Read Online Covenant by Maria Rachel Hooley - Free Book Online

voice
deeper than it should be. I glance at Celia, wondering if she also
hears the difference, but if she does, she doesn’t give anything
away. Instead, she turns back toward the entrance and slips around
the all the people who don’t see her and never know that she even
walks among them.
    As we slip inside, the
calling feels ever stronger, almost overwhelming. That’s probably
why Celia suddenly ups her pace and I have to hurry to keep
up—although if I wanted to know exactly where the calling is coming
from, I could figure it out. Instead, I blindly follow Celia’s
lead, twisting us through the crowded hallways that makes me wonder
how humans get by every day without damaging themselves somehow.
The hospital is full of hurt and ill people, a testament to just
how fragile they are. And of course that line of thinking only
brings me back to Elizabeth, as if I’d ever really left her behind.
She seems to stay with me regardless of what I do or how hard I try
to push her out.
    Even before we reach the
room where we are headed, I see nurses running toward it. The world
around them seems to slow, and all the noises become long, slurring
sounds that don’t remind me of words. I’ve probably watched a scene
like this a million times. The first sign is always chaos. Humans
have this thing about spin control. The truth is, whatever is
unraveling is often something which can’t be controlled.
    Of course, as we step toward
the doorway, leaving a clear path for the frantic medical personnel
to try to get through, I realize it would be an unfortunate time to
share this information with the doctor who tries to start her heart
again. He’s watching the flat line on a monitor, and I can tell by
his expression he is troubled by the woman lying there—a
twenty-year-old whose mortal journey had barely started. It’s a
strange thought, really, considering the human part of existence is
just one step among many; perhaps if humans understood this, they
might not panic so much when difficult things happened. They might
be okay with life unraveling if they understood there is so much
more than mortal breath. Then again, perhaps it wouldn’t really
matter, either.
    Then why does Elizabeth
concern you so much? a little voice asks
me. It seems it should be a simple enough question, but truthfully
I can’t answer it, not with a memory like Swiss cheese.
    I grit my teeth and walk
into the room. Of course, I’m not expecting the overwhelming flush
of emotions that swirl at me. It’s a new sensation, one I’m pretty
sure I’ve never felt before, and that definitely makes no sense. I
mean, I’m a sojourner. This is the one thing I’m supposed to do
extremely well, but right now I feel like a space shuttle
re-entering earth’s atmosphere, wondering whether the outer shell
will hold against the heat.
    What is happening to
me?
    I watch the doctor apply the
paddles to her chest, trying as hard as he can to force her heart
to jump back into a rhythm. Right now I’m pretty sure he’d settle
for any rhythm because that would be something he could work with.
But the stillness is non-negotiable.
    “ Come on,” he whispers, his
frown deepening as he realizes for the first time he’s lost her. Of
course, in that moment. I should be collecting her soul. I should
be reassuring her spirit everything is all right. But then I’m
rational; I’ve done this a million times.
    Except when her spirit
suddenly appears beside me and starts into a banshee-like wail, I’m
no longer as calm as I once was. Still, I turn to her. “It’s going
to be all right,” I say, trying to reach to take her
hand.
    She screams louder and falls
to her knees. I manage to latch onto her hand, but when her spirit
connects with mine, all those emotions that have seemed so
overwhelming are nothing compared to the fear, the chaos, the
desperation, and the sadness bundled into this spirit. The emotions
suddenly wash over me, and I try to drop her hand, but she won’t
let