The Reaper's Apprentices #1: Awakened

by CS Patra

  Not that anyone could tell they were demonic right now. If a person could have looked in, they would have heard laughter and screams of joy. The older demons would be chasing after the younger ones and trying to stop them from destroying the house. They weren’t even using their demonic powers for it, but were just being pains and loving it. No one would have suspected what any of them were unless they got to know them. On the outside, they all looked human. It wasn’t until they wanted to use powers that their teeth would get larger, their nails longer and sharper, and their eyes would change color. It was this unpleasant transformation that made people realize these were dangerous creatures indeed.

  Right now, the dangerous creatures were being anything but threats to the world. They were all talking over each other and making plans for the weekend like teenagers would.

  “So I told him to hit the road! I don’t want him all over my ass!”

  “What color should I paint my nails this time?”

  “I don’t get physics! Why do we need physics? Why can’t I take history?”

  “These shoes are killing me!”

  It was as though twenty different conversations were going on between every group. There were four kinds of demons: death’s minions, damned souls, Reaper’s Apprentices, and Grim Reapers. The majority of the world was filled with minions and damned souls, who were a little more demonic in nature than the minions. They spent more of their time away from humans and in the shadows than the minions did. The Reaper’s Apprentices — the smallest group of demons — were exactly as their name said; they helped Grim Reapers when it came to reaping human souls. They all learned the trade and would eventually become Reapers themselves. As for Grim Reapers, they were the most powerful and immortal. They couldn’t die unless they chose to sleep for eternity. Contrary to popular belief, the Reapers could be very gentle when it came to reaping a soul. They did not believe in violently ending someone’s life. If anything, they cared about where the soul went after the person died.

  The one good thing about being a Reaper’s Apprentice was that all of them stayed in the same place: Tartarus Sanctum. There were three others that also housed demons: Eridanos Sanctum, which housed only males, Alpheus Sanctum, which housed only females, and Persephone’s Sanctum, which had a mix of both. All four places were in small corners of North America and well-protected from any harm. No one could break through it. But demons were allowed to leave as long as they came back by curfew. Everyone under eighteen had to be in by 10:30 PM while the older ones could stay out till midnight. A lot of them complained about the rules, however they were set by Grim Reapers, and everyone had to abide by them.

  Right now, one of the Apprentices was trying to control a younger group from dancing around the garden. He was a freckle-faced young man with bright green eyes and copper hair. No one would have looked twice at him or thought he was a demon. Nor would they have thought the younger ones that were attempting to dance had anything demonic in them. It looked more like an older brother getting annoyed with his younger siblings. This was especially true of the girl in the middle.

  “Careful dancing around this place, guys!” he warned them. “It rained two days ago but the stones are still slippery.”

  “Oh please, we’ve had sun for the last two days,” the girl in the middle replied. “You are always so worried, Master Sebastian.”

  Sebastian bristled at the sound of his name. Being a Reaper’s Apprentice, he was a master to everyone except other Apprentices and Grim Reapers. Though he was only twenty-two, he was well-respected and looked up to. “I’m just saying, Yuka. I’ve seen other demons slip and hurt themselves running around.”

  Yuka, once known as Debra Catherine Laird to the world, was small with brown hair and eyes that made her look plain. She was a cute girl that no one would ever suspect of being a demon — not that she even acted like a demon to begin with. At this point in her life, she was still playing and enjoying her early teenage years. She was thrilled when her parents allowed her to be homeschooled while at Tartarus Sanctum. Not only that, they were willing to pay her tuition to Karr Academy, a prestigious art school for demons. They made it out to look like only the best students could get in. In reality, they wanted demons. The school helped those who felt that they had no other path. It was to help them get used to humans. They could mingle with people while perfecting their craft. Yuka was a dance student over there, and all she ever wanted to do was choreograph new dances.

  “I hope you didn’t forget to do your homework,” Sebastian told her as she stretched her legs. “I have no problems with you practicing, but you did promise to work hard in the classroom too.”

  “And I do,” Yuka said, putting one leg down and raising the other. “I have already taken care of all my schoolwork, Master Sebastian. I just haven’t practiced my dances. That’s why I’m out here. It’s too nice of a day to practice inside.”

  “I can’t blame you for that,” Sebastian said, looking up at the sky. The sun was bright, and the air was cool. Everyone wanted to be outside to do their work. The rain from last week had made the flowers and plants in the garden bloom. In the middle of it all was the fish pond. There was a tiny bridge that went over the pond. The bridge was mostly there for decoration, but everyone liked to walk over it. They would often stare down and feed the fish.

  Yuka admired Sebastian solely because he seemed perfect. He went to Yale and somehow managed to have good grades, in addition to being a star swimmer. Throw in the fact that he was a demon, never screwed up or killed anyone, and he was perfection. If he had been closer to her age, she would have thought about dating him. At the very least, she would have a crush on him, and it wouldn’t feel creepy. But if there was one thing being a demon had taught her — it was to respect all her elders and not think of them as anything more than her legal guardians. They were like her parents while she was in Tartarus Sanctum.

