by Cara Wylde
As I scrolled down the front page, then went deeper and clicked on each and every link I could find, I started getting chills down my back and arms. It was in the middle of August, hot as hell, yet here I was, pulling the blanket off the bed and wrapping myself in it. It seemed so real. No matter how hard I tried to divine some clue that it was all a joke and the website had been created by someone with too much time on their hands, nothing came up. I was at a loss. Maybe it was just my crazy desire for something supernatural to happen in my life. Maybe it was me. Maybe a sane person would have seen the hoax in an instant, but I’d already accepted a long time ago that I was anything but sane. Suddenly self-conscious, I pulled at the stretchy bands around my wrists, covering more of my skin. I needed to raise some money to buy myself longer ones. The old wristbands only covered a quarter of my forearms. Maybe I could find something that would reach my elbows and not look ridiculous or too goth in hot weather. Yeah. A sane person I was not. Because sane people didn’t do what I’d done.
I shook my head and resumed my research. There were pictures of the top former students, and as I studied them, two things shocked me. First, oh my God, they were all gorgeous! Girls and boys, it didn’t matter. They all looked as if they’d been ripped out of a bunch of Hollywood movies about vampires and other breeds of sexy immortals. Secondly, their names. Okay, some of them made sense, but… Tariel? Calipso? Who in their right mind named their kid Calipso?! Unless we were talking about the Greek nymph herself?
That’s ridiculous. Okay, so they said this is the first time they’re inviting a human to apply, but that doesn’t mean nymphs exist. Or did it?
There are only twenty-two Grim Reapers in the world, the site said. Every two hundred years, our school takes in a new generation of Reapers and prepares them to replace the old generation. Delivering the final blessing of Death to the worthy and the unworthy is one of the most stressful and straining careers, and our institution is the only one currently accredited to prepare the future Grim Reapers of the world. Our mission is to turn you, honored candidate, into the Slayer that you are meant to be. We believe in hard work, dedication, perseverance, and true, healthy competition.
Well, I did enjoy some competition. At my high school, there wasn’t much of that. Academically speaking, of course. Who got the most uninspired tattoos didn’t count as healthy competition in my book. Nor who could chug ten beers in ten minutes and not throw up all over the front of his own shirt. Or her shirt. Who could prank the professors, who could steal more lunches from the odd kids in the corner of the cafeteria, who could stuff the blue-haired girl’s head in the bathroom sink and dump bleach on her head…
I shut my eyes tightly. That had happened in the first year of high school, and I got my hair and scalp burned pretty good. I had recovered since then, kept stubbornly dyeing my medium-length blond tresses blue, and the bitches in my class eventually forgave me for it and moved on to other methods of torture. Fuck it. Even with all the crap I had to endure every day because I was different and dared to ace all my classes, the bullies at school were still better than my bully of a dad. They’d forcefully bleached my hair, so what? I could take it. But being called names by my own father. Don’t go there, Mila.
Where was this place, anyway? I clicked on the Contact page and found an address and a map. Salem, Massachusetts. Fitting. Pretty far from my home sweet home Hazard, Kentucky, but I was sure I could make it if I really wanted to. If my dad let me…
I snapped the laptop shut, grabbed the ominous letter that shouldn’t have been under my pillow (not if what I’d learned about physics was correct), and snuggled in bed. It was 8 AM, and since my dad had made it clear he didn’t want to see my face today, I could still get some good, well-deserved sleep. But there was no way I could lay still, let alone drift off. Not after everything I had learned. Invited to apply to Grim Reaper Academy. An honor. The only human they had ever sent an invitation to. Only twenty-two Reapers in the world, and I could be one of them. A chance that only popped up once every two hundred years. So, once in a human lifetime. My lifetime.
