by CS Patra
“No, it’s just…when we become immortal, we have to go to The Underworld eventually. We have to leave behind everything we know of this world. What if you leave before I learn everything?” She realized now why everything was such a serious matter. “What would happen to us if something happened to you and, for some reason, you had to go to the chamber?”
Sebastian’s smile faded. “Oh, I see where this going. And lucky for you, I’ve got an answer.” He stood up. “Come with me. I want to show you something.”
“But I’m tired. I don’t know if I can run anymore,” she murmured. “Can this wait until tomorrow?”
“No, I think you should see it now. Hop on my back. I’ll take you there.”
She lowered her gaze. “Are you serious?”
He turned around. “Hold on tight. And I swear no one’s going to be up, so they won’t see us. You won’t be embarrassed or anything of that sort. I’ll be quick with this.”
It was enough to convince her to do as she was he told. Sebastian carried her on his back and took her outside to the rooftop. Yuka didn't mind being carried around like a child; she was still small enough for him to do so. Her legs were also worn out from running and dancing all day. The best part was that he was right about everyone else being asleep; the two of them could talk about whatever he wanted to show her. She stifled a yawn as he pushed open the door and walked onto the roof. It was a well-lit night and the stars and moon were out. Despite a few rolling clouds, the air was still warm, and everything was visible. As beautiful as it all was, she couldn’t see why he would take her out here.
"Look up," he said, setting her down and nodding toward the sky. "What do you see?"
"Stars, Master, and the moon and some clouds."
“Technically, yes. But what I’m trying to get at is that there are spirits out there. Spirits of all our predecessors including the ones that went into The Chamber. I know it’s hard to believe. But you’ve got a piece of everyone’s soul in you,” he explained. “So if anything ever happens, you’re always going to have them to guide you and help you along the way. I’ll be there too. We all will.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “No matter what happens, if I do end up going into The Chamber, there’s always going to be someone to guide you. And I’ll always be there. Maybe not in person, but you’ll still have me around. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
She rolled her eyes. “So your spirit would guide me?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Well, okay, I’d rather have you in person guiding me but---”
“Don’t think about this now!” He headed back downstairs. “Don’t think about it for a long time, okay? I’m not going anywhere for a long time.”
She wanted to believe him, but a terrible feeling gripped her. As she walked down the steps, trying to keep up with Sebastian, the feeling stuck inside of her. She had no idea if it was a premonition or not, but she felt that she wasn’t going to be in Tartarus Sanctum any longer. For some reason or another, her days here were coming to an end. The worst part about this premonition was that she was sure she wouldn’t see Sebastian or her friends again. Yet at the end of it, she would do something that would change everything. But why did she feel this way? What was all of this supposed to mean? What was she going to do?
She yawned. “I have nothing to worry about.”
“Exactly,” Sebastian agreed, as they both headed toward their separate bedrooms. “Keep believing that, Yuka. Things will be fine.”
She wanted to believe him, yet her mind was stuck on the premonition. Certainly no good would come out of leaving, yet she still felt a silver lining.
There had to be one.
Chapter 11
Yuka didn’t tell anyone about her premonition the following morning, not even Sebastian. It had taken hours to fall asleep, and she felt half-dead when she got up. News about their run-in with the demon slayers had spread across the breakfast table, and now other demons gave her looks. There was whispering going on all around and she knew for what. No matter how many times she glared at them, they continued. Whatever she wanted to keep under wraps was now out in the open. No one wanted to talk to them, yet everyone was willing to talk about them. And that was fine.
But only Yuka seemed to be bothered by this. The others girls had plans to keep them busy and were trying to perfect their crafts. They had already finished the same old talks, and no one was angry. The punishment seemed fitting, and they had enough to occupy themselves now. Tessa was trying to finish up a short story while Kaska had started a brand new painting out on the deck. After breakfast, Yuka caved in and went to the practice room to work on some new dance moves.
Avani had been walking around but got tired and decided to play the piano for a while. But there was something that she needed help with, and there was only one demon that could do this. She went over to family room where she found Gideon and sat down next to him. He pretended not to notice, but she knew better. He had noticed her as soon as she stepped in.
“Master, can I bother you for a minute?” Avani asked.
“Oh, Avani, you never bother me for just a minute, but okay.” Gideon put down the book he was reading. “What do you need? Someone to judge your runway walk? Someone to look at more pictures of you? Someone to take pictures of you?”
“No…I…well, I wanted you to hear this.” She held up some sheet music. “A friend helped me write it, and I wanted you to be the first to listen to it. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Are you singing?”
“No?”
“Good.” He ducked when she threw the papers at his head. “I’m kidding, Avani! Kidding! In all seriousness, I would love to hear this new piece. Come on. Let’s go to the ballroom so you can tickle the baby grand’s ivories. Hopefully no one else is using that room. The last time we had too many demons in there, someone walked on a cat’s tail and two crystal vases were broken.”
