by Cara Wylde
“You did a poor job with me,” I told him. “You almost got me killed, you hit me, terrorized me…” He tried to turn around. “No, listen to me. This is your chance to do better. This is your chance to make up for all of it.”
He faced me, thick brows furrowed. “Why is this so important to you? I know you, and you’re not the kind of person who cares about other people.”
“That’s so unfair.”
“You do what you want, never listen to advice, you get yourself in trouble, you hurt the ones who love you, and now… what? You want me to believe that you just want to give this kid a future? That there’s nothing in it for you?”
I cleared my throat. God, he could read me like an open book! He was a bastard, but maybe I wasn’t far from being one, either. I was the result of my upbringing.
“Don’t you, for once, want to do something good and noble in your life?” I insisted. “The way things look now, you’re going to Hell. I can assure you. I can even tell you what Circle they’ll put you in.”
He sighed, but there was something in his eyes that told me I was finally getting to him. Fear. Thanks to me, he knew Heaven and Hell were real. I’d told them all about the school trips.
“We don’t have the finances to adopt a new kid, buy her clothes, feed her, and send her to school,” he said.
“I’ll take care of that.”
He snorted. “Didn’t your father disown you?”
Shit. I’d complained about it to my mom, and my mom told my dad everything. No matter how cruel he was to her, she still worshipped him or something.
“I’ll find a way. I’m surrounded by supernatural people.”
My guys would have helped me in a second, but I had to remember I’d broken up with them. In a moment of weakness or madness… I wasn’t sure myself. Who else could help me? Klaus came from a rich family, not to mention Lorna. But Yoli wasn’t their responsibility. She was mine.
“I’ll figure it out,” I said more to myself than to my dad.
The winter vacation was over in three days, and Stepan was still unmovable. My mom and I were doing our best, and even Corri tried to intervene on our behalf, but my dad didn’t like pixies. He tolerated her as a pet, but not as an actual being with feelings and emotions who could think for herself. I was getting ready to leave for the Academy, determined to come up with a new plan, when my mom came into my room. Her whole face was illuminated by a bright smile, and I instantly relaxed, feeling like she was about to take a burden off my shoulders.
“He said yes. I want a child so much, and he knows this is his chance to do better. Between me and you, he doesn’t want to go to Hell.” She laughed.
“So? When are we giving Yolanda the good news?”
“You go to school, my dear. Your father and I will book plane tickets to Bulgaria.”
She’d said the last part in an uncertain voice. They didn’t have money to fly back and forth between the US and Bulgaria for the adoption proceedings.”
“Corri, you can teleport other people, right?”
“You know I can. One at a time, though.”
I turned to my mom. “We’re going to learn how to teleport and take other people with us in PE this semester. So far, Professor Charon has been busy teaching the other kids what Morningstar didn’t allow her to teach last year. But Corri can take you.”
“Take us… where? How?”
I rolled my eyes, amused. “Where you need to go. In the blink of an eye.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that.”
* * *
The look on Yoli’s face when Stepan and Ilena went to tell her they were intending to adopt her. I was with them, a few steps back. Corri was hiding in my bag. Tears gathered in the kid’s eyes, and I might have teared up a little, too.
“Let’s hope that you can dream,” I whispered under my breath.
“Is that really all you care about?” Corri asked, her tiny head peeking out of the bag.
I pushed her back down with my finger. “No. It’s what I choose to focus on, so I don’t get attached.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Yoli was with my adoptive parents, and I was at Grim Reaper Academy. We weren’t cousins anymore, we were sisters. A bit of Lorna magic had helped speed up the adoption process. No one had time for bureaucracy. Between classes and avoiding the guys, what was left of my free time was spent back in Kentucky, with Yolanda. I’d usually teleport there every evening to have dinner with them. It wasn’t long before Yoli figured out something was off. My parents had told her I was studying in Salem, so it didn’t make sense that I could visit them three-four times a week. One night, after dinner, Stepan pulled me aside.
“If you only did this for her, then prove it. Keep her out of your world, let her live a normal life. She doesn’t need to know about Grim Reaper Academy, or that you’re actually teleporting here, not flying. Stay away for a while, why won’t you?”
“Fine.”
So, I stayed away for a while. We were talking and texting all the time, so it was all the same to me. She’d started telling me about her dreams. Childishly, just to make conversation…
“You won’t believe what I dreamed last night!”
And I’d listen to her. I soon recognized the signs. Most of her dreams were lucid, and she often saw younger or older versions of herself, some with similar lives, others on completely different paths.
“I saw you in this small chapel… I think the chapel was part of a bigger building. And you were talking to this guy with blond hair and blue eyes. He was so tall and handsome! I went to you, but you didn’t recognize me.”
My heart skipped a beat. In a parallel universe, Sariel and I met in the Holy Chapel.
“He had wings!”
And he hadn’t lost his wings yet…
“I wonder what it means.”
“So, you dream a lot.”
“Every night. If I don’t dream, it’s like I don’t sleep at all. I wake up tired and confused.”
She was a natural dream jumper. I could bet she could switch places with her other versions if someone taught her how to do it. I myself had never known or gotten the chance to learn. But my mother, Katia… I had to tell her the truth. Time was flying by. Classes, field trips, tests, projects. We were heading for the end of the year, and I was hesitating. I didn’t know what would happen after graduation, but if I didn’t do something, I was afraid I might end up being left out. There were twenty-two Grim Reapers in the world, and I had to be one of them. I just had to. The privilege came with two hundred years of immunity from Death. No sacrifices to Yig. It came with the gifts of freedom and time, and I could use both to figure my life out, see what I could do to fix what I’d broken.
Meanwhile, as I was building a half-true, half-omissive discourse in my head for Yoli, I was doing my best to avoid GC, Pazuzu, Sariel, and Francis. Sariel was easy. Most of his classes were with the Merciful Death Cabal, and in the one class we had together, he sat with Lorna, who was more than happy to console him after I’d dumped him so unceremoniously. My VDC ex-boyfriends were another story.
Do I really think of them as ex-boyfriends? I missed them like crazy. I’d said I wanted a break, but the winter vacation was over, we were back at the Academy, and I still wasn’t ready to get back with them. I felt like my life was getting more complicated by the day. I hadn’t yet told them that my parents had adopted my cousin, because then I’d also have to tell them why, and I couldn’t lie anymore, nor omit the truth. It was getting exhausting. I was reaching the point where I couldn’t remember what I’d told and hadn’t told to whom, and the moment I was going to have that super important conversation with Yoli, I would probably also lose track of my own lies, half-truths, and omissions. Klaus didn’t know, either. Patricia didn’t know. Only Corri, Lorna, and I. I was honestly surprised Lorna still stuck with me after I’d broken Sariel’s heart.
GC sat next to me every day. He wouldn’t give up. Paz would sit ne
xt to me sometimes, then get angry when I ignored him and move a few seats away. Francis, just like Sariel, gave me space. I hoped he felt shitty for what he did after the Yule Ball.
“What’s up?” GC tried to initiate a conversation in Anatomy of Souls. It was his MO. Maybe he thought one of these days I’d give in and let them all back into my life. He was wrong. Because this wasn’t about them, it was about me. I wanted them in my life. I just didn’t want poisonous me in theirs.
“Nothing much.”
“You doing okay?”
“Sure.”
And that was about it. I didn’t want to let them get any closer than they already were. I didn’t want to be friends, because friends would lead to friends with benefits, and then… I felt like I was walking on thin ice. If either of them kissed me or touched me, they’d melt it from under my feet and I’d fall fall fall into a lake of my own despair.
Between the last class of the day and dinner, hid in my room. Even the Library was too exposed now. I could feel them in the shadows. My ex-boyfriends. Corri told me I was being paranoid, but I knew. Wherever I went, at least one of them was there, watching me. Maybe to make sure that I was fine, or to make sure they were around just in case I changed my mind and wanted to get back together. Out of the blue. Like most of the things I’d been doing lately.
My phone rang just as I was dropping my scythe next to a pile of dirty laundry. In PE, Mrs. Charon had started teaching us how to take other people with us when teleporting. I was drenched in sweat. On the one hand, I hadn’t expected it to be so difficult, but on the other hand, I was glad I was finally getting challenged again in PE.
“Yes?”
“Miss Mila Morningstar, this is Celine Barnes. From the bank. Do you remember me?”
I rubbed my aching temples. “Of course.” Yeah, I remembered her. She’d been the one to give me the news about my father emptying both his vault and mine. Not a crime, of course, since the treasure was all his.
“I’ve got great news for you! The Council has just made a money transfer to your account, payment for the months you reaped in Valentine Morningstar’s place.”
“You’re kidding me…”
“I’ve noticed you haven’t checked your account in a while, and I figured I might as well call and tell you.”
I ran my hand through my slightly damp hair and let out a breath of relief. Well, that solved some of my problems.
“Practice is practice, of course,” Celine Barnes continued, “But two summers ago, Mr. Morningstar sent you to reap in his stead, and that wasn’t practice. It was honest work, and the Council has finally decided to reward you for it. I’m glad, honestly. I believe it’s only fair and you deserve it.”
“Thank you. For saying that, and for letting me know.”
“My pleasure. Call me if you need anything.”
I hung up. Corri flew over to rest on my shoulder, but when she got close enough to feel the sweaty heat of my body, she scrunched up her nose and went to sit on the kitchen counter. God, her nose was sensitive alright! Offensively so!
“What was that about?”
I quickly checked my account and cocked my eyebrow at the hefty sum. Well, being a Grim Reaper sure was a well-paid career.
“I’ll tell you what. Yoli’s getting new clothes.”
* * *
We went shopping, and it was the perfect excuse to get her out of the house and away from Stepan and Lena, who always seemed to lurk outside the bedroom door when I was visiting. I had to give it to them. They were taking care of this kid like they’d never taken care of me. Yolanda chose a few pairs of pants, a few sweaters, and a dress. She’d been wearing her old clothes from the orphanage for too long, and they were mostly second-hand stuff donated by people. My mom had given her some of my old clothes, but since I hadn’t had many myself, they were too worn out to look even half-decent. I didn’t want the kids to make fun of her at school. Been there, done that. It wasn’t pleasant, and it didn’t build character, either. It just made you sad, bitter, and insecure.