And what if it’s real? What if I can finally be someone? Someone else than Mila Lazarov, the idiot who thought that if she dyed her hair blue, it would make her special? When I’d started dyeing it, in fifth grade, I’d been the only one. The weirdo. The professors called my mom about it and my black nails once a week, and the other kids admired my boldness. But that ended the second I went to high school. All girls were dyeing their hair green, pink, blue, and purple now. It was allowed. They had tattoos, I didn’t. They were cool, I wasn’t. They were bitchy and as stupid as a bag of rocks, I was smart and despised for it. I was pretty, too, and the boys noticed me. Not in a good way.
It’s real, I finally decided. It’s real, and I have to go. I don’t care what Dad says. I’ll run away if I have to. Of course the letter was the real deal. It had magically materialized in one piece in my room, under my pillow, after my father had turned it to shreds in front of my eyes. They don’t have to know of my plan. I’ll just pretend everything is fine, I’ll go back to cleaning the kitchen and scrubbing the toilets tomorrow, and I when the time comes, I won’t even tell Mom. She’s too weak. She’s always been weak, and she made me weak, too. Not anymore. I’m going to be a goddamn Grim Reaper.
I giggled in my pillow, clutching the envelope to my chest. My stomach rumbled, but I didn’t care. Grim Reapers didn’t need the food of mortals. I burst out laughing and covered my head with the blanket, so Mom and Dad wouldn’t hear me. The last thing my father would have forgiven, was my happiness.
CHAPTER THREE
To say that my heart was beating wildly would’ve been an understatement. The test hadn’t even begun, and I was panting, sweating profusely, and feeling like I had to go to the bathroom right that very instant, otherwise I would pee myself. Or worse. They had made me wear a black, skin-tight uniform that was way too revealing, and I didn’t care that all the other candidates were wearing it, too. Revealing, as in it was composed of a pair of high-waisted pants and a tank top that left my arms, and especially my wrists, bare. I hated that. Hated it with a passion, but they hadn’t allowed me to put on my wristbands. They’d given me a pair of lightweight boots that looked rather badass, I had to admit, and a pair of short gloves.
“I’m not ready for this,” I whispered under my breath.
I’d only gotten here one hour before, I was late after having gotten lost twice in the town of Salem before an old lady was kind enough to point me in the right direction, I was dead tired after a long three-hour trek through the woods because I couldn’t fucking afford a cab, and when I’d finally reached the gates of Grim Reaper Academy, they’d rushed me to what seemed to be the gym, shoved me in the girls’ locker, and ordered me to get into my uniform because the test was about to start.
Test? What test? No one told me anything about a test, and it wasn’t mentioned on the website. Shit. I guessed it made sense.
“Yes, you are. You’ll do great.”
When did this guy appear next to me? I gave him a curious glance, and he winked at me. He was slightly taller than me, with light blond, almost silvery hair, and bright blue eyes, dressed in a similar uniform, except his had short sleeves. Better than nothing.
“I’m Klaus, by the way. I was late, the other spots were taken, so they sent me here.”
“Mila.”
“Yeah. I heard. The human.”
I blushed to the tips of my ears. In embarrassment or anger, I couldn’t tell. “The human, right,” I mumbled.
“Well, I’m a mage.”
I wanted to say that no one had asked him, but I fought the urge. So far, he’d been nice to me. All the other candidates had been throwing me weird looks since I got here, and I even heard some insults on my way to the spot I’d been assigned to. We were all supposed to start in the woods, and the first part of the test would take us up a ladder, high in the trees, and from there… God knew where. I had no
one to ask, and the professor who’d brought me here, Mrs. Morgan, hadn’t said a word to me. I wasn’t the best at climbing, I had never even gone to an adventure park, I was pretty sure I was afraid of heights, and this sucked. This sucked balls.
Klaus was a mage. Whatever. I didn’t even know what that meant. All I knew was that all the other girls and boys seemed to have advantages I couldn’t even dream of. So many of them had wings, that I already knew I would fail this stupid test. How was I supposed to climb up the wobbly wooden ladder, jump around from one tree to the next, and God knew what else, when I wasn’t even secured with a harness, carabiners, or whatever?!
“Hey, you’re alright,” Klaus said.
