by Nicky Graves
I wanted to push the red button. It was attached to the far wall with a clear box surrounding it, protecting it from accidental pressing.
“What is this place?” the woman asked.
“The transition area,” I said, looking at Boomer. “What do I have to do?”
Before he could answer, we were shoved aside by a reaper that shifted in with a soul that struggled to free himself from the reaper’s grasp. “Coming through,” he said. “I need priority.”
He wrangled the man over to the deserted reception desk, then smacked his hand on the bell on top of the desk. The door standing behind the desk automatically opened, and the reaper dragged the soul through as the soul yelled curses and fought against the reaper.
I was thankful the woman didn’t have such a temper. Would I have to deal with violent transitions? I supposed I would. It’s not like there was a choice on who I got summoned to take.
When the door closed, it glowed for a moment and then resumed looking like a normal wooden door.
“Will he come back out?” I asked.
“No. There’s an exit inside,” Boomer said.
Boomer started toward the desk when two more reapers shifted into the room with their souls. I don’t know why I expected the reapers to be wearing robes like the traditional garb of the Grim Reaper. It’s not like Boomer or I wore robes. Still, my brain was having a hard time grasping that this was all real when everyone looked like regular people.
“You got two here by yourself?” one of the reapers asked Boomer.
“No, I’m training,” Boomer said.
They looked at me and then at the woman. Both men wore confused expressions. Obviously, they were some of the last to hear that a female had joined their ranks. I guess gossip didn’t run rampant in the dead zone like it did in school.
“This is Riley,” Boomer said, gesturing to me. “She’s the newest reaper.”
“But it hasn’t been a hundred years yet,” one of them said.
“And she’s a girl,” the other said.
Boomer shrugged. “And she asks a lot of questions. So, if you don’t want to waste an entire day, you might want to get going.”
I glared at him. I had held off many questions this entire time. Didn’t that count for something?
They gave me one last studied glance and then rang the bell and hurried through the door with their transitions.
“Let’s get going before more come. Sometimes this place gets crowded,” he said. “Ring the bell.”
I walked over to the silver dome bell and rang it. The door opened and we walked through. After a bright flash appeared, we were sucked into a long hallway that didn’t seem to ever end. It was lined with doors on both sides. All of the doors were made of the same dark wood. A small desk sat at the front, where a man with pointy ears worked. Finally, someone was wearing a robe.
He didn’t look at us, just jabbed his stubby fingers at an old typewriter, which I thought odd. I mean, who used a typewriter anymore? And there was no paper in it.
“Door three,” he said, still not looking at us.
I glanced at Boomer, who walked past the man and opened the door for the woman.
“In you go,” he said.
She looked at the opened door and then at Boomer. “Where am I going?”
“Where you belong,” Boomer said.
She frowned and then looked through the open door. I peeked too. I couldn’t see anything except blinding white light. Her puzzled, worried expression turned into a smile. She walked through, disappearing from my view. Boomer shut the door.
“Where did she go?” I asked.
“Where she belongs,” Boomer said.
“But where is that?”
He shrugged and walked across the hall to the door marked as an exit. He opened the door and we stepped through. After another flash, we ended up in the dead zone near a blue-and-white-striped pole. I had never seen the pole before. But the giant silver pods surrounding it were a typical sight in the dead zone.
“How did we get here?” I asked.
“The exit door is a portal. The waiting room door is also a portal into a protected realm that has the hallway.”
“So, who was the guy at the desk? Is he a reaper?”
“No, he’s the keeper. Not sure where he’s from. Just try not to talk to him. And definitely don’t ask him questions. He’s cranky. If you start in with your questions, he’ll turn nasty.”
“I have one of those guys living inside of me. Right, Treble?”
Treble didn’t stir. In fact, since I had turned into a reaper, I hadn’t heard from him again. Maybe he’d just be a dormant parasite. I was hoping that was the case because I really didn’t want to fight with him.
“So, now what?” I asked.
“You’ve been trained,” Boomer said. “Good luck.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
“What else is there?” Boomer asked. “You grab the soul and deposit it.”
Was that really it? Somehow I thought there would be more. Was he just trying to get rid of me? Probably.
“When do I get my own pod?” I asked, looking at the silver spheres that lined the gray, hard-packed ground. The pods didn’t have windows or doors. But they were amazing on the inside. The spatial difference from outside to inside made them nearly magical. Not only could you have a full-size home, but some pods contained parks and deserts.
Boomer shrugged. “You probably already have one assigned to you.”
“How do I find out?”
He sighed. “Does it matter? You still live at home and go to school.”
Yes, I did still have to worry about juggling school and reaper work. I didn’t know how I was going to handle it, but I was going to try for as long as possible.
“The dead zone’s time is slower than on Earth,” I said. “It’d be nice to have longer to do homework or sleep.” Or just get used to the world. Or just to escape responsibility for a bit.
