Grim Girl

by Nicky Graves

  We continued our path down the stone walkway. I hoped he was still leading me to the library and not to a lair.

  I glanced at him. Did he have a lair?

  “Are there many vampires here?” I asked instead.

  “Yes.”

  “And demons?”

  “Some. But they mostly stay away. Except for Ranger.”

  “Why?”

  Vance sighed. “Do you always ask this many questions?”

  “No. Normally I never ask questions in school. But I’m trying to understand this new world, and everyone shuts me down. And you never said how old you are.”

  “Five hundred twenty . . . something. I can’t remember.”

  “I guess after five hundred years you’re bound to forget how old you are. Did you know Lawson when you were alive . . . pre-vampire?”

  “Yes, because everyone knew everyone back then and we all lived in the same village singing campfire songs.”

  “You don’t have to be sarcastic.”

  “Then don’t ask stupid questions.”

  “My teachers have said the only stupid question is the one unasked.”

  “Give me their names, and I’ll teach them a little lesson of my own.”

  He stopped at a pod.

  “Is this the library?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  I placed my hand on the wall. I felt a tingling on my palm and then the wall gave way.

  “Are you coming?” I asked.

  He looked as if the question was absurd. “I have better things to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “A date.”

  “You mean dinner.”

  He grinned. “Semantics, little bite.”

  “Maybe let the person live this time. It would be good for your soul.”

  “Vampires don’t have souls.”

  “Did a reaper transition your soul?”

  “Not quite.”

  “Then you still have a soul. Lawson said if a reaper doesn’t collect the soul to transition, then it’s still there, just in the form of a ghost or whatever.”

  “This is one area Lawson doesn’t know all.”

  I supposed Vance was right. Lawson didn’t fully understand the stone either. Perhaps vampires were a special circumstance.

  “It’s too bad,” I said. “You’d be halfway decent with a soul. Thanks for showing me the way. Maybe if we meet again, you can try not to bite me.”

  “Not likely. Maybe you should think about becoming a vampire. It might fix your mortal problem.”

  “I’m not a fan of blood.”

  “Neither was I until I turned.” He spun on his heel and walked back down the path.

  I headed into the library. “Hello?” I called, walking past the stacks of books and loose parchment to get to the table in the center.

  “How may I assist you?” the voice asked.

  “I want to know about Treble the Blue.”

  I felt a spur of anger from Treble, but then he settled.

  “Treble the Blue is part of a set of stones.”

  “How many stones are there?”

  “Seven.”

  “Where did they come from?”

  “Life.”

  “What do you mean, ‘life’?”

  “Life is the creator of all things.”

  “Like God?”

  “Life is the creator of all things,” the librarian repeated.

  “So he made the stones,” I asked.

  “The stones are made from Life.”

  “Isn’t that what I just said?”

  “The stones are made from Life.”

  I sighed. “Is there more to it than that? A legend or archives, perhaps?”

  “There is one mention found. You may find it in the dead scrolls.”

  “Can’t you just tell it to me?”

  “You may find it in the dead scrolls,” he repeated.

  I sighed again. “Where are the dead scrolls?”

  “Section five, aisle twenty.”

  Section five? I glanced around to get my bearings. I had never seen section numbers before, but then again, I hadn’t been looking for them. After a few minutes of searching, I found there were old etchings on the worn floor. I followed them down into an area I had never been to before.

  Deep inside the library I found the aisle. Rolls of parchment were stacked above my head. It was an avalanche waiting to happen.

  “Librarian, where is the scroll I need?”

  “Section five, aisle twenty.”

  I grabbed a scroll nearest to me and unrolled it enough to see the title. Summoning Locusts to Defeat Your Enemy. Nope. How about . . . When a Vampire Claims a Mortal . . . nope. Although it was an intriguing subject, I didn’t have time for it. When to Make a Zombie. How to Bring True Love Back from the Dead.

  All of these scrolls I wanted to read. But none were about the life stones. It wasn’t until I was buried in a pile of parchment that I stumbled across a title that might prove useful. The Beginning.

  The beginning of what?

  I unrolled the scroll more to read.

  Before there was time, Life took a void of dark and empty space and gave it part of himself. He named his creations after himself: Life. But as he continued to create and expand, he realized there had to be a balance. So, he broke off a piece of himself and Death was born. Death was given the job to take away life when it was ready.

  For millenniums, Life and Death worked together in harmony. But Life began to notice a change growing inside of Death. While Death performed his duties, he became tired of them. And all of the darkness and hatred in the universe made Death grow angry and bitter. He began reaping life when it wasn’t time.

  Life confronted Death, but by that time, Death was too far gone. Death wanted to destroy all that Life had created. Life attempted to reclaim Death, but Death attacked Life and nearly destroyed him.

  To combat Death, Life created guardians with the strength to keep Death in check. Then Life made new reapers from mortals. Ones that would shepherd the dying souls instead of taking them.

