The Deathtaker's Daughter

by S. L. Baum

  “Sorry, Daddy.”

  Sam stood up from the stool. “Should I go? Just give me something to wrap this up and I’ll be out of here.”

  “No. You’re good. Eat your breakfast,” Jim told him before he turned to give Opal a huge hug. “Are you sure it’s fine, baby girl?”

  “It is. We knew you’d worry, that’s the only reason we waited until my doctor said that everything is good and this little one is on the right track. It should be a normal pregnancy all the way through.”

  “Should be,” Jim repeated her words before he looked at Sam. “See, I told you. The worry will never stop.”

  “It’ll be fine, Daddy,” Opal tried to reassure her father.

  Jim gave his daughter a smile. “Okay,” he whispered as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Then he released her from his embrace and walked back into the kitchen.

  Opal turned to Sam and gave him a huge scowl. “Thanks for that, Samuel,” she whispered.

  “Sorry,” Sam mouthed.

  “You heard from Krista?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Not since last night. She’s with Chai, so you know how much I’m loving that.”

  There were very few people in Cedar Creek that knew about Krista and her mother. In fact, you’d just run out of fingers as you counted them all. Opal, Pete, Jim, Adeline, Sheriff Tucker, and his wife Patricia, along with Abe, Doc, and Sam made nine. Krista pushed the number to exactly ten. It hadn’t been too difficult to keep the secret, as Krista had always travelled out of town whenever she took a death and extended a life. Marlene Richardson had been the one and only time she’d used her power in Cedar Creek, but Marlene and Ben had moved out of town that very night so there was no chance of anyone finding out from them.

  “Chai is a hard woman to like, let alone love,” Opal agreed with him. “But the fact that she’s come back here every year since Eva was born must mean something.”

  Sam slowly shook his head. “You do realize Krista gives her money, every single year.”

  “No! Still?”

  “Two thousand bucks. Chai stopped asking for it three or four years ago, but Krista keeps doing it. She’s scared Chai will come over to the house and get close enough for me to die. The woman never refuses the money. Krista calls it part of our life insurance payments and makes me stay at home for all of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She won’t let me leave the property.”

  Opal raised her eyebrows. “I would do the same thing. If I knew there was a chance that something like that could happen to Pete, I’d probably keep him locked up.”

  Sam laughed. “Oh, you would, would you?”

  “Yeah. But with a really long chain on his ankle so he could move all around the house. I’m nice that way,” Opal said with a wink.

  “Oh, yeah. You’re a gem.”

  Krista was back in Cedar Creek three days later. She’d left a message on Sam’s phone, while in the airport in Mississippi, telling him that she’d caught a flight back to Greenville. She sent him a text when she got into her truck in Greenville, and then she drove straight home. Sam was hoping to meet her in the driveway, but he underestimated his wife’s tendency to push the boundaries of the posted speed limits.

  He found her upstairs, asleep on their bed.

  “Krista, how long have you been home?” he whispered, pushing back the hair from her forehead. “You must have been driving like a demon.”

  Krista blinked her eyes open for a moment and noticed a perfect mixture of love and concern on her husband’s face. “What time is it?” she asked as she pulled him down to lie on the bed with her.

  “It’s two fifteen,” he told her and kissed her forehead as he settled in beside her.

  “I’ve only been home for about ten minutes,” she answered his question. “I’m exhausted,” she told him through a yawn.

  “You should’ve had me pick you up,” he chided.

  “My truck was at the airport, no sense in leaving it there. I swear I wasn’t this tired when I got in it. I’d slept most of the flight over, so I thought I’d be fine. It didn’t start hitting me until just over halfway through the drive. Oh man, that forced connection took a lot out of me. I don’t know how Chai does it all the time. I feel like someone clocked me in the head with a baseball bat and then got a few extra hits in around the rest of my body. It’s no wonder she’s started to look like she has the last couple of years. I couldn’t do this very often, and she’s doing it around three times a year. It’s crazy. I have come to the decision that I need to use my power much more often than I have been, but hopefully I can always make good natural connections. I’d like to try for once a year, if possible. This trip made me realize that I need to get out there and do it the right way. I’ve been selfish with this power, and I’m going to spread it around.”

