Does Your Soul Remember Mine

Chapter 6: Year 2020, New Orleans

Cars rumbled down the street below, their faint sounds echoing their way slowly up to the rooftop café Elyse was lounging in. Beside her was a tall man in a trench coat. They were somewhat out of style these days, trench coats, but they were still the only item that could completely cover Constantine's wings without looking too out of place in modern day fashion. New Orleans was a beautiful city, despite the terrible hurricane so many years before, which is what had brought Elyse to this country in the first place. She chased death and destruction all around the world, a vigilante in some countries, an unknown ghost in others. But in each circumstance, she tried to make the darkest parts of the world a bit brighter. “Do you remember the Carlist Wars?”

The wind blowing off of the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain rustled Constantine's hair. “Of course, what about them?”

Elyse sipped her hazelnut latte. “Carlos started three civil wars during his lifetime. Every time he lost one, he simply plotted his next one.” There was a hint of guilt in her voice. “Three wars, so many deaths. Sometimes I wonder if I could have prevented the last two by ending him when I had the chance.”

“You mean killing him.” Constantine turned his head to look at Elyse, a glint in his dark eyes.

“I slept in the same household as the greatest villain in the country.” She scoffed. “It would have been easy to assassinate him in his sleep.” She gulped. “I thought about it so many times but chose not to for Maria's sake. I knew how much it would hurt her and she was always so kind to me.” She fidgeted in her chair before turning to Constantine with a distraught look on her face. “I see now I was selfish. I didn't want to hurt someone I cared about so I let him start wars that hurt so many other people who had their own loved ones, their own friends and family that cared about them. I could stop myself from thinking of them because I did not know them, could not see them….Out of sight out of mind.” She tapped her fingers on the table. “And lately I find that they are all I can think about…all those people I could have saved.”

A shadow of a grin played across Constantine's face. “More would have died if you had done as you say.”

Elyse looked at him with surprise. “How? I would have prevented two civil wars!”

Constantine leaned in, his arm stretching out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder. “Fernando.” His eyes were sympathetic. “You would have only delayed them. You see….” He leaned back in his chair. “Young, sweet Fernando would have grown up with a soured soul. He would have resented his father's enemies for killing him and leaving his family without. He would not have considered his father's victims; demons would play with the voices in his head and tell him that they all deserved it and more.” His brow furrowed and his jaw clenched. “He would have become a greater villain than his father and would have successfully dethroned the Queen, bringing a tyrannical reign to Spain filled with blood and punishments.” He nodded to Elyse. “Instead, the boy was raised in a loving family with a very wise music teacher whom he respected. Instead of growing up with hate in his heart, she taught him more than just music, she taught him compassion. So, when his father died, he did not continue with his father's battles, he sought peace instead.”

It was like a weight had lifted off of Elyse's shoulders. All of the guilt she'd been carrying around now felt as light as a feather. She smiled a radiant smile, the corners of her mouth no longer weighed down as her shoulders were. “So, I did the right thing after all.”

“Yes.” Said Constantine, turning to look back at the door. “But enough reminiscing, the one I want you to meet is sitting at a table inside the café.”

Elyse nodded. The café had two seating areas, one on the rooftop where she and Constantine now sat, and one inside, down a flight of stairs, encompassing the top floor below them. Taking a last gulp of her latte, she glanced around at the beautiful view. There were potted flowers set up all around them and palm trees growing next to the street below while the air was a mixed smell of sweet flowers and the earthy aroma of river water.

The chair scraped against the floor as she pushed it back, straightening her long summer shirt that hung down to just above her knees, she walked to the door in her high boots overtop of tight black leggings. The café was just as crowded inside as it was outside. The bustling waitresses pouring coffees, teas, juices and handing out snack foods hardly took notice of her.

Constantine has disappeared, she realized with a frown as she spun around to find him nowhere to be seen. He hadn't given her much of a clue to who she would be meeting. Just that the man was looking for a psychic medium to join his paranormal investigation crew. She growled, “now how am I supposed to….”

