SOULBOUND
By Wes
Leigh
This is a work of fiction (or
is it?) intended solely for the entertainment of my readers; any resemblance to
any real people or places is purely coincidental. Readers who would like to chat are encouraged
to contact me at weston.leigh@protonmail.com.
This story is the property of
the author and is protected by copyright laws.
The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the
author's consent.
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please support the Nifty archives today with a thoughtful donation by visiting https://donate.nifty.org/.
The
President looked up from the paper he was reading, frowning slightly. He thought he'd heard a thump in the hallway
outside the oval office. He shook his
head and went back to reading.
Thump.
There
it was again. He stood up and began
walking toward the door, but before he could get there, it opened and two men
in suits slipped inside, closing it behind them. They turned to stare at the President, the
shorter one on the left reaching up to adjust his sunglasses.
The
President stopped and tilted his head.
"You're both a little young to be Secret Service agents, aren't you?"
The
taller one on the right nodded his head, chuckling. He took off his sunglasses and smiled.
The
President shrugged his shoulders in resignation when he recognized the young man
standing before him. "It's good to
finally meet you, Daniel. And I assume
this is Diego Ruiz?"
Diego
removed his sunglasses and put them in his suit pocket. "Yes, sir," he replied.
The
President waved a hand at the sofas in the middle of the room. "Won't you be seated?" he asked, taking a
seat himself.
Daniel
and Diego sat in the sofa opposite the President, leaning back and making
themselves comfortable.
The
President sighed and spoke first. "I
told Dautry it wouldn't work, but he didn't listen."
Daniel
shrugged. "He underestimated us."
The
President nodded. "I knew he would. Politicians like myself
often have a better sense of such things than career government employees like Dautry." The
President took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. "Now ... what can I do for you gentlemen?" the
President asked, beginning the negotiations.
Daniel
leaned forward and said, "There really isn't much you can do for us. There isn't much we need. But there is one thing we expect."
"And
what is that?"
"Leave
us the fuck alone."
The
President smiled and chuckled. "You'll
have to excuse me for laughing, Daniel.
It's just that I rarely hear those kind of requests
in the negotiations I participate in."
"My
apologies for the language," Daniel replied, "but I'm sure you understand the
sentiment behind it."
"I
do. And the language doesn't bother
me. Although I'm somewhat surprised to
hear that this is all you're requesting."
"What
else would there be?" Daniel asked.
The
President adjusted the cuff on his shirt sleeve slightly. "I thought you might be making demands that I
shut down Operation Snowthorn, destroy all the
surveillance equipment, stop spying on U.S. citizens ... all the usual requests."
"If
I did, would you do it?"
The
President shook his head. "Of course
not. And even if I did, whoever takes
this office after me would simply start them up again."
"Then
what point would there be in me asking?"
"None
whatsoever," the President admitted.
"Well, okay, Daniel. We'll leave
you the fuck alone. What are you
planning to do with your town?"
"Nothing
major. For starters, we're changing the
name from Agony to Unity."
That
brought a quick laugh from the President.
"Unity? Well, that's an
intriguing concept. Do you think you can
do it?"
"I
know we can," Daniel replied. "While
you're spying on us, you can see how well it works. You'll probably notice it spreading to nearby
Packs and Covenants. Unity is
contagious, you see. You might even
decide that it works so well for us that it might be worth trying on a national
scale."
The
President shook his head. "I doubt
that. It's been tried before and always
failed. There's always someone who
benefits from conflict. But I can assure
you, I'll be watching you with keen interest."
Daniel
leaned forward and smiled. "And I can
assure you, Mr. President, we'll be watching you just as closely."
The
President nodded slowly, understanding exactly what Daniel was saying. Then he stood up, holding out his hand.
Daniel
and Diego stood as well. Diego shook the
President's hand first, then disappeared.
Daniel
took the President's hand and said, "Goodbye, Mr. President."
The
President smiled and said, "Goodbye and good luck, Daniel."
͠ ͠
͠
The
state championship game was expected to be a good one. Everyone knew the Unity Cougars were the team
to beat, but the Cooperton Wolverines weren't going
to lay down and let the Cougars run over them.
The
Wolverines kicked off first, sending the ball high and deep. Caleb Murphy caught it at the 1-yard line and
charged forward, colliding with tacklers and struggling forward to the 26-yard
line, where the Cougars would begin their quest for another championship
title.
Daniel
and rest of the offense joined Caleb in the huddle. Daniel gave them the play. They clapped and jogged to line up behind the
ball. Daniel called out the cadence,
taking the ball from the center and fading back to his left, then spinning and
throwing a lateral to Dillon on the far right side. Dillon started to run forward, drawing the
defense in, then turned back and ran behind the offensive line, headed for the
left side on a planned reverse. Both
Daniel and Caleb were ahead of him, opening a path. Daniel caught the defensive end under the
shoulder pads and knocked him five feet backward. Caleb cleared out a linebacker, opening a
huge hole for Dillon. Dillon sprinted
through, running thirty yards down the field before anyone could catch him and
bring him down.
