I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be without my guardian angel for an entire weekend. “You’ll be watching?”
She nodded. “I’ll always know when you’re in trouble. It’s my job.” She grinned. “Get going, you don’t want to be late.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. I did exactly what Death had taught me. I imagined him in my mind, standing tall and proud with his scythe. When I opened my eyes I found myself standing in front of him staring at the skulls in his eyes.
“This will be a quick lesson since you have to pick up your mother.” He grinned at me. “I can sense the abilities waking in you. So today we move on.”
He tossed me his scythe and I caught it. This wasn’t the agricultural scythe people used to reap crops. No, this one had a straight handle, and a curved blade at the top. It wasn’t meant for crops, it was meant for fighting. Killing. Reaping souls. My hand tightened around it as if it was natural to have. It called to something in me. Warmth flowed through my body and I dropped the handle so I held the scythe in both hands. I spread my feet apart and waited.
Death summoned another one and he nodded. “You can feel it in your blood. This is what you were called for. Much of this will come naturally to you. Attack.”
I shifted my weight and shot towards him, swinging the blade at his neck. He sidestepped and blocked it with his handle. “Good. Again.”
I switched grips and went for a lower attack. He swung his scythe down and blocked it. I recovered from the defense in time for him to swing at my midsection. I jumped back, but not before the blade caught my shirt. I swiped my scythe down, hooking my blade around his scythe and forcing it out of his hands. It flew away from him, but he held his hand out and it returned there.
“Not bad. Remember, each creature like us can summon their weapons to them. Horsemen and Sins are the only ones with weapons specific to them, and unlike the angels, we can’t share our weapons. Disarming them will only buy you a couple more seconds. Angels can summon one to share if need be, and one for themselves.”
I nodded. “But it could be enough to get the final blow in.”
“Could, depending on how fast you can attack and how long it takes them to recover. Never depend on that.” He let go and the weapon disappeared. “You’re distracted today.”
I thought I’d been doing a fair enough job focusing, but maybe he was right. “I’m having a hard time balancing life, and I’m wondering if after three weeks of seeing people die from the plague on the news, demons showing up at school, and the Seven Deadly Sins hanging around, if I can be normal this weekend.”
He motioned for me to follow him. “Your mother would forgive you if the weekend wasn’t exactly normal. Fallen or not, she’s still an angel, she still knows the world exists.”
I let go of my scythe and it disappeared. “She wants nothing but normal. It would be disappointing for her, I think.” I walked with him through the field. The world changed when I was there, instead of the barren empty fields. Tall dead weeds covered the land. I brushed my hands over the tops as we walked.
“It would, but she had to know from the moment that you were born it was a possibility. You are part angel, that means that you belong to this fight, my child or not. At some point abilities would manifest in you and you’d see things other humans couldn’t.” He shrugged. “Demons would know you on sight, like they do now.” He sounded so certain.
Which made our theory about her being in denial even stronger. “Do you think I could get out of going to college if I told her I was your kid?”
He laughed. “No, I don’t. It’s important for you all to appear as human as possible so you can walk among them. Until the horsemen die or retire, you’ll live in that realm.”
Damn. “Fine, I’ll get my degree and a job, and hunt demons on the side.” I chuckled at the thought. Student by day, demon fighter by night.
He nudged me while we walked. “Fighting demons keeps the senses sharp.”
The three weeks that we had spent with each other, we’d grown closer. He hadn’t told me much about what he was like when he had to be a human and he never mentioned what happened between him and my mother. I figured we’d get there eventually and I wasn’t ready to trust him with my whole life either.
“You need to get going if you want to pick her up from the train station. It’ll be on time today. I…have souls that need reaping.” He disappeared and I found myself standing in my room alone.
More souls to be reaped. Yes, people died every day, but the death toll was starting to climb and on the western slope alone a hundred people had been hospitalized with the plague.
The Black Death was trying to make a comeback.
Traveling by train was always hit and miss, what should have been a ten hour trip could easily turn into thirteen or more. Today, the train pulled up to the station right on time. I waited in the lobby for my mother to come out with her luggage. Her smile grew as she walked out, pulling her suitcase behind her.
Her smile warmed me and put me at ease for the time being. Soon we’d be lost in talk of classes and schedules and how life here was going for me. She’d be more concerned about if I was doing well without her than anything else. She wrapped me in her arms.
“I’ve missed you so much.” She squeezed me and pulled back. Her eyes wandered over my body and she frowned, hooking her finger in the slice of my shirt.
How had I forgotten that was there? I pressed my lips, waiting for her to say something. I had a tank top underneath so at least no skin showed. She shook her head. “I’ll never understand these new fashions.”
I forced a laugh. “I must have snagged it on something earlier. You ready to head to the hotel? Or do you want to grab an early dinner?” I walked with her out to the car and popped my trunk. I put her suitcase in while she went to the passenger side.
“Dinner sounds wonderful. Where do you want to go?” She got into the car and tried several times to gently close the door before slamming it.
I got in and pulled mine shut. “There’s a local diner down on Main Street. It’s cute, outfitted to look like the fifties. Want to try that?”