Her heart stopped beating…or maybe it was time itself which had stopped and her heart along with it. For a moment, the world no longer turned, for a moment, there were no people filling the space between these walls except for her and the man sitting alone at that table, for a moment, she was a young thirteen year old girl again gazing longingly at the fifteen year old boy she had a crush on. Except she was no thirteen year old girl…and he was no fifteen year old boy, yet his face was just as she had remembered it.

Unbidden, her feet took a step forward, then another, and another. She hadn't even realized she was walking towards him until she was standing at his table, looking down at him, and saying, “Anthony….”

The dark haired man looked up with a start. A sheepish smile crossed his face as he presented his hand for her to shake. “Well, most people call me Tony…have we met?”

She shook his hand when all she really wanted to do was hug him and kiss him. But for now, the touch of his hand in hers sending shivers down her spine would have to do. “Um…you're looking for a psychic medium…right?” The words tumbled from her mouth. She had only just remembered what Constantine had told her.

For the second time in so many minutes, Tony looked surprised again. “How did you?...I mean I… I hadn't even put the ad out yet.” He dropped his hand and his jaw. “How did you know?”

Elyse slipped into the seat opposite him. “Well I just so happen to be psychic.”

Her joke was rewarded with a laugh. Oh how she had missed his laugh. “So tell me more about what you're looking for.”

Tony cleared his throat. “Well, you see, I have had some strange experiences in my life that I was never able to explain, so I began looking into the paranormal.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Last year I started a little investigation team and we have been going around New Orleans and investigating as many hauntings as we can.” He grinned at her. “Did you know that New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities in the U.S.A.? Anyway, we have come across a ton of evidence and even ran into a few demonic possessions!”

“Reeaaalllyy.” Elyse propped her elbow on the table and put her chin in her palm. “So what did you do?”

Tony's eyes were alight like a kid with his favorite toy. “We had to keep calling a priest to help us. The third time we called him, we said he might as well be part of the team! He agreed…but sometimes I just wish we could communicate more with these lost souls.”

Elyse winked at him. “I take it that's what I'm here for.”

Tony paused, looking at her for a long moment. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time.

Does he recognize me?

The moment had passed and the look in his eye was gone. “Yes…so, let's talk about you. Where are you from? Based on your accent, English must not be your first language.”

Elyse shook her head. “Nope, that would be Spanish.”

Tony grinned and threw his arms out wide, a friendly gesture. “You're Mexican! Just like me!” He relaxed his arms. “My parents immigrated here before I was born; although I will say that their accent is quite different than yours.”

Because I'm from the mother land of Spain….

“Huh, funny. Probably just a different area I suppose.” Elyse waved over a waitress. “Two lattes to go please.” She cast a sideways glance at Tony. “What kind of latte are you having?”

He was taken aback. “Well, caramel, but you don't have to…”

“One caramel and one hazelnut.” She smiled. “Please.” Then handed the waitress cash worth about double the cost of what she ordered. “Keep the change.”

Tony raised an eyebrow as if to say what's this about? Elyse only gave him an innocent smile. “It's such a gorgeous day out today. Let's walk and talk. I want to hear all about you!”

And so the day began, they walked along the lake shore until dusk. Tony said he came to that café every morning and wrote his reports. He was a detective who worked for the New Orleans Police Department, you see, and so he brought his laptop with all his files to the place that made “the best caramel latte in town”, as he put it. Elyse kept him talking about himself, it gave her the opportunity to watch him, study that face that had haunted her dreams.

She could hardly believe he was walking beside her, flesh and blood, it was all she could do to stop her heart from jumping out of her throat. There was a day, oh so many decades ago, when she realized that she could no longer remember the sound of his voice. She had cried on Constantine's shoulder while he stroked her hair and tried to soothe her broken heart. She had missed that lost piece of him and now she decided she could listen to him speak forever.

“So, do you really talk to ghosts?” He turned his attention to her.

“Yes…yes I do.”

I am a ghost…what are you?

“Well, tell me about that!” He urged. “When did that start? Have they ever frightened you?”

Elyse absentmindedly touched her sleeves where they covered her scarred wrists. “I…had a near death experience. When I woke up, I could see souls in Purgatory.” She turned to look at him, noting his questioning gaze, so she explained. “The ghosts that walk around this world, you know…the ones that do all the haunting, well, they're in purgatory.”