As they wandered toward the ballroom, Avani found herself aching to ask him the question on her mind. Becoming a chosen one was exciting, but it left her with many doubts. “Master, you graduated from college already, right?”
“Yes, I did. All of us have. And you don’t have to worry about keeping up with your schoolwork. You’re already being taught by private tutors because of your modeling career. This will be no different. When you’re ready, you’ll be able to go to college and pursue whatever you want.”
“I don’t know about that,” she murmured. “I got into Julliard, and I couldn’t go because of my modeling career. What if I end up not being able to go to NYU or Carnegie Mellon because of Apprentice duties? I’ve had my heart set on Tisch forever. And then I discovered Carnegie Mellon and decided that it wouldn’t be bad either. I just don’t want to be kept from everything I love.”
“Hey, Sebastian made it in Yale and is coming out of it summa cum laude. It doesn’t get better than that,” Gideon said. “And I went to NYU as well. I managed to attend and graduate from college and still be an Apprentice at the same time. If we can do it, you’ll definitely be able to do it.”
“Oh good. Because the more everyone talks about this, the more I get worried,” Avani said. “I’m starting to hate these duties. It’s always training, training, and training. I’ve got a life outside of training! I want to walk runways in Milan and be a part of the Balenciaga campaign and grace the cover of Vogue! I’m surprised they’re allowing me to breathe!”
Gideon chuckled, even though he understood her frustrations. “Relax, Avani. I know it sounds like a lot, but you’ll get through it. Every Apprentice before you did.”
“Well, can’t anyone remember what it’s like to be an Apprentice? I know they couldn’t have all lost their memories.”
“Maybe not, but memories have to be put aside for what’s more important. It will happen to me, it will happen to you, it will happen everyone that succeeds us,” he explained. “It’s just how things go.”
“Oh, Grim Reaper Olana,” Avani said, as she bowed before her. “I was going to show Master Gideon what I’ve been practicing the last few days.”
“Oh good.” She seemed relieved by the answer. “I’m glad to see that you are taking these duties seriously, Avani. I thought you were going to show some runway walk or a piano piece.”
Avani’s face fell. “Actually, Grim Reaper Olana, I was going to show him this piano piece that I was working on. He said it was okay and that he had plenty of time to listen to me!”
“She’s right.” Gideon nodded. “She’s trained enough for today, and she still needs to practice everything else. If you want her safe in the Upper World while she’s growing, it’s good that she focuses on other interests.”
Grim Reaper Olana did not seem too pleased with this answer. “So you are off pursuing other interests instead of focusing on what is important?”
“But this is important too!” Avani exclaimed. “I did train, and I train every day. I work my hardest! Can’t I just have a little break to work on something else?”
“You don’t have time for little breaks!”
“I beg to differ.” It wasn’t Avani who spoke up, but Gideon. He held up his hand and shook his head. “I do not mean to disrespect you, Grim Reaper Olana. But I do believe Avani has a point. She’s a growing girl. As she gets older, she needs to focus on other things in life. It will not hurt anyone if she spends one hour playing the piano.”
Grim Reaper Olana looked shocked that Gideon would say such a thing to her, but she was silent. It was the first time Gideon had stood up to her like that. Avani was waiting for something to happen between them. Would Grim Reaper Olana punish him? Would they both punish her? What was she going to do?
“I suppose you have a point,” Grim Reaper Olana finally said. “Very well. You have one hour to yourself.”
“Thank you, Grim Reaper Olana. Thanks, Master.” She bowed to both of them. “I promise to go back to training after an hour break.”
“I would like that,” Grim Reaper Olana responded before walking out
Once she was gone, Avani turned to Gideon, who shrugged. “Master, I don’t get it. We live in New York City, which is filled with humans, and yet we’re kept from doing anything with these humans. We’re not allowed to live like them. How are we ever going to survive if all we do is go to school and train here? It doesn’t seem right.”
“Yeah, I know. It seems like Grim Reaper Olana and the others are stricter about it than I am. But I promise that I’ll come up with some ways for you to keep doing your modeling jobs and music lessons between training,” he said. “You’re young. You deserve to live your life in whatever way you choose.”
“I wish others felt the way you did.”
“They only want what’s best for you, Avani. But I don’t think they know what that is.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
“Good. Now are you going to play something for me or not?”
“Oh yeah, that! Come on, Master!” She motioned him to follow her into the ballroom where the baby grand was waiting. “I might be a little rusty since I haven’t had too much time to practice with all the ‘training’ I’ve been doing.”
“Just do your best. That’s all I ever ask of you.”
