Secrets & Souls - prequel to The Soul Guide

Bertram followed Mellissa back downstairs. That had been easier than he had expected. For him it had only been a matter of hours since he last saw Mellissa, but for her a whole month had passed. When he said goodbye to Samuel and walked back through the door that brought him to Carlo’s café he hadn’t any other thought in his head but to see Mellissa again. He understood he had to tread carefully. That she’d had far longer to think about their situation than he, but his overriding feeling was to get to her. He would figure out everything else later. Then he’d overheard the latter part of her conversation with Carlo, and realised that for better or worse, he had to do as Samuel asked. She didn’t love him, and he must accept that, once and for all. He would accept what she could give him, and move on. He didn’t have to like it, and no doubt would pay for it for the rest of his life. But, if it meant she returned home with him, he would take whatever crumbs he could. Weirdly, once he’d made that decision he felt calmer than he had in weeks. That constant churning he felt in his chest had gone the moment those words had left his lips.

“The girl you spoke to, did she say why she was upset?” Mellissa asked, as they walked down the stairs. Bertram couldn’t help but notice the tension in her face.

“No, nothing. I asked if you were here and she just said to go on up. Why?”

Mellissa visibly relaxed. “I’m just concerned. She’s a friend of mine, her name’s Genevieve. We’ve become close over the last month.”

“Right. Well, I’m sure she’s OK. Can’t be all that bad seeing as she’s come here and not home to her parents.”

“Her parents are dead. Carlo is her only family.”

“Oh, I see.”

They entered the café to find Genevieve crying in Carlo’s arms. Mellissa rushed over, her face ashen.

“Gen, what is it? What’s happened?”

Genevieve peeled herself away from Carlo and threw herself in to Mellissa’s arms. Bertram stood back and waited. He felt slightly uncomfortable at the apparent familiarity. He wasn’t much used to people, let alone outbursts of emotion such as this.

“It’s Victor. I got home to find the place trashed. There was a pool of blood in the kitchen, but I couldn’t find him. Then the lights went out in the flat and I got scared. I ran back here. Something’s happened to him, Mellissa, something bad.”

Bertram saw the look she gave Carlo who returned her worried gaze. Even Giuseppe seemed to realise something was amiss. He stood next to Genevieve, his ears pricked, body taut.

“Come, Genevieve, sit. Tell us everything,” Carlo said, holding his hand out. He turned to Mellissa. “Please lock the door. We shut early today.” Mellissa nodded, untangling herself from Genevieve who collapsed back into Carlo’s arms. Giuseppe followed Mellissa, watching as she locked the café door.

“Guard the door,” Carlo said to Giuseppe from across the room. Bertram could’ve sworn the dog understood every word. He stood on the mat, his eyes never leaving the door.

“What’s going on here?” Bertram asked, finally finding his voice. “What’s the girl talking about?”

“My name is Genevieve and I am not a girl. I am sixteen years old,” she said, between sobs.

Bertram pulled a face. “Sorry, no offence meant. What is Genevieve talking about?”

“That’s what we intend to find out. Victor is her brother. He was due home today. He’s been away training,” Carlo explained.

“What, as in the army?”

“Yes, something like that,” Carlo nodded, turning his attention back to Genevieve.

Mellissa returned to the table with a mug of what looked like hot chocolate. She handed it to Genevieve. “Drink this. It will make you feel better,” she said.

“I don’t want to feel better. I want to find my brother,” Genevieve wailed, dissolving into tears once again.

“Hush now. Your brother will be fine. He is strong, he is smart. Whatever’s happened, he will be able to handle it. We must think about what to do next.”

“Shouldn’t we just call the police?” Mellissa asked, taking the very suggestion from Bertram’s mouth. “Perhaps Victor disturbed a break-in or something. I agree with Genevieve, he could be hurt.”

Genevieve looked wildly between Mellissa and Carlo. She rushed to her feet. “I have to go look for him. I need to find him. He’s all I have left.”

Bertram saw the worried look on Mellissa’s face, the concern on Carlo’s. He didn’t know Genevieve, but it was clear Mellissa cared about her. He could tell she was about to suggest something stupid. So, he stepped in before Mellissa could. “Genevieve, I’m Bertram. I’m a friend of Mellissa’s. Will you give me your address? I will go and check things out, see if I can find any clues. Perhaps your brother did walk in on an intruder, they tussled and he chased the person off. He may have returned home. If he’s hurt, then he’ll need help. I’ll go.” He gave Mellissa a look, and she appeared to understand it. There was no way he would allow her to go and put herself in danger, she was way too important. She mouthed thank you to him before gently guiding Genevieve back to the sofa.

Carlo stood. “That’s an excellent idea Bertram. I know Genevieve’s address. I will take you there myself.” He turned, addressing Mellissa. “You stay here. You do not come looking for us. Giuseppe will watch over you. We will be back. If we do not return within the hour call this number.” Carlo handed her a card, upon it was writing in gold cursive. Bertram couldn’t make out what it said.

