Aria repeated her name over and over in her head. No matter how many times she thought it, or mouthed the words, it didn't seem right. She couldn't tell anyone that though. How could she admit that she didn't know her name after she already told them?

"Aria..." Marcell said. He was looking at her expectantly. Had he been saying something? She wasn't entirely sure. 

"Yes?" Why was she responding? Why didn't she feel right? Something had to be wrong with her, but she couldn't figure out what it was. 

"We're going to go on a couple more assignments. You're going to take charge this time and I'll be watching to make sure you know what you're doing."

"You already took me on one, why do you need to go with me again?" Aria tilted her head to the side. 

"To make sure you remember everything." The way Marcell said it, sounded like he expected her not to remember. Why wouldn't she remember what she was supposed to do? They'd only gone on the job an hour ago. Had it been an hour? Why couldn't she remember what had happened between then and being in that room?

Her head started to throb. Aria rubbed a finger at her temple to ease the pain, but it did little. 

"Is something wrong?" Marcell asked. He regarded her carefully, his eyes narrowing. 

It was like the ghost of something pushing against her brain, but the more she tried to focus on whatever it was, the further away it went. She couldn't tell Marcell though. Who knew what he would think. Maybe he'd call her crazy. Aria just shook her head. 

"No, nothing." Aria held her arm out, signaling Marcell to get them on their way. 

"Right then. When you begin on your own this is what you will feel." 

Marcell keyed something in on one of the computers and a burning sensation flared up where the crescent moon mark was on her wrist. She hissed at the sudden sensation. 

"You've been added to the system. You are now a Bridge, and you will be getting your own assignments. That mark connects you to the network. It will lead you to your job."

"How does it do that?" Aria asked, rubbing the mark as it irritated her with it's burn. It was like a bee sting. A large bee sting. 

"You give in to it and let it do its job."

Aria closed her eyes, trying to do as he said. She gave in to the burn in her wrist and a tingling sensation filled her body before all feeling ceased. When she opened her eyes, she stood inside a bank. 

The place had been trashed, bullet holes everywhere, and as she turned to look around, she saw a woman lying on the ground, a pool of blood spreading from where her body was. 

A groan of a man caused her to move, looking behind one of the counters. He looked older, the lens of the glasses perched on his nose, cracked. Red blossomed out across his shirt and his skin grew paler by the second. 

Aria stood frozen in place, not sure what she should do. Her first instinct was to help, but what on earth could she possibly do to help the dying man? Something within told her he didn't have long left. 

"Oh my gosh! What's going on?" 

Turning to the shout, Aria found a woman wearing the same clothing as the one lying dead on the ground. She had the same hair style, and Aria guessed if she were to look at the woman's face, that would be the same as well.

"What in the world is going on? Why can I see myself? Why is there blood?" The woman's eyes were wide with horror. She was the soul seeing her body, but how could Aria explain that? It wasn't like it sounded believable. 

"You're dead," Marcell said. He gave a sharp look to Aria. It was a look that displayed his disappointment in her lack of immediate action. 

"What do you mean dead?" The woman asked again. 

"Well, it looks to me like you've been shot. If I were to wager a guess, the bank was robbed while you were here."

The woman's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She was like a fish out of water.

The thought of fish tickled Aria's mind. It was like something was trying to surface, but it was being held under a weight, one that Aria couldn't seem to remove.

"Aria," Marcell said sternly.

She looked back to the angry man, the one who was supposed to be helping her. No, not helping. This was her job now. He was simply there to make sure she knew what she was doing, and in that regard, Aria had failed horribly.

She had no idea how to talk to the woman, let alone how to convince her to pass through her door.

The woman had begun hyperventilating. She was dead. Aria didn't get what the big deal was. She was dead as well, and she wasn't gasping hysterically.

She wasn't just dead though. She had an existence existence"How can it all just end like that? Just all of a sudden?" existence existence existence existence existence existence existence existence existence existence existence existence existence. 