  “Now you take a step to the left,” Yuka announced, beginning to show them the move. “Then you pivot on that foot, step back with your right foot, thrust, wave your arms, jump, and hit the ground.” She demonstrated everything and winced when her hand hit the concrete. “Okay, skip the last part. Do that when you’re inside or there’s softer ground.” Everyone laughed.

  “How come you’re not in demonic mode?” Sebastian asked. “Still not used to it?”

  “Not really. I’m not sure I can get used to big, long nails. Not to mention, they look gross,” Yuka complained, looking at her normal pink nails. “Can’t I cut them or something?”

  Sebastian shook his head. “You can always paint them if they gross you out too much. A lot of demons do that. But I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to get rid of them so easily. There are a few things that make us stand out that you can’t change.”

  “Well, I guess I can’t ask to get braces or my teeth straightened, huh?”

  “Nope. I tried that one a long time ago, and I already had braces!” He laughed to himself as the other demons tried to learn the dance. “You better go inside, Yuka. I don’t want to see anyone break their legs on the concrete.”

  Yuka dragged herself back inside the house and tried to think of a good place to dance. She could use the dance room that was closest to her bedroom, but that wasn’t big enough. She began to stretch her legs and arms while looking around the room. It had only been a year since she had come here, but it was home. She missed her parents, but they had confidence that she would grow up to be a good demon. They knew she’d be a demon who never abused her powers or hurt anybody. So far, her record was clean, and she kept up with her end of the deal. She promised to work hard at school and dance if they let her stay here. They agreed it was a fair bargain as long she promised to keep in touch every week. That was how they dealt with things now — she would write or call them to exchange news on what was happening.

  During her time here (or at Tarturus), she had met three other girls that felt the same way she did — Rosemary Bowden, Tiffany Donnelly, and Su
zanne Crenshaw. Of course, not one of them went by those names here. To all demons they were Tessa, Kaska, and Avani. Once anyone entered the gates of Tartarus Sanctum and went into their demon form, they had to be addressed by their demonic name. This had been given to them by Grim Reapers, and it was locked on them for life. Yuka didn’t know why anyone had picked her name or what it had to do with death, but it stuck. There were times in the human world that she was starting to sign her name as Yuka, not Debra. She was soon getting used to being called ‘Yuka’ at every waking hour. Whenever they mingled with people, they used their birth names. Unfortunately, that wasn’t very often and as days went on; their days of humanity were growing shorter.

  As she was flexing her feet, she heard a familiar voice and decided to check it out. To her delight, Avani had come home from Europe and was dragging her suitcases into her room. Some of the other demons helped her with the heavy stuff while she carried the lighter bags. Eager to know how the trip went, Yuka decided to follow her to her room.

  “Hey!” She greeted Avani with a hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  “I haven’t been here in weeks. Where have you been?” Avani returned the hug and opened the door to her bedroom. Unlike Yuka’s room, it was barely touched since she left. Once or twice, Tessa had come in to borrow an outfit, but the rest of the room was intact. Avani dropped her suitcase and took off her coat. “Do me a favor and never try to go to three European countries in a week. You’ll pass out before you make it back home.”

  “I take that you had to deal with a lot of jetlag and not enough sleep?”

  “That’s putting it lightly. What a day!” Avani dropped down on her bed. “Three photo shoots, one go-see to try and book a campaign with Versace, and one meeting with a designer over in London. I’d like to think I did well at all of them.”

  Avani was the same age as her, but she came from North Carolina and thought of herself as the most spectacular demon to have ever lived. She was an up-and-coming model who had been signed to a New York agency, and her portfolio was getting bigger with each day. There were a few designers who were a little uncomfortable with hiring a fourteen-year-old, but the others didn’t mind. The only rule Avani had was that she wasn’t going to do any nude photos until she was an adult. The agency respected her decisions. Thankfully that didn’t stop the work orders from coming in. There was something new going on every day. Every week, she was traveling to a different part of the country, be it New York or London or Paris. She got jetlagged despite occasionally using demonic portals, but she always had a million stories. If she was lucky and had the time, she would often bring gifts for the other demons. Right now, she was handing Yuka a Fendi scarf that she had managed to buy.

  “Don’t tell anyone I got you that. I would have bought one for everyone, but I don’t have that much money. For being demons, they sure don’t pay us much.”

  “Thanks! I have no idea how I’m going to explain to my parents where I got this though,” she joked, folding up the scarf. “So you’ve got to tell me what London, Milan, and Paris were like. I’ve never been to any of those cities.”

  “Oh, it’s no different from other cities. I was doing mostly fashion related work, so I didn’t actually tour anything.” Avani put away some of her clothes. “I did run into some Italian demons in Milan. They told me about demon slayers going in and slaughtering a bunch of demons at a church.” Yuka frowned at that as Avani opened up her drawer. “Yeah, I know. I don’t know why demons would be at a church in the first place, or why anyone would think to kill them there, but that’s what I heard.”

