the Collectors. Although the further we got from our main office, the more exaggerated my story had become, making it less believable to intelligent souls.
One of my favorite hubs was one of the farthest we’d traveled to where I’d met a Collector who had been in the position almost twice as many years as I’d been. The three of us spent an afternoon together trading stories, and I enjoyed his company so much that by the end of it, guilt had risen to the surface, making my chest ache. I was finally able to understand why Felix wanted me to connect with other Collectors and that I had chosen not to. There was a lot more to the After than just Soul Collecting. Too bad it cost so much to get me to that point.
“Mags,” Jackson’s voice broke through my memories.
I looked up at him. “Sorry.”
He reached down, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve been distracted all day—”
“I know,” I interrupted, trying to not focus on the weight of his hand on my soul. I looked up at our destination. “Let’s just go. I’ll be fine when we get there.”
He took my hand as we approached the familiar ridge that for so many years I’d only been on the other side of. We couldn’t transport the way we did in the Living Realm, so the sharp and rocky terrain leading to Gate Seven had to be navigated delicately.
Even though we’d climbed the ridge more times than I could count, Jackson insisted on us doing it together. Not that either of us could die again, but injuries weren’t beyond the scope of a soul, especially those who saw a forbidden ridge and chose to climb it.
Gate Seven was off-limits to souls outside of Collectors on their missions. We’d yet to establish how the Gatekeepers got there outside of actually climbing the ridge. But I understood the importance. They had a job to do and didn’t need distractions and the souls were overwhelmed enough with having just died, they didn’t need an audience.
We made our way up the path of rocks and I took the same slow steps that Jackson did, his hand squeezing mine to help me balance on the trickier pointed rocks. I focused on my footing, distracting my mind away from how his hand felt holding mine. Despite not knowing the full extent of our past together, I knew it had been passionate and absolutely forbidden. But we’d established a friendship during training that just extended beyond a professional one. I appreciated that he never gave up any information about our past unless I asked. He knew how sensitive I was about it so we stuck to the time of his human and soul life before we met.
Jackson gripped my arm with his other hand and helped me balance. “Last one.”
I closed my eyes like I always did, clearing the negative thoughts of my vision. My soul had calmed significantly already but I loved experiencing Gate Seven with an unclouded mind.
When Jackson let go of my hand, unconsciously I reached out for him, opening my eyes in the process.
As a Collector I’d seen thousands of manifestations of Gate Seven through the eyes of my target souls. The True Soul which helped coax the soul from the body also manifested how a soul would want their transition into the After to appear. Some envisioned pearly gates and others brought out their favorite place in the world. All of the manifestations eased the soul enough to accept their fate. Then the Gatekeepers would be there to guide them to their place in the After to spend their soul life.
But none of the manifestations I’d experienced would come close to what Gate Seven actually looked like. Gatekeepers lined the Veil at the edge of the After waiting for their assigned soul to cross over. I could barely make out the Veil against the glowing backdrop since it was nearly invisible but a lot stronger than it looked. In one of my many new lessons, Jackson had explained that what we referred to as Gate Seven was a sort of dead space between the Living and After Realms, which made it easier to visualize a soul’s manifestation.
Without the connection of a soul, I experienced Gate Seven as an endless sky with swirling patterns in every color. The souls and Collectors in the distance appeared to be standing on air, which at first looked a bit startling, but as a Collector I knew they were witnessing a different kind of beauty. The After didn’t share the same sun as the Living Realm, but it was more powerful creating a constant glow in the distance, illuminating the Realm. It never became fully dark at any point, just a shift in color from light pinks and purples fading into deep blues and reds and every color between.
My shoulders relaxed. The tension from the vision floated away as I sank down onto the plush grass. Jackson sat beside me. We watched the Soul Collectors arrive with new souls and quickly disappear back to the office, while the souls experienced their surroundings. Some stood still and others appeared to be on a treadmill as they walked in place, but I knew in their minds they were exploring their manifestation. That was a part of the Collecting gig that I never experienced and I found it fascinating each time Jackson took me there.
I turned to him. “Thank you.”
He nodded, his eyes trained on the Gate. “You’re welcome.”
“Sorry I ruined your training session.”
“Don’t worry about it, I needed a break anyway.”
“Doubtful.”
“Believe it or not, you’re getting better. It’s taking me almost twice as long to get you off your feet.”
A laugh burst from my lips. “That’s encouraging.”
“I meant that as a compliment. I’m not as nice as I used to be when it comes to combat.”
I remembered my first week of combat training and it hadn’t been easy. “You used to be nice?”
A wry smile touched his lips. “Like I said, you’re getting better.”
I looked back out toward Gate Seven. “I’m still not where I should be at this point.”
“You do have an advantage…” He wiggled his fingers.
“Absolutely not.” It wasn’t the first time he suggested accessing my ability to help become a better fighter. But no one else had these stirrings and they did just fine. Besides that, what would happen to Jackson if I actually embraced that side of me? Or anyone else within a mile radius for that matter?
Twisting his body so we sat directly across from each other, his knees brushed against mine. “I know you don’t believe me, but this is a part of you and it can be controlled.”
I checked my hands again “At whose expense?”
“I can handle it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I nearly had you earlier.”
“No you didn’t.”
I reached my hand out keeping it inches from his chest. “I distinctly remember being this close.”
“I’ve been around a long time, Mags. And I’ve been in a lot of fights. Trust me, I was in control.”
For some reason, putting down that part of me made me want to prove him wrong. I stood up quickly.
He followed suit, but slower, calculated.
His blue eyes faced the Gate as we circled each other, they appeared almost translucent against the glowing
