by Cara Wylde
“Thank you.” I was beaming. Professor Lesage gave me one of his best smiles, then moved on to correct Sheba’s posture. I turned back to Francis. “Come on. Do it right this time.”
We practiced like this for another thirty minutes, then Mr. Lesage gave us additional tips and tricks and sent us on our way. Francis got a perfect strike a couple of times, and I felt what he’d described, too. It was fascinating, because after each simulated cut, I felt more alive. It was as if my string of life grew stronger, and my desire to enjoy every minute on this Earth increased. Talk about a certain cure for depression…
GC waited for me, and we went up to his room to get our scythes. I was practically living with him now, although we hadn’t gone all the way, yet. He was happy to wait, and I was determined to make him wait at least until the Christmas holiday. The thing was… No matter how hard I tried, I still couldn’t fully trust him. It was like I trusted him to a certain extent, but if someone asked me, I couldn’t have said that I trusted him with my life. If he could wait until Christmas, if he didn’t pressure me, and if he didn’t break up with me because I wasn’t ready to fuck, then maybe what we had was for real. Despite him being, