by ID Johnson
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cutter said, quietly. “Maybe that’s enough for now. But Ru… Nat still has his eyes on you. He’s not done, and he won’t be until he get what he wants. I know you’re hoping this will all go away, but I’m sad to say that it won’t. And not only have they been hunting you this whole time, they’re hunting her, too. Sera’s been in hiding for many years. Who knows how much longer she can stay hidden.”
“How have I stayed hidden for so long?” Ru asked, turning to meet his eyes.
The answer came from the doorway. “She cast a spell on you,” Ivy said, coming in slowly and taking a seat in one of the two chairs on Ru’s left. Lyric took the other and Rider sat on the smaller couch on Cutter’s right. “We thought all along that was the case, but we finally had confirmation from your grandmother. It was a cloaking spell.”
“How did… what did my grandma say?” Ru was so confused.
“Only that Sera had a lot of books on magic and how to cast spells in her room. Your grandmother hadn’t gone in there for years, afraid to touch anything, hoping her daughter would come back. We’d been insisting for a long time that she do so, in case there were clues. But she wouldn’t until we told her that we’d found you.”
“When… when did all of this take place?”
“I contacted her last week, and she called me a few days ago,” Ivy replied, her voice calm and serene, an attempt to pass those traits on to Ru, she was sure.
Ru’s eyes flickered to the others, as if she expected them to chime in. Lyric took the cue. “Did Cutter explain to you where we’re from?” Ru shook her head. “There’s an entire community made up of only Keepers and humans who are married to Keepers. All children are raised there, trained there, brought up in the ways of the Keepers there. Without exception. Until you.”
“Well, aren’t I lucky?” Ru forced a laugh.
“That’s where your grandma lives. Luckily, we can contact her by phone,” Lyric said.
“Although I don’t mind reaching out to people with my mind to get information.” Ivy smiled at her, a twinkle in her eye.
“Where is it?” Ru asked, wondering if she’d have to visit another realm to visit her grandma.
“Los Angeles,” Lyric began.
“Wyoming,” Rider finished.
“Los Angeles, Wyoming?” Ru repeated. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“That’s the idea,” Cutter replied.
Ru shook her head, information overload setting in. Clapping her hands down on her legs, Ru said, “Well, I think I’ve had about all I can handle for one night.”
“Did you tell her about Zu?” Rider asked, looking at Cutter.
“No, we didn’t get to that.”
“Who?” Ru asked, wondering if she’d be sorry she asked.
“A few nights ago, these lovely ladies captured one of Nat’s right hand Reapers. Fella by the name of Zu. We’re squeezing him for info right now. He might know more about Nat’s plan to get to you.” Cutter’s voice sounded hopeful, but his eyes revealed his uncertainty.
“I am sorry I asked,” Ru muttered. “Is he here?”
“No, he’s been banished,” Lyric assured her.
“Of course he has.”
“I know you’re overwhelmed, Ru. I guess you don’t want us to try and teach you how to use your powers right now?”
“I don’t think so. Not tonight.” While making the blue lights come back did seem appealing, she was quickly becoming exhausted, and she had plans the next day.
“Okay. Well, anytime you want one of us to show you, let us know,” Ivy said, a gentle smile on her face. “Even though I’m a Keeper of the Earth and Lyric’s a Keeper of the Wind, it all generates from the same place inside.”
Ru nodded, not exactly sure what all that meant.
“There’s just one more thing,” Cutter said as Ru started to stand. “Your back.”
“My back?” Ru asked. Suddenly, she remembered the scars.
“We need to see, please,” Ivy said. “Lyric and I will check them out, if that’s okay with you.”
It really wasn’t, but Ru knew she’d end up having to show them eventually, and if her scars really were the key to finding her mother, or the portals, then she needed to cooperate. “Okay,” she said, standing.
Both of the other women smiled at her sympathetically and also climbed to their feet. “There’s a bathroom down this hall,” Ivy said as she headed out of the room. Ru followed, Lyric behind them.
