by ID Johnson
“Your birth mom?” Liddy repeated. “Why in the world would you ask me that?”
“Well, I’m twenty-five now, Mom, and I’d like to know a little more about her. I sort-of remember what you told me growing up, but I was just wondering if you could tell me again. So I can make sure I understood.”
“Oh, Ruin. She was a filthy street urchin, desperate to get rid of you. She came into the grocery store with you every day for a week or two, buying hotdogs and other cheap food, enough to get herself by, I guess. You were a dirty little thing, too. Half starved. Finally, one day, she said, ‘Will you take my kid? You’ll get government money, you know?’ I didn’t want any more kids, but I did want the extra money. I said no at first, but she told me she was running from the law, and I felt bad for you. She said your name was Ruin, that you’d ruined everything, and handed you over. You weren’t quite three years old. She wrote a statement that she was giving me custody and disappeared.
“You were awful! You must’ve cried for a month non-stop before I finally started spanking your butt until you’d stop. Finally, you got it through your thick skull that you weren’t supposed to act that way. Absolutely no manners. Like a wild animal. It’s a wonder I even kept you.”
Ru let her talk, physically jarred when she mentioned spanking a two year old who was crying over missing her mother. She didn’t specifically remember that, but she did know she had always been scared of Liddy on some level. Now she knew why. “Do you remember her name?”
“Yeah, I remember it. That’s why I made it your middle name. Her name was Sara.”
Ru swallowed hard. “What was her last name?” she asked, chills running up her arms.
“Uh… it started with an F. Fine, Fine-ah, uh, Fina, I think. Yeah, she said her name was Sarah Fina. Why do you care? She’s long gone now. I’m the only mother you’ve ever had, so you better not go off looking for someone else, Ruin.”
Shivers went up and down Ru’s spine as she attempted to listen, even though she’d temporarily lost focus at her mother’s revelation, she managed to choke out, “No, I won’t. Did she… uh.. was she blonde? Do I look like her?”
“Yes,” Liddy replied. “She was blonde and pretty, but like I said, dirty, like she’d been living in a cardboard box.”
“Did she have blue eyes?”
“I don’t remember. Geez, it’s been, twenty some-odd years.”
“Did she say anything about my father.”
“No, not really. Now, will you please stop already?” Liddy was growing frustrated.
“Okay, but one more thing. You said you chose Sara as my middle name after her. Did you name me?”
“I had to. They needed a name for your birth certificate. She told me your birthday was April 8, but she didn’t tell me anything more. ‘Cept your name was Ruin. She gave me a last name, but I didn’t know what she was saying. It sort of sounded like Roberts, so that’s what I chose.. I definitely didn’t want your last name to be the same as mine. People might think you were actually my kid.”
Fighting tears now, mostly because of her mother’s harsh words, though this information was beginning to catch up with her and causing some emotion also, Ru said, “Mom, was it Ronobes?”
“Was what what?”
“Was the last name she said, could it have been Ronobes?”
“Maybe,” Liddy replied. “Who have you been talking to, Ru? Did she find you or something?”
“No, Mom. She’s… she’s gone. But… I think I might’ve met someone who knows her.”
“Listen, she was caught up in some rough crowd, Ruin. The last thing you need is to be running with anyone who knows your birth mom. You need to stay away from them.”
“Did she say something about them?” Ru asked.
“Yeah. She said they were evil, and I needed to keep you away from anyone who ever came looking for you. Who contacted you, Ruin?”
For once in her life, Liddy Brown sounded a little concerned for her safety. “No one bad, Mom. Someone who wanted to help her.”
“Well, you stay away from them, too. If they find you, they might come after me, and the last thing I need is some evil homeless person trying to hurt me or one of my daughters. Melissa and Danielle might live far away now, but knowing you, you’d find a way to get your sisters hurt.”
Ru almost laughed; she’d actually though Liddy was concerned about her, but it was her “real” daughters she was thinking of all along. “Don’t worry,” she assured her mother, “I probably won’t even speak to them again.”
