The Reaper's Apprentices #1: Awakened

by CS Patra

  “You don’t have to ask anymore, Tessa,” Adair responded mid-yawn. “I know you feel like this is getting repetitive, but Grim Reaper Salvador insists on going through these techniques.”

  “But we’ve practiced these same techniques for the last two days!” she complained. “Why can’t we do something new? Or at least give us a break so we get used to the old techniques?”

  “Because you aren’t ready for anything new, and I don’t think you are used to the old techniques,” Gideon said. “You can’t just learn them and not practice.”

  “We’ve practiced them!” Avani pointed out. “We’ve spent the last two nights practicing. We spent the last two nights learning about the different rivers! We know what the rivers are! We know what they do! We know where they lead! What else is left?”

  “A lot more than that!” he snapped. She took a step back, and he relaxed. “Sorry. I guess all this practice is taking its toll on me too.”

  “It’s taking a toll on everyone. Can’t we have one day to just have fun?” Kaska suggested. “I mean, I’d like to practice some of these new cheerleading moves. We’ve been working so hard on the other stuff that I have to save that for late at night.”

  “Yeah, I want to work on this new dance,” Yuka said, flexing her feet. “I should have had this memorized two days ago, but I only have the first half ready. We just want a little break.”

  “A break?” Sebastian didn’t seem happy with this suggestion. “We haven’t even started yet, and you want a break? Do you know how long it takes to master these powers?”

  “Well, we’re not going to learn them overnight anyway. We’ve practiced and practiced, and I don’t think we’re getting anywhere!” Tessa complained. “Can’t we just take five minutes to sit down and forget about this?”

  “You make that sound so easy.” Adair shook his head. “You can’t forget about it, girls. You can take all the breaks in the world, but you can’t forget about what you are.” He saw all the disappointed faces and decided to cave in. The last thing he wanted was more complaints. “I suppose a ten minute break won’t hurt anyone. We’ll resume this around 8:15, okay?”

  “Thank you, Master.” Tessa bowed to him. “I owe you one.”

  “Oh, I know you do.”

  “Finally, we’re getting a break!” Kaska sat down and leaned back in her chair. “I swear my hands are going to fall off from trying to harness Cocytus. Since when is water so hard to deal with? And just how am I supposed to turn it into ice?”

  “Water to ice sounds a lot easier than making fire.” Yuka looked at the fireplace and frowned. “I have no friction when I rub my hands. Is that supposed to happen?”

  “Maybe we’re not concentrating hard enough. I just wish everyone would stop being so hard on us.” She shook her head. “I still have school in case anyone forgot. And I would like to gain a social life sometime in the near future. So far, I have not been very successful in that area.”

  “Since when did any of us have a social life?” Avani asked. “At least you guys get to go to school and learn stuff with other people. I’m lucky I’m a demon, and I get the ability to travel from place to place easily. Otherwise, I would not recommend becoming a model. People are always measuring you, telling you what you can and can’t eat. People complain any time you get the slightest imperfection. One minute designers want you for their campaign, the next minute they complain you’re too old.” She sighed and slumped back on the couch. “I would do anything to trade places with you girls. Although this Guardian business isn’t going to help my morale much either.”

  “Are we sure they are right about this?” Tessa asked, coming in with a plate full of cookies and crackers. Avani twitched at the sight of them, but said nothing. “I mean, they’re going off a sheet of paper with drawings on it. So we saw something no one else did! Maybe the other people didn’t count right. That’s always a possibility.”

  “It is, but I don’t think everyone would miscount the number of drawings,” Kaska said, taking a few of the cookies from the plate. “Anyway, I just hate the practices. They say we’re not supposed to get this overnight, but they treat us like we’re supposed to. We just found out about everything now! It’s still new. I swear that no class at college is as bad as this.”

  “No class in high school is as bad as this,” Avani grumbled. “And I don’t even go to an actual school anymore. That’s how much this blows.” She lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling fan. “Why are they making us start with boring powers? I don’t want to heal. I want to learn how to set someone on fire or something! When do we get to that part?”

  “Want to trade? I can’t set anything on fire.” Yuka snapped her fingers but was unable to produce a puff of smoke. Giving up, she decided that it was time for some TV. “Let’s see if there’s anything interesting going on. I can’t remember what good shows are on now.”

  “Turn on the news. Maybe we’ll hear something interesting there,” Tessa said. “Hell, the human world has got to be more interesting than this one is.”

  “I can’t disagree there.” Yuka flipped over to where the news was airing, and they all sat down, listening to what was happening. They saw an airport where humans were walking around. All of a sudden, a strange figure appeared and zipped through the lines at the baggage claim. That was more than enough for them to put aside their complaints and stare at the footage. The reporter soon began talking.

