Soul Protector Read Online Free

As much as I
hated the drive to Greenwich, it was still better than taking the
tube.
    The rest of the working day I
achieved the square root of zero. I still had the ‘woman in work’
feature to finish, and in order to get the promotion I knew I had
to make a good job of it. I popped my research notes in my bag and
resigned myself to finishing it off at home before coming in early
the next day to print it off - my punishment for wasting time. At
five-thirty on the dot I switched off my computer and tore out of
the office.
    ~
    Exactly thirty-five minutes and
one argument with a security guard later, I pressed the buzzer at
Lydia and MyPhil’s loft apartment building. It was in a converted
warehouse, and while it may have only been a few miles away from my
flat in Crystal Palace, with its exposed brickwork and steel beams,
it was worlds away in price and style.
    Lydia’s face appeared on the
video screen in front of me, “Come on up, Gracie,” she chirped,
buzzing me in.
    When I came out of the lift,
Lydia was waiting with the door open. Her hair was tied in a loose
knot and she was wearing cream sweat pants, a long cream cardigan
and slouchy beige boots. She looked stunning. Only Lydia could do
couch-potato chic that well.
    “Green tea or cappuccino?” she
asked, leading me through into the pristine purple and shiny steel
kitchen. I pulled out a stool at the granite work surface. “I’d
love a cappuccino, please.”
    I heaved myself onto the seat,
and twisted it round to look through the large balcony windows.
Across the river, the lights of Canary Wharf twinkled against the
backdrop of early evening sky.
    “Cookie?” Lydia asked, emptying
a packet from the bakery up the street and taking a chocolate chip
one herself. Where does she put it?
    “I’m supposed to be on a diet,
but why not?” I shrugged and helped myself to one with plenty of
chunks.
    Lydia fixed our drinks, and
pulled out a stool next to me. I took a good look at her, studying
her expression. Nothing seemed out of place.
    “Lydia,” I said in a low voice.
“On Saturday night, before you fainted, did anything weird
happen to you?”
    “Weird. Like what?”
    “Well, did you have��sort of… an
out of body experience?”
    Her eyebrows shot up, and she
started to laugh. “It was amazing that my Phil proposed,” she said,
giggling, “But I wouldn’t call it an out of body experience.”
    “So, apart from fainting,” I
carried on, “nothing strange happened… at all?”
    “Gracie, what are you
going on about?” The smile faded from her lips, and the next words
came out snippy. “Saturday night was fab. I had a little too much
wine, a little too much excitement, and I fainted. It happens. I
wish everyone would just stop going on about it.”
    “Okay, I’m sorry.” I sagged. “I
won’t mention it anymore.”
    “Good.”
    Lydia took a sip of her drink,
and her face brightened again.
    “Did I tell you my Phil is
taking me to Brighton at the weekend? I’ve got a day off tomorrow
so I’m going clothes shopping for it. I can’t wait. I’ve got my eye
on a new handbag...”
    As she spoke, I sat quietly
sipping my cappuccino, occasionally wiping froth from my upper lip.
I was only half-listening though, my mind was elsewhere searching
for other options. Should I come clean and tell her I was in her
body the other night? No, absolutely not . I could hardly
bear to imagine the conversation in my head, let alone say it out
loud. My stomach muscles tightened as I thought how it would go.
Something like, ‘ Hey Lydia, you know when you passed out on
Saturday night? Well the reason for that was because it was me
controlling your body, and I fainted from the shock of it all.
Don’t worry though; I managed to switch back again, so no harm
done .” It was just too ridiculous for words.
    As she carried on, unaware I
wasn’t really listening, an idea struck me. If I could make it
happen again, I would know for sure if I was right, whether