by Jen L. Grey
They are standing in the middle of the room.
Dad’s eyes dart around the room and he puts his hands into his pocket.
Mom sits down on the edge of my bed and twirls her wedding ring around.
Dad’s gaze lands on the two peanut butter sandwiches and waters. “Expecting company?”
Shit, I forgot all about that. “No. It’s just my dinner.” I take a deep breath. “I’m just really thirsty tonight.”
He opens his mouth, but Mom clears her throat.
This is strange, and I need to get back to the demon. I’m ready for this to speed along. “So, what’s up?”
They share a quick glance with one another, and Mom shifts her legs toward me. “We just wanted to say that we haven’t meant to be hard on you.”
Yeah, okay. “Sure, so you haven’t meant to tell me what all is at risk every time you see me?”
“What your mother is trying to say,” Dad rubs the back of his neck, “is that we haven’t meant to put any additional pressure on you.” He avoids my gaze. “It’s just, we’re stressed as well.”
Is it me or does this conversation seem a little circular? “Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
A loud huff comes out of the back of Mom’s throat. “Oh, now, come on. We just want to check on you.” She licks her bottom lip. “Is there anything you need from us?”
Now they ask that. When I have ten hours left of my hard deadline with the council. “No. I think I’m good.”
“But…” Mom’s tone is aggravated.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Janice.” Dad emphasizes her name. “Just know we are here to help and we are… on your side. Are you sure there isn’t anything we can do?”
I attempt to take deep, calming breaths, but it’s not working. Yes, I’m surprised they’re in here attempting to somewhat apologize, but who the hell do they think they are? They are scared shitless that I’m going to ruin their future. This has nothing to do with me. But blowing up at them isn’t going to help anything. It’s just going to make them do whatever it is they are trying to do harder.
Even now, when they are trying to make things right, they are avoiding my gaze and are as awkward as I’ve ever seen them. Do they think I’m that stupid? Scratch that, I guess they do. They are here in my room doing it.
“Seriously,” Dad glances at me and then stares at my feet, “we’re here to help.”
Mom’s playing with a loose thread on my comforter. Just rolling it around between her fingers and pretending it’s the most mesmerizing thing she’s ever seen.
“Don’t worry.” I open a bottle of water and take a sip. “I have it handled.”
“I’m sure you do.” Mom’s tone is level now and even seems to have a little concern laced in it. “But let us help anyways. That’s what parents are here for.”
“Maybe if you tried concentrating a little harder.” Dad raises an eyebrow at me.
“That’s not the problem.” I let out a huge sigh.
“How do you know?” He lifts his chin. “You haven’t tried tracking anything like that since you were ten.”
I have to bite my tongue to prevent a laugh from escaping. That’s how little they know me. “Concentration isn’t the problem.”
“It’s always your problem.” His voice echoes inside my room and his jaw clenches.
How do I get myself out of this situation? They are just wasting my time at this point. “You guys don’t know what it’s like.”
“We’re reapers.” Mom shakes her head and tsks. “Death is what we do. This is who we are. You need to get used to it.”
“She wasn’t a target.” How can they justify this?
“It doesn’t matter,” Dad growls. “We move on. Our kind is adaptable, or at least supposed to be.”
“So, how do you suppose I solve this problem?” I cross my arms. I really do want the answer to this question.
“Now, that is the smartest thing I’ve heard out of you in a long time.” Dad nods and takes a few steps toward me. “One of the butlers at the council house has a contact that can help you track down the element.”
What? Maybe I should have turned to them after all. My heart drops, but I already signed the contract with the demon. “They do? And they are willing to help us?”
He glances at Mom. “Yes.”
“Wait.” They are hiding something from me. “What’s the catch?”
His eyes widen, and he averts his eyes. He puts a hand over his mouth.
Mom stands and walks over to me. “He wants your hand.”
I stumble back a step and my back hits my door. “You’re wanting to marry me off to a butler?”
“It’s for your own good. You won’t be prosecuted.” His posture becomes rigid.
Yeah, right. It’s for their own good. If I marry the butler, his status is elevated, and I become a normal run of the mill reaper, which I don’t care about. It’s the fact that my parents are trying to save their own asses.
Sure, I’ve always known they were selfish, but I didn’t realize it went this far. I had hoped there was a small amount of love they held for me.
But I’ll be damned if they know how much this hurt. “So, this whole thing was a ploy to get me to ensure you both remain intact. That you won’t suffer any repercussions.”
“Hey, now.” Mom’s usually controlled demeanor cracks just a tad. Her eyes narrow and she bares her teeth. “You’re the one who messed up and got us all in this.”
And there it is. The truth. “Well, thanks for providing me another option.” I take a step back so I can open my door. “I’ll think it over.”
I spin on my heels and slam the door behind me. Yes, it’s anticlimactic. I left them in my room, but I don’t care. I have no one in my corner except for, maybe, Brad. But, hell, it’s been years since I’ve seen him except for the past twenty-four hours. I don’t trust him more than the demon I signed the contract with.
