A Lost Soul: A Race Against Time

By Malienna R

What would you do if you were in a cage that you can never leave? If the door finally opens you would run out at full speed, right? Would you still do it if it meant helping the person that put you in there in the first place?            &nbsp

• Language: English
• Publisher: Royalist
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088208366

Book preview

A Lost Soul

A Lost Soul Series, Volume 1

Malienna R

Published by Royalist, 2021.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

A LOST SOUL

First edition. November 29, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Malienna R.

ISBN: 979-8201611842

Written by Malienna R.

A Lost Soul Book 1

A Race Against Time

1

Copyright © 2021 by Malienna

All right reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owners. All images of this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artist's concern, and no responsibility is accepted by the producer, publisher, or producer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication.

Every effort is made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We apologize for any inaccuracies that may have occurred and will resolve any inaccurate or miswritten information of a subsequent reprinting of the book.

First published in the United States of America by Malienna.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page.................................1

A Lost Soul (A Lost Soul Series, #1)...................6

Introduction....................................7

Introduction....................................8

Chapter 1 | Rachael Gardener.......................11

November 11, 2030 | AT THE LIBRARY...............14

Morning......................................17

Chapter 2 | A New Discovery.......................20

November 15, 2030..............................23

The Next Day..................................25

1 Hour Later...................................34

7:56 November 16...............................36

Morning......................................37

Chapter 3 | Preparation and Dedication | November 18.......43

Chapter 4 | Friends or Foes.........................59

The Next Day..................................82

Chapter 5 | Trust................................84

Chapter 6 | A Sacrifice to New Heights.................99

Chapter 7 | Connected............................112

Chapter 8 | A missing page........................126

The Next Day.................................132

Chapter 9 | The Emblement........................137

2  days later...................................147

Chapter 10 | The key............................153

2 days later...................................166

Acknowledgments..............................170

Copyright Page

Contents Directories of Contributors

Malienna ~ Author Eko McSam ~ Editor

––––––––

Series: Part 1, Book Chapter 1

A Race Against Time

Introduction

Chapter 1: Rachel Gardener Chapter 2: A New Discovery

Chapter 3: Preparation and Dedication

Chapter 4: Friends or Foes Chapter 5: Trust

Chapter 6: A Sacrifice to New Heights

Chapter 7: Connected Chapter 8: A Missing Page Chapter 9: The Emblement Chapter 10: The Key

Introduction

Dear Journal, my name is Chelia Jhosaive, also known as CJ. It is September 8th, of the year 2030. I live in Farnham Quebec, Canada. Fall is about to begin. The air in my room is foggy, and the house is dim despite the sparks from the fireplace that warms my room. The lights flicker as I soak in the bathtub, and feel the warmth of the hot water as it comforts my skin. I am 23 years old with no family, friends, or relationship. Frankly, I’m perfectly fine with that.

I am in my room, settling down and getting ready for rest. I live in a very old house that was passed down from my grandparents to my parents. Then it was passed down to me after my parents' death. It creaks in the house a lot, which I'm quite tired of. However, I have no other choice but to deal with it because it’s still a nice big two-story house. It's okay to say that trading is my full time job. I collect the money I get from trading stocks and save the extra money I earn since I have no use for it. I have no other important needs or interests, so I guess you can call me a shut in. I spend most of my days reading on my computer and relaxing.

At that moment, I heard whispering. I frantically turn behind me, but then I realize that it’s coming from all around. The whispering is soft and subtle, but I hear lots of sorrow, grief, and regret in the voice. The voice I hear sounds like it belongs to a delicate and fragile little girl. I can't bear to imagine that a little girl was feeling so many negative emotions. For a second, I thought that a child had gotten lost in the forest around my house, but

the thought of it seemed ridiculous. The voice got louder, it was as if her screams were getting amplified, but then it stops. The doors and windows were shut and closed, and yet the room got colder.