On
the second play, Daniel faked a handoff to Caleb, then launched a bomb down the
right side of the field. Dillon, running
a fly route, sprinted full speed down the sideline and reached out to catch the
ball in mid-stride. He pulled the ball
in and raced down the sideline untouched all the way to the endzone. The extra point was good. Cougars 7 – Wolverines 0.
The
Cougar fans shrieked and cheered.
The
Wolverine offense was eager to get on the field. They had a plan to deal with Connor, which in
simple terms meant running the ball wherever Connor wasn't. It worked most of the time, but Connor had a
way of sliding over unexpectedly and causing havoc. Still, the Wolverines persisted, marching the
ball down the field a few yards at a time.
They had earned their spot in the championship game and intended to
prove it by matching the Cougars, score for score.
Facing
a third and long, the Wolverines faked a pass and ran a draw play. It fooled most of the Cougars, but not
Connor. He waited for the handoff, then
slid between two offensive linemen to drop the running back well short of the
first down. The Wolverines had to settle
for a field goal. Cougars 7 – Wolverines
3.
The
Cougars, back on offense, wasted no time.
Their first play was an option run.
Daniel had the choice of flipping the ball out to Caleb, the fullback,
or keeping it himself. When the defense
slid to the side to cut off Caleb, Daniel kept the ball, cut inside, and dashed
between the bulky defensive linemen.
Before they could react, Daniel was fifteen yards downfield,
straight-arming a cornerback and juking a safety, then racing for the end zone
with the defense vainly chasing after to score a second touchdown. The Cougar fans screamed and stomped their
feet until the stands started swaying.
Cougars 14 – Wolverines 3.
The
rest of the game was much the same, and in the end, standing on a raised
platform in the middle of the field, Connor and Daniel stood side by side,
raising the championship trophy above their heads while the rest of the team
and all their fans covered the field, cheering and chanting.
Connor
was openly bawling, wishing his mom and dad could have been there to see it.
Daniel's
parents remained in the stands, jumping and screaming with joy.
The
band marched from the stands down onto the field, blasting out the school fight
song. As they played, Xavier and Diego
mentally shouted their pride in their soulmates, knowing they'd have plenty of
opportunities later that night to express their excitement in tangible ways.
͠ ͠
͠
The
walls of the old mill were shaking as Sebastian cranked up the volume on the
music system. Kids danced inside and
outside and all along the river. The
celebration was just starting, and they all planned to party until the sun rose
in the morning.
In
a slightly quieter spot, across the river, hidden behind a stand of juniper
pines, the boys stood in a small circle, enjoying the feeling of holding each
other. Daniel, Xavier, Connor and
Diego. In a circle. Hands around each other's waists. Swaying slowly to the music pounding from the
mill across the river. The music was so
loud, they couldn't carry on a verbal conversation, but that didn't really
matter, not for the soulmates.
Xavier
leaned over and kissed Daniel's cheek. Well
done, stud.
What about me? Connor asked, smiling.
Diego
stood on his tiptoes and kissed Connor's lips.
You too, BIG stud!
Connor
accepted Diego's kiss and said, Maybe
now we can all get back to normal. No
more football. No more government
spies. No more running for the hills.
Diego
asked, Did everyone make it back
okay?
Connor
nodded. The entire pack
has returned and settled in.
Daniel
turned to Xavier and asked, Are the rest of the Covenant back home?
Xavier
nodded. Regina brought in the
last family two hours ago. From Pittsburgh. She's royally pissed that she missed the
game.
They
all laughed, picturing Regina in full bitch mode.
By the way, Xavier, Daniel said, did
you decide about the name change for the Covenant?
I did, Xavier replied. I've
decided to leave it alone. The Smyth
Covenant. And I'm changing my name to
Xavier Smyth.
Really? Connor asked,
surprised.
Yes, Xavier explained, in
memory of Minerva.
The
others nodded, understanding and respecting Xavier for his decision.
Good choice, Xavier, Diego said, kissing Xavier's
cheek affectionately. Then Diego's eyes
twinkled mischievously. He turned to
Daniel and said, You know, Daniel,
you showed great leadership on the field.
Connor
raised an eyebrow, then chuckled and decided to join in the teasing. Well, he's a quick learner. I taught him everything he knows, after all.
Not everything, Xavier said with a
grin. He has some natural
talent of his own.
Oh, really? Connor asked. What natural talent would that be?
Diego
giggled. Come on, Connor. Can't you see it? It's almost like Daniel can see into the
future and anticipate every move the other team is going to make!
They
all laughed.
Daniel
shook his head, smiled and winked.
Once you agree upon the price you and your family must pay
for success, it enables you to ignore the minor hurts, the opponent's pressure,
and the temporary failures.
-- Vince Lombardi
Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to
get—only with what you are expecting to give—which is everything.
-- Katherine Hepburn
And that, truly, brings to an end the SOULBOUND saga. To all who endured the up's and down's of this twisted tale of the supernatural, you have my
gratitude and my respect. With warmest
regards, Wes Leigh.