CHAPTER ONE

I s it ready now? Dylan asked for the tenth time in twenty minutes.

My hand was already on the pulsing essence in my pouch. Not yet.

Dylan bounced from foot to foot as if he were about to take off. He was my trainee, and his soul reflected his death time around eleven years of age. Still, he acted like all the rest who were earlier in their training, eager to be back on the Living realm with humans.

When then?

Soon. Dylan needed to learn the most important step, patience. Handling the True Soul took finesse and a steady hand. I glanced at Dylan’s. He couldn’t stop twitching them.

Even without looking at our target, excitement pulsed through the True Soul, echoing the emotions of its counterpart—Anthony Bonds. He was inside a deli. Through the glass window, I spotted him leaning over the counter, flirting with the woman working there, yet his eyes were only for the food she prepared. His belly peeked out from under his grease-stained shirt. I couldn’t fathom his need for more sustenance as he had finished a donut on the way to the deli.

After over a hundred human years of my afterlife, I had lost all reasoning why an excess of food was important to humans.

Dylan spotted Anthony, but then his eyes distanced themselves from our target. His gaze darted back and forth as he noticed the reflection of the cars behind us.

Dylan had been in a car accident with his family. They survived while he didn’t, but the Caeleste stripped souls of their memories before entering the After. Even though it was impossible, it appeared as if a remnant of his last moments in this realm remained.

I snapped my fingers, and he jumped. Keep your focus on the target.

Sorry, Maggie. Dylan’s eyes were wide. You died as a kid, like me.

I gathered the patience left inside of me. I may look like a teenager, but I’ve been around for a while.

Was this job hard for you too? he asked, interrupting me.

No.

It is for me.

Eventually you will accept the role and it will get easier. I promise.

The woman gathered Anthony’s food, and he grabbed two bags of chips and a soda, shoving them across the counter toward her.

Anthony turned and moved toward the door. The bell above jangled, and he walked out with the white paper bag tucked against his chest as if at any moment someone might steal it from him.

The target glanced both ways before crossing the road.

I followed a few steps behind. There was nothing in this realm that could harm me, but having an inanimate object or person pass through my soul wasn’t the most comfortable sensation.

Do you want to take it now? I asked Dylan.

For once, he was quiet. I opened my mouth to ask again when I noticed he wasn’t beside me. He was still at the edge of the curb, focused on the cars.

I grumbled and walked in front of a moving car. It passed through me. I gritted my teeth at the intrusion of my soul but held an impassive expression. It can’t hurt you.

Dylan shook his head and skittered across the road toward me.

You know I am only supposed to observe.

We reached the curb, and I lifted the True Soul from my pouch. The pale blue essence ebbed and flowed between my hands. It pulsed with life, and even more so as Anthony gained distance between us. It yearned to reunite with his soul and to travel to the After.

Dylan’s hands extended to mine, and I placed the True Soul in his palms.

I’ll only help if you need it.

Dylan swiftly tucked the essence into his pouch. His eyes narrowed on Anthony and he moved toward him.

I couldn’t help but smirk at his false bravado. He always did this when I pushed him, but he usually faltered at the moment it counted.

Felix’s voice entered my mind. My boss insisted I put more faith into my trainees. But their consistent mistakes made it harder each time I took on a new case. Especially since whatever they did counted against my personal record.

I shuddered. There was no room for error.

Dylan kept his distance from Anthony, as if he’d turn around any second and find the young soul stalking behind him.

You can do this. The encouragement wavered my voice, but Dylan didn’t seem to notice.

Anthony owned a car repair shop. He fumbled for his keys to the back door of the building while balancing his food. He pulled open the door with a grunt and stepped through.

Dylan slunk in right behind Anthony. I waited until the door shut before transitioning to the space beyond it.

Anthony charged through the space, ignoring the other two humans working underneath a car at the back of the cavernous room. Dylan weaved through the mess of scattered tools, creepers, and cardboard boxes.

Anthony peered at the red car closest to his office. When we had left the shop earlier, his True Soul spiked when looking at it. Restoring the car was his current project. He never would, though.

The phone rang from inside the small room, echoing off the concrete walls as it had all morning.

Anthony grunted and waved a hand at it. I’m taking lunch!

Dylan stopped in his tracks. I nudged him forward.

Anthony dropped the bags on the office desk and pulled a dirty rag from his back pocket, tossing it at the phone and its persistent red flashing light. He fisted his left hand and coughed into it.

Even without the True Soul in my hand, I knew a heart attack was in his near future. He didn’t nourish his body properly for many years or move it nearly enough. I crossed my fingers, hoping Dylan would notice it. The talent of spotting the moment of death had to be honed, as the True Soul was in charge of that time. Collectors had to find the precise moment that the soul was the weakest and able to sever ties with the body. Waiting too long after their death time might damage the soul. Unfortunately, I had seen all the mistakes trainees could make. The most frequent being a trainee seeing death for the first time and panicking and I ended up having to do it for them, resulting in more strikes against my record. But not today. A spot on the Guard had opened up, and I would secure it for myself.