  It worked for a time. The guardians kept Death under their watch. All was well until Death forged a scythe out of sacred metal that was more powerful than any weapon that had ever been made. It killed mortals and immortals alike. Death slayed any guardians he could find. He released his blank reapers to spread plagues and havoc throughout the universe, revealing himself to all who survived as the king of death.

  Knowing Death would come for him next, Life made one last attempt to reason with Death. But Death could not be swayed. His mind was too far gone, and only darkness was left. Before Death could destroy Life, Life branded Death with a mark. Death laughed at it, but Death didn’t know that in that mark was a piece of Life. It was human in nature and would make Death crave basic human needs. In the event that Death ever produced an heir, the heir would have both Death and Life in them.

  Life then broke himself into seven pieces, locked in stones. He spread himself throughout the universe so that Death could not find him. Life would wait until the heir was born.

  25

  I snapped a picture of the scroll before I rolled it up and stuck it back into the pile. There was so much to digest about what I had read, but I didn’t know where to start. Seven stones. Where were they?

  And were the guardians still around?

  “Treble, take me home.”

  I’d ask Ranger what he knew.

  “Treble, please take me home or I will ask you a million questions about the scroll.”

  My next view was of my bedroom.

  Looked like some threats worked on Treble.

  Before I could try to find Ranger, a text came through on my phone from Larue.

  U weren’t in school. R u ok?

  Yes.

  R u sure?

  Yes. I also included a thumbs up and a happy face.

  Can u still come 2 the party?

  It took me a moment to remember what party she was referring
to. I looked at the date on my phone. It was the night of Dane’s party. I had no desire to go, especially after reading the scroll and having unanswered questions. But it would be my last night, and I’d rather spend it doing something fun rather than lying in my room.

  I never told Larue about the fight with Azrael or my curse. It was enough to know she didn’t think I was crazy anymore. Plus, I didn’t want to burden her with it. She was excited for the party and to see Finn. It made me envious that I didn’t have anyone I wanted to see with that much enthusiasm. Well, no one at the party, anyway.

  I texted Larue that I’d meet her at her house so that we could go to the party together. I then pocketed my phone and proceeded to search for Ranger.

  My search proved futile. Ranger was nowhere to be found.

  As Larue and I walked into the house together, we were first greeted by thumping music. Larue, never much of a party person, actually squeaked with excitement. She grabbed my hand as we wound through groups of people all drinking from the telltale party cups.

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” I asked Larue.

  “Yes.”

  “Larue!” someone shouted.

  We looked over to find Finn making his way through the dense crowd toward us. His height made it easy to track him.

  When he finally made it over to us, he handed Larue a cup filled with beer. He then looked at me. “I’ll grab you one too if you want.”

  “She can share mine,” Larue said quickly and handed me the cup.

  “Want to go out to the backyard?” he asked Larue. “It’s quieter, and there’s a fire out there too.”

  “Okay,” she said happily.

  I wasn’t sure if I should tag along or stay put, but Larue grabbed my free hand and dragged me with her. I tried to keep the beer from sloshing over the rim, but a majority hit my jeans and shoes and the floor.

  She finally let go once we were outside on a large deck that was lit with white twinkly lights. There were a few people outside, mostly gathered around the firepit. Finn walked over to a cluster of outdoor furniture and sat down, indicating we should do the same.

  Finn began talking about what had happened so far at the party. Apparently there were a few people already drunk and passed out upstairs. I didn’t think we were that late to the party for people to be passed out.

  Larue looked uncomfortable with the information. This was not her scene.

  “Are you okay?” Finn asked her.

  “I’m fine,” she insisted.

  I looked away, feeling awkward. Taking a sip of the beer, I nearly spit it out. I had snuck sips of beer before, and I was never a fan of it. But this stuff tasted like swamp butt.

  “It gets better,” someone said.

  I looked over to find Dane walking toward us. He sat next to me.

  “I don’t see how it can get better,” I said.

  “You have to drink enough to make your taste buds die.”

  Sadly, it wasn’t only my taste buds that would be dying.

  “We get this beer from my dad’s warehouse. He only notices when the good stuff goes missing, so I try to nab the cheapest. Once you’re buzzed you won’t even notice how horrible it is.”

  I took another sip and shuddered. “Disgusting.”

  I felt Treble’s displeasure, which made me want to down the rest of the beer.

  Dane laughed. “I bet the next round won’t be as bad,” he said, standing and grabbing my cup. “I’ll be back.”

  I was leery about anyone touching my cup or bringing me drinks, but I figured Treble would beat up Dane if he drugged me.

  Dane returned with two cups. He gave me one and then sat down next to me. We didn’t say anything at first. It was an awkward silence. Larue and Finn were having their own conversation that didn’t require words but a whole lot of tongue.

  I glanced anywhere else.

  “Want to dance?” Dane asked.

  I figured it would be another chance at being normal for a little while longer.

  “Yeah. Sure.” I stood and placed my cup on the ground next to Larue. He did the same and then took my hand.