  “I’m just glad you are home now. Sleep. Sleep as long as you need to,” Sam told her and kissed her on the nose.

  “Easy for you to say,” Krista yawned with a small laugh. “Our daughter will be out of school soon.”

  Sam took his phone from his back pocket. “I can delay her a little while. I’ll text Tianna to get Eva when she picks up her brother and sister; she’ll take them all back to their house. That will give us a couple of hours to recharge. And then I can have Abe pick her up from there and bring her home.”

  “Thank you, sweet man. Will you lie with me, so I can feel your warmth?”

  “My warmth, my heart, my all. It’s yours.”

  Krista pressed her lips against his and then turned so she could cradle her body in the curve of her husband’s, while Sam draped a protective arm across her. He was relieved to have her back with him and Eva. He’d be happier once she regained her strength. After a few minutes, when her breaths became steady and he could feel her body completely relax into him, Sam closed his eyes. He’d missed quite a lot of sleep during her short time away.

  Jim was right, it was an impossibility to cease worrying about the ones you loved.

  Recording No.8

  Hi! It’s Eva Webber Vita again. Uncle Abe keeps bugging me about making these tapes, especially since Momma came back from her trip. He says it’s a good way to get stuff off my chest, whatever that means.

  So… What’s happened since my last one? Oh! Chai didn’t come to visit on Christmas Eve like she always does. Momma said that since she saw her when she was gone, which was right before Christmas, that she’d had enough Chai for the year. I thought I might miss her or something, but I didn’t. Is that weird? Was I supposed to? I don’t know.

  Pete and Opal’s White Christmas party was super fun, as usual. It’s kind of strange to see everybody wearing mostly white clothes. Uncle Abe says that everybody looks snazzy.

  Momma had her birthday, but we didn’t have a party. Opal, Pete, Lavinia, and Jim came over and we all had dinner together. Daddy and I made the cake. I put the candles on it, all in the shape of a heart… because I love her, duh! Oh, and, Opal is going to have another baby! I hope it is as cute as Lavinia.

  What else?

  It snowed a lot this winter.

  Um. Ah. I got an A on every math test so far this year and Trixie did too. Trey told us that we do baby math and that’s why we get As. He’s just jealous. I saw his paper and it had a B minus on it. His math doesn’t look that hard. I bet I could do it.

  Last week, Daddy and I were talking, and I said I didn’t like it when Momma was gone. He told me that she’ll probably go out of town for work more often, from now on. She might even be gone for a month at a time, or longer, but she’ll always be back. I think a month is a long time, I really don’t want her to be gone that long, but Daddy told me that Momma helps people and saves lives, and that I should be proud of her work.

  I think saving someone’s life is pretty important.

  I guess I’ll get used to her being gone. Uncle Abe said he will make sure that I always get to do something extra special with him while she is away. Guess that means extra milkshakes for me! I love mi
lkshakes.

  Well, that’s all for now. I guess.

  Chapter Three

  “Daddy’s birthday is next week, and so is spring break!” Eva shouted out as she ran down the stairs.

  “And do you know what that means?” Abe smiled at his great-grand niece.

  “Camping, camping, camping! In the woods, in a tent, with campfires, and fishing, and s’mores!” She jumped up and down. “I’m so excited.”

  Abe shook his head. “Exciting for you. Not for these old bones. I will not be sleeping in a bag on the ground, or on a blow-up mattress, and freezing my tuchus in a tent. You and your parents can have fun out by our favorite fishing hole, but I’ll stay inside my home, where it is warm at night and I can sleep comfortably.” He picked up his cup of coffee from where it rested at the kitchen table and took a sip.

  “Grumpy Grumple,” Eva muttered as she got her shoes from the basket and sat down next to him.

  “What was that?”