Everything in the bathroom appeared to be brand new, but Ru was too nervous to even check out the marble floor or perfectly tiled shower for more than a second. Once they were all in the rather small room, Lyric shut the door.
“Okay, if you’ll just pull up your shirt in the back, we should be able to see them,” Ivy said.
With a deep breath, Ru lifted the red blouse she was wearing, knowing her bra strap would likely be in the way.
“Do you mind if I scoot this up?” Lyric asked.
“No, go ahead.” Yes, she minded.
“Oh, wow,” Ivy said quietly, and Ru inhaled sharply. “Oh, no, honey. That wasn’t a bad wow. It was an ‘I’m stunned’ wow.”
“I’m not sure that makes it any better, Ivy,” Lyric said. “Ru, we’ve never seen asymmetrical scars before.”
“No, usually, they’re mirror images,” Ivy agreed.
“Yours are completely different from each other.”
“So what does that mean?” Ru asked, a bit frightened at this revelation.
“It means you’re amazing,” Ivy replied, patting her on the shoulder.
“Look, I know what you’re going to say, but Ru, I really need to take a picture of this so that I can see if we can decipher it. I do really think it says something,” Lyric explained. “But it’s intricate and complex. I could try to draw it, but I’m afraid I’d mess it up and get it all wrong.”
“You want me to let you take a picture of my bare back, the one I’ve been trying to hide for twenty-two years?” Ru could hardly believe her ears.
“I know. I’m sure it was hard growing up with these scars and not knowing what they were. Please, Ru? I promise no one will see it who doesn’t need to. I’ll replicate it and destroy the picture as quickly as I can. And you won’t be able to see anything but your back in the picture.”
With a loud sigh, Ru finally said, “Fine.” She knew they weren’t going to stop until she said yes, and at least Lyric had asked instead of just taking it.
“Thank you,” she said. Ru heard her take out her cell phone. “Got it. This is quite helpful, Ru.”
Dropping her shirt, Ru straightened up as Lyric showed her the picture. She’d never actually seen the full view before with no obstructions or twisting. They looked different than she had imagined; they were hardly noticeable.
“I’m gonna go get on this right now,” Lyric said rubbing Ru’s arm for a moment before taking off out of the bathroom.
Ivy draped her arm around Ru’s shoulders as they went back to the other room. Lyric headed up the stairs, her footsteps echoing above them.
Cutter was standing in the doorway when they reached the parlor, Rider still seated on the sofa. “We good?” Cutter asked, looking from Ivy’s face to Ru’s and then back again.
“Yep. Lyric took a pic and she’s going to start trying to decipher. It does look like a message.”
Cutter nodded at his friend, and Ru wondered if he would also be seeing that picture. Likely, he would be. “Well, Ru if you’re ready, it looks like I’ll be driving you back home.”
Ru tried not to stare at him. Obviously, Lyric was too busy to take her home, and she didn’t really know the other two despite the intimate exchange with Ivy a moment ago. “Okay,” she said, quietly.
She realized she’d set her purse down on the couch in the other room and went to get it. When she’d retrieved it, Cutter was standing by the door, the envelope in his hand. “Thought you might want to hold on to this.”
“Thank you,” Ru said quietly. He smiled and gave her a slight nod.
“Bye, Ru,” Ivy said, stepping over and giving her another tight hug. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“Thanks again for dinner, Ivy. It was delicious,” Ru replied, not yet sure how to respond to her request.
“Take care, kid,” Rider said once Ivy had released her. He, too, gave her a hug, and Ru felt as if she now knew what it was like to tangle with a grizzly.
“See you,” Ru replied. Smiling up at him once he let her go.
Cutter opened the door, and they stepped out into the night. The air was chilly but not yet cold. Still, Ru was happy when they were inside Cutter’s truck and the heat was on.
Most of the way back to her house, they were silent. Ru had no idea what to say to him, and he seemed to be giving her some space. Once they reached town, Cutter said, “I hope we didn’t overwhelm you.”