His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide. “How do you know?”

As if on cue, Elyse noticed a spirit standing on a pier, looking forlorn out towards the horizon, no one knowing they were there except her, and she decided she would leave the poor soul with his privacy. “Well, I have been told by a guardian angel.” She was prepared for the look of disbelieve on Tony's face. It only made her smile. “I'm sure you didn't intend to invite me into your team without testing me first.” She waved her hand through the air. “Let me prove myself before you decide to take my word for anything.”

Tony seemed to like that answer. “This weekend.” He said. “We have been contacted by a family who believe that a hurricane Katrina victim is haunting their home. You'll have a chance to meet everyone and show us what you got.” His flashing grin made her melt. She only nodded in response, fearing that her dry throat would betray her if she tried to speak.

The day was filled with laughs and stories. Tony had grown up with a single mother, his father having left when he was a child. In fact, his mother once let slip that she thought his father had been murdered. Tony told that story with a serious look on his face. “It's why I became a detective. A part of me thought I would be able to find out for certain what my mom meant by that, see if there were any truth to it all, but unlike the movies, we detectives don't get to choose our cases. It's not like we get to just grab any twenty year old case, blow the dust off of it, and waste taxpayer money on a personal vendetta.”

Elyse felt sorry for him. His first life had given him a pair of loving parents that lived beyond his own lifetime. She still remembered them crying at his funeral, telling her how lovely it was and thanking her for providing him such a lovely coffin to rest for eternity in.

Turns out it wasn't for an eternity after all….

Stopping for a late lunch at a Lakeshore seafood restaurant, the laughs and the stories continued while they gave their tired legs a rest. Elyse hardly touched her crawfish, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around too much to spare any room for food. Outside, there was a jazz band playing with a trumpet player who was particularly skilled.

“We should go check them out!” She nodded towards the band out the window as the waitress brought the check.

“Do you play?” Tony held the door open for her; the music was louder now that it was no longer hindered by walls; growing clearer with every step in its direction like a flame drawing in a moth.

“Oh, just a bit.” She tried to suppress her mischievous smile. Truth was, joining a band was the first thing she did after her and Constantine stepped away from her old life. She began by playing the piano but soon, her fellow musicians had taught her to play the violin, cello, and trumpet. In return, she taught them piano. Soon, they were invited to play for the wedding of the king of Spain and…well…the rest is history. In the decades to follow, she had come to learn how easy it was to pick up a new instrument once you already played so many; just like picking up new languages, each one is easier to grasp than the last.

A drummer kept the beat while the trumpet player trilled in minor chords. Some children were dancing, making her smile; as if she hadn't smiled enough this day already. The trumpeter brought his notes higher, than let them plummet in a cascade of pitches until buzzing a quiet base note. The crowd cheered and Elyse clapped. Clouds covered the sun then released it from behind their veil, taking turns providing shade across the big blue sky.

A particularly cute toddler had joined in the festivities and she laughed at his little awkward attempt at dancing before looking over to Tony to see if he had noticed the same scene she had. He hadn't. In fact, he wasn't watching the musicians at all, he was watching her. Eyes of hazel brown, they shone with specks of gold; rimmed with black, his irises looked like God was an artist who, while sculpting this man to walk the earth, had traced them with a charcoal pencil. A flashback played across her mind of him 200 years ago, looking up into the sun above Spain, the shadow of his brimmed hat receding so that the sunlight hit his eyes and those gold flecks looking like glitter in a drawn circle.

Now here he was, wearing a suit coat and tie an ocean away, two-hundred years into the future, studying her as if he just couldn't quite figure her out. With red, blushing cheeks, she averted her eyes. She had never considered herself bashful but something about him and the way he watched her when she wasn't looking had reduced her to a shy little girl, too nervous to know what to do or say.

Tony broke the silence. “You're beautiful.” His eyes narrowed. “I just hope you are who you say you are.”

Elyse looked back up at him, concerned. “What do you mean?”

