Soul Crossed by Lisa Gail Green Read Free Book Online Page A

sorry! Did it cut you?”
    I spin to face her, the picture of composure. “That’s very pretty. Where did you get it?”
    “Oh. My grandmother gave it to me before she died. She said it would always protect me, and I wear it everyday. You know, not because I’m superstitious and all, but because it reminds me of her.”
    “Well, it certainly protected you from me,” I say with a smile. I’ll have to remember that. No crosses. Figures.
    “That’s a shame. I don’t want to be protected from you,” she says, and she steps toward me.
    “I have to go. Sorry. And Shelby?”
    “Yes?” she asks, disappointment written all over her face.
    “You won’t remember any of this, OK?”
    It’s just as well. Grace is the one I can’t get off my mind. I can wait a couple more hours if it means getting what I want.

Chapter 16
Grace
    I don’t mind doing homework for English Lit. I know Cam isn’t in the class with me, but I can’t help it. It’s always been my favorite subject. I spread out at a corner table in the library and relish the solitude my location provides. But my mind keeps flying back to the auditions, back to Josh, back to the idea that I’ve agreed to dinner with him. My heart races, and I find it difficult to focus on
Beowulf
.
    I’ve had crushes before. I am—or was—sixteen. It’s no surprise that someone as beautiful as Josh would bring up those feelings again. Especially when he seems just as interested in me as I am in him. Even now the thought brings heat to my cheeks.
    I can’t let this get out of hand, though. It wouldn’t be fair. Not to him and not to me. I’m only here for a short time, and we can’t possibly have a future together. Still, Ms. Alvarez did say I could visit any earth-bound mortals I want once I earn my wings…
    With a sigh, I pile my books back inside my bag. This isn’t working. Maybe if I do a little internet research I’ll be able to concentrate. I reserve one of the computer stations from a little gray-haired librarian with a nametag that reads “Lucille” and start Googling.
    Three printouts later, and I still can’t concentrate. It isn’t just Josh that’s distracting me now, though. It’s the girl at the station to my left. She looks like my friend Emily, who I was with when I died.
    I keep catching the glint from the reflection off her glasses and looking over. She has the same dark shiny hair, thick black eyebrows, and heart shaped face. I find myself wondering if she is also head of the Science Club and if she likes Taylor Swift but can’t stand Miley Cyrus.
    She catches my eye and smiles. I force myself to grin back and concentrate on the blank screen in front of me. The cursor blinks, teasing me, and I fall right into its trap.
Gracelyn Howard
, I type.
Dead
.
    My fingers shake as they hover above the mouse. I got used to the idea during my time in Heaven, but now that I’m down here again, it all just seems so surreal.
    Gracelyn Howard, aged sixteen from Bothell, Washington died last night. She was struck down at the corner of Main and Bothell while returning home from a party with longtime friend and classmate Emily Scarborough. The teenage driver of the car also died a short distance from the scene. His blood alcohol level registered well over the legal limit. Gracelyn is survived by her father, mother, and brother, Noah
.
    I don’t register the tears flowing down my face until I hear my name.
    “Grace!” It’s Fatmeh. She’s waving at me from the front of the computer desk, Lucille frowning at her for her outburst. I quickly wipe at my face with the back of my sleeve and paste on my best smile.
    “Hi!” I whisper as she approaches, hastily closing the window with my article.
    “Working on that Lit assignment?” she asks.
    “Yep. Grendel sure is creepy.”
    “I know, huh? Makes you glad those kind of evil creatures aren’t real. Still, part of me has to wonder. Things like that are in every culture. Stories of vampires, ghosts, and