  “Today at the airport, a mysterious object was caught on camera as passengers were waiting to get their bags. No one is sure what it is, but it didn’t cause any harm or destruction,” she said. “Police are still baffled by this phenomenon and would like anyone who might have information on this to contact them.”

  “Wow!” Avani breathed out. “I think that was a ghost!”

  “Why the heck would a ghost haunt an airport?” Yuka asked. “And what would it want anyway? Maybe it’s just someone playing around.”

  “People don’t move that fast,” Kaska pointed out. “It’s got to be something else, and I doubt it’s a ghost.”

  “What else could it be?” Tessa asked.

  “I don’t know but I’m picking up some weird vibes from that video.” She watched it as the news station played the footage again. “It seems demonic to me.”

  “Demonic? No demon moves that fast,” Avani said. “I think it’s a ghost.”

  “Ghosts don’t exist,” Yuka said.

  “Well, I didn’t think demons existed either, but here we are,” she pointed out. “Anyway, this probably has nothing to do with us. It’s just some weird stuff going on in the world.”

  “Girls!” It was Fabian calling out to them. They groaned. “Break time’s over! We’ve got to finish your training.”

  “Why?” Kaska muttered. “I don’t get ice. I’m never going to make ice today. What is the point?”

  “Better to make ice than fire. I swear they won’t be satisfied until I’m able to burn down this place,” Yuka said, getting off the couch and heading down to the training room. “At this rate, lightning striking this place and burning it down is more likely.”

  “We shouldn’t give up so easily,” Tessa said, even though she didn’t mean her words. “Maybe we’ll be able to figure all this out.”

  “Yeah, like in a hundred years,” Avani joked.

  Chapter 6

  The next day was one of the calm moments that Tartarus Sanctum had; almost everyone was either studying or relaxing. The girls were relieved to get a brief resting period and were now trying to work on their various crafts. Yuka kept flexing and pointing her feet in the corner as she stretched her body. Kaska was trying to draw something outside with colored pencils, groaning whenever it didn’t come out right. Avani played a few keys on the piano, while Tessa rubbed her wrist from writing so much.

  “Turn on the TV,” Fabian suggested, letting Oscar sit down by his feet. “I want to see if that incident ended up on the news.”

  This caught everyone�
��s interest, and Kaska put down the pile of yarn she was fiddling with. “What incident are you talking about, Master?”

  “Apparently, some demons were terrorizing people at an airport.” He flipped to the news. “Now I have no idea how true this is, but it’s the big news now. In fact a lot of other airports have gone on lockdown. Some flights have even been canceled. People are being advised to change their flights or stay home until this settles down.”

  “Seriously?” Yuka looked confused as they watched the news. “What are demons going to get out of terrorizing people in an airport? And why would they pick an airport in the first place? There’s security everywhere.”

  “I don’t know the details, Yuka. Now stay quiet. I want hear this.” Fabian raised the volume, and they all listened in. The reporter looked down at the papers in front of her, seemingly worried about how to spill this news. A shot of something with glowing red eyes popped up in the box by her head.

  “The authorities are still trying to control the demon situation that is taking place in New York,” she began to say, as a scene from La Guardia airport was shown. People were walking around, picking up baggage, getting their tickets, and going through security without a problem. Nothing seemed to show any demonic activity. No one looked scared at all. “Eyewitnesses in La Guardia Airport claim that several creatures were seen running around the terminal, threatening to destroy the area. While there has been some footage of these demons, police say that the tapes do not prove anything.”

  “Well, that’s helpful,” Kaska commented, wrinkling her nose. “You might as well be telling us wild animals are loose in the airport, but there is no evidence.”

  “Passengers are being advised to change their flights or stay home if necessary. Anyone who is caught in this situation will be reimbursed; contact the airlines for more information. As for the creatures themselves, authorities are still looking for them. If anyone should have any information, please contact the police immediately. Do not attempt to confront these unknown creatures on your own.”

  Tessa was confused as the news reporter went into another story. “That’s all they’re going to talk about? They didn’t even show us the footage of the demons.”

  “I don’t expect them to,” Adair admitted, lowering the volume on the TV. “A lot of people still don’t believe we exist. You heard how that reporter sounded — she thinks this is all a joke. She’s not the first one to think that way either. We’re a myth in this world. In some ways, I think that’s a good thing.”

  “How come?”

  “Well, it would change a lot of things if people knew about us. We’re not exactly portrayed in the best light,” Sebastian explained. “I mean, glowing eyes, big teeth? Would you really want to hang around with something that could rip your heart out?”

  “I’d never do that to anyone,” Yuka pointed out.

  “I know that, but they don’t. They live in a world where those things are considered dangerous. That’s why you should never try to get along with humans in your demonic form. Never try to tell them what you really are. They may never accept you.”

  “But maybe they would,” Avani said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe if we gave them a chance to get to know us better they’d….”

