Soul Protector Read Online Free Page A

it
definitely had happened. The more I thought about it, the
more I knew I had to try. But how did it work? I closed my
eyes for a moment and tried to visualise myself crossing into
Lydia’s body.
    Lydia raised her voice and cut
through my thoughts, “Gracie, are you listening to me?”
    “What? Oh yes. Sorry, Lyd,
carry on.”
    I kept my eyes open this time,
as I imagined my inner self transferring to her body. I held my
breath and tensed every muscle in my body. Nothing happened, so I
drew in a deep breath, and tried again.
    Several attempts later, it was
obvious it wasn’t working. I kept my eyes focussed on Lydia and
drained the last of my cappuccino. I had to work out how it
happened before. I thought back to Saturday night, to the exact
moment I switched, and then later, to the switch-back. My heart
beat faster as something clicked in my mind.
    “I just remembered, I have to
go,” I announced, interrupting her mid-sentence.
    She stopped talking and stuck
her bottom lip out in exaggerated disappointment.
    “Sorry Lyd, it’s a feature for
work and I've got to hand it in by tomorrow morning.” I hopped off
my stool. “Thanks for the coffee.”
    “Oh, fine then. Will I see you
soon?”
    “Of course. Sorry for rushing
out on you.”
    I’d remembered exactly what
happened on Saturday night and I had to act before I lost my nerve.
I leaned into Lydia, and hugged her tight. I closed my eyes and
wished with all my heart that I could switch into her body.
    A few strange moments passed,
and I had to hold onto the work-surface to steady myself. Then,
hardly daring to open my eyes, I found myself in the familiar
position of looking at my own face.
     
     
    ~~~
     
     

CHAPTER 3
    .
    Second Switch
    .
    Yes! Switching is real .
I was relieved the world had gone crazy, and not me. I paused to
consider how I’d weathered. My legs felt a bit wobbly and I was
breathless, like I’d just come off a rollercoaster or something,
but apart from that, I was okay. I wondered if it was because I’d
been expecting it that time.
    ‘Gracie’ returned my gaze with
one eyebrow raised.
    I knew what she was waiting
for, and I really wanted to give her confirmation, but I was scared
to say the words out loud. Last time Lydia hadn’t remembered me
being inside her head, only the actions.
    I wished I’d thought of a
signal beforehand to confirm the swap had happened. There was
nothing I could do, even if I got the message across without Lydia
realising, I didn’t know if she would think rationally, or start
jumping around the room like a mad woman. That, Lydia would remember.
    ‘Gracie’ heaved a sigh, and a
resigned expression settled on her face. I couldn’t take my eyes
off her. It was all so weird. Usually, when I looked at myself, my
reflection imitated my movements precisely. But this version was
independent. She looked different from my usual reflection as well.
I noticed the little scar on my cheekbone was the other side to
where I usually saw it, and one of my eyes looked fractionally
higher than the other. But this was my true self, how my friends
and family saw me as opposed to the mirror image I was used to
seeing.
    “Better crack on with this
report then,” she said in a flat tone, making her way towards the
door.
    I hesitated, wondering whether
I should take the opportunity to hug her again and switch back, but
I quickly decided the main crime was switching in the first place,
not the length of time I stayed. I had to try and find out
something, anything , to make sense of the whole body-hopping
drama.
    I focussed on my next move and
became aware of ringing in my ears again. It sounded like
disjointed whispering rushing around against a background of white
noise. I put a hand up to press against my ear, and screwing my
eyes tight, I tried to make it go away. It was only when I opened
my eyes that the volume decreased.
    ‘Gracie’ was watching me and
she narrowed her eyes, trying to read my expression. She looked
like