Loving the Reaper

by Alexis Michaud

  *Thank you Thank You Thank you!!!*

  Valerie couldn’t wait to see Alistar again now that she knew these feelings were all her own. She knew now that she could handle whatever the underworld had in store for her just as long as he was the one by her side. She would have life no other way.

  Valerie texted Alistar saying she would meet him tomorrow at the lake to which he was more than happy about. He had admitted that she had him a little worried when she sent him off so quickly after their first kiss. She knew it had bothered him she could tell when he left but she couldn’t help the way she felt. She had never felt any emotions like this before and quite frankly it scared the hell out of her. Once the plans were made she crawled into bed, exhausted from cooking and worrying all day she was more than ready to sleep. Sleep found her easily but with the sleep came many dreams. She dreamt of her school and how Alistar and herself would walk hand in hand everywhere they were the talk of the school. Then the dream shifted they were standing together at an altar she was fully dressed in white and then just as quickly as her dream had begun it seemed it was over. Morning came quicker than she had thought possible she still felt exhausted. The only thing that got her out of bed was the thought of Alistar and the smell of coffee. Valerie decided that she would take a drive before meeting with Alistar, she was reeling from the reality of her dream and she knew being alone would help. Her mother still wasn’t happy about the expensive gifts but she did admit that she was glad Valerie now had a car so that she could have some freedom.

  Valerie climbed out of bed excited to get behind the wheel of her car and see where it took her. She had never been able to have this type of freedom before; she was stuck in her room if she wanted some alone time in her head. Sometimes her room just seemed way to crowded to think. She ran downstairs grabbing some coffee and going back to her room to get ready. In her room, she began the task of finding something to wear, she was just pulling out her brown boots to go with her white tee and her blue jeans when she heard her phone go off. Alistar had sent a sweet good morning text that had her smiling like a total goof. She realized how ridiculous she probably looked and shook the smile of her face. The two texted back and forth for a moment before she decided to tell him she was going to go for a quiet drive. Surprisingly he seemed disappointed but she assured him that she would be back in time to meet him at the lake. With the last overly cute text message they said goodbye and she was off to her car.

  Once behind the wheel she ran her hands over the cool leather steering wheel smiling to herself a little. She was really starting to love this car. She was off and down the road in no time at all she knew people were starting to stare now that they realized it was her driving. She didn’t care the least little bit. The car took her cares away leaving them like dust on the black top. The car was soon gliding across the road at over ninety miles per hour before she even realized it. She almost had a heart attack when she noticed and quickly slowed down. A few moments later she was back down to the posted speed limit. Suddenly she began laughing harder than she had ever laughed before. She was immortal and yet she was worried about her speed! She knew she could tell no one not even Eudora; she would never live that one down.

