The Soul Catcher (Harry Styles)

25 - Alone With Me

"Even as your body betrays you, your mind denies it."

― Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants

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I could see the tension rolling over Elaine, just as I felt any expression fall off my face, leaving nothing but a blank stare.

But neither of us denied nor confirmed Delia's statement. And I had absolutely no idea what to make out of it.

She seemed to sense what was up hence she quickly changed the topic to make things less awkward. "Well, guess I'm ready to go, then, right?"

I nodded and stepped aside, leaving enough space for her to walk past me. I smiled faintly when I saw her quickly crossing the bridge, not hesitating until she reached the beautiful field that took everyone's breath away.

"Wow," she laughed, twirling around and around, "it's gorgeous! I can't wait to see more of this place, I can already feel the peace settling in."

"We need to get you somewhere," Elaine spoke up beside me, twisting her fingers in front of her stomach.

"And where would that somewhere be?" Delia asked, suspicion lacing her tone. She stopped twirling to look at us.

"The Council hall," Elaine explained, motioning for Delia to follow her.

I watched them walk away, smiling at the achievement of my trainee. By now, she knew the cycle and when to urge the soul to carry on.

Only a few moments later, we watched Delia walk into the Council hall, only stopping briefly to thank us for what we had done for her.

"It's nothing, really," I assured her, returning her smile. "All the best for you."

Once she was out of sight, Elaine faced me with a happy smile on her face. "I'm glad she didn't let the arsehole of a husband drag her down."

I raised my eyebrow at her. "She committed suicide."

Elaine's smile dropped. "Yeah, right. I just don't understand how people can do that. Don't they care about what they're doing to others?"

Slowly raising my hand to cup her face, I forced her to meet my gaze again. "In life, you will always find people that will hurt you, just as you will always find people that care more about you than themselves."

"You know, what's funny?" She suddenly asked, not shaking my hand off.

"What is it?"

"When I was still alive, I had lots of friends. I was constantly surrounded by people. Now that I'm dead, I only really have you, but I don't need any more."

Her words caught me off guard, and a few seconds passed before I found my voice again. "Sometimes you only need one person to take care of you."

Elaine pondered over my words for a little while longer, before the corner of her lips went up. I awkwardly retreated my hand and watched her intently, waiting for anything to happen.

"You know," she finally broke the silence, "you're not that bad."

I let out a low laugh. "I could definitely say the same to you."

In a moment of courage, she stopped forward and took my hands into her much smaller ones. "I don't want to fight anymore."

Her eyes dropped to our linked hands, but mine stayed focused on her face. Her words slowly settled in, warming my insides. "Neither do I."

It felt as if a huge weight had left my chest when the words escaped my lips, cutting the tension surrounding us. I watched as her tongue wetted her lips, the action captivating my complete attention.