  “Did they ever tell you why they were killed?”

  “No. I’m guessing they were trashing the church or something? Not that it justifies killing anyone but…” Avani shrugged. “I asked them if they had ever had a close encounter with one. None of them wanted to answer that question.”

  And I don’t think I can blame them, Yuka thought. She had heard stories about demon slayers from other demons too. All she knew was that they were ruthless, determined, and ugly on the inside. She had been told that if a demon slayer was ever to corner her, she would have to rip out his heart. As far as she knew, they were humans without souls or compassion. She noticed that Master Sebastian bristled anytime the words ‘demon slayer’ came up in a conversation.

  “They don’t care about what happens to the rest of the world,” he had told her a long time ago. “And you have to stop thinking of them as humans. They are the real monsters on Earth, and they’ll try to get you at any cost. You have to get to them first. It doesn’t matter if they beg for mercy or not. If necessary, rip their throats out. Leave them to die. They will do the same to you if you aren’t quick enough.”

  She knew he was protecting her well-being, but the way he phrased the words made her cringe. There was no way she could rip out a human being’s throat if he was begging for mercy. If she did that, then she would truly be a monster. It was bad enough that humans and demons had a small rift between them. Both sides were trying their best to ignore the other, but a few incidents would arise and change everything. These days were getting to be the worst. Demons were now turning to crimes, and hurting people in the process. Despite all the efforts from Reaper’s Apprentices and Grim Reapers, it wasn’t changing the crime wave.

  Avani took a look into her closet and shook her head. “Where’s my purple blazer?”

  “I think Tessa borrowed it last week. I guess she didn’t put it back.”

  “Of course.” Avani sighed, closing the closet. “I know we’re about the same height and size, but I’m losing everything to her now!”

  Tessa was two years older than them, but she was still unsure whether she wanted to hang with older or younger demons. For the most part, she spent her days writing and coming up with all kinds of unusual scenarios. It was her dream to be the next Stephen King, but she knew she had a long way to go. Adair, one of the other Reaper’s Apprentices and the one Tessa was closest to, told her not to get her hopes up too high. Even though she was aware of how difficult that career could be, it didn’t keep her from trying to perfect her craft.

  “Where’s Kaska?” Avani asked.

  “She’s been out for a while. I guess something is going on at college.” Unlike the other three, Kaska was in her first year at college and was still struggling to find herself. “Hopefully her cheerleading tryouts went well. She said her high school experience might help, but she’s not one hundred percent confident.”

  Avani felt a twinge of envy over the fact that Kaska was getting to try out for cheerleading. She was experiencing these little things more than other demons did. She didn’t know if it was because the Grim Reapers pitied her, or if they just wanted to get her out of their hair for a while. But Kaska had the privilege of going to parties, as long as she came back by her midnight curfew, and hanging around campus. If she followed the rules, she could go to classes, talk with whoever she pleased, and try out for anything.

  “Do you think she’ll be able to handle it? I mean, we’re Reaper’s Apprentices. Technically, we’re not supposed to be hanging around people or doing what they do.”

  “If they trust her, she should be fine.”

  As if on cue, they heard Kaska yell, “I’m back!” and looked at each other. Yuka nodded when she recognized the tone of her voice. This was not the voice of a girl who had been rejected or sad. If anything, she was going to bring good news, and they were eager to get all the details.

  “Let’s go,” Yuka suggested. “Maybe she’ll teach us some cheers.”

  Chapter 2

  Kaska pushed open the doorway to Tartarus Sanctum, too excited to stay still. She knew the others would be outside today and couldn’t blame them. It was a beautiful day with the sun in the sky and an ocean breeze coming in. With all the crowds and noise, it was amazing that Tartarus Sanctum could stay as hidden as it was, even though it was surrounded by spells to keep most humans away. Hardly anyone looked at it and those who did l
ook didn’t give a damn. That was good for the whole world. Ever since finding out about her demonic instincts, Kaska was trying to stay away from humans.

  Except for today. Today held some good news and she had to share. There were apprentices all over the place, talking and laughing and just enjoying themselves. If one had stepped inside their home, they wouldn’t believe such a place existed in Miami. The flowers that had been planted in spring were in full bloom. If only winter would not fall soon. She wanted to enjoy this for as long as possible. Master Sebastian’s vegetable garden was starting to look nice too. He had planted a lot of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, and they would be ready any day now.

  She found Master Fabian where she expected to see him. Unlike everyone else who looked casual, he was dressed elegantly with his dark suit and purple tie, drinking a little bit of wine. At least she was sure it was a little bit. Her master was never a heavy drinker except on special occasion, in which case he did like to put his lips to the bottle or a wine glass. Sniffling around his feet was Oscar, his little Yorkie terrier. Oscar liked to get in all the strangest places. He heard Kaska coming, left his master, and went over to greet her. She gave him a little pat on the head, and he went back to his squeaky toys.