“That sounds wonderful.” She squeezed my hand as I put the car in gear. “How are classes? Are you still having problems with your math class?”
I shrugged. “I’m getting the hang of it. The answers are all correct when I turn it in, but when I get it back she says my methods are wrong, and she takes points off. All I need is a C to pass the class though, then I can move on.”
“You’ll have more teachers like her later on. Look at it as a learning experience. Can you go in and talk to her about why the methods are unacceptable?”
I could, but the woman scared the crap out of me. “I can and if it gets too bad, I will.” I pulled the car into traffic leading downtown to Main Street. It was early enough that the restaurant shouldn’t be crowded, but rush hour was starting up.
We moved down the road slowly and I paid attention to the cars trying to weave in and out of traffic. “How’s work?”
“Busy, as usual. We’re coming across some cases of parents not having a will and testament and are dying. The plague seems to be an orphan maker right now.” She sighed. “But we’re muddling through and getting children placed where they need to be.”
The death toll on her side of the slope put ours to shame, but I wasn’t going to bring it up. The less talk about death, the better. “Hopefully it eases up soon.”
“How’s your roommate? She taking good care of you?” She asked and I pulled the car onto Main Street and searched for a parking spot.
I couldn’t help myself. I grinned. “She’s a true guardian angel.” I pulled the car into a parking spot.
“I had a feeling she might be.” She didn’t miss a beat with her response and I couldn’t tell from her voice if she was serious or not.
We got out and walked down the sidewalk towards the diner. The bright pink border stuck out on top of the black and white squares of the building. In
side, the theme continued on the walls and a sign told us to seat ourselves.
We found a booth close to the door. I opened the menu. “I didn’t realize how much was down here.”
“You should get out more often. Have you had any luck looking for a job or are you waiting to settle in a little more?” She flipped the pages of the menu and didn’t meet my gaze over it.
I tried to figure out the best way to approach the question. “I think I’ll wait until after this semester. Once the algebra class is done, since I need so much time on the homework to pass the class.”
“Not a bad choice, just don’t wait too long or you’ll never get one. There’s not much up here.” She set the menu down and folded her hands on top of it.
I shrugged. “There’s always temp work I could do. Especially with so many people coming down with the plague.” I threw the idea out there and waited.
She went silent and still for a moment. “I’m sure that will all clear up soon.”
It would, as soon as we figured out where the other three horsemen were. “I’m sure, just like the Ebola outbreak. That was over quick enough.”
The waitress came up and took our order, and we all looked up when the bell rang on the door. Jared walked in and waved at me. I pressed my lips together, wondering if this was a blessing or a curse. I gave him a small wave.
“Who is that?” My mother gave me a sly smile. “He’s quite handsome.”
“That’s Jared.” I kept my voice down. “He’s in my algebra class.”
My mother waved him over and I was a bit mortified when he walked over to the table and she patted the seat. “Come have dinner with us. It’s nice to see Sammy making friends.”
Which made it sound like I didn’t have friends at all. He sat down and smiled at me. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. I’m sorryto interrupt dinner with you and your sister?”
“Nice try, I’m her mother.” But her face beamed at the cliché compliment.
I tried to squash down any desire to run from embarrassment. I didn’t want my mom to meet the guy I had been crushing on for the last month. “We thought we’d stop for an early dinner before I took her to the hotel.”
“The theater just refreshed their list of movies, you guys should go see one.” He flashed a smile at the waitress. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He added his order to ours; making sure to point out it was a different ticket.
My mother nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a movie. Sammy? What do you think?”
“A movie sounds wonderful.” I glanced at Jared. “Did you get that math homework done?”
“Three hundred problems from hell, probably given by the Devil her…himself.” He laughed and leaned back.
I didn’t miss the mix up of her and him. The Devil being a woman didn’t seem to be common knowledge, even my mother tensed a little. “I could see the teacher as a devil.” I laughed, trying to smooth it over as a play on the teacher. “I finished mine before I picked my mom up. It’ll be ready for Monday.”
“When is Thanksgiving break? Are you planning on coming home?” My mom gave a comfortable change of conversation.
“I have the Wednesday through Sunday off. We’ll return to classes that Monday. I could come home if you want. Assuming I don’t stumble across a job.”
She smiled and I knew she wanted me there. We didn’t always get along, but we were the only family we had. “That sounds wonderful, I’ll buy you a train ticket. I don’t think your car is going to survive another trip over the pass.”
Me either, and a new one would be the first thing I bought after I got a new job. “Then it’s a plan. The most I’ll have to do is study for finals.”
“What about you, Jared, are you going home for Thanksgiving?” My mom asked.
The waitress came out with our food and he remained silent for a moment. Once the waitress walked away he answered. “I think so. Holidays are a big deal in my family, we get together, cook up some fantastic food and enjoy each other’s company.”
“That sounds lovely. We normally go out for Thanksgiving dinner.” My mom looked at me and I grinned.