For years, I imagined donning the black uniform and strapping the standard-issue broadsword to my back. The Guard were an elite group of souls. Soldiers that protected humans and took part in top-secret missions, earning collective respect from everyone in the After.

It would be nice to be recognized for all my hard work, and a logical progression after collecting for so long.

Dylan perched on a second chair next to the desk, watching Anthony strategically spread his food in front of him. The kid leaned over, dangerously close to the chili and cheese dog, as if he could smell it.

In the Living realm, the human sense smell didn’t affect our soul. Since the job entailed human death, losing the sense of smell was a blessing, especially as we watched Anthony shove the hot dog in his mouth. The squelching sounds of him eating was enough for me.

I turned away, letting the man have his last meal, and reached into my empty pouch, more out of habit than anything.

That looks so good, Dylan said wistfully.

I held back an eye roll. Here we were, doing one of the most critical jobs of the After by reuniting the True Soul, and all he could talk about was food. I wondered if Felix had changed his criteria for choosing his Collectors?

I feel it! It’s happening! Dylan shrieked, jumping from the chair. He lifted the True Soul from his pouch, holding it in front of him.

Take it easy.

His hands shook underneath the essence.

Without thinking, I threw my hands under his to catch the True Soul if he dropped it. There would be no damage in this realm, but we were too close to death time for any mistakes.

It’s too wiggly.

It’s not wiggly. I tempered my tone to a calmer voice. Dylan was a scared soul. It wouldn’t help to push him too far, especially since we were so close. It’s counting down the time it has until it’s reunited. Remember how the pulsing intensifies before it becomes still? That’s when we do our job. I curled my fingers under his until he mimicked the movement. Let it guide you.

We held the True Soul between us for a few seconds. Dylan’s eyes moved in time with the rhythm of the pulsing. I took my hands away from under his and he stepped closer to Anthony.

Dylan’s almost translucent blue eyes stared up at me, pleading.

You can do this, I encouraged. You will do this.

Um . . . Maggie . . . so when . . . he stammered.

I steadied my voice. When you feel the vibration within the True Soul intensify, you will know it’s time to coax the soul from the being.

I think I feel it. His voice was no louder than a whisper, as if speaking could damage the True Soul.

Anthony sucked his fingertips as if his pores were going to manifest more food.

Relax, I said through gritted teeth. Now, tell me where the connection is.

Here. Dylan moved the True Soul to the back of Anthony’s neck.

Gently place it against the body.

Dylan positioned the True Soul against Anthony’s neck. My fingers moved as if I held the essence. Each Collector had their own methods of coaxing the soul from the body, I never allowed my trainees in the field until my technique was perfected. It was the same that my trainer taught me and offered the best rate of success. It made the job quicker if the True Soul contacted the body right before it died.

Anthony stilled at the unseen intrusion. That was the point in every collection where everything was out of our hands. The True Soul took over.

He coughed and clutched his chest. He choked out a sputtering breath and moaned, leaning back in his chair.

It’s going to be okay, Dylan said, low enough that I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to hear it.

Anthony continued to gurgle and cough, leaning forward in his chair.

Dylan’s hands wavered as his target moved.

I curled my hands into fists, willing them to stay out of it. That didn’t mean I couldn’t offer encouragement. I want you to succeed. I really do. But it’s not up to me. I’ve shown you how to do this. Felix will know if you fail, and if you’re not cut out for this job, then you’re going back to the Living as a new person. Understand?

A squeak burst from Dylan’s lips, then he repositioned his hands. The True Soul pulsed so quickly that I could no longer perceive the movement. The pale blue radiated until it turned almost white.

Anthony reached for the telephone, but before his fingers could brush against it, he stilled.

The True Soul lit up like a star in the night sky as Anthony’s soul released from the body. The True Soul secured its connection to the back of Anthony’s neck and melded into the soul. His body slumped against the desk with one last breath, revealing a younger and fitter version of him standing before us.

How a soul looked when collected differed with each case. Usually when younger humans died, their soul would reflect an imprint of their body. In older humans, like Anthony, the soul molded itself to whatever time in the human’s life that represented the happiest or most influential moments.

Anthony’s soul stood in a not-quite solid form before us, staring at his hunched-over body. He tipped his head to the side. Who are you?

I grabbed Dylan’s hand, and he did the same to Anthony. The younger Anthony looked surprised as he stole one last glance at his body before the world shimmered around us into a brilliant white light.

CHAPTER TWO

The border between the realms appeared as a bridge before crossing to Gate Seven. The type of bridge and landscape surrounding it depended on how the soul thought their afterlife would look like. As Collectors, we experienced it with them. The True Soul extracted the image from the memories of the soul during their life and projected it, easing the transition from the Living to the After.