  “Oh, nothing. Nothing at all,” Eva said with a smile.

  “I might sneak back and take a camping break with you,” Krista told Abe as she came down the stairs.

  “No breaks!” Eva frowned at her mother. “Daddy and I planned this, special,” she said as nudged a foot toward Abe; the bow on her left foot had come lose as soon as she’d tied it.

  “Then you and Daddy can be die-hard campers that rough it out for the three nights we’ll be out there. I’m just saying that I might have to come back here, let’s say, if we run out of marshmallows or something, and then I’ll sit down with your Grumple for a little while to keep him company.”

  Eva wagged her finger at Krista. “Only for a little while.” She nudged Abe with her foot again; he was ignoring her silent request.

  “I’ll send her back to you,” Abe said. “I promise.” He crossed his heart for emphasis. “But only after a warm drink and a card game or two,” he whispered to Krista as he tied Eva’s shoe.

  “That’s what I’m talking about, Abe,” Krista said with a wink. She smiled at the silent exchange between Eva and Abe. They all knew that Abe would always tie the girl’s shoes when she asked, with or without words.

  Eva slit her eyes and gave her mother a disappointed look. “Mommm-ma.” She didn’t want her mother coming back to the house at all, let alone to play cards with Abe. That might keep her away from the campsite for too long.

  Krista smiled widely. “I didn’t say anything. Time to go to school.” She pointed at Eva’s backpack as she opened the door.

  Eva grabbed her pack and stomped her foot before walking through the open door. “You did too say something.”

  Krista shook her head. “Nope. I don’t think so,” she said as she followed her daughter out.

  “Mooooommmm!”

  “Eeevvvvviieeee!”

  Abe shook his head and couldn’t help but smile as the two girls left the house. Even after the door closed behind them, he could still hear the back and forth bickering until they got in Krista’s truck. He laughed softly to himself.

  While Krista was driving, Eva pulled a small tin from her backpack. “I have six baby birdies now,” she stated with pride as she opened the tin. “I like the baby ones the best.”

  Eva had been saving her favorite paper swans from her daddy. Sam still made them for both of his girls. They’d find them on a dresser, waiting near the sink, sitting on a spoon, or resting on a pillow. They were little tokens of his love that he randomly left around the house for them to find. But sometimes, he simply placed one in their hands. They both smiled with glee whenever they discovered a paper swan.

  “I save my favorites too,” Krista told her daughter. “And I still have the very first one Daddy gave me. They are special.”

  “I know. You have sooooooo many. Daddy said he’ll teach me to fold one while we are camping. I’m bringing colored paper.”

  “That’ll be fun!”

  Friday was probably the hardest day to keep a classroom of elementary school children engaged; they knew two days of play were just a few hours away. Marjorie Montgomery, the newest teacher in town, was having an extra hard Friday because spring break was just a few hours away. She’d had to spend twice as much time keeping almost every child in her classroom on the task at hand. They were all excited about their plans during the week off from school; they weren’t interested in sentence structure and math facts.

  Marjorie had grown up in Atlantic City with an alcoholic gambler for a mother and no father in sight. She’d always known she wanted a better life for herself. When she was younger, she’d spent most weekends with her grandparents. They told her that if she wanted a better life, all she had to do was reach out for it. When they died, a week apart from each other, during her sophomore year, she was devastated, and she realized she’d have to do it all on her own. So she worked even harder, got good grades, and when the time came, she applied to a dozen colleges that were far away from everything familiar.

  When she turned eighteen, she was overjoyed to find out that her grandparents had left her a decent college fund. Even though she had applied for several scholarships, she would still have a hefty sum of out of pocket expenses. The fund was a huge relief. When Marjorie’s mother learned about the college fund, she immediately tried to guilt her daughter into giving up a large portion of it.

  “I raised you. I supported you. I clothed and fed you all your life. You owe me. I should get half that money.” The woman’s greedy demands had instantly destroyed the last weak threads of their crumbling relationship.