  The miles slipped away under her tires she didn’t stop until the gas light came on. She finally pulled over at a little hole in the wall gas station and went inside to pay. As she walked up to the counter she noticed the strange look the man behind the counter was giving her. She had just chalked it up to the fact that she was very young to be driving a car that expensive when the man asked to look at her hands. Not thinking anything of it she put her hand out after all humans couldn’t see the mark. The man jumped back mumbling to himself. She didn’t understand until she heard the man finally say “You're the match!” Valerie was starting to get frightened… How in the world did he see the mark?! Valerie shook her hands as if to say she was harmless and pleaded that the man just take the money so she could be on her way. The man finally starting to calm did as she wished and apologized to her more than a handful of times. She thanked him and hurried outside, she was really starting to freak. She pumped her gas just as fast as it would go and she hopped back into the car and sped off. The more distance she put between herself and the strange man the better she felt. She knew she would have to tell Alistar about the encounter. As she neared the town line she felt herself finally relax, she knew Alistar would be able to give her an explanation and ease her mind. She sped past the town and made her way to the lake. She hoped like hell Alistar would already be there. As she pulled into the recreational parking lot she noticed his car was nowhere to be seen. She sighed and parked, just as she was pulling her cell out he materialized in the passenger seat scaring the living crap out of her. “Jesus! You could have given me a heart attack! Where's your car?” Alistar chuckled at her reaction. “Sorry. Really, you're going to have to get used to that! And it's at home I don’t use it unless I really have to...You know for appearances.” He was right she had to get used to all this. Valerie smiled but he could tell something was really bothering her. He looked at her inquisitively and she decided she should just go on and tell him. “Alistar, something very strange happened while I was out on my drive…” Alistar was immediately alert, his razor sharp jaw set in concentration. “I stopped to get gas at some random little store in the middle of nowhere and the cashier saw the mark…. He began freaking out saying you're the match you're the match. I thought humans couldn’t see the mark?” Alistar looked away for a moment as if he was searching for an answer. finally, he looked to her. “Take me there. Now. I will get to the bottom of this. “She knew there was no use in trying to reason with him the authority in his voice was strong even overwhelming to her. She shook her head and reversed back the way she had come. She once again sped past the little town and within moments she was speeding down the empty road again. They drove for what seemed like forever, funny it had only seemed like a few minutes to her earlier. Alistar watched her closely as she drove the look on his face stone like. He was watching her as if he looked away she may disappear. She shifted slightly uncomfortable at all the attention and luckily he sensed it and decided just putting his hand on her leg would suffice. The two stayed silent for another hour. Finally, the building came up on the horizon and she looked over at him. He nodded. “I want you to walk in as you did earlier and get something to drink while I speak with the cashier and find out who he is.” She nodded knowing once again there was no use putting up a fuss. She pulled into the little station as she had done before and realized once again she needed gas. Hopefully Alistar didn’t terrify the man so much that he refused them service. They both looked at each other, nodded, and climbed out of the car. Valerie had to admit Alistar looked pretty hot when he was so serious. He was a man on a mission. The two walked into the store and Valerie split up from him, she briefly looked at the cashier and noticed the fear in his eyes. She quickly looked away and went on her way to grab some sodas and snacks. She couldn’t make out what the man or Alistar were saying but she could guess the man had plenty of explaining to do. A moment later Alistar called Valerie to the counter. Without a word he took the snacks from her the cashier obviously shaken by the conversation scanned and wrung them out. Alistar quickly grabbed everything and Valerie at once and pulled her back outside. He didn’t say a word as he opened the passenger door for her and then handed her the snacks and closed the door. He quickly pumped the gas and climbed in the car. Once again they were off speeding back to town. Valerie couldn’t take it anymore when he stayed quiet. “Well? Who is he? How can he see it?” Alistar shifted uneasily. “He is human but not like normal humans… He sees because he believes. He sees because he has made a deal with Lucius. He is in no way a threat but still a very annoying loose end.” The two sat in silence once again. Alistar took her hand and kissed the top of it. Valerie could feel the heat rush to her cheeks. She still didn’t understand how all this work and she wanted to know more. Alistar seemed to be lost deep in his
thoughts the whole way home. When they finally got back into town he decided it would be best if he stopped at his house and let her drive home from there. He had to talk to Lucius about this man. If he was taking the underworld he needed to know just what he was getting into. More or less who was off limits. He promised he would call as soon as he knew more, after all this was her life now too. She kissed him deeply before she got in and drove home. It seemed like hours had passed since she had gotten home. She laid in bed wondering how long she was going to have to wait. Suddenly he was next to her in bed. She jumped a bit but she was finally starting to get used to his Houdini act. She snuggled into him like it was routine and found she fit perfectly against his warm body. She felt so safe and comfortable with him. He ran his fingers slowly down her cheek. He seemed to study her eyes as if he was looking into her soul. Valerie felt the sudden desire to kiss him. Passionately. She grabbed his head pulling his lips to hers. Their eyes closed as they shared a moment of red hot passion. The seconds turned to minutes which turned into an hour. The two finally pried themselves apart so that they could catch their breath. Valerie couldn’t help but blush, she had no idea what had come over her. The smoldering look in Alistar’s eyes was driving her crazy. She knew that if he kept that up she would never be able to stop kissing him. She sighed suddenly exhausted. Soon came the yawn. Valerie frowned knowing that meant Alistar would soon be leaving so that she could rest. She tried to hide her displeasure, but Alistar noticed everything. In one swift move he held her chin pulling her attention to him. “Don’t fret my love, I’ll stay until you fall asleep. He smiled sweetly and nodded, motioning her to lay her head down. She did as he said and laid back as he wrapped his arms around her, she instantly felt herself relax. Soon she was drifting off to sleep. The sound of his heartbeat beneath her head like a lullaby coaxing her into a deeper sleep. She dreamt that night of the underworld. She had only seen a glimpse at her initiation and she wasn’t sure if it was any different than what she had seen. In the dream she looked out from a dark stone castle she saw far and wide. Homes and places she wasn’t quite sure what they were loomed in the distance. All was dark and gloomy. The skies seemed a smoky gray as did much of everything else in the setting. The spirits being the only bright light. No people no creatures just the spirits. She looked all around her before she turned back into the castle. There she stood in a bedroom. Like the rest of the setting the bedroom had a dark look to it. Everything was black grey or red. Somehow she felt comfortable in the room though. The dream then took a turn. She was faced with the spirits once again. They spoke to her as their ruler. She was of the highest authority to them besides Alistar himself. She began to notice Alistar was nowhere in the dreams though. She began to freak out a little. She had no idea how to be a ruler to the underworld that was supposed to be Alistar’s job. What in the hell was she supposed to do? Soon she was in an all-out panic which resulted in her jolting upright in her bed. Beads of sweat covered her brow. She quickly searched the bed but Alistar was gone just as he said he would be. Sighing she got out of bed and decided to shower the cold sweat off of her and then she would try to go back to bed. She thought about her dream as she got into the shower. The dream was right she had no idea how to be a ruler and she knew that she had to learn because there would be times Alistar would be taking care of other things and she would be the next in command. She realized she was starting to wig out a little again and had to take a couple deep breaths to calm herself back down. She decided it was best not to think about the dream anymore so instead she thought about talking to Eudora more and learning more about her duties. She knew Eudora would be the best person to talk to. She decided she would get in touch with her in the morning to see if she would began teaching her. And soon. Valerie had finally managed to go back to sleep around two in the morning. She dreamt anymore thankfully. However, her alarm began to buzz way to early. She felt as if she had about thirty minutes of sleep. She sighed heavily as she drug herself out from under her warm covers. She began her morning routine of having some coffee and getting ready for school. After about forty-five minutes she was ready and walking out the door. This morning Alistar was nowhere to be found. She kind of wished she didn’t have the car she liked riding with him to school.