Persephone's Orchard (The Chrysomelia Stories) Read Free Page B

was attempting sarcasm, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her fear.
    “Also,“ he continued, “there are a few people who do know about me, and about this realm, and they’re not fond of us. They’re quite dangerous in fact. You do not want to be on their radar. So just promise you won’t tell anyone.”
    “Okay. I promise.” She sounded as guarded and uneasy as ever, but he was unlikely to get a more trusting pledge for now.
    So Adrian drew in his breath and delivered the true but incomplete explanation: “This world is where souls go. People’s souls, when they die. There’s a place we can go to see them, though it’s a long way from here.”
    Sophie stared at him several long moments without speaking. Then, evidently deciding he was mental, she spread her hands in front of her and said, “Look, if it’s money you’re after, my family doesn’t have much. My parents run a fruit stand, we grow a little produce, but—”
    “No. I know. We’re not after money.”
    “Then…what?” The quiver was back in her voice. Probably she thought he was going to rape her or sell her into slavery.
    “I’m not here to hurt you,” he repeated. “I only want to talk to you. And you can’t get back to the regular world by yourself, so please listen and don’t run away. I’m not lying and I’m not crazy, all right? Can’t you admit that this is…supernatural? That something very unusual is going on here?”
    She pressed her lips together, glancing around. “Unless you or your buddy drugged me or knocked me out.”
    Adrian sighed, and squinted across at the mountain—Mary’s Peak, they called it in the living world. “All right.” He took his own smartphone from his back pocket. The other pocket held Sophie’s phone, which Niko had swiped. “I asked about you, in the—the place where the souls go. Here’s what I found. Watch this, then I’ll take you home, I promise.” He selected the video and held the phone out to her, his heart pounding.
    Sophie took the phone, frowning, and tapped the screen to begin the video. Immediately she inhaled a quick breath.
    “Hi, Sophie Sodapop,” said her grandfather, who’d been dead over a year. Adrian kept his distance rather than watching at her shoulder, but having filmed it himself and previewed it, he knew how it looked. Sophie’s grandpa smiled benevolently, but, like all the souls, glowed greenish and appeared translucent. Behind him milled other souls in the fields. The black of the cave’s interior surrounded them all.
    Adrian felt uneasy bringing photos or videos of the Underworld out of its borders, even into the rest of the spirit realm, but he had to convince her.
    “This fellow here tells me it’s September of 2012,” her grandfather continued on the video, “and you’re about to start college. Sounds like you chose OSU. Honey, I’m so proud.”
    Sophie choked back a sob, and splayed her fingers over her mouth. She kept her gaze riveted to the video. Adrian bowed his head, closing his eyes for a moment. Why was he doing this to her? Why couldn’t he leave her alone? Well, he knew why. But couldn’t he have found a gentler way?
    “I miss you and Liam and your dad and mom,” her grandfather went on, “but it’s not so bad here. There’s all kinds of interesting folks to talk to. I even found some old friends. Now, this boy says he can bring you here to see me, if you’re willing. Sophie, I’d sure love that. I wouldn’t be able to touch you, but it’d be a real treat to talk to you again. I hope you’ll come. In the meantime, I love you so much, honey, and you take care of yourself.”
    The video ended.
    Tears ran down her face. She handed the phone back to Adrian, holding her arm out to the side and not looking at him.
    He took the phone, and handed her a clean cotton handkerchief from his front pocket.
    She accepted it, and blew her nose.
    “I’m sorry,” Adrian said, then found himself talking rapidly, saying things he hadn’t