And, speaking of which, how am I supposed to find him? I’m running out of time and need to find these three souls. I’m running out of time. I’m just thankful that sleep isn’t a huge necessity for us. We can go weeks without sleep when needed. It’s not a requirement, but it does aid in healing and rejuvenation.
My parents call out for me, but I need time away. I hit the stairs, taking them two at a time. I can’t believe, after twenty years, this is what my life has turned into. I open the door and walk out into the yard. It’s dusk so my time is running out fast.
I turn and pull out my phone to call Damien and run right into someone who smells like brimstone.
18
Of course, the one time I don’t pay attention to my surroundings, I walk into something. My phone drops and skids across the sidewalk.
The wall I run into chuckles. “I’m glad to see you, too.” Large hands grab my shoulders and push me back in a gentle manner.
I don’t have to take in the face to know who it is. The smell and voice already tell me everything. “I was just about to call you.”
His inky presence surrounds me, and his face turns to where my phone is lying a few feet away. “I can see that.”
Ugh, I hate to turn my back on a demon, but he needs me right now. I reach down and grab my phone and spin back around. “Where’s Becca?”
“Oh, she’s getting settled.” He begins walking toward town.
“How did you get out of my room so fast?” I hurry to catch up to him.
“Teleportation, just like you guys.” He glances at me. “But, unlike you, we can do it any time. It doesn’t have to be just for a job.”
“That would be nice.” There are sometimes when I get flustered with just walking or driving when I know how fast and convenient teleporting can be. “Did she get sick?”
“She was fine.” He steps over a hole in the ground. “I’ve done it long enough to know how to prevent a human from getting sick.”
Maybe being a demon isn’t such a bad gig other than being tied to the Devil and all. “So, I ta
ke it she’s hidden?”
He raises an eyebrow and his tone turns cold. “We have a contract. I hid her immediately.”
I’m striking out today. I’ve already almost pissed off a demon and I haven’t even reaped the first soul. “Thanks.”
“All right, enough with the pleasantries.” Darkness seems to consume him more. I’m not sure if it’s because the night is getting darker, or if he’s letting more of his demon show now that we have a deal. He reaches into his pocket and hands me a sheet of paper. “This is your first target.”
It’s too dark to read so I grab my cell phone and turn on the flashlights. The piece of paper reads John Bush. I close my eyes and picture the name in my head. Soon, an older man with dark, beady eyes appears. He is bald on top and has black, greasy hair on the sides. He’s dressed in a dark gray suit, but there is a gun slid into the side of his pants.
Great, my target has a gun and I won’t have anyone there to help me. This is going to be fun. I pull back to find the location and a nice, Chinese restaurant comes into view. I glance around at the street signs, and it looks like he’s at a place in the town thirty minutes away.
Since the council didn’t assign this target, I can’t transport, so I better get a move on it. “I guess I need to head home.”
“Why?” Damien’s blue eyes flash.
“Because I can’t transport there, and I need a way to get to the next town over quickly.” I would think he would know this.
He bends his neck forward. “I would hope you would expect better from me.” He reaches out and touches me.
Before I can flinch away, I disappear from where I am standing.
Black smoke surrounds me, and the smell of fire almost chokes me. I break out in coughs, and my breathing comes out in harsh gasps. I can’t tell up from down, right from left. It’s as if I’m falling into an endless vortex of fire, smoke, and darkness.
My feet hit the ground with a thud, and I fall to my knees. Dear sweet baby Jesus. I open my eyes and stand so I can scan my extremities. Two legs, check. Two hands, check. Maybe I did make it here all in one piece. That piece of shit could have given me a heads up.
Clean air whooshes through my lungs and, with each breath, the burning recedes a little more. I glance around and realize I got dumped into a deserted alley. I hobble out, working out the kink in my legs from the drop, and follow the lights.
When the alleyway breaks out, it leads to the main strip of the town. People are walking to and from, and there are people lined outside the place. Right here across from the alleyway, is a strip of trees with a wall that I can hang out on. I make my way over there and sit so I can scan the area for the target.
The building is large and has neon lights glowing on the outside. There is a donut stand outside with a small line of kids, and there are some benches out front, too. Their specialty donut must be of the cinnamon variety, because the scent hits my nose, helping to cancel out the smell of fire. The whole location is in the middle of the small downtown area of the city.
As I scan the crowd, a surge of adrenaline runs through my body when I spot Charlie in the crowd. His short blond hair is styled for once, and he’s standing in line at the donut cart. What is he doing here?
It’s almost as if he senses someone looking at him, because his eyes find mine before I can look away. He frowns when he sees me and steps out of line, making his way to me.
Here we go. Another fight for the day. I want to run away, but I can’t. I have to reap this soul and soon.
His lips press together, and he stands in front of me, blocking my view. “What are you doing here?”
I don’t have time for this. He’s going to be a distraction. “Oh, just needed to get away.” I twist to the left so I can glance around him.
“Hey!” He snaps his fingers in front of my face. “I’m over here.”
No, he didn’t. I grab his hands and push them down. “Yeah, you’re kind of blocking my view.”