Mellissa took the card from Carlo. She looked between both men. “You’ve got an hour, tops. Then I’m calling in the cavalry.”

Carlo nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

Genevieve got up and threw her arms around Carlo, then Bertram. “Thank you, thank you. Just bring him back,” she said, before another sob prevented her from saying anything further. She sat back down on the sofa, her head in her hands, shoulders heaving.

Carlo headed towards the door, leaving Bertram standing awkwardly in front of Mellissa.

She was looking at him strangely again. “Be safe, Bertram. No heroics,” she said, and before either of them could stop it from happening, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

“No heroics. Got it,” he said.

Twenty-five minutes later they arrived at Genevieve and Victor’s home. They lived in a flat within a huge red-brick building just off the Edgware Road. As Bertram and Carlo climbed the white stone steps to the entrance to their block, Bertram couldn’t help thinking he would rather be back at Clayhill where the air was fresh and he could see the sky clearly. He would never get used to the smell of the city. It stank.

“What floor do they live on?” he asked Carlo.

“The 6th floor,” he said, heading towards the lift in the foyer.

“Thank goodness for the lift then.”

Carlo pressed the button and waited for the lift to come down. Bertram saw the worry on his face.

“The boy we’re looking for, he’s your family?”

“Yes, although not of my flesh and blood, he and Genevieve are indeed my family. I was good friends with their parents.”

“I see. The two of them live here on their own?”

“Yes, that’s right. Although, since leaving school, Genevieve spends a lot of her time with me at the café. She’s been a little lost since her brother’s been away.”

“Army training?” Bertram said.

The lift pinged as it reached their floor and the doors slid open. “Yes, in a manner of speaking.”

Bertram followed Carlo into the small lift that wouldn’t fit more than another adult. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable in such closed quarters with Carlo. He wasn’t even sure he liked the man. Bertram watched the numbers creep up through the floors as an awkward silence descended.

“Thank you, for offering to do this,” Carlo said, after a moment.

Bertram glanced at him and shrugged his shoulders. “Couldn’t have you playing the hero all by yourself, could I? Besides, I didn’t want to give Mellissa another reason to stay, she likes you enough as it is.” The words tumbled out in a heated rush before he could even control the movement of his mouth.

Carlo looked at Bertram, and for a moment Bertram thought he might have something snarky to say back. Instead, he just laughed. “Bertram, I am no more the hero than you are. Besides, Mellissa has already made her decision to return home, has she not?” he said.

“How do you know that? She only decided just after you left the room.”

Carlo shrugged. “Mellissa made her decision to return to Clayhill quite a few days ago, she just didn’t know it at the time.”

“What?” Bertram couldn’t fathom Carlo out. There was something so odd about him. He was about to press the matter further when the lift stopped and the doors slid open. What he saw made him step back in shock.

“What the hell is that?” he said. He blinked a couple times just to make sure what he saw was really in front of them and not a figment of his imagination.

Carlo raised a hand to his mouth. “This is not good, amico mio. Not good at all.”

“Carlo, what’s happening here?” Bertram felt the hair on his arms stand and had the strangest urge to throw up.

In front of him was a wall of darkness. Not the kind of darkness that happens when the lights go out. The kind of darkness that makes you shrink in fear, makes you wonder whether this is your last day on Earth. The darkness was viscous, alive. It had flashes of silver and red running through it, like lightning in a storm cloud. Bertram wanted to run in the opposite direction. Carlo was right, he was no bloody hero. There was no way on Earth he was stepping into that corridor now.

He reached across Carlo, and pressed the button to close the lift door. Nothing happened. “Crap,” he said, as he continued to stab his finger against the button. The doors remained stubbornly open. The lift wasn’t going anywhere. “Why the bloody hell did I offer to come here? What the hell was I thinking?”

Carlo turned to Bertram and placed a hand on his arm. He almost jumped ten feet in the air. “You can choose to wait here, or you can come with me. Either way the darkness will find its way to you regardless.”

“What is this stuff? How do you even know Victor is still here? Why didn’t Genevieve mention this?”

“We don’t have time for such a discussion. There’s a boy who needs our help. Are you coming or not?” Carlo said. His voice had a dangerous edge to it.

It was the first time that Bertram saw real anger. He didn’t think Carlo had it in him.

“Well it doesn’t look like I have much of a choice, now does it? I’m blaming you if I die here today,” Bertram said, in a half-arsed attempt at lightening the mood.

“Death would be a welcome alternative, believe me.”

“Well, crap, Carlo you’re not really selling this to me.”

Carlo took Bertram by the shoulders. “When you walk into the darkness, don’t believe everything that you see. Trust your heart and your instincts. They won’t fail you.” Carlo let go of Bertram. “Ready?”

“Not in the slightest,” he said, but followed Carlo into the void nonetheless.