  Gideon gave her a smile, but he couldn’t agree with the thought that she couldn’t even finish. “That won’t happen until sometime in the future, Avani. Even then, it may not turn out to be a good thing. Everything they’ve known about this world will change.” Seeing that he wasn’t making anyone feel better, he tried to take an optimistic turn. “But that’s something we don’t need to worry about. Focus on what you should be doing and no one will care what you are. As long as you keep this side of you a secret to humans, you’ll be okay.”

  They spent the rest of the evening studying and thinking about the news report. It had now spread throughout the house. No one could stop talking about it. A few were even tempted to go to LaGuardia and check out the so-called demonic activity. The girls kept going downstairs to see if anything new was reported on the incident. Unfortunately, no station was willing to show the footage that had been recovered.

  “What’s the point in mentioning you have something on tape when you won’t show it?” Tessa asked, as they gathered in the garden to feed the fish. The fish were now swimming toward the food as the girls watched. “You’re just going to make people more nervous and curious.”

  “I guess it’s to assure those who saw something that they aren’t crazy,” Kaska guessed. . “And at the same time, they’re trying their best to keep others calm. I wouldn’t want to see myself on tape either. I just wonder why the demons are there. And in broad daylight! Demons are supposed to stick to the shadows.”

  “Well, maybe these demons get tired of the shadows. Maybe they want to enjoy the sun and be in the open like everyone else,” Avani suggested. “This is probably the most excitement they’ve gotten IN A LONG WHILE.”

  “Yo, girls! Are you out here?” Adair called out to them.

  “Yes, Master!” Tessa yelled back. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, we just wanted to see where you were,” he said, coming into the garden with the others. They were all dressed to go out, so the girls sat up straight. “I’m glad to see you haven’t wandered off.”

  “Why would we wander off?” Kaska asked, eyeing their outfits. “Where are you going?”

  “We’re going to check out something that happened nearby. It has nothing to do with the airport stuff, but Grim Reaper Linn wants us to see it. We’ll be back in a few hours,” Sebastian told them, heading for the gate. “Now I want you guys to stay here. Practice or do whatever you want, just don’t leave the gate. If you need any help, ask one of the older demons. Don’t try to set anything on fire or break the house or anything.”

  “Okay, Master. I won’t burn anything down,” Yuka said, waving her hands around. “Not like I can make fire anyway.”

  “I would start a little simpler than that, Yuka. Phlegethon is a hard river to harness when you’re a beginner,” he said. “Anyway, I think you can take a break for a few hours. We’ll try to resume training if we get back in time. If not, we’ll pick up tomorrow. Take care, girls.”

  Once their masters were gone, the girls tried to harness Phlegethon’s power again, but couldn’t even produce smoke. Yuka struggled the hardest. She felt terrible that her master figured out Phlegethon from the beginning. Then again, Sebastian was perfection personified. If anyone would know how to harness Phlegethon, it would be him. The more she thought about it, the more she began to doubt herself.

  “I feel bored,” Tessa complained. “Ever since this started, no one wants to be with us. No one wants to talk to us. We can’t go anywhere without telling anyone. We have to practice all the time. I never knew being a guardian could be so bad.. What’s the point in being the most powerful demon when you have to suffer for it?”

  “You’re telling me. I just want to escape this place. All we’ve done is train and talk about responsibilities. We get all the stories about other guardians and how they were better than us. It’s like that’s what they want us to be — just like them. They don’t want us to have fun or lives,” Yuka grumbled. “I’d like to be an irresponsible teen for a few minutes. I want to go out and see stuff. Can they give me that much?”

  “Then let’s do it,” Avani said. “Let’s go see stuff.”

  She looked up. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Exactly what I said. You want to go out and be an irresponsible teen for a while? Then let’s be irresponsible teens. Let’s break the rules for one night! As long as we don’t do anything illegal, and we get back by curfew, we’ll be in the clear!”

  Tessa didn’t seem sure about the idea. “Really? Maybe we should tell someone if we go out.”

  “We’re not going far, Tessa. We could just go down a few blocks and see the sights. It will be a lot of fun just to get some fresh air and mingle with people! Think about it.”


  “I always did want to know what night time was like out here.” Yuka sighed, looking at the gates that led to the other world. “I guess it can’t hurt if we were to go down a block or two. The cabin fever is getting to me. I’m so tired of all these practices. I need to stretch my legs for a while. What do you guys say?”

  “I say let’s go for it! Let’s get out of here for a while. Maybe they just don’t want us to wander to the airport or something far away. One or two blocks isn’t going to hurt anyone. As long as we come back by curfew, I’m sure they’ll be okay with it,” Kaska added. “We’ll just get back before they do. They’ll never suspect a thing.”

  “Okay, but where are we going to go?” Avani asked. “I’m feeling a little hungry. I want to eat something that isn’t healthy for a change. In fact, I feel like having a pizza loaded with everything and two hot fudge sundaes for dessert! ”