Soul Catcher by G.P. Ching Read Free Book Online

beside him. The guy was unreal. He paused at the door and took a deep breath.
    “Hey, I could tell Bonnie there’s always Dane.”
    Wincing, as if he’d taken a blow to the gut, Ethan gaped at Ghost in disbelief.
    “I’m just kidding, dude, but you seriously need to sort that one out. The guy has no idea what flag he’s flying. Might not even own a flag pole,” Ghost whispered.
    “Do me a favor and don’t talk about Dane or his flag pole,” Ethan said. “It’s none of your business.”
    Ghost flared his hands next to his shoulders and smirked. “What if I’m interested?”
    “Hah! If I was born with jazz hands, you were born winking at the nurse who caught you.”
    “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
    “Listen, I have feelings for Dane, true. But I don’t want him to change for me. Being homosexual is no cup of tea in this world. Part of me hopes he’s not. And honestly, it doesn’t matter because I accept him for who he is, unconditionally.”
    “That’s beautiful, man.”
    Ethan flashed a lopsided grin. “I have my moments.”
    “But what if he just needs, like, a push. You know, he grew up in Paris, not exactly an open-minded metropolis. Maybe if you just grabbed him and showed him how you felt—”
    “Worst idea ever.” Ethan shook his head. “No, if Dane wants something more than friendship, he’ll have to figure that out for himself. I’m not going to force him into anything. I’ll wait.”
    Ghost sighed. “You might be waiting a long time, Bro.”
    Ethan shrugged. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.” He pushed open the door and entered an enormous room that reminded him of a cuckoo clock. Circular and constructed of intricately carved wood, the open space welcomed him in. All of the Soulkeepers ate here when they were in Eden at long wooden tables with high-backed chairs that stretched across the room.
    Bonnie looked up from her spot at the head of the center table where she strung nuts, pinecones, and dried fruit into a garland. Everything in Eden had to be handmade and natural. Even the power was solar. And the diet? One hundred percent vegan. While a challenge to get used to, Ethan had to admit he’d experienced clarity here he’d never had in the outside world, an inner peace that made him want to be a better person.
    “Ghost!” Samantha sang, skipping from the place where she arranged flowers on the table to Ghost’s side. He pulled her to his hip and kissed her cheek.
    “It’s about time. Could use some help here. Party’s supposed to start in an hour,” Bonnie said, annoyed.
    Ghost laughed. “Relax, Bon-bell. It’s just us coming. No one is going to say a word if the garland isn’t up.”
    “Hey!” she yelled. “This is important. If we’re stuck going to school here, we might as well make the best of it. Plus, this garland is a pain in the butt. Respect my skills, or else.”
    “Or else, what?”
    “Or else, I’ll get Archibald to hang it.”
    Everyone groaned. The school gnomes were exceedingly useful when it came to keeping up the grounds, cooking, and cleaning, but they were terrible at odd jobs. The problem was you had to be ridiculously specific to get what you wanted. They had to know when to start and when to stop. Ethan had asked Sage, a two-foot-tall female with a beard, to fold his laundry and found her three hours later, folding and unfolding the same shirts. Not only were his clothes permanently creased from the pressing, but Sage was irate. She huffed from the room, rubbing her sore hands. Abigail ordered her to take two days off to placate her and berated Ethan for not being more careful. None of the Soulkeepers liked to use them for fear of making a mistake and damaging one of them.
    Ethan sauntered to Bonnie’s side, accepting the end of the garland from her. She flushed when his fingers brushed hers. Ugh . He stepped backward, a little too quickly, and cleared his throat. Full attention on the garland, he lifted it with his mind to the