He reached out and brushed my arm with his fingers. I took in a sharp breath. I didn’t like being touched by strangers. But it might have been worth getting close to him, if he allowed it. If he didn’t think I had the plague just because I wasn’t supernatural, like all the other candidates seemed to think.
“So, we climb up there… what next?”
“Oh, I don’t know. They keep these tests secret, and they come up with new ones for every generation of students.” He lifted himself on his tiptoes and looked up through the trees. “Seeing where the first platform is, and the direction of the cable, I’d say we might end up over the edge of the cliff at some point. I don’t know the geography of this place too well. So many secrets, right?” he smiled. “But, anyway, if they set it up the way I think they did, then there are two twin cliffs east from where we are, and we might have to, somehow, jump over the chasm between them. I mean, don’t worry. It’s not a big deal. It should be one hell of a view with the waves crashing below and all.”
I blinked in disbelief. “That’s not funny. Why are you smiling? It’s fucking terrifying!”
“Oh.” Klaus gave me a sheepish look. “I’m sorry, I forgot.”
“That I’m human and it might be a little bit harder for me to pull this off?” I breathed in and out while looking up at the ladder, the trees, and the cable Klaus had mentioned. It was okay. I could do this. It was okay. “They’re not allowed to use their wings, right?” I tipped my chin toward the closest winged girl. “It would be cheating. And you’re not allowed to use your magic, or whatever you do, either. Right?”
“Err…” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
I fixed him with my harsh blue gaze. “Right?”
He shook his head apologetically. “We kind of are allowed. I mean, not kinda’. We can use our powers and skills. It’s up to each of us to make it to the end any way we can. There’s no… cheating at Grim Reaper Academy. I mean… yeah, you know… We’re training to become Death. Literally, Death. By definition, Death doesn’t cheat.”
“I’d like to know where you read that definition,” I mumbled.
I couldn’t focus on Klaus anymore. He said something else, but I didn’t hear him. My head was buzzing, my stomach was doing one hell of a mad dance, and my bladder was ready to give up on me. I was pretty damn ready to give up on me, too. This was insane! All the other candidates were angels, demons, vampires, mages, and fuck knew what else, and they were all allowed to use their powers. I was probably going to be the only one who would actually climb the ladder, one rung after the other. They would fly, jump, teleport… The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I didn’t belong here at all. What the fuck was I thinking? Running from home without even saying goodbye to my mother, spending all the money I had to get here… What in the actual fuck was I thinking?!
I took one step back, then another.
“Hey, it’s about to begin. Where are you going?”
I was starting to hyperventilate. A woman’s voice announced somewhere in the distance: “Three minutes. Take your places.” I took another step back.
“Mila?”
Oh, would you look at that? Klaus sounded like he cared about me. Or, maybe he wanted me to climb up there so I could fall to my death. At least, I’d get to see one of those infamous Grim Reapers up close.
“Hey, come on, sister. You can do this.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me back. “I got you.”
My eyes snapped to his. Sister? No one had called me that since Korina had left the state with her family. I opened my mouth to say something, but a girl bumped into me on purpose, almost knocking me down.
“Watch where you’re going,” I hissed, rubbing my shoulder.
“Or what, scum?” She crossed her arms over her generous chest and popped out her hip. Oh, she was beautiful. And deadly. Long, black hair gathered up in a thick, neat braid that hung on her back all the way to her tiny waist, sparkling green eyes accentuated by a perfect wing of eyeliner, ruby red lips, and a body to die for.
“Give her a chance, Lorna,” a sweet voice came from behind me. “Let’s see how she does before we kick her flat ass back to the dumpster she crawled out from.”
His face was angelic, his voice was dripping with honey and nectar, but his words… his words came from the deepest pits of hell. Who was this guy? Probably Lorna’s boyfriend, from what I could observe. Or, maybe she thought he was her boyfriend, because he simply took his place in front of the ladder next to mine and didn’t spare her a glance, although she was fawning all over him. He was tall, perfectly built with long, strong legs, wide shoulders, and lean muscles, his hair was blond, not a single strand sticking out of place, and two big, feathered wings protruded from his back, the tips almost brushing the ground.