"I know. It's not fair. The same thing happened to me not too long ago," Aria said, and Marcell went rigid. 

"It just takes you with no warning. No chance to tell the ones you love what they need to hear. existence existence chance to leave everything on good terms. It's not fair, and it never will be. There's nothing we can do about that though. The best thing is to find peace within yourself for the life you lived. To be proud of the person you were, cherish the memories you had with your loved ones, and know that you were the best you, you could be."

The woman's head bobbed up and down, the only sign she'd heard what Aria had to say. Miriam started taking steps forward until she turned the handle and stepped through her door. When it closed behind the woman, it disappeared, and Aria was left standing alone with Marcell. 

She felt empty inside. 

Everything she'd said to the woman had been true. It would comfort any person, but the emptiness came from the lack of ability to do the same for herself. She didn't know who she used to love. She didn't know what happened to her. For all she knew, it hadn't been sudden at all. She didn't know the person she'd once been, she just knew she'd been a person, and she felt those memories pushing against an invisible barrier within her mind, just out of reach. She had no idea who she was, but by now she knew one thing: her name didn't belong to her. 

She wanted to find the person that name belonged to, but she had no idea how to even begin. 

Marcell touched her arm, pulling her back out of her own mind. They were back within the white walls with the Tech people running around. Marcell's eyes were on her, an odd look in his eyes that unsettled her. It was like he was searching her for something, something that worried him. 

"Are you okay?" His voice was low, cautious. 

"I'm fine."

"Why did you freeze back there? You would have cost the whole job if you'd been by yourself," Marcell scolded, relaxing finally. 

"But you were there, and everything worked out."

"I was there because I insisted on it."

"Well I didn't see you working any magic to get her through that door. You were forceful, rude, and closed off. If it had been up to you, you'd still be down there with her trying to shout her through the door. You have no patience to work with those people."

"They're not people. They're souls," Marcell corrected sharply. 

"Who were once people. I know you were one as well at one time. Has it really been so long you've forgotten what it's like? She had just been thrust out of her body, the only place she'd known. Her existence as she knew it had ended and you were brash."

"This isn't a touch me, feel me job, Aria. This is one that requires your indifference. You need to detach yourself from all emotions you think you feel, because those will not work here. If need be, I'll put you under the pulse again. It seems the first time around may not have been thorough enough."

His words hit a nerve within Aria, but she wasn't entirely sure of the meaning behind them. There was something that rang a bell, but once again she was met with something trying to surface while being drowned before it broke free. 

Aria gasped and clutched her wrist. The place the crescent moon marked her skin burned once again, and the fire behind Marcell's eyes dimmed slightly. 

"Show time. You have one more chance to prove you have what it takes to be a real Bridge. If you fail again, you'll be back under the pulse for round two."

Aria didn't know the meaning behind the threat, so it shouldn't have frightened here, but the words sent a chill down her spin. Her mind knew what he was saying, even if she couldn't recall what it was. 

Aria closed her eyes and let the system wash through her, taking her where she needed to go. 

Steady beeps hit her ears. She looked around, people moving around quickly in different colored uniforms. Each one standing for something different. The smell of antiseptic hit her nose, and the sound of quiet sobs drifted from another room. 

Hospital. She knew where they were. The place seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure why. 

They were standing just outside a door with a window that was covered for privacy. Aria opened the door, knowing that was where she was supposed to be. She stepped through, Marcell following after her. 

He was determined to have her do this one. One way or another, she would be the one to get the soul to the door. 

When they walked in, Aria saw a small boy laying in the bed, the sheets pulled up, tucked under his chin. The machines spit out a steady rhythm of beeps. They sounded fine, it didn't seem like the boy was dying.

She walked closer to him, going by his side. She looked down at his small face. His cheeks had sunk in from the sickness he had, dark circles surrounded his eyes, a sparkling of wetness dampened his cheeks and lashes. 