  We squeezed through the crowd and made our way to an area that seemed predominantly filled with people who were attempting to dance. Not the pretty kind. The drunk, sloppy kind. The kind that made me want to look away out of embarrassment for them.

  “When did you guys start drinking?” I asked.

  “There was a pre-party.”

  Ah. It explained the sad grinding and flailing that was happening.

  The music was easy enough to dance to even while drunk. The bass was heavy and repetitious. It was nice getting lost in it for a while. Dane wasn’t handsy like some of the other guys were being. While we danced close enough that we would occasionally brush against each other, his hands remained to himself. I was thankful for that. I really didn’t know how to handle the party, let alone my death or a handsy dance partner.

  Someone stumbled into me, knocking me into Dane. He held onto me so I wouldn’t fall over. The girl landed in a heap on the floor and looked up at me. She giggled. “The room fell. But you’re still ugly no matter how much I drink.” Ugh. Chloe.

  Dane let go of me and helped Chloe stand up. “You’ve had too much.”

  She giggled again and swayed when she was back on her feet.

  “Do you mind if I help her to a chair or something?” he asked me.

  “Go for it,” I said and followed him, not wanting to stand in the dance area by myself. But it seemed as if the dancing had spread. It now affected most areas we walked through. He shooed a couple making out on the couch and then guided Chloe to sit down. She slumped down on the couch and then fell over, giggling.

  “Are you going to be okay?” he asked her.

  “Aw, you care,” she said, reaching her hand out to him only to have it fall limp when he ignored it. “Want to dance?”

  “No,” he said, and then he turned to leave, taking my hand as he walked away.

  I followed him out a side door into a small garden area that was probably very pretty in the summer, but now it was mostly brown.

  Glass shattering from somewhere in the house pierced the stillness outside. Dane ignored it.

  “Aren’t you afraid of getting in trouble?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “My parents won’t be home for another week. I’ll have it cleaned up by then.”

  “But something got broken.”

  He shrugged.

  We stood in silence for a few moments before I shivered from the cold night air.

  “You’re cold,” he said. “Sorry. I was just trying to find someplace quieter.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, trying to suppress another shiver.

  He unzipped his hoodie and wrapped it around me.

  “Now you’ll be cold,” I said.

  He pulled the hoodie closed and then paused. Slowly, he reeled the fabric closer to him, taking me with it. This had the makings of a kiss . . . or I had been watching too many horrid romance movies with Mom and I was about to embarrass myself.

  While I hadn’t expected a kiss, I decided I wanted one.

  When our toes touched, and the white puffs of our breath mingled in the wintery air, he dipped his head close. As soon as he placed his lips against mine, my arm swung in a right hook, nailing him in the jaw.

  Treble!

  Dane stumbled back.

  “I’m so sorry!” I said.

  “You could have just said no,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “Damn, that hurt.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Why did you hit me?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it was just a reflex. I really didn’t mean to.”

  “Where did you learn to hit like that?”

  “From watching my brother in karate class,” I said, searching for an excuse that didn’t involve a grumpy, ancient crystal. “I better go.”

  “You don’t have to go,” he said with a sigh. “Just don’t punch me.”

>   I felt horrible. “It’s better if I go. I truly didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  I gave him back his hoodie.

  Instead of going back into the house, I cut through the yard and headed to the street. Once I was a block away, I stopped.

  “Treble, what the hell was that? Why did you hit him?”

  Nasty kissing. You are not married.

  “I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have to be married to kiss. Nor does he have to give my family livestock to gain my hand in marriage.”

  I could feel his irritation. It matched mine.

  “Treble, I just wanted one last night of being a regular girl. It would have been nice to be kissed.”

  Too many emotions, he said. I do not like.

  While I wanted to tell him to suck it up and get used to it, what was the point?

  I glanced back at the house. Larue was still inside. I couldn’t leave her by herself.

  I pulled out my phone and texted her.

  I’m outside. I don’t feel good.

  While I’m sure she would want to stay with Finn, her mother hen tendencies would override.

  Within a few minutes, she was walking down the front steps, waving goodbye to Finn.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, looking worried. “Was it the beer?”

  “No, I think it's just stress. I’ll be fine, but I can’t stay. Will you be mad if we leave?”

  She glanced longingly at the house and then shook her head. “Of course not.”

  On the way back home, she said, “I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Not believing in you before. You’re my best friend and I should have given you the benefit of the doubt when you told me about the ghosts and reapers.”

  “I know it’s hard to believe.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I want you to be able to tell me everything, even if it’s hard to believe.”

  “Thank you.”

  Her apology meant the world to me. It made me feel just a little bit better about the situation. And even though she said I could tell her everything, I wasn’t going to inform her about the curse. It seemed cruel to do so.

  The rest of the way home was filled with gossip about who had been at the party. We steered clear of any weighty subjects.

  When I arrived home, I jogged up the stairs and opened my bedroom door. My room was dark, but I detected a figure sitting on the bed. Either that or my mom had dumped my laundry in a pile on my bed for me to fold and put away.