“Huh?” His mouth falls open and he takes a small step back.
I wish he’d just go back over to the line. “You know, I could ask you the same question.” I motion around us. “What are you doing here?”
“What was it you said?” He crosses his arms. “Just needed to get away.”
Our conversation is going even better than they normally do, which I didn’t think was possible. I wonder if we will ever get along. “Well, now that this was cleared up, maybe you should go get your donut.”
A man that looks like my target walks out of the restaurant. He’s wearing the same suit I saw in my head, and he’s heading in this direction.
Charlie turns and takes in a sharp breath. “Hey, I got to go.”
Good, he needs to go. My mission is heading this way. “Yeah, see ya.” My attention zooms in on the beady looking man that is talking on his cell phone. As he walks past me, I step behind him, following him close.
Much to my surprise, he turns down the alleyway I vacated earlier. The lights are dim, and there isn’t anyone back here but the two of us.
Not wanting to watch his face, I race and touch my hands to his back. I push my power to swirl, but as always, it doesn’t want to swirl… to reap.
The man begins to turn, but I can’t let him. Watching the life leave their eyes is the hardest part for me. I think of my mom and dad lying on the floor like Beth with a dead, vacant stare on their faces and push my power harder. It responds, even though it still hesitates, but it begins to spin enough to pull the soul from the body.
As his soul enters me, the coldness courses through me. My parents think I’m crazy. They never felt cold when reaping someone, but I do every time. It’s as if the inside of my body is frozen.
I continue to push the power and increase the pressure, because it’s wanting to stop more and more each second. After a few minutes, the man has separated his body and passes through me to his afterlife.
My body convulses in protest, and the walls seem to swirl.
“What the hell did you just do?” Charlie’s voice is strained.
Shit. Did he just watch the whole thing? I take a deep breath and attempt to ignore the chills coursing through my body. I turn to find Charlie standing in the alleyway, his face white.
“I…” What do I say? I don’t want to lie. I reach out to the wall to remain standing and make sure I don’t trip over the body on the ground.
“Was he your target?” Charlie’s eyes are wide and his jaw is clenched.
“In a way.” He kind of was.
“Do you know what you’ve just done?” He steps up to me, his breathing ragged.
This feels like a trick question. Either way I answer seems like it will piss him off. “No, I guess I don’t.”
“You are in trouble with the council so I know you don’t have a target.” He lifts his chin. “You either tell me what is going on or I’m turning you in.”
Shit, and here I was thinking I was getting my ducks in a row.
19
Charlie’s hazel eyes narrow. “I’m serious.” He shakes his head. “I’ve had enough of whatever games you’re playing.”
Do we have to do this now? I don’t have the stamina to stand here and fight him. “You do realize we’re standing over a dead body and someone could come across us at any minute?”
He runs a hand through his hair and huffs. “Fine, we can go somewhere.”
At this point, I’ll take any small blessings. Maybe, at least, I can sit down. My magic is weighing down my limbs and is rolling throughout. It’s almost as if it’s colliding with itself, trying to remove whatever is left of the soul’s residue inside me. When my dad usually helps, he takes most of the soul inside him, and it’s a team effort. This was all me, and it’s not going well.
A phone rings, and I grab mine. The screen is all black, and I hit the on button to light it up. Nope, there are no missed calls or texts so it’s not mine. Huh, it must be Charlie.
The phone rings again. “Aren’t you going to a
nswer it?” Charlie’s tone is annoyed.
“Uh, no.” I look up. “Isn’t it you?”
He shakes his head, and we both look at the dead man at our feet.
“Come on.” Charlie heads back out of the alley. “We should be able to find a place close by. Someone is going to find him soon, especially if his phone keeps going off.”
I don’t want to, but the last thing I need is another person to run to the council. I still have two more people to reap so I can get to the crystal. “Fine, but we need to make it quick.”
A hard chuckle escapes him. “Trust me. I don’t want to be around you any longer than I have to be.”
Those comments used to sting when I was younger, but now they just annoy me. I bite my tongue, not wanting to antagonize him anymore. I do need to get out of here.
We make it back to the main strip and walk down a few storefronts when a small coffee shop appears on the corner.
Right now, a hot white mocha latte would hit the spot. “Why don’t we go in here?”
He shrugs and nods. “Okay, this works.”
At least, this is a small win in my book. I open the door, and the scent of coffee hits my nose. Sweet, this is one of my favorite smells. I head straight to the counter. The place is small and has five two-seater tables inside. Two of the tables are occupied but there is one vacant in the corner in the back next to a dark hallway that must lead to the bathrooms. That’s where we need to go. I order my drink and go down to the pick-up area to wait for it.
Charlie gets a water and heads over to the table to sit.
It doesn’t take long for my drink to be served, and I join Charlie. As soon as I’m settled in my chair, I pick up the coffee and take a long sip. The warmth does feel good to me, especially since I’m still chilled after vanquishing the man.
“So, what’s going on?” He takes a sip of his water and leans in his chair so that the front two legs are off the ground.