remarked, and her eyes moved to mine.

“She’s up there with Alec, pretending to be you,” she emphasized, and I blinked at her before focusing back on the stairs.

Well, she f****d Sam, talked him down, and convinced him to seek help. Talking to Alec would be a piece of cake.

The clock-ticking sound filled the room, only increasing the tension. Every second passing on these two up there filled my head with more worries.

Yes, I’m afraid of what Christiana could do. She messed up once with Sam, got herself to go to the therapist, almost got herself to a psychiatric hospital.

“Okay, she messed up,” Kylie beamed, getting off the couch, pacing around, and letting her nerves get the best of her. “Our plan is about to go to waste. She’s about to ruin everything, maybe even ruined-” she stopped mid-sentence when we heard footsteps on the staircase.

Christiana came into our view with Alec on her trail, holding files in his hand. His gaze found Kylie, and her hands naturally went to the only thing that brought her comfort, her swollen bump. “Call me, Ky… when you’re ready to leave.”

She nodded her head, rubbing her bump in slow circular motions.

“Nice meeting you, Daisy,” he said in a flat tone. His gaze snapped to mine as he offered me a little smile.

“You too,” are the first words I’ve uttered since he showed up.

He turned on his heels with Christiana leading him to the front door, their hushed voices going back and forth over something.

I tried to overhear them, only hearing Alec’s sharp hiss. “Fine, I’ll talk to her, but you have to talk to Sam.”

“Do you really want to go over the details?” She chuckled, and I cringed at her for saying this. It was something I would honestly tell Alec because he asks too much.

I snooped over the couch, watching him kiss her head before opening the door and leaving. She stood in her place, holding the door open. A few seconds passed, and she closed it with a thud.

“Asshole,” Christiana murmured loud enough for us to hear as she walked to us, throwing herself on the couch and closing her eyes.

I looked at Kylie, who sat on Christiana’s left, waiting for her sister to say something about what happened upstairs.

“I didn’t mess up, don’t worry,” she reassured us. “I just gave him a lecture. Hopefully, he will work with my advice.”

Her eyes fluttered open, turning her head to the right where I was sitting. “I promised you I won’t mess things up, just a couple of days and this will be over.” She smiled, the tears of joy glistening in her eyes.

“I didn’t know you could portray me as well as… you are great being me.” The words slipped past my lips.

Her being a dramatic person, she placed her hand right above her heart; her smile getting wider. “You don’t know how much those words made me relieved,”

I grabbed her hand, lowering it to her lap. “Yeah… I’m not that dramatic,” I retorted, and she rolled her eyes, hearing Kylie’s soft chuckle.

It was weird to see someone’s soul in your body, interacting with people you knew better than yourself, but she was trying this time, not wanting to mess up as before.

Let’s be honest here. No one would even believe her if she told them she wasn’t me. It was too unrealistic to believe.

But here I was, my soul in the body of a girl who died. Her soul wasn’t occupying her body, which meant she had no business staying here.

Christiana… She had something tying her here, and I think I’m the same as her because my soul returned after I thought I was gone.

Both of us had left something unfinished, and we had to finish it.

She waved her hand across my eyes, and I snapped out of my thoughts. “I was asking when are we going to Allegra,” she repeated the question.

Kylie looked at me with concern, mouthing to me if I was okay, and I nodded. “Right now, I’ll message Milo.”

I had that gut feeling telling me it won’t be over yet, that this wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

I grabbed the phone Allegra gave me, sending a message to Milo, who answered in just a matter of seconds, telling me he would be here in five.

I watched Kylie’s hand caressing Christiana’s shoulder, and her eyes locked with mine.

She was having the same feeling I was having.

The both of us weren’t ready to face it yet, though.