Tony shook his head in bewilderment. “You knew my name before we were introduced. You knew about my unpublished ad for a psychic medium. You approached me at a place that I've been to everyday for the past year at roughly the same time.” He stepped forward as Elyse took a hesitant step back in retreat. “You're my type, the dark hair, Latino features, just like every other girl I've dated before and you've got a Spanish accent to boot.” He took another step forward, putting her on the retreat again. “You show up out of nowhere, you're everything I've been looking for, and you know things that you shouldn't know.”

Elyse was speechless, backed up against an old brick wall, she couldn't move back any further.

Tony had his hands in his pockets, looking her up and down like an architect trying to decipher an artifact. “If I had to guess, I'd say someone has been spying on me for some time and sent you to play me. To sweep me off my feet for some alternate purpose.” He was inching closer still. Now she could feel his breathe on her face and her own breathe quickened in response. “I'm not naïve enough to be conned easily so I've spent this morning and the better part of this afternoon trying to figure out your angle.” He tilted his head. “I've been trying to figure out what you're after, trick you into telling me your plan or catch you in a lie. I've been watching your expressions, your gestures, your body language….”

At the mention of body language, her spine straightened and goosebumps prickled her arms. Tony continued as if he didn't notice. “But either you're the best liar I've ever met…and trust me…I've met a lot of good liars in my line of work… or you're the best psychic I've ever heard of, everything you say is true, and I just happen to be so lucky as to spend the day with the prettiest girl I've ever laid my eyes on.”

Elyse struggled to think of a response. What was she supposed to say? I WAS, in fact, sent here by someone spying on you but it's not a person it's my guardian angel?...Sweep YOU off your feet! You swept ME off my feet just over two centuries ago and I'm still smitten?... I am the best psychic you'll ever hear of because I'm the only person on Earth who literally lives in both the physical and spiritual world?...And I'm probably the best liar you've ever met as well just because of the fact that I've been doing this for so long?

There was nothing she could say, nothing she could openly admit to. All she could think of was “so what now?”

Tony stepped back with a smile as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. “We walk this road for the rest of the day in each other's company, you show up this weekend at our investigation and I test you to see how good of a medium you really are.” He presented his hand for her to hold. “Shall we?”

Elyse exhaled, relief flooding her like a wave. She took his hand, noted his guarded eyes, but took a page from his own book and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. Clearing her throat, she said, “you asked if I played music, well, my favorite is the piano….”

Walking hand in hand, the day grew cool, the sun setting with promises of a brand new day. Once again, as always, Elyse stilled and became quiet. The sun was setting on the other side of the lake, reflecting off of the water. A mirage of heaven. He was still watching her, she knew, but she didn't want to turn away, didn't want to miss a sunset unless she absolutely had to.

When the burning ball of fire with its halo of colors was finally gone, Tony cleared his throat. “I'm going to take a cab home now, but I'll call you on Friday to tell you where to meet us.” He smiled in the dark. “It was nice to meet you Elyse.” Turning away, he walked towards a busy street; his gait, his gestures, his personality…he was exactly as he had been before he died.

A tear rolled down Elyse's eye. Even in an eternal fire of hopelessness, where memories were taken away and all that existed was torment…my soul still remembered yours. Your memories helped me get out, I managed the impossible….Now we're back on Earth….

Does your soul remember mine?

She made it back to her suburban home before the last star had appeared in the sky. Constantine was staring out the window, his back to her, his wings taut and slightly open. Elyse tried to keep her voice steady. “You knew…didn't you.” She took a deep breathe. “You knew it was him and you didn't warn me!” She lowered her volume because she could feel the urge to shout. “I could've had years with him already! You should have told me when he was born! You should have allowed me to meet him before today!” Her words choked her. “You know he's dated other girls? He's slept with other women!” She hadn't realized exactly how much that fact hurt until she spoke it out loud. He didn't know he was betraying her, he didn't know that once upon a time he had said vows to her in front of an alter and a priest in a house of God; he couldn't possibly be blamed, she knew, but it all hurt so much nonetheless. The thoughts of other girls who looked like her, receiving his affections, they enraged her like a cattle prod to a bull. But without a target to let her anger out on, without someone to blame, her anger just came out in tears.