I immediately started to feel a gust of wind, it felt like a nightmare.

Days go by, and the abnormal conditions of the house have not stopped. Ever since that day, I have been having the same dream over and over. I dream that a little girl is running with an untainted smile in a lovely field of flowers. Then everything goes red, and I awake.

Although, this time, the dream is different. This time I hear the little girl's name, and instead of running, she is sitting in the flower patch, with a white dress on. She looks at me, then smiles. In her soft voice, she says, Hi, I’m Rachael, Rachael Gardener, what’s your name?. After that, my mind went blank. Normally, I would have moved out, but my life was too boring and dull to let something so interesting go to waste. I put on my shoes and got in the car. On my way out, I am bewildered at the sight before me. Words fail me and I am unable to move, think, or process what I had just seen. I simply stood there, mystified. It was the same flower patch I saw in my dreams. Although I was shocked, almost naturally, I saw Rachael. The same little girl that has been in my dreams and on my mind for the longest, was running towards me.

She moved with her little white dress across the flower patch. All I could do was stare in disbelief. I still can not comprehend how I got here or where this is. As Rachael dissolved into glowing small pieces, she blew away as if it was a fantasy. I picked up a flower and headed to the nearest graveyard. I stood there as the wind grew stronger and the voice of the little girl came again. Tears run down my face as I hold the colorful lotus in my hand. This was so crazy; I wanted to laugh at the fact that my life was turning into fiction. I turned my head to the left of me and to everyone’s surprise, I saw Rachael. (Don’t worry, I’m just joking, everyone expected that one).

With tears in my eyes, I placed the flower on the grave.

I wonder why I was crying. I could not explain everything that just happened, but I thought when I placed the flower on the grave, everything would end. Although, at this point, I can say, fortunately, I was so wrong.

Chapter 1 Rachael Gardener

I turn around and face Rachael as I close my journal, Ok, I’m done now. So, if I understand you properly, you’re a spirit that lost your body because some bad guys took it away. Your name is Rachael Gardener. You were born on April 18, 2024, and you are six years old. Am I correct?

With tears in her eyes, she turns to me and answers, Yes, do you believe me?

I look up and sigh, Well at this point, I have no choice but to believe you. Do you know why you and your body were sealed away?

Rachael looks down, "No, but did I do something wrong? Mommy and daddy always used to talk about how

great I was, and how I had the power to help a lot of people. I never knew what they were talking about though, I never could understand them."

My eyes widen, Wait, what power? I think to myself and wonder if they meant that literally. I’m not sure if I said that a little too loud to a six-year-old girl, that has most likely gotten betrayed by her parents, but I made her cry.

With tears running down her face, she sobs, I don’t know, did I do something wrong!

I’m glad she isn’t obnoxious like most six-year-olds are. She really is adorable though. I kneel in front of her and put my hand on her shoulder, I’m sorry Rachael, I didn’t mean to scare you.

I thought of how I have always wanted a little sister. With a smile, I look at Rachael, Rachael, how about we figure this out together?

Rachael looks at me gleefully with her tears drying, and a big smile on her face, Really? You mean it?

My smile gets bigger as I admire her cuteness, Of course! I assure her. Rachael’s face glows up and her smile is filled with joy, Do I get to stay here with you too big sis? She asks.

I think about how I’m going to shed a tear if she keeps saying stuff like that, but I hold it back. I answer Definitely! with the same excitement.

Rachael throws her arms up and screams, Yayy! I stand up, then look down at Rachael, But for now, let’s go to sleep and get some rest. Then tomorrow, we can go to the library to investigate and find a lead about that seal of yours.

Rachael having a motivated look on her face, energetically nods her head, Hm! I’m not sure how a spirit is supposed to sleep, but she looks human and I can touch her, so I think it will work out. Going to the library for a lead is a low blow, but it’s the best I got for now.