Ru guffawed. “How could you avoid it? There’s so much to think about.”
“I know. And I wish we had more time to feed it to you slowly. But the Reapers are even more agitated now that we’ve taken Zu. We’ll likely all go out tonight to try and see if we can capture any more of them.”
“How many do you think there are in the area?” Ru asked, assuming they needed to be close by in order for the Keepers to track them.
“We’re not sure, but usually Nat has at least a couple dozen with him. Sometimes more.”
Ru was surprised. “Why aren’t there more dead then?”
Even in the dim light, she could see him shrug. “He’s had them searching for you. Now, that he’s found you, he can send them back out to collect more souls. They can reach people all over the world from here if they want to. It just takes more time.”
She wasn’t quite sure that answer made sense to her. Perhaps it was because of what Nat hold told her himself. Maybe he really was just looking for souls he could collect who were about to take the lives of others. There was no way for her to know. Her head was spinning, and she wasn’t sure who to believe. Was it possible they were both telling the truth, and they just couldn’t see each other’s sides? Is that what her mother was trying to do—get one side to see the other? Isn’t that what Nat had told her?
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Once again, Ru found herself forcing a smile. She wasn’t sure how she could ever be okay again.
Cutter pulled up in front of her house and turned off his truck. Ru couldn’t help but compare it to the night before. Kyle’s kisses came to mind, and she absently bit her lip. The circumstances were so completely different this night.
He did run around and open her door, which she thought was nice. It reminded her of the night they had gone out for Mexican food, not that long ago, a million years ago. Cutter didn’t exactly end up being the person she thought he would be when they’d left for that date, and she knew she was keeping him at arm’s length precisely because he had caught her off guard.
Cutter walked her to her door. “Thanks for coming, Ru,” he said quietly. “If you have any questions, give me a call.”
“I will,” Ru nodded. “Thanks for inviting me over.” It seemed like the appropriate thing to say, even if she had to force it out of her mouth.
Nodding, Cutter said, “Be careful tomorrow, Ru. Those woods can be dangerous.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Too bad I can’t use my powers of light then.” She wanted it to sound like a joke, but it didn’t exactly come out that way.
“I bet you can if you have to,” Cutter replied, an unexpected answer. “I hope you have a good time.”
His tone sounded painful, and Ru once again found herself puzzling over Cutter’s response to her seeing Kyle. “Thanks,” she said. “Good night, Cutter.”
“Good night, Ru.” He turned to go, and she pulled her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door, thankful to be home but just as unsettled, if not more so, than she’d been when she’d left. The envelope was still in her hand, and she considered looking at the picture of her mother again, but she was too tired. She locked the door and set the envelope on the coffee table, deciding she’d worry about it tomorrow. For now, all she wanted to do was go to bed, and hopefully, if she was lucky, dream about Kyle. Then, maybe she could finally have a little bit of peace.
Chapter 20
Lyric was sitting on the front porch swing when Cutter arrived back at the house. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and he almost hated to interrupt whatever she was concentrating on. But as he approached the steps, she asked, “How did that go?”
With a sigh, Cutter sauntered over and dropped down next to her before answering. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Clearly, there’s still a wall between us. I have no idea what to do about it. And this new guy—Kyle….” Cutter couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Yeah, about that,” Lyric began, looking at him sideways. “I’m not sure I trust this guy.”
Cutter raised an eyebrow and narrowed in on her eyes, trying to read where she was coming from. “What do you mean?” Despite what Lyric had already mentioned to him, he had thought he was the only one who was suspicious of Kyle and that it had come from a place of jealousy.
Shrugging, Lyric replied. “It just seems a little… convenient to me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Ru’s gorgeous, but like I said the other night, she doesn’t seem to date much. There aren’t a lot of pics of her on social media with guys. None in fact. And her status says she’s single. There’s no mention of her having dated anyone at all. So… why now? Why, all of a sudden, with everything going on, does some guy drop into Reaper’s Hollow of all places and have an interest in her?”
