Lumiere the Reaper's Daughter

by kelly Hambly

  ‘So Dad took his son as bait?’

  ‘Yes, but your uncle wants to teach him a lesson. You know those two never got on, even as children.’

  ‘Now I see.’

  ‘Yes. So, your father does not blame you. Now eat some food. We have the Halloween celebrations later.’

  Halloween. How could I bloody forget again? And I promised Daniel I’d meet him at the university.

  After lunch, I felt exhausted and wanted to be left alone for a while, so I headed to the library. The library is my favourite place in our entire house.

  I remembered I had told Daniel that I had a thing for Gothic literature, which I do and I guess I wanted to impress him with a first edition copy of something or another.

  The library housed every book that had ever been written on the Earth plane. It was cylinder in shape and vast with more books being added each day. Often times we would get advance copies of novels before they had ever been written. Those were the fun ones. I sat with the first edition of Dracula when I heard my sister singing, interrupting me.

  ‘What are you reading?’ She asked.

  I looked up at her. She was wearing her long white nightie.

  ‘Dracula. And what are you doing in here? You don’t like books.’

  ‘I know what you’re planning to do.’ She said, studying the cover of the book as though it would give her some clues.

  ‘Okay, little snitch, what do you know?’

  ‘You want to go to Earth tonight to meet that boy.’

  ‘Okay, what are you after, Lucinda?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Seriously? You won’t tell?’

  ‘Nope. Not if you take me with you.’

  I threw the book down on the table. ‘You little brat. I can’t do that; Mum would go crazy if she knew.’

  She crossed her arms defiantly.

  ‘Well, I may just tell her then.’

  ‘Lucinda. I can’t take you to Earth unless… you dress up as something for Halloween.’ Ooh why did I have to go and say that?

  ‘Thanks, Lumi. I’ll behave I promise.’ She ran out the door excitedly.

  Crap. I am such an idiot at times.

  I stuffed the Dracula book under my arm and left to go to my room to get ready.

  The plan was to sneak out during the celebrations. My family invited everyone from Hell, so you can imagine the amount of people that would be here, not to mention, demons and whatnot.

  Halloween is the most celebrated day here, so there were lots of people doing various jobs around the house. I wouldn’t say it needed much in the way of decorations as we had them up all year long. But my father had some very special pieces that would only see the light of day once a year, well you get my drift. We’re in Hell, it is forever dark here. I strolled through the living room, which is just another ballroom just in time to see Strax set up the replica of the original Addams family set.

  ‘Hey.’ He waved as I passed.

  ‘Hey.’ I said back, not in the mood to stop to chat or help.

  ‘It’s been a busy night, hasn’t it?’ He sniggered.

  He obviously knew about the little muck-up with the soul. I wasn’t going to give him the pleasure to gloat, so I ignored, and headed for the door to the staircase.

  ‘Lumi. Just the girl I wanted to see.’

  Oh, hi Dad,’ I turned on my heel to face him.

  He stood wearing an Alice Cooper T. shirt and black jeans that were ripped at the knee. He was forever in his heavy metal phase. I remembered the time he went to Donnington, you know, the music festival, and he got to hang out with all these rock stars. During another of his drunken binges he almost ended up summoning everyone back to Hell. Imagine that. Although, I think Ozzy would’ve been floored.

  ‘What is it, Dad?’

  ‘I heard it was a rough night?’

  ‘Yeah, it wasn’t the best.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Lumi. I didn’t know this would happen.’

  ‘No, of course not. Well, look, never mind. I’m home now so no big deal, eh?’

  ‘Come and sit with me for a bit.’

  He gestured to the room next to the ballroom. It was his collectibles room. Dad was a big fan of Earth films and TV shows. Normally we would never be allowed in here. It was strictly off limits . He said there’s at least a few thousands of pounds’ in Earth money worth of stuff in here and if we’d break anything he would send us to the Chamber. So we never went in.

  I sat down on his precious Star Trek chair, careful to keep my hands away from anything breakable.

  ‘What’s bothering you, Dad?’

  He swept his hair back and then folded his arms.