He made a small whimpering sound and the machine's rhythm changed. His condition started changing right before her eyes. Aria could do nothing but watch. She was just a spectator to the show playing out before her. This was why she'd been called after all. He was going to die, his soul was going to leave the body, and it would be her job to convince him to move on. 

The boy's eyes shut tight before relaxing once again, and the mess of sounds joined in the steady high pitched whine of the flatline. 

Something tugged within Aria's chest as she looked down at the boy who had just died. Something about him called to something within her. 

She took a step back as she felt the air around her shift. A moment later, the boy stood next to the bed. His cheeks were full with a rosy tint, the dark circles gone, this was his soul untouched by the sickness he'd endured. His mental state remaining strong even while faced with a life threatening illness.

"Jasmine?" The boy's eyebrows furrowed. "They said...Daddy said you..." 

Aria tilted her head to the side. 

"Do we know each other?" She asked. 

"It's Alec, your b-"

"What is going on here?" Marcell asked loudly. 

The boy jumped, his eyes going wide as he looked at the man standing behind Aria.

"Jazzy, who is that?" Aria could tell the boy was frightened. He cowered in the corner of the wall and bed. 

His eyes drifted to the body lying on the bed, the one that looked like a broken down version of the boy standing there. 

"Jazzy, what's going on? Why can I see myself? Am I dreaming?" The boy started to shake. 

"They told me you died. All of you. Now I can see myself."

The more he said, the more confusion Aria felt. The boy seemed to think she was someone that she wasn't. Someone he seemed comfortable with. Jasmine. 

"You get out of here now," Marcell said. 

It took a moment for Aria to realize he was talking to her. He had dismissed her. 

"No. I'm not going anywhere so that you'll just say I was slacking. Just because I couldn't handle the last one doesn't mean I can't handle this one. Even if he is just a kid. I understood what you said. Be impartial. Showing any emotions won't help me."

"That's not why I'm telling you to leave. Now listen to me and go. I'll give you another shot, but you're not taking this one. Now...Out. Of. The. Room. 

It was a contained rage. One that involved no shouting, the the words were like ice. It was clear he meant what he said, and he wouldn't take a refusal for an answer. Aria had no choice but to leave the room. 

She backed out slowly, the boy's eyes widening further. 

"Jazzy, no! Don't go! Please don't leave me alone. Come back here." 

That same tug pulled inside Aria's chest. The emotions she was trying to hide were flaring up. Something about the boy called to her. It made no sense, unless it had something to do with the feeling of memories trying to surface, and the threat Marcell had made about going under the pulse again.

Was it possible that used to know the boy? That he had been someone important to her? He'd called her Jasmine though, and she didn't feel a connection to that name. She felt as little as she did toward the name Aria. 

She walked to the giant window where the blinds were open just enough that she could vaguely see inside. Marcell was talking to the boy as he cowered by the bed. Confusion plain on his face. Marcell didn't have the patience to deal with souls that had been ripped from their body, let alone the soul of a small boy. If he'd intimidated the woman earlier, Aria was sure he'd have an even harder time convincing the boy to go with him. 

She wished he'd let her stay in the room. She would have been able to convince him to go already. If he thought he knew her, then she would have the advantage. She would be someone he'd trust already. Aria wasn't sure why Marcell had been so against her staying in the room.  

The boy's chest started heaving, anxiety pressing down on him. He looked like a rabbit that had just been trapped by the fox. He took one look toward the door and tried making a run for it. Marcell whipped around faster than Aria would have thought possible, grabbing the kid's arm, and they both disappeared.

Aria gasped, looking at the room that contained the shell of the boy. The nurses surrounded the boy, trying to see if there was anything they could do. Aria had seen the chart though, they knew there was nothing they could do for him. He'd had cancer, and he had lost his battle. There was no bringing him back once his soul had left. Marcell had made sure that they were gone. 