Cutter wasn’t sure how to respond. Ever since Lyric had mentioned it the other night, he’d been thinking about it, but hadn’t come up with an explanation. He’d assumed Ru had met someone now because he always had awful luck with women, so naturally, the first one he’d been interested in for as long as he could remember would immediately find the love of her life the second he let her know how he felt. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “What are you getting at?”
She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. But when something doesn’t seem right, it usually isn’t. I know you said to stay out of her dreams, and I will, but I want to do some reconnaissance. Ru mentioned that Kyle is taking her for a hike tomorrow in the woods. I wanna keep an eye on her. I don’t trust him, and I haven’t even met him. At least… I don’t think I have.”
Cutter was growing more and more alarmed at each of her statements. “So you want to sit outside of her house on your bike and then follow her on her date to the woods. And you don’t think she’ll notice any of this?”
Lyric gave him a sly smile. “No! I wouldn’t take my bike. I don’t think she’s seen Ivy’s car much. I could borrow that. And as far as being in the woods with them is concerned, I have my methods of seeing what’s going on in there without entering.”
He assumed she meant she’d slip into the forest in her spirit form, which is precisely what he’d asked her not to do—spying on Ru without her knowing she was there. But then, sitting outside of her house with a pair of binoculars was just as invasive. “And what exactly is it that you think this Kyle fellow has up his sleeve anyway?”
“I don’t know,” Lyric admitted. “But I think we need to find out. Ru’s too valuable for us to lose her now, whether it’s to Nat or to her definition of normalcy.”
Cutter couldn’t argue with that. “Well, do what you need to do. Just be careful. If she finds out, she’ll be pissed at all of us.”
Lyric’s grin split her face. “She’ll never even know I’m there.”
The day had dragged by, and even though Ru had gotten a lot of work done for school, she was constantly looking at the clock. Finally, at 3:00, she allowed herself to go get ready for her date. Kyle was supposed to be there in an hour, and she wanted to look as good as she possibly could, considering they were going on a date that involved hik
ing through the woods.
At first, she’d thought it was a little odd that he wanted to leave so late in the afternoon since it would be dark in a few hours, but he said he had to help Jess with some stuff in her classroom and that would take most of the day. So, even though she wasn’t really one for strolling through the forest in the dark, she hoped that would mean they wouldn’t be walking long, and then maybe they could go do something more fun. Ru had a few ideas….
She showered and dressed in an older pair of jeans that still looked good. She put on a long-sleeved T-shirt and a sweater that would fit under her coat. Once her hair and makeup looked reasonable, she slipped on some thick socks and the pair of hiking boots she’d found in the back of her closet earlier that morning. It was supposed to be in the lower fifties, so she thought she’d be warm enough, and if she got too hot, she could always take off a layer, though the thought of lugging around her sweater while walking through the woods was unappealing.
Kyle was exactly on time to pick her up, and she hardly got the door open before his lips were on hers. It was a surprise, a pleasant one, and the more he kissed her, the more Ru thought maybe they should just stay at her place. This wasn’t a first date, after all.
“Sorry,” Kyle said, smiling at her sheepishly as he took a step backward onto the porch. “I’ve just been thinking about you all day.”
“That’s okay.” Ru knew she was smiling like a school girl, but she didn’t care. She was completely smitten with this guy. “I’ve been thinking about you, too.”
“Are you ready to go?”
Though part of her wanted to invite him inside instead, a moment of clarity struck, and she decided to stick with the plan. “Yeah. Just let me get my coat. Wait here?” she asked, playfully.
Kyle nodded, still smiling at her broadly, and Ru reached behind the door and grabbed a coat warmer than her everyday jacket. She made sure her phone was in her pocket and then picked up her keys. Once the door was locked, she took his hand and he led her to the passenger side of his car, kissing her one more time before she got in.