“Don’t mind him,” Klaus whispered in my ear. “Sariel. Archangel, Defender of the Heavens, and major pain in the ass. Just focus on what you came here to do.”
Sariel turned to Klaus, a scowl on his face. “Sadly, the rumors were true, I see. Since Headmaster Colin has taken over, the Academy has really lowered its standards. More like… its standards are in the gutter, now. Colin is accepting humans and gays.”
Klaus pursed his lips. He’d gone livid, but instead of defending himself, he turned away and pretended he was strategizing for the test ahead. I blinked in confusion. What century was this? Okay, so I was the only human here, whatever. I didn’t belong. But making fun of gays was still a thing?
“Who do you think you are?” I snapped at Sariel. His eyes widened ever so slightly. Apparently, he hadn’t expected me to talk back. “Oh, I know… You’re just pulling at his tails because you like him.” I made air quotes around the word “tails”.
The archangel was furious. His perfect face darkened, his lips turned into an invisible line as he clenched his jaw, and his eyes changed from heavenly silver to pitch black. All in an instant. His wings spread around him, and I saw the feathers lining their edges were as sharp as knives. Well, shit. The archangels I read about in books weren’t so scary. I almost felt betrayed.
“Sari, honey, she’s not worth it,” Lorna whispered sweetly. “You said it yourself. Let’s see how she does. She won’t make it, obviously, and the Headmaster will kick her out before the end of the day. But we can have fun watching her try.”
“Don’t call me that,” Sariel growled low in his chest. Fortunately, Lorna calling him “Sari, honey” had saved me from certain death, because he huffed and turned his back to me just as the professor announced the beginning of the test.
“I’ll climb with you,” Klaus said with a gentle smile.
“You don’t have to,” I sighed. “You can probably… I don’t know… zap yourself up there.”
He shrugged as he grabbed the ladder and placed one foot on the first rung.
“I’m not that great at teleporting. Yet. Still learning. I can float, though. But I won’t do it now, okay? I’m climbing this with you.”
Sariel unfurled his mighty wings and took flight toward the first wooden platform. “See you, human trash.” He laughed out loud. “Or not. I wouldn’t mind if I didn’t have to see your dumb face again. Make sure you take a wrong step and die, okay? Thanks!”
I narrowed my eyes at him, but he was alre
ady too far up in the trees to notice. Not that he gave a damn. Lorna burst out in laughter. I turned to give her a piece of my mind, but she’d already disappeared. I blinked and looked up. She and Sariel were already on their platforms.
“Yeah, she’s a mage, too,” Klaus said.
With a sigh, I took hold of the ladder and tried to steady it. Oh my God, I was going to die. Soon. In the next ten minutes, probably.
“So, that’s teleporting.”
“It’s not as easy as she makes it look.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice. “She comes from a long line of mages, and she’s been training since before she could walk. Some say Lorna Chiaramonte could crawl, float, and teleport, so when her parents tried to teach her how to walk, she refused because she didn’t see the point of it. Though, I’m pretty sure her family spread the gossip, and it’s not actually true. A baby deciding whether walking is worth learning or not sounds like a bit of a stretch to me.”
Klaus’s chatter helped me take my mind off what I was doing. This wasn’t so hard. I could do this. One foot in front of the other. By the time I’d climbed half the distance, I’d gained enough confidence to move quicker.
“You’re doing great, sister. Really.”
I gave him a wide smile. Yeah. I was quite proud of myself. I stopped for a second to enjoy the view. Bad idea. Realizing how far up I was made my stomach churn and my head spin.
“Don’t look down!” Klaus yelled at me. “Come on, Mila! You’re smarter than that.”
Smart, yeah. There’s nothing smart about what I’m doing. I dragged in a breath, forced myself to look up and only up, and resumed my climb. I could see the platform getting closer and closer. I was getting closer and closer to it. I grabbed the edge with my gloved hands, pulled myself up, and once my feet were firmly placed on it, I hugged the tree for dear life.