  ‘You obviously know about my debts? And trust me, Lumi, I am getting help for my gambling. It’s just that I went off the rails a bit and ended up getting into serious trouble.’

  ‘I know. Those men are planning to expose you.’

  ‘Yes, yes they are. And your uncle isn’t helping.’ He seethed.

  He relaxed a bit now and clasped his hands together, leaning in close as though he was about to reveal something.

  ‘I’m going to expose myself to the world.’

  ‘Oh, Dad.’ I said, disgusted, recoiling back against the chair.

  ‘No, Lumi, I didn’t mean it that way. I meant; I want to tell the world I really exist.’

  ‘Do you think it’s a good idea, Dad?’

  ‘Why not?’ He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

  ‘Well, the world is pretty messed up. I don’t think it could handle you on top of everything else.’

  ‘You think?’

  ‘I know, Dad. Don’t you watch Earth television shows? The people are already crazy.’ I lied. ‘There are wars, people arguing over religion.’ I went on and on but he still seemed pretty adamant that it was a good idea.

  ‘I do see your point, but I figured if I did it myself, it would be less dramatic than someone waltzing into a room and saying, ‘Hell exists. Come and get your tickets for the theme park.’ I tell you, Lumi that’s what will happen next.’ He said, wagging a finger.

  ‘Ooh, give over, Dad.’ Dad was a worrier despite his hard appearance.

  ‘Well, I’d better think of something before I lose everything I have.’

  ‘Dad, you’re fretting over nothing.’ I patted his arm. ‘Look, I have to go and get ready for this party.’

  He nodded. ‘Okay. I am sorry, Lumi.’

  Chapter Six

  If Dad were to expose himself to the world, I cannot imagine what would happen. There is a possibility that they would think he was a lunatic, but there’s something you ought to know about dad. He had supernatural powers that would blow your mind. Apart from telepathy, which was a natural trait of his, he could harness the power of any demon that would come within a metre of him. So, yes, dad was invincible. Unfortunately, he didn’t possess the qualities to stop this gambling business.

  So, today is Halloween. I left dad to go and get changed. Every year, Mum would buy me a new dress, black being the obvious colour, but the cut and style would be different. I haven’t seen the dress yet. She kept it a secret.

  I passed the kitchen on the way to my room. Hell is hot enough, so imagine the kitchens - they’re worse. If it wasn’t for the strict rules and regulations which dad adhered to, despite his rebellious nature I truly believe, the chefs would be quite happy to roam about in their underpants.

  ‘Hi Louis.’ I poked my head around the door.

  ‘Hello, Madame Lumiere.’

  Louis was our French waiter. He was tall, short sleeked black hair, and had an orange tan. He wasn’t human though, he was a demon. You only had to look at the top of his head to see two red horns.

  ‘What’s cooking?’

  ‘It’s your favourite, pumpkin soup.’ He gestured to the hot pans on the stove.

  ‘You’re awesome, Louey. I’ll have some later.’

  ‘Of course. See you later, Madame.’

  It was high time I go
t ready. It wasn’t until I saw Lucinda in the playroom that I remembered my promise.

  ‘I’ve got my costume, Lumi. I promise it will be discreet.’

  ‘Okay, squirt. You’d better not blow this for me or I’ll make sure you’ll pay me back for centuries to come. You wouldn’t want that now, would you?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘No. So what’s this boy like then?’

  ‘Why are you so interested in this boy, huh? You were mysterious when I set off to collect his soul.’

  She shrugged. I knew by her devious little smile something was up, but I didn’t have time to get it out of her.

  ‘Just promise you’ll behave.’

  ‘Pinky promise.’

  Yeah, right. She was going to cause me bother, but I had dad to think of too. What if he was going to expose his identity to the world? My life was never easy.

  I strolled into my room. My mum had already laid my dress out on my bed. It was a sleek, strapless, black dress that I fancied a while ago after seeing it in a magazine. So, it was now time for a shower.