I show her to the guest room that’s right next to my room, You can sleep here, this will be your room, and if we have extra time tomorrow, we can go to the store to buy some decorations.

Rachael’s face lit up and she smiled. "-And this is how

you turn on the lamp. Rachael looks around, then looks at me, Thanks big sis, you can go to bed now, I got it from here."

She is so cute!! I don't think I can get over how adorable

she is. All right then, I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight. Rachael tucks herself in bed, Goodnight.

As I lay down in bed, I look up at the ceiling and wonder how my normal day to day life got changed into fiction, with me being the main character. I think about when we go to the library tomorrow if people will be able to see her. If they can, then that means either I broke the seal on her and now she’s human. Or she’s still a soul, but one that can be touched, and her body is sealed away in a different place.

I wonder what her story is. Earlier, when I put the flower on the grave, I guess it acted as a key because the grave glowed a purple light. It looked like it was some type of symbol. Rachael said that it was a seal. The bad guys Rachael was talking about, I wonder who they are?

Will they come after us if we find out the truth or even investigate it? It’s quite obvious that whoever these people are, they are trying to cover up something.

I guess we will find out tomorrow.

November 11, 2030 AT THE LIBRARY

Rachael, be sure to find all the books you can about folktales and folklore with seals in it. She salutes to me, Roger that! I walk to the folktale section of the library.

The place is practically empty. Though, when Rachael and I went to the front desk, the lady asked if she was my little sister and gave her a library card. So, I assume that people can see and touch her, but they just don’t know that she is a spirit. There is a lot of Russian folklore here, but the one that especially interests me is "Vasilisa The Beautiful'' by Anna Morgunova. If you ask me, it is pretty interesting but creepy as hell. I pick up a few books as I walk around each shelf.

My hands are filled with books so I look for a place and I take a seat at the table. I start studying each book I picked up. Shortly after, Rachael comes to the table with 6 more books. We take our time and look through each of them.

Hmm, Russian Folk Tales by Aleksandr Afanas’ev and Vasilisa the Beautiful by Anna Morgunova. This is interesting, I wonder if these are important. I check out four books, two of them were the ones Rachael picked out and the other two were the ones I saw earlier. The old lady at the counter finishes scanning all the books, Is this all you young ladies would like?

I look at her and smile, Yes ma’am, this is all. The old lady smiles and looks down at Rachael. Rachael looks back at her with a smile.

I love to see that there are still young people out there that read books and care about their education. I hope the best for you two. I smile, Thank you very much, and same to you. Have a good day miss. As I walk away, she smiles and nods. It's nighttime now and Rachael and I walked here, so I hope she’s not scared.

As we get closer to the house, I realize more and more how uneasy I feel, as if something is off. We walked down the block, fortunately, it’s not pitch-black tonight. I feel someone staring at me. I grab Rachael’s wrist, Stand behind me, hurry. I turn around, Rachael with a worried face, What’s wrong? I stare at our surroundings, Shh. I hold Rachael closer to me and look around us, Who’s there?! Come out now! A few seconds pass of silence.

A man comes out from behind the trees, "Sorry, sorry,

I didn’t mean to frighten you two. Would you give me the option to explain?"

He looks around 6’3 and has short curly blond hair. He has glasses on and is probably around my age. I look at him with obvious suspicion,

All right, explain yourself. Why are you following us? He smiles at us, I’m sure I’m the suspicious one, but the reason why I was following you two was because of the opposite. He stops smiling and looks serious now, You two aren’t normal, are you? I look at him with a sleazy smile on my face, Huhh...!

I saw you guys at the library, you two aren’t sisters, right? Who is she? That little girl, she looks more like a realistic hologram that can touch things than a human. I put my chin up and smirked, Oh really..., why should I say anything to a person that was following me, and now insulting my little sister? I don’t know you, your name, who you are, nor what you're even doing.

He smiles and stands akimbo, "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Ummerekt Crudes. I’m from a