For Anthony, plush green grass filled the landscape as far as the eye could see. A setting sun appeared to rest atop a ridge of mountains in the distance.

His bridge connected two sides of a trickling stream. His soul heaved, as if it still needed oxygen.

The same sensation moved through me at the breathtaking location.

I spotted a Gatekeeper on the other side. Gwendolyn’s radiant crimson hair ruffled as if a breeze moved through it. Her bright golden eyes sparkled against Anthony’s manifestation of the sun. She’d wait there until his soul was ready to let go of humanity and move on.

More Gatekeepers appeared at the border, waiting to welcome their souls. Even though Gate Seven was one place, each soul experienced it as if they were the only in existence.

I touched Dylan’s shoulder. Let’s go.

Anthony knelt in the grass, staring into the distance. His hands moved through the blades. No doubt they were as soft as they looked. Maybe he’d visited this place at some moment in his life or the True Soul created it from an amalgam of memories.

I took one last mental picture before Dylan and I transported to the office.

The Collections office straddled one of the more populated points between realms. The building was a skyscraper in downtown New York City. Even with the building in the Living, the office was firmly in the After. Felix stated that keeping us close to humans would help us connect to our targets better.

The wide expanse of the Living part of the office looked out at the setting sun over the horizon. I never understood why the obsession with the setting and rising of the sun. It was just something that was.

When I turned to the After, Collectors in white uniforms bustled around the office between assignments.

Hi, Dylan! A soul about his human age waved at him, skipping across the floor.

He grinned, waving back at her.

Come on. I steered him toward the open space at the far edge of the room. Seven Caeleste stood at attention, awaiting the closure of the cases. Like Gwendolyn, their eyes burned molten gold. A pair of them landed on Dylan.

Dylan barely reached the waist of our assigned Caeleste. Name of soul, she asked her hands. They were open in front of her like a book.

My trainee choked on the name.

Stacia’s eyes lifted to mine.

At that point, we had completed the job. Nothing could ruin my record. Anthony Bonds.

Most souls took a while to get used to the Caeleste, the original inhabitants of the After realm. Stacia, like Gwendolyn, had the looks that many humans over the years had tried to replicate. Flawless skin, natural charisma, hair like bundles of silk flowing down their backs. But their biggest distinction was their golden eyes that sparkled as if beams of sunlight were constantly beating through them.

Stacia looked at her hands again. Was the transition successful?

I shrugged. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.

Dylan whipped around to face me.

A hint of a smirk touched Stacia’s lips.

I winked at Dylan as Stacia let out a tinkling laugh.

She moved her finger across her palm, confirming the transition. Your solo assignment is due shortly.

Thanks. I turned to Dylan. You’re done for now.

What are you going to tell Felix? Dylan’s eyes widened.

Sometimes I thought about lying to Felix during a bad collection, but there was no use telling untruths to the all-knowing. He’ll see you did fine.

Dylan beamed and raced down the corridor.

Souls running away from you . . . how unusual, a voice said from behind me.

My shoulders crept up to my ears.

A hand squeezed my shoulder, and I ducked out of the grip. The arrogant grin that haunted me for months after he left my service peered back at me. Aaron stepped back and held his hands up in surrender. Whoa, whoa. Lighten up. I was just saying hi.

A crawling sensation burrowed in my soul, starting at the place where he touched me. I had the urge to wipe away the memory, along with his soul from the After, but I couldn’t do anything other than take in what he was wearing.

It’s not possible— The rest of my words died on my tongue.

Aaron no longer wore the regulation Collector white uniform. Aaron had been a trainee of mine for a short while before Felix reassigned him. Even as a new Collector, he defied all of my techniques and constantly tried to prove he knew more than me, even though I had decades of more experience. He always got the job done, but not in the way I would have.

Aaron’s grin widened. He tugged at the black vest, which fit him as if it were made for his soul. That’s no way to congratulate me on a promotion.

My promotion.

I thought you were Recycled? Supposedly, Aaron was moving on. I assumed Recycling, where the Caeleste would strip him of his memories of the After and he’d be able to return to the Living as a new human. Far away from me.

Cooper, another Guard, came up behind Aaron and clapped a hand on his back, turning his gray eyes on me. He had been a Guard for at least half of my stay in the After. Collectors and Guard rarely interacted as their missions were separate. Collectors ferried souls to the After while the Guard protected those on the Living. But I had learned as much as I could about them since I planned to join their ranks.

Why was Aaron here then? To gloat?

Maggie, right? Cooper extended his hand.

I nodded, tearing my gaze away from the vision of Aaron burning my eyes.

What do you think of Aaron’s promotion? I’ve heard he has you to thank for that.

I don’t think I can take credit for him,