  “I don’t owe you,” Marjorie had declared, through gritted teeth in the calmest voice she’d been able to muster. “You had a kid, Mom. It was your responsibility to take care of me, and you barely did that. I practically raised myself. Any reasonable parent would be elated to know that their child wouldn’t have to struggle her way through college. I’m not giving you a dime of that money. Grammy and Pa told me exactly what you did with their savings when you were my age. The same mistake won’t be made twice. I won’t let you steal my future!”

  Marjorie left home the day after she graduated and stayed with a friend for the entire summer until it was time to leave for college. She boarded a plane with a suitcase and a backpack. It was all she had to take with her, and everything her mother hadn’t deemed worthy to sell off for a few bucks. She bravely headed out to the unknown.

  After the craziness of Atlantic City, the small town college she’d picked was the slow pace that her life needed. She loved it so much that after she graduated she chose to teach in an even smaller town. Being a twenty-two year old, first-year teacher with no friends and no family in Cedar Creek had been a rough start, but it hadn’t taken long to find her place to fit in. The sense of community she had found helped memories of the past sting a little less with each passing day.

  Marjorie’s students fulfilled her in a way that she couldn’t describe. She loved teaching them new things. And when their eyes lit up, when they were able to have fun while learning… well, it was a great feeling. Those days were Marjorie’s favorites. The Friday before spring break was not one of those days. The boys and girls in her class couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything, and there were a few that would just not stop talking. She was almost out of patience.

  “I need you to quiet down, class.” She scanned the room to make sure everyone was taking out a sheet of paper, as she had instructed just moments prior. “We have to get through this spelling test. Please put your name and the date at the top of your paper.” Marjorie noticed Eva Vita waving her hand wildly. She shook her head at the girl and pointed to the paper on her desk.

  Eva looked at her paper, her name had already been neatly written at the top. “What are you doing over break, Miss Montgomery?” She blurted out the question.

  “Eva, I did not call on you.”

  “I know you didn’t. I was just wondering.”

  Marjorie sighed. “Eva, I’m not going to answer that, right now, because I am trying to give
a test. Please write your name.”

  “Oh, I did that already. I always write my name first,” Eva told her. “We are going camping; my mom, my dad, and me. It’s going to be so fun!”

  “Eva, there will be no more talking.”

  “Sorry, but I’m just so excited.”

  “Eva,” Marjorie said in a warning tone.

  Eva clamped her lips together and nodded in understanding.

  “Number your papers one through twenty and use two columns; one through ten and eleven through twenty.” It was the same instructions she gave every week, although some weeks it was one through fifteen and sixteen through thirty. They were entirely used to the routine at that point in the school year.

  Eva tried to stay silent as she numbered her paper, but she was bubbling with excitement. “We are going to have a campfire, and sleep in a tent, and fish in our favorite spot.” Eva said aloud as she moved her hand up to start on the second column. “Then we’ll go on adventure hikes around the creek. I find all kinds of stuff out there.”

  “We are going to California, to the beach,” Trixie blurted out, no longer able to keep quiet. She looked up at her teacher with guilt in her eyes. “Sorry, Miss Montgomery.”

  “Thank you,” Marjorie told the girl, grateful for her apology. “Is everybody ready?” she asked the class.

  “I’ve never been to California,” Eva quietly told her friend. “Maybe next summer I’ll tell my mom that I want to go,” she added in a whisper.

  “Shhh,” Trixie whispered back.

  “You should bring me back a seashell, maybe figure out a way to catch the smell of the ocean, but don’t get eaten by a shark!”

  “A shark?” Trixie gasped.

  Billy Westin started giggling, so did Kyle Patterson and Brenda Page.

  Tommy Espinoza put his pencil to his paper. “I can draw a shark,” he informed the class. “I can draw just about anything.”

  “Can you draw a campfire, with tall flames?” Eva asked. “I’ll be roasting marshmallows by the campfire. I love them so much; I could eat a hundred of them. I love them when they get almost burnt and all ooey-gooey.”