She was blinded by the saltwater pouring from her eyes like a waterfall in the middle of a sea so she didn't notice Constantine step away from the window until he was hugging her close. “Sshhhh.” He soothed. “Don't let jealousy consume you, don't let anger put you closer to the place we've both been working so hard to keep you from.”

The strained fear in his voice caught her attention and she pulled back to look at his face. His fear was as plain as the fact that there was more to all of this than she understood. “What?...And why?...or…better yet…HOW?” She struggled to find the words but Constantine just nodded. He knew her better than she sometimes knew herself. She didn't need to finish her sentence.

“Anthony was reincarnated by the devil to complete a sinister plan.” He said.

Elyse gasped in despair. “Oh no….no, no….” Her tears stopped and she grew so silent she dared not breathe; not wanting to miss a word. “Tell me everything.”

Constantine sighed. “The devil's patience was growing thin.” He looked down at her through black lashes. “He expected you to have returned by now but you're wiser than he had anticipated. Not wanting to be outdone, he devised a plan that even I don't know everything about. “ He shook his head and furrowed his brow. “All I was able to find out was that he WANTS you to fall back into a relationship with Anthony. He is using Tony as BAIT.”

The uncertainty on his face sent a shiver down Elyse's spine. She had rarely seen him like this before and usually only when circumstances were the most dire.

He continued. “I believe that they plan on possessing him once you two are together and using him to hurt you so that you fall out of love with him. They want to convince you that everything you ever though was good was a lie and the only truth is the depression they can offer.”

“That's so backwards…. But, despite how illogical it is, I know that's the type of feelings they've caused in people before.” Elyse clenched her jaw. “It makes no sense until your hearing their voices inside your head.”

Constantine's voice shook as his hands cupped her face. “They'll use Tony to cause a tragedy worse than the one you got your scars over and use that pain as their doorway to feed your depression and hopelessness.” He paused to let it all sink in. “Twenty-five years ago, when Tony was born, I talked to his guardian angel who's been determined to keep the demons away. We figured that the demons would wait until you came back into his life before attacking.”

“So keeping me away was keeping him safe.” Elyse no longer felt mad that Constantine had kept this secret from her. It would have been too painful for her to know he existed yet not be able to go see him. Ignorance was bliss.

Constantine shrugged his shoulders. “It's what we thought…but Tony's guardian angel has been overwhelmed with attacks lately. He can hardly keep them away. They just keep trying to invade Tony's psyche and his body. It's like they decided that if they couldn't use him to get to you than they would take him anyway.” He ran an exasperated hand through his hair. “I just can't figure out why Anthony's soul was allowed to leave heaven to be reincarnated in the first place. He was untouchable up there yet now he has to make it to heaven again or risk going to hell instead.”

For the second time that day the world seemed to stop turning, her heart seemed to stop beating. It 'be real, she couldn't believe this…it was a dream! It was a lie! Her loving angel was just mistaken. She shook her head violently from side to side, sobs escaping her lips. It wasn't true! It couldn't be true. “He CAN'T go to hell, he just CAN'T.” Now it was her turn to run an exasperated hand through her hair. “Nothing is worth what he is risking! NOTHING! Did you ask God? What did he say?”

Constantine held her upper arms to keep her from shaking. “All I know is that his soul agreed to do this for some reason. God wouldn't tell me why, just that it was his choice and that something wonderful will happen if we can foil the devil's plans for him.” Tears were forming in his eyes. “We've been trying…Elyse… we've been trying but we've met our match. I now need your help too.”

“Please, Constantine, for once, please, just tell me what to do.”

He exhaled. “You need to guard him, fend off demons that get near him just like his guardian angel and I will be doing. You need to stay as close to him as possible and pray for him all the time… prayer gives us angels power and takes it away from the demons that surround us… Pray that God keeps blessing him with the strength to resist and be his conscious, the voice of reason, when he's being tempted.” He blinked. “And don't start a romantic relationship with the boy. What we know is that the demons want that to happen so you should avoid doing what they want in every way possible.”

It was like her heart was breaking all over again, but what else could she do? “Okay.”