She couldn't help but think that it should have been her to help him. The boy had been terrified. He hadn't wanted to go anywhere with Marcell, but Aria had been left behind while he took care of it. She hoped that he wasn't awful to the boy, he was just a child after all. A child that had been dealt a really bad hand. 

His face had been burned in her mind. There had to be some explanation for what happened. Everything he had said replayed over and over again. There had to be some explanation. 

Aria paced the floor. There was nothing else for her to do but wait for Marcell to finish up and pick her up. She had no idea how to go anywhere else, she wasn't even sure if she could go anywhere else. She only knew to follow the pull from the mark. 

It seemed to take a while for Marcell to finally make it back, but when he did, he was positively brooding. 

"Someone doesn't like this job," Aria said falling in step beside him. 

"There's a reason I'm not a bridge, and why I'm glad we don't have to do this training often." The malice in his voice seemed directed at Aria. Like it was her fault she was new to the program. It wasn't like it was something she signed up for or interviewed to join. 

"What now? I get another chance right?"

"After we make a stop back at the headquarters. We need to make sure everything is right."

"What do you mean?" Aria asked. 

"Who was that boy?" Marcell didn't waste any time stopping. 

He grabbed Aria's hand and they were suddenly back at the headquarters for whatever it was they called themselves as a collective. 

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Tell me everything you know about him."

"He had cancer." It sounded more like a question. She wasn't sure what the questions were for. Was he trying to see if she payed attention to the details of the person's condition?

"What else. Name?"

"He said his name was Alec. I'm not sure what you're trying to do here."

"Does the name Jasmine mean anything to you?"

"I-" Jasmine stopped. The name that hadn't registered within her in the least little bit before, suddenly stirred something within.

"It does."

"I don't-" 

"Tech now!" Marcell yelled.

A woman quickly rushed to their side. 

"Sir?"

"We have a situation. This Bridge was prepared once already, but it appears the job wasn't done as well the first time around. Make sure everything is cleared this time, please."

"Will do."

The woman pulled Aria's arm. 

"Wait a minute. What's going on?" 

Marcell didn't spare her another glance as she was pulled down the hall. 

The woman pulled her into the room she'd left just hours before. A chair sat in the center of the room, and fear spiked through Aria. She recognized the chair. She remembered the pain she felt before. She needed to get out of there. She pulled against the woman's hold, but she wasn't getting out. 

After a test of wills, the woman managed to force Aria into the chair and strapped her down. Aria pulled at the restraints even though she knew it was futile. 

"Why are you doing this?" 

"Apparently the first round wasn't effective enough. Some things seemed to slip through the block. It happens sometimes, unfortunately. We need to make sure everything stays tucked away nicely." She picked up a chart and set it down. 

"Aria. It seems you have your label. That will stay the same, I'll just have to work harder to keep everything where it's supposed to be."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's nothing to worry about. It will be over soon enough."

The woman's fingertips touched Aria's temples and a shock flowed from them into her skull. With the spark came back every memory she'd had, floating around just out of arm's reach. Then, everything jerked away quickly and a scream ripped through the room. 

The pain was unbearable. It felt like pieces of her were being ripped away, and there was nothing she could do. The torture continued, everything falling away piece by piece until she was left with a blank slate in her mind. 

The boy's face was gone, all names were gone, she couldn't form a single coherent thought. All speech had evaded her. Aria was an empty shell, no more than the body left behind after the soul had departed. 

Another light touch to the temple, and little by little, pieces came back. First her name. Her identity. Then came speech, her thought process started to work again, she could think real thoughts, words that actually made sense. Lastly, her knowledge of what she was supposed to do. Everything sorted away into neat little boxes inside her mind, ordered where she'd be able to pull anything up when called upon. 

Everything that was deemed unnecessary had vanished. She was Aria, the newest Bridge of Souls. 

********

This is the end for the prequel to BRIDGE OF SOULS. If you'd like to read the rest when I start posting it, you can find it at the external link located below here. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you when BRIDGE OF SOULS begins.