“My mom tried to cook a turkey once, it was still frozen in the middle even after ten hours in the oven. One year she tried a ham, and she burnt that one. She gave up and we started making it a tradition to go out or have it catered. We’re always grateful for the staff that works Thanksgiving.” The memories made me laugh, neither my mom nor I were much of a cook.
We ate and passed the meal with small talk about classes and the school. My mother made sure I hadn’t done or tried anything stupid while I wasn’t under her supervision. We finished our meals and leaned back in the booths.
Jared paid his ticket and bowed his head. “Sorry I have to run. I’m meeting up with some friends tonight. I hope you have a good evening out with your mom.” He stood and took my mother’s hand. “It was lovely to meet you.”
“And you. Take care.”
He walked out the door and my mom looked at me. “So? You like him?”
“He’s a nice guy, yeah.” I nodded and pushed what was left of my salad around the plate. “I think he’s way out of my league though. I mean, look at him, he’s hot, high class and…”
“I think he’s more of sex on a stick than hot.” My mom said and I blushed. She laughed. “No sex before marriage, but you have to admit he is sexy.”
Now that I knew she was a fallen angel, her obsession with me not sinning made sense, but I still wondered what sin caused her to fall. “Can I ask you something, without you getting upset? It’s just been on my mind.”
“It depends on what the question is.” She folded her hands and looked at me. “You’re an adult now, we should be able to talk as such.”
I took a deep breath. There was no real way of asking her what her biggest sin was, so I switched my question. “If you could see my sperm donor face to face again, what would you say to him?” She’d always referred to him as that, now that I knew him, I felt guilty calling him that and I knew it sounded in my voice. All he wanted to do now was to make sure I was taken care of and safe.
A strange smile crossed her face. “You know that he and I never really knew each other, so I’m not sure what I would say to him. I’m not even sure I would know him if we passed on the street. I’d want to make sure he knew that you existed now though, and see what a beautiful woman you’ve grown up to be.” She shrugged. “I don’t know how he’d take that news. It was just a one-night stand.”
The good news was I knew how he’d take it. I smiled. “You don’t hate him for leaving you with a child?”
“At first I did, he told me he couldn’t produce children. Don’t ever fall for that line.” She laughed. “I was in disbelief when I found out I was pregnant.” She shook her head. “It’s a long story, but I wasn’t even sure if I could have children. You are my miracle baby.”
Because all the cards happened to fall right. “Let’s go. I want to run by the dorm and change my shirt before we go to the movie and we need to get you checked into the hotel room.”
She paid the bill and we headed back towards the car. I got in and tried to start it. Nothing happened. I hit the dashboard and tried again. Still nothing. Crap.
“Call a tow truck. You have AAA.” My mom reminded me.
This probably was the last straw for my car. I wasn’t ready to part with it. I sighed. “Good thing your hotel is just down the road, huh?” I asked.
She was already getting her suitcase out of the trunk. “And how far is the school? Do we need to get a cab?”
I shook my head. “No, luckily everything is within walking distance.” I pulled out my phone and called the tow truck. After the call, all we could do was wait.
Once the car was taken care of we walked towards the hotel. The small evening crowd thinned as we approached the park that covered the last couple of blocks to the hotel. A shiver went down my back and I closed my eyes, praying we weren’t u
nder attack. When I opened them again my mother had stopped walking. I turned to face her and raised a brow. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” I tried to keep my voice light.
“There’s a demon coming. This shouldn’t be happening.” Her voice shook and she backed up until she hit the barrier. “You should be innocent, protected.” She shook her head and black wings spread from her back. “You are human.” She growled out.
She had been in denial and her refusal to believe wasn’t going to help me. I opened my mouth to protest when a growling came from behind me. I was going to die because my mother was having a panic attack. I turned around slowly and came face to face with a giant black-skinned demon. It bared its teeth at me and snarled. Drool and spit splattered my face and my heart stopped beating for a moment. It hit me with the back of its hand, sending me into the barrier, and I landed with a thump.
The pain radiated through my body, but it would pass. Right now, I needed to figure out how to defeat a demon without a weapon. My mom jumped out of the way when the demon tried to hit her. She landed in a crouch and held her hand out, but no weapon came to her aid. Just my luck.
“You’re fallen, your abilities have been limited.” I reminded her and the demon’s red gaze turned to me. The razor sharp teeth formed what would have been a smile if he had lips.
I held my hand out but nothing came and I cursed. Where was Ruthie?
“And yours haven’t appeared yet.” My mother snarled at me.
The demon rushed me and I rolled out of the way. I could keep dodging him, but it wasn’t going to help. “Yeah, it’s a huge problem right now.” I snapped back. “Thanks for the heads up about demons, mom.”
The demon laughed and stalked towards me, I dropped back into a defensive stance. I had no idea if I could fight it hand to hand, but I wasn’t going to let it kill me.
“How was I supposed to know? I thought you were human.” She launched from her spot, slamming her shoulder into the demon and driving it back a few feet. She flipped away from it, but its tail caught her across the stomach and threw her away.
Children of the Apocalypse Complete Trilogy Page 5