They found themselves at the piano and Avani started to play. She had hoped to do two songs but ended up playing for almost an hour. Gideon sat next to her and listened. He knew there were pianists out there who struggled to find the right keys but not her. She knew just where to place her hands and what keys to hit. It was almost therapeutic to hear her.
They were both so lost in the music that they almost didn’t hear someone clearing their throat. Gideon turned around to find Grim Reaper Olana standing in the doorway, her arms folded. The look on her face was anything but happy. Gideon nudged Avani and she stopped playing. She also turned to see Olana and her face went white. This was not the reception she was hoping for.
“Why is Mistress Avani not training yet?” Olana demanded to know.
“She’s a taking a little break.” Gideon explained. “She has a life outside of this one too, Grim Reaper Olana.”
“I know, Gideon, but she needs to work a little harder. I need to teach her some skills that are a bit advanced. The last I’ve heard, the demon slaying groups have grown.” Olana explained. “We can’t take any more chances. I realize you want to have time to relax, but we can’t all relax and do no work.”
“But I do work, Grim Reaper Olana.” Avani pointed out. “Photoshoots, fittings, and let’s not forget about school and my lessons. Those are a lot of work, too.”
“I was referring to your duties as a guardian.”
“I’ll get to those. But I need to practice for my recital, too.”
“I know, I know. One thing comes right after the other. You need to learn to prioritize,” Gideon suggested. He turned to Grim Reaper Olana. “Just let her play one song and we’ll get right down to training.”
Olana wasn’t happy about the idea, but she accepted it. “All right. One song and that is it. Then you promise you’ll start practicing?”
“Yes, yes,” Gideon promised. Olana seemed satisfied, although she still wasn’t pleased. As soon as she left, he turned to Avani. “You heard her. We’ve only got one song.”
Avani sighed and started to play, keeping it soft so she could still keep talking. “You know, I don’t know how I’ll ever get these powers perfected. I try and I practice and it just doesn’t sink in.”
“It’s not supposed to sink in overnight, Avani. I wasn’t expecting you to nail everything right off the bat. I’d be surprised if you had.”
“How did you learn to do everything?”
“It took time. We started with one river’s powers, then moved onto the next. That’s the way everyone else has done it. You’ve got to be patient, and you’ve got to take time.”
“You’re going to have to teach me how to do that. I wish I could spend all day practicing, but I have a job now. Granted, I know I’m only fourteen. You probably think I’m going too fast with this modeling business, especially since you don’t think the industry is all that great. I know you think it’s not a career someone like me should have.”
“It isn’t,” he agreed. “There are far too many bad things about it: racism, sexism, homophobia in some cases, the whole package. I’ve seen girls your age forced into this industry, and it changes them completely, forces them to grow up too soon. I don’t know if you’ll like it in a few years from now. You’re a beautiful girl, there’s no doubt about that. You just deserve better.”
“I know you’re concerned, Master. But I know what I’m doing. My mom knows what I’m doing. You have nothing to worry about.”
Gideon wasn’t convinced. “All the same, Grim Reaper Olana was right about you needing to practice. I know you need freedom and space, and I’m willing to give it. At the same time, we are getting behind schedule on some of this. I would like you to at least get one river’s powers down in the next month.”
“A month? Doesn’t that seem too soon to you, Master?” She was skeptical about the whole thing. She knew they were only thinking of her wellbeing, but she wasn’t ready. She couldn’t become a Grim Reaper too quickly. There was plenty she wanted to do before she went to the Underworld.
“It is but the sooner we get it out of the way, the better. At least it’ll get everyone off my back… and yours too,” he said, leading her away from the piano and toward the garden. “Come on. We’ll practice outside and see what you can do.”
Avani followed him, and they spent the rest of the afternoon trying to harness Cocytus’ powers and control the icy waters. She struggled for the most part, but at least the water seemed to move with her commands. Gideon nodded as he watched her practice, approving of her moves and stepped in when she was
starting to make a mess. It was a shame that Grim Reaper Olana didn’t get a chance to see her. Maybe then she would have seen that there was time for work and play in Tartarus Sanctum. There was time to talk about fashion and music, to paint the sunset from the roof, and to try out new dance steps. There was time to plan for a trip to Europe in the following year and start the next great American novel. There was time for books and parties and thinking about boys. There was all the time in the world — for everything.
Unfortunately, that time wouldn’t last.
Chapter 12
The punishment stood, but no one seemed to mind anymore. Paris was a distant memory as their time was taken up by everything else. Their masters were training them harder now than ever, and it left everyone exhausted by the end of the day. At first, they had been ready and willing to harness the powers. But things had changed, and now they wanted to rest. They were longing for days when they weren’t the future guardians of the Underworld. Back then, no one had a thing to worry about or fear. No one was scared of them.