“Talk to Lawson,” Boomer said. “But I’m not sure if he’d tell you. He didn’t seem like he wanted you here.”
“What do you mean he doesn’t want me here? Did you talk to him? Why wouldn’t he want me here?”
“You just rambled off a million questions without taking a breath. Maybe that’s why.”
“It was three questions, not a million.” I frowned. Lawson didn’t seem to mind me. He had a lot more patience than Boomer.
“I’ll check in on Lawson,” I said, wondering if I could get a straight answer from him. I’d hate to think Lawson didn’t want me in the dead zone. But if he really didn’t, then I would stay away. I didn’t want to be annoying. I just wanted to understand.
“See ya,” Boomer said, shifting before I could change my mind.
I stayed rooted to my spot until reapers began appearing one after another by the striped pole. Must be getting busy in the transition room.
They eyed me with curiosity before shifting elsewhere.
It felt weird being a source of curiosity. In school, I’m not one. There, I’m just average and completely forgettable. Here, I’m something new. Something different.
2
The problem with the dead zone, besides that the dirt, sky, and pods were all gray, was that there were no addresses. It was just a sea of pods connected by gray-stone paths. The only other items that existed in the dead zone were doors and arches with no structure to support them. And there was no real rhyme or reason as to position. They were scattered in pathways and dotted the flat landscape.
The doors and arches were portals that led to different realms. I was told some places were okay to go to, but it seemed that most were not. There were no signs on them to indicate which was which. But I had been warned about the pretty arch with shimmering light emanating from it. When I was still mortal, they said it would be instant death if I crossed through. But now that I’m an immortal reaper, did the warning still stand?
I found the arch and glanced at it before passing by. Lawson’s pod was j
ust left of it and down three rows.
I placed my hand on the side of the silver pod. The wall gave way and I was able to walk through. It still boggled my mind that I could walk through something as solid as silver, and yet it felt like nothing but air.
“Lawson?” I called from his living room.
When I didn’t get an answer, I walked toward his bedroom. During his recovery, he spent the majority of his time sleeping.
His bedroom door was closed, and I hesitated, wondering if I was being a pest. Maybe this was the reason Lawson wouldn’t want me hanging around the dead zone.
Yet, I wanted to see Lawson.
Just as I brought my hand up to knock on his door, it opened, and Lawson appeared in jeans, no shirt, and wet hair. An angry red scar slashed along the skin over his heart. I tried not to stare. I was torn between ogling him in his half-dressed state and worrying about his heart.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“You didn’t. I was actually going to come and check on you. How’s the training? Judging from the dried mud on you, I guess not good.”
I glanced down at my dirty clothes before saying, “I transitioned my first soul.”
“Great. How did you get muddy?” he asked as he walked to his closet and pulled a shirt from it. He winced as he shrugged it on.
“You’re still in pain,” I said.
“Yes, but I’m getting better. I should be as good as new in a few days.”
I was told reapers heal quickly. The added bonus of the dead zone was having more time to heal as well.
“So, how did it go?” he asked again.
“It was a bit of a rocky start. She ran and I tried to chase her. I’m sure Boomer will be happy to tell you the whole embarrassing story.”
“I take it the story involves mud.”
I nodded. I should have gone home first to shower.
“I should go home,” I said.
“I’ll stop by later,” he said. “I have to get to work anyway.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“The reapers need help. We don’t want an influx of trapped spirits.”
“I can help.”
He shook his head. “Go home. You’re still training. Once fully trained, the pull will become stronger. You’ll be able to feel death beyond your town.”
Not many people died in my small town, so I figured I probably wouldn’t feel anything for a while.
“According to Boomer, I’m trained,” I said.
“You’re not.”
“How much else is there to learn?”
“You’re covered in mud. Ask me that when you can transition a soul without having to take a shower after.”
Fair point.
“I don’t think Boomer wants to train me.”
“It’s not a choice. Just like it won’t be a choice when it’s your turn to train the next reaper.”
I wouldn’t have to worry about that for a long time.
“Go home and take it easy. You might have an assignment tomorrow.”
“I have school tomorrow.”
“When does that end?”
“It’s only October. School doesn’t end until the beginning of June.”
“Do what you can,” he said. “We’ll figure it out as we go. Nothing about you so far has fallen into standard protocol.”
Technically, I could have dropped out of school. After all, I am now an immortal reaper. But I had worked forever to get my diploma. I didn’t want to get to my senior year only to drop out. Plus, I didn’t want to give up my ties to Earth just yet.
Lawson had told me there would come a day when I’d have to leave my family and friends behind. They’d begin to wonder why I never age. Questions would be asked that I couldn’t answer.
But it was my senior year. All my life I had looked forward to the final year and hanging out with my best friend, Larue.
“Have you heard anything about Azrael?” I asked.
“No. He hasn’t been heard from since the night he tried to kill you. I’ve asked around about him, but I’m coming up short. We’ll figure it out. He’s going to return eventually, so we need to be prepared.”