  Nothing like a shower to freshen up. So where was I? Oh yes, I’m about to attend our Halloween party, but only for a while. I plan to go back to Earth. It’s such a fascinating place. All I’ve learned from humans so far has been from the television or books. It’s not the same if you ask me. Which is why I wanted to meet Daniel.

  ‘Are you coming, Lumi?’ Mum yelled.

  ‘I’ll meet you down there.’ I yelled back.

  You’re probably wondering if we ever sleep? Truth is, we don’t need it much. I usually use it as an excuse to get away from the family, or if I need time by myself. I’m pretty sure mortals do that too, but I doubt they would admit it.

  I refreshed my make-up and made my way to the party. I figured if I showed my face for a while they wouldn’t end up missing me much when I left. I only reached the top of the staircase when I heard dad singing on the karaoke. Or should that have been screaming?

  As I made my way down the stairs a centaur passed me. He smiled and then went about his business. The house was heaving with people. The only good thing about Halloween in Hell is that nobody has to buy a costume, they just came as themselves. Then, I spied The Three Sisters as they are known, huddled by a cauldron, sipping from tall flute glasses. They had long black hair and wore black dresses and capes.

  The Three Sisters, who are witches if you hadn’t already guessed, called out to me. They give me the shivers if I’m honest. They have the power to see into the future, something I had never been keen on after they called dad up one day to tell him the winning lottery numbers on the Earth plane. He ended up winning four million pounds, but Mum went crazy with him and told him to give the ticket away to somebody who needed it. For weeks later he went around sulking like a kid. Believe me, that is Hell.

  ‘Lumiere,’ Sasha, one of the witches cooed. ‘We’re sorry we missed your Initiation ceremony. We were away at Glastonbury that weekend spell casting.’

  Like I cared

  ‘Oh, you didn’t miss much. Hope you enjoy the party.’

  I was about to merge with the rest of the crowd and disappear but she grabbed my arm, pulling me close.

  ‘Be very careful, Lumi about your choices. Everything has a cause an effect, and immortals are no exception to the rule.’

  ‘Um, thank you. I’ll remember that.’ I said, edging away slightly. ‘I’ve got to see Mum about something.’

  I felt nervous. Whatever could they mean? Surely they didn’t know about my plan?

  I grabbed a glass of punch from a table as I made my way to the stage. Yes, we had a real stage. Dad was rocking with dead members of rock bands from the Earth plane. I’m pretty certain the guy in all leather was Elvis Presley.

  I waved to dad who waved back rather enthusiastically. The music quietened down and dad took the microphone from Elvis. Oh please, no more singing.

  ‘This next song is for my kids.’ He said.

  Everyone turned to look at me and my face went hot with embarrassment. I looked around for Lucinda, but she was nowhere to be seen. Did Dad know something I didn’t?

  The intro to Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing came on, and I felt an arm snake around my waist.

  ‘Lovely to see you again.’ The voice said.

  I glanced up and smiled.

  ‘Uncle Patrick? What are you doing here?’

  Uncle Patrick was a lot like dad when it came to looks. He had short blood-red hair, a pale complexion with sharp green eyes and chiselled cheekbones.

  ‘I just thought I’d stop by and see how my family are doing. Why? What’s wrong?’ He asked, sensing something was wrong.

  ‘Oh, nothing.’ I shrugged. ‘It’s just dad’s in a bit of bother with Uncle David.’

  He rolled his eyes. ‘Let me guess. It’s over money?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘ Did you know Uncle David loaned him money?’

  ‘No, Lumi, but I did wonder why he wouldn’t come here tonight. I’ll try to sort it, don’t worry.’ He smiled, flashing his pointed fangs.

  Uncle Patrick had all the women lusting over him. It’s probably why he wasn’t given the job to take souls to eternal damnation because they’d all want to go with him. Hell is brimming over as it is and if this place got taken over by someone else, let me tell you, it would end in disaster.

  ‘I’ll speak to you later, Lumi.’ He winked.

  Time was getting on, and I promised to meet Daniel at nine o’clock Earth time. I checked my watch. It was eight thirty now, and I had to wade through a crowd of Uncle Fester lookalikes.