When she got tired, we stopped at a small family restaurant in the better part of town, and I chose the most isolated booth I could find. It was time.
“Yoli, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
She was stuffing her mouth with the complementary nachos.
“But first, you have to meet someone.” I figured it would be easier to convince her that I hadn’t gone insane, and there was a world full of supernaturals out there if I could demonstrate with… a pixie. “Promise me you won’t freak out, though.”
“I promise.” Her big blue eyes were trained on me.
“Like… seriously. You might feel the need to jump and scream. Promise me you won’t do it.”
She furrowed her brows and placed her fists on the table, taking the position I used to take at the doctor’s office, when I knew I wouldn’t like what the woman in scrubs was going to do to me, but I also knew it was necessary and I just had to suck it up for a few minutes.
“Good.” I opened my bag. “Corri?”
The pixie emerged slowly from the bag, making sure no one was around to see her. Her brown hair was disheveled, and her clothes were wrinkled. She’d been forced to ride in my bag the whole shopping session, and she wasn’t happy about it.
“Hi there!”
Yoli blinked, then blinked again. She pursed her lips, and I could tell she was biting hard on her tongue. Her reaction was priceless! I almost burst out laughing, but that would’ve been inappropriate, so I coughed and tried to stay focused.
“Corri is a pixie. My pixie.”
Yolanda shook her head as if to say she didn’t believe her eyes and didn’t believe me either. This wasn’t going to be easy, but at least her protest was silent.
“Yes, pixies are real, but not just pixies. Angels, demons, vampires, shapeshifters… I’m going to tell you a story. About how I came to study at Grim Reaper Academy. Me, a human, just like you. But if we’re only human, it doesn’t mean we don’t have our own powers and we’re not supernatural in our own way.”
“Are you saying I’m supernatural?”
Well, she did know how to read between the lines. But first things first, I had to start with the beginning. So, I told Yolanda everything, except two things: that I wasn’t human anymore, and that I found out about Katia, who was trapped in a parallel universe, because I used to be a dream jumper myself. I faded over those details, and in my opinion, the story didn’t have much to suffer because of it. It was overwhelming for an eleven-year-old as it was.
“Those dreams you told me about… they’re real, too. You have the same gift my mother has. You were born with it. So, you see, I need you to travel and find her.”
She nodded. “What about him?”
“I want you to stay away from him. Valentine Morningstar is dangerous. My mother… she knows him better than anyone. I have this strong feeling that if we get to her, she will tell us how to retire him.”
Corri looked at me like I was the eighth wonder of the world. That was the first time she was hearing this theory. In truth, it was the first time I had thought of it. After telling Yoli how awful Morningstar was and how important it was for me to retire him so I could take his place as a Grim Reaper, I felt like a needed to give her a solid incentive to look for Katia instead, and not for him. I didn’t want to send her after him, although I was dying to know what parallel dimensions he’d been traveling to lately. My mother could as well have something helpful, and if not her, then her husband – one of the few versions of Morningstar who weren’t mad and evil. Something’s gotta give. I was out of ideas, anyway. Yoli was my only chance.
“Now that you know lucid dreaming is a gift, you’ll be able to control it. We’re learning about it at the Academy. Corri, can you please get my notes?” The pixie swirled in the air, clapped her tiny hands, and a bunch of papers materialized on the table. “Even though I’m not a great dream jumper myself,
I paid attention in class and wrote everything down for you.”
Yoli started going through my notes. “It’s strange that you haven’t inherited your mother’s gift,” she said. “I’m sorry. Life is just so unfair sometimes.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. Those were wise words coming from a child. You have no idea…
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll be a Grim Reaper. It’s a pretty cool job.”
“If we find your father first.” She looked up from the papers. “I will find her for you, and then I will find him. You can count on me.”
“Thank you.”
After a while, Corri went back into the bag, and we ordered dessert. Between two bites, Yoli said something I would never forget.
“I’ve always hoped that someone would show up one day and tell me that I was special. That I had a gift or a superpower, and I could help save the world. I know it sounds stupid…”
“It doesn’t. I hoped the same thing when I was your age. And then later, a letter in a red envelope made it all real.”
She smiled. “You’re my letter in a red envelope. Sister.”
A vise clutched my heart and squeezed. It wouldn’t stop squeezing until all this was over.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
We started mapping the parallel universes together. Now that Yoli knew I was a student at Grim Reaper Academy and I could teleport, I’d just show up in her room with Stepan and Lena being none the wiser. After I finished my classes and she finished hers, I’d get food and snacks from the kitchen (Joel was such a sweetheart!), and we’d spend hours on the floor of my old bedroom that was now hers, creating a sort of map that only we could understand. Corri was at our disposal, ready to go steal more snacks for us. Sometimes, Lorna would join us. The mage wanted to be kept up to date.
It was one of those evenings when we were all gathered around a mess of papers, nachos, and guacamole.