I wasn’t sure how we would be prepared for Azrael. The guy wanted me dead. His only problem was we were somehow linked. He was master, and I was his heir. Even his sacred metal scythe realized the shared DNA and would not harm me.
But I knew he’d figure out a way to kill me. He was Death, after all.
I shivered.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just creeped out.”
“I hate to break it to you, but this death stuff gets a whole lot creepier. Just wait until you have to go after a blank reaper.”
“But I’m still training, so that won’t happen anytime soon, right?”
“You have time,” he said. “But there might come a day when you cross their paths.”
I had crossed their paths already. I still remembered the day Azrael and his blanks had found me at school. While my focus had been on Azrael, I remember the blanks being fully robed with red eyes peering out from the inky depths of their hoods.
“What do I do if I see one?”
“For now, shift. And shift fast.”
“See, this is why you need to train me. Boomer would watch me get into trouble and laugh.”
“We all have different styles of training. You might not like his, but didn’t you learn something today?”
“Yes,” I muttered.
He smiled at my admission, and I got lost in his twinkling gray eyes.
“When do I get my own pod?” I asked, pulling myself back from embarrassing myself. I suspected my attraction to him was one-sided and I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
“You have one,” he said.
“I do?”
He nodded. “I’ll show you later,” he said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to show me now?”
“I have to get to work. Go home, and I’ll be in touch.”
“All right,” I said with a sigh. “Don’t work too hard.”
“I’ll be fine.”
I knew that. If Lawson could get his heart ripped out of his chest and recover, I figured he was nearly indestructible. Still, he wasn’t his normally healthy self.
“I’ll be fine,” he said again. “Go.”
“I take it you want me to leave,” I said.
“Yes.”
“I’m coming back for my pod.”
“It’ll still be here.”
“Fine. See you.”
He gave a nod, and I left the pod and shifted to my bedroom. The house was quiet, which meant Mom was probably out running errands while she dragged David with her. I pitied him, but it was better him than me. Her errand list was generally a mile long and consisted of things like the dry cleaner and pharmacy.
I kicked off my shoes, walked to the bathroom to peel off my mud-caked clothes, and hopped into the shower. Rinsing and repeating were necessary steps.
By the time I returned to my bedroom to dress, I had two texts from Larue. She and Finn were going to study at Zero’s cafe and wanted to know if I would like to meet up with them. While I didn’t want to study on a Sunday afternoon, I really didn’t have anything going on. Plus, if Finn was there, Dane would likely be there as well. I still owed him an apology for punching him when he tried to kiss me. Technically, it had been Treble who used my arm to punch him. But Dane didn’t know that.
I texted back with a thumbs up and finished dressing.
And maybe I could speak to Larue alone later. She was the only living person who knew my situation.
It was an hour into studying when I couldn’t stand it anymore. The history book still didn’t make sense to me. And it wasn’t because it was written in words that I couldn’t understand; it was because it was dry and lifeless. I read the same page over and over again, realizing that by the time I got to the bottom of the page, I had drifted off
into a daydream that seemed to center on Lawson.
Dane didn’t look as if he was faring any better. He rubbed his temples and stared glassy-eyed at the textbook.
“Are you reading the same page over and over again?” I asked.
“Yeah. This is the most boring history book in existence.”
“I think they all are that way,” I said.
I glanced over at Larue and Finn, who were contently huddled together reading the same book. They were so adorable it made me sick with jealousy.
“I think I need a refill,” I said, grabbing my cup to head back to the counter.
“I’ll come with you,” Dane said, standing with a stretch, revealing a swath of abs that had athletic football player written all over them. No wonder Chloe was determined to secure him as her boyfriend. He was nice and had the bonus of being built.
Chloe was singularly focused on the challenge of securing Dane as her boyfriend. That, and being a witch. She excelled at that.
We walked to the counter, and I placed my cup down as I waited for the barista. “I am sorry about hitting you at your party, Dane,” I said. “It must have been a reflex.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I know. I still feel bad.”
Dane was a decent guy. He liked me enough to attempt to kiss me. But something was holding me back from being happy about his attention. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to invoke Chloe’s wrath.
But maybe it had been Lawson’s warning. Reapers didn’t go for serious relationships. They’d have to walk away eventually. And while Dane had never said he was looking for serious, I wasn’t sure I wanted to even tread down that path.
Still, I’d like to live a little on Earth before a full-time life of reaping.
Before Treble could stop me, I popped up on my tiptoes and planted a kiss on Dane’s surprised lips. I had surprised myself as well. I normally wasn’t a daring person.
I backed away quickly, knowing I had stirred Treble awake.
Dane smiled at me but then looked at the barista, who grabbed our cups to refill them. He glanced back. “I think you’re on your way to making it up to me,” he teased. “But how about I take you out on Friday?”