I'm With Cupid by Anna Staniszewski Read Free Book Online Page A

me.”
    Lena stopped at a green bike that had been abandoned on the grass. She must have flung it aside before she’d rushed over to save Olivia from his glowing fingers.
    â€œYou’re right. I guess we should check.” Lena took out her phone, searched for the number to the hospital, and was talking to someone all in the span of a minute. Marcus marveled at her efficiency.
    â€œI had to tell them I was her sister before they finally gave me info,” Lena said, hanging up the phone a couple of minutes later. “She’s still unconscious but stable.”
    Marcus sighed with relief. “So that means she’s going to be okay?” If something really bad happened to that woman because of him…
    â€œI think so. Maybe Eddie is right, and we don’t have to worry.” Lena picked up her bike and plopped her helmet on her head. “Okay, I need to go home and prep for my Alice in Wonderland audition tomorrow.”
    He couldn’t believe she was worried about something so normal after everything that had happened. “But what about…? I mean, what are we supposed to do ?”
    Lena shook her head. “I have no idea, but I’ve spent weeks getting ready for this audition. I can’t get distracted now.”
    How was she not still freaking out about everything that had happened? He definitely couldn’t imagine going back to his house and acting like everything was fine. “I can walk you home if you want,” he found himself saying, “and help you run lines.”
    Lena shrugged. “Sure. We’re auditioning with the White Rabbit scene from the book. It starts with her saying, ‘Mr. White Rabbit, where are you going?’ And the rest of it goes like this.” Then she launched into the monologue.
    Marcus watched her mouth as she spoke the words. For some reason, the other parts of her face didn’t move. She was saying the lines, but it didn’t seem like she meant them.
    â€œWell, what do you think?” she asked when it was over.
    â€œOh, um. Not bad.”
    She gave him a sharp look. “But not good either?”
    â€œI didn’t say that! Only…it seemed a little stiff, that’s all.”
    â€œStiff? What do you mean?”
    Marcus knew he had to choose his words carefully. This was just like when his mom asked him for feedback on her trash sculptures and he had to try to find tactful ways of suggesting she make them look more like actual, recognizable things. “I don’t know much about acting or anything, but maybe try putting some more feeling into it?”
    Lena shrugged. “I don’t want to overact. Directors hate that. But I’ll try it again.” She started from the beginning, saying the lines almost exactly the same way as before.
    But Marcus wasn’t listening anymore, because the enormity of what had happened hit him like a wrecking ball. He was a soul collector!
    â€œSo, how does it all work?” he asked, interrupting her.
    Lena looked at him. “What do you mean?”
    â€œIf we’re stuck with each other’s powers for the next couple of days, shouldn’t we know more about them? Like what does a soul collector actually do ?”
    She sighed. “I guess you’re right. Well, what I do is pretty simple.” Then she explained how she used the energy to “release” the soul from its body so that when the person died, his or her soul would go to the After.
    â€œSo you actually see the person’s soul before you collect it?” he asked, thinking of the bright light bursting out of Ann-Marie that morning. Is that what he’d been seeing? Her soul?
    â€œJust a flash of it. By the time I get there, the soul is so weak that it’s barely glowing anyway,” Lena said. “Eddie says it’ll get easier to see my targets’ souls once my powers get stronger.”
    Marcus nodded. That wasn’t so different from his