  ‘Excuse me,’ I said to one. ‘Oh, please excuse me.’ I said to the other.

  I made it into the corridor wondering where the hell Lucinda had got to. She could be a horrible little brat at times but this was my only chance of escape. If I didn’t leave now, while it was quiet, I’d never make it. Discreetly, I opened the door to the Shute, and closed it quietly behind me.

  I didn’t bother switching on Dad’s artificial lights. The lick of the orange flames from below the building shone through the window enabling me to see the gate and the keypad.

  I’ve no idea why I got nervous about it as I’ve snuck out frequently in the past and got back before anyone knew I was missing, but I’d never snuck out to meet a human before, especially a boy.

  ‘Here goes.’ I typed in New York on the keypad and waited with bated breath.

  Chapter Seven

  This time I ended up sitting ass down on a bench in an empty street. Snow had fallen since I was last here, and it was freezing. I’ve experienced the cold before but not on this scale. And to make matters worse I didn’t have a jacket. So here I was in the middle of a grand city in the middle of a snowstorm, in a black strapless dress looking more like a corpse than a Gothic beauty. Which is what I came as for the Halloween party, but as you know, I don’t look much different at home.

  And now I had to find my way to the university. Oh joy. I wished dad had taken us on more holidays on the Earth plane. I would watch the weather forecasts sometimes fascinated by the different seasons. In fact this is the first time I have ever seen snow. It was beautiful.

  Walking down the street lit with streetlights, I was approached by two men wielding a knife. They came out of the dark alley as I passed.

  ‘Hello, darling.’

  One of the men couldn’t have been older than me by the sound of his voice. It was hard to make out their faces as they were cast in shadow. I was stunned more than afraid.

  ‘Hello to you. Would you mind getting that knife out of my face, thank you very much? I have a party to attend and I’m not in the mood for petty mortals who think they can just get what they want by flashing a bit of steel in the air.’

  They began to laugh, and the youngest one brought the blade closer to my neck. I looked down at the blade and up at him. A trick my father taught me when I was three swam into my mind. If I was ever in any danger amongst stupid de
mons or even mortals for that matter, I was to make my eyes flash red. It may sound ridiculous to you, but it was the sign I was the daughter of the Reaper and that they were now ‘marked.’ That meant, when they would die, dad would know of their naughty deeds and condemn them straight to the Pits. The Pits were the worse place for any soul to end up. They would relive their crimes as if they were the victim. This would be on constant repeat for eternity.

  ‘What the fuck did you just do?’ He yelled; when I saw the knife being flung into the air, and the tall male clench his chest, gasping for air.

  What did just happen? I wondered. The one who held the knife tumbled over grabbing his leg.

  ‘What the hell are you, lady?’ He shouted.

  ‘The Reaper’s Daughter.’ I smiled. I looked to my left and saw small footprints in the snow. ‘Lucinda.’ I smirked.

  I stepped over the two imbeciles and made my way to the university.

  ‘Thanks, Lucy.’ I said.

  There was no response as she had come as a soul, but it was a comfort to know she was here and that she was okay.

  I had no idea where I was going. As I turned the corner into Times Square, I felt a nudge against my right leg and looked down. I knew Lucy wanted to communicate with me so I pointed to the snow.

  ‘Write something.’ I asked.

  There was a slight delay which made me nervous, and then, in the snow I saw lines being formed into letters.

  ‘Dad, what?’ I said, eager to know.

  Dad is in serious trouble.

  ‘Oh no.’ I got to my feet clasping my forehead. What do I do now? I hated making big decisions like this. ‘Okay, Lucy, let me get to the Halloween Ball, if only for a few minutes, and, if like Cinderella I have to make a run for it, then so be it. But, please give me a few minutes. I really want to see Daniel again. Besides, Uncle Patrick is there. He can sort him out.’

  I arrived at the entrance to the university, a little worse for wear. I had the art of ‘cutting it fine’ down to precision. It was smack bang on nine o’clock. My only concern was, would he remember being a soul, and more importantly, would he remember me and our meeting on the sidewalk?