“Good,” Liddy said. “Okay. Well, stay away from that man at work, too. You don’t need to embarrass yourself any more than you already have.”
“I will.”
Liddy hung up without so much as a goodbye, certainly not an “I love you,” and Ru wondered when the last time she’d heard that phrase might’ve been, other than from her students. She couldn’t remember.
“Sara Fina,” she whispered, getting Piper’s attention. She meowed, and Ru rubbed her head. “Seraphina.” Maybe there was some truth behind Cutter’s story after all. She still wasn’t prepared to believe she was an angel, or a Keeper, or whatever else he wanted to call it, but she decided she should tell him what Liddy had disclosed. It was getting late, though. It would have to wait until tomorrow. She grabbed her laptop so she could charge it and headed to her bedroom, wondering whatever happened to Seraphina. Was she still out there somewhere? Would there be a way to find her?
After getting ready for bed, Ru climbed beneath the blankets, visions of a woman who looked much like her filling her mind. “Where are you, Seraphina?” she wondered. Falling asleep, she hoped she’d dream of a mother who loved her enough to save her by giving her away.
Ru stood on the top of a mountain, barren of any sort of life except for a few scraggly bushes in the distance. She felt the wind pick up, blowing the long white dress she wore out behind her.
She was looking down into a rocky cavern illuminated by the moonlight, but she felt a presence behind her. Turning slowly, she wasn’t at all surprised to see the man standing there. Dressed in his black cloak, with his hood down around his shoulders, he stared at her. Even from twenty feet away, his green eyes seemed to penetrate her very soul.
“How are you, Rune?” he asked, his melodic voice ringing out into the open air and dancing on the breeze. This time, his mouth moved. It was as if they were old friends.
“Thanatos,” she said, acknowledging him. “What are we doing here?”
“I wanted to speak to you,” he replied, nonchalantly. “You’ve received a lot of information, some of it more reliable than the rest. I wanted to let you know I can help you understand.”
“You can help me?” she replied, fighting a grin. “But you’re Death. You take the souls of the unmarked.” The words were not her own; she’d discovered them in her research, confirmation of Cutter’s story.
He smiled. “That’s not true, Ru. I prevent catastrophe. I take the souls of those who would cause utter chaos if they were not stopped. You can’t possibly know that, but I can. My father knows all. He sends me to claim those who must be stopped.”
Ru didn’t believe him, but it was an interesting explanation. “Then why do the Keepers hunt you?”
“I wish I had an answer for that.” His eyes looked woeful. “We are not so different, the Keepers and myself. They seem to think they’ve been sent here by God, that they are doing His bidding. They take my brethren and sentence them to an eternity of torment. I set souls free, allow them to follow their own path. I do not condemn them to Hell the way the Keepers do. If you will come with me, Ru, I can show you.”
She found herself intrigued by his emotion and his candidness, though she still wasn’t certain a word he spoke was true. He seemed to believe it. “I can’t go with you,” she replied. “I don’t want to die.”
“I told you, I don’t wish to claim your soul. But you know, Ru, you and I are of the same blood. You know that your father was on
e of my father’s most trusted soldiers. That is, until the Keepers captured him and sent him away forever.”
Ru’s eyebrows shot up. “My father?” she repeated.
“Yes. Larkin.”
The sound of his name made something catch inside of her. Thanatos knew of her father, and it was the same name that Cutter had used. “You knew him?”
Thanatos shook his head. “He was banished when I was but a boy. I know of him, though. I know that his blood runs through your veins, and even though they’ve tried to convince you that you are not like me, you are. Don’t let them destroy the Reaper in you, Ru. Despite the fact that you look like your mother, it is still there, deep down inside.”
She had so many questions, yet the most important one sprang from her lips. “Did you know my mother?”
Once again, he shook his head. “No, but I will help you find her. Seraphina did her best to unite the two sides of this fray. She wanted only to bring us all together. She was marked as a criminal for her actions. The Keepers sought to destroy her, so she fled. Once she knew you were safe, she went into hiding. But we can find her, Ru, you and I, together. When we do, we can make sure the Keepers can never hurt her again.”
Ru was stunned. Was what he said true? Were the Keepers really trying to harm her mother?
“Take my hand,” Thanatos said, extending it and walking a few feet forward. “We will find her together.”
Looking at his hand and then back at his beautiful face, Ru felt a sense of calm in her gut. Tears were cascading down her cheeks, she realized, tears for her poor mother. She did not swipe them away. She glanced back from his hand to his face and then back again. Maybe Thanatos really could help her find her mother.
“Nat! You have no right to be here!”
The voice came from behind her. Startled, Ru turned to find Cutter slowly walking toward her. Dressed in the same outfit he’d worn to school that day, brown slacks and a red button down shirt, he didn’t look like a supernatural being. He looked like a fourth grade teacher. But his eyes commanded respect from Thanatos, and when she caught his gaze for just a flicker of an instant, Ru wasn’t sure if she should trust him or turn back to Thanatos.
“Cutter, I’m sorry to tell you Rune has already made her choice.”
“No, she hasn’t,” Cutter replied. “Ru, you know you can’t go with him.” He was looking at her so sincerely, his eyes cautious.
“But… he said he can help me find my mother.”
“So can we,” Cutter promised. “And… you know you can trust us. We don’t take unmarked souls. We’re the good guys.”
Thanatos laughed. “So he would have you believe. Come along, Rune. We must start our search.”
Ru looked back at Thanatos, his hand still extended, and then at the pleading look in Cutter’s eyes. How could she choose? Should she go with the man who promised to find her mother, the one who knew so much and wanted to help her, despite the warning that he was evil? Or should she turn to the one who had done nothing but confuse and bewilder her, making her question her entire universe? Ru stood confused, contemplating what she should do next when a line from a movie she hadn’t watched in years surfaced. With as much resolve as she could muster, paraphrasing the main character’s words, she shouted, “You don’t have any power over me!” to both of them. Like a breaking glass, the world around her shattered, and once again, Ru felt herself falling.
Gasping for air, Ru shot upright in her bed. Although the fact that every light in the house seemed to be on again, as well as every appliance, including her ceiling fan and the television, which she could hear blasting from the living room, that wasn’t the most startling encounter she made upon opening her eyes. Looking down at her hands, she saw bright blue orbs glowing from the centers of them. Blinking in disbelief, she continued to stare as the light slowly faded and disappeared.
“Oh, my God…” Ru whispered, once the light was gone. How had she managed to create the same power in the palms of her hands as Cutter had made? She started to rub the sleep from her eyes as she stumbled from her bed but caught herself, not trusting her own hand to touch her face. She had no idea what this phenomenon was or what its ramifications might be.
Once she was on her feet, she rushed to the living room to turn the television off, afraid a neighbor might call the police, it was booming so loudly. She also had to turn off the blender, toaster, and coffee maker. She used oven mitts to keep from blowing them up. Walking from room to room, she switched off all of the lights and then entered her bathroom where she noticed her straightener was on. “I don’t need any more fire hazards,” she muttered, pulling the plug from the wall.
Everything off, she went back to her room. Piper was nowhere to be found, and she assumed the kitty had gotten frightened by all the sudden noise, or possibly the glowing orbs. With a sigh, Ru shut the lights off and dropped onto her mattress, exhausted. The clock read 3:32, which meant she’d been asleep for quite some time before the dream. But it had felt so real, it was as if she really was standing out there on the mountaintop, talking to Thanatos, when Cutter appeared out of nowhere. It really did seem like all three of them were having an actual conversation. “But that’s not possible,” she mumbled. Regardless of Cutter’s claims, Thanatos was a myth, not even a real person. And there was no way Cutter could situate himself into her dream, even if he could manage to make fire and lights appear in his bare hands.
The thought made her glance down at her own palms. It was dark, and she could see nothing but the outlines of her hands. There was certainly no spinning blue light now. Had she really created glowing orbs, or was it all her imagination?
Settling back in under the blanket, she tucked one hand under the pillow and nestled the other under her chin. Thanatos had made a convincing argument. He knew of her father and her mother, and he said he could help her find Seraphina. Was it possible that Larkin was really restrained in the bowels of Hell? Could Ruin find him, and if so, should she try to set him free? How could he possibly be an evil demon if her mother fell in love with him? Or had she been the product of something else, something sinister?
Ru had no answers, and even though the thought of calling Cutter even at that late hour and explaining what happened was tempting, she decided it could wait until later. There was no sense waking him in the middle of the night to tell him she’d had a strange dream and possibly gained the skill of orb creation. At that time of night, she was certain he was fast asleep, and she figured at least one of them should get to spend the night undisturbed. Something told her she’d be up for a few hours after all of this. She turned over and snuggled down into the blankets, praying sleep wouldn’t be too elusive; she was tired of asking herself questions she had no answer for.
Chapter 13
Cutter opened his eyes and blinked a few times as his spirit form completely reunited with his body. It was a skill that had taken a while for him to learn at the age of five, but now, over twenty years later, he definitely had it down. The room was dark and a glance at the clock said it was about 3:30 in the morning.
He was sitting on his bed in what one might call a lotus position, as he had been hours ago when he’d left his body to stay with Ru. He’d tried not to spy on her; the last thing he needed was for her to think he was invading her privacy, but he’d been certain for the last few weeks that Nat was stalking her. He’d showed up a time or two while Cutter was nearby but hadn’t attempted to manipulate her again. Until tonight.
Jumping into Ru’s vision was a last resort, but it had been necessary. Nat’s promises were compelling, and he could tell from the moment he began to fill Ru’s head with fanciful lies she was starting to believe him. Nat had that effect on everyone—women or men, young or old. They looked at that face, into those eyes, and they were struck with a sense of wonder. How could someone with the face of an angel be such a devil?
He was, though. There was no doubt in Cutter’s mind that Nat’s purposes of obtaining Ru were purely selfish, and his in
tentions were nothing but evil. Gaining Ru would not only put the Keepers at a disadvantage, it would allow Nat to find Seraphina, and finding her would mean Larkin could be released. It was a complicated situation, but it all hung on the balance of Ru’s decisions. And she had no idea just how powerful she was.
Cutter knew the events of the night were significant, and he contemplated waking the rest of the house to let them know what had transpired, but Rider was likely still out, having determined earlier it would be a good night to hunt down a Reaper. Ivy and Lyric were likely sleeping. Even though he was still jarred by the situation, Cutter didn’t see the point in waking them. He could tell them in a few hours when they were all up for breakfast.
Still, he felt the urge to talk to someone, so he quietly climbed off of the bed. Still wearing the clothes he’d worn to work that day, he headed down the hallway. Rider’s door creaked as he pushed it open. He was sitting on top of his bed, much the same way Cutter had been, and he could tell from here he wasn’t actually there. It would be silly to call him back just to tell him what had happened, particularly if he was in the middle of an interaction with a Reaper. It could wait until the morning. Cutter closed Rider’s door and headed back down the hall, hopeful he hadn’t woken either of the girls.
Back in his room, he fell onto the bed, going over the conversation on the mountaintop one more time. Nat had tried to convince Ru she was like him, and in a way she might be, if Cutter couldn’t convince her that she was fully a Keeper first. Was it possible the Reaper in Ru could take over and lead her down a path to destruction? He couldn’t let that happen. He had to make sure she understood her own destiny. He glanced at the clock, thinking perhaps he should call her. She had to be awake right now as she’d broken the vision by jarring them all awake. Which meant Nat couldn’t reach her in his spirit form, not until she fell back to sleep anyway. While it was possible she wasn’t out of danger, now that Nat knew Cutter was watching, he wouldn’t be so quick to slip into her subconscious. No, Nat would have to find another way to reach Ru. And Cutter had to make sure she knew how to keep him at bay, though he wasn’t quite sure how to do that. “How do you convince someone who doesn’t believe in demons that they’re being stalked by one?” he mumbled aloud. Right now, he didn’t have the answer, but he needed to find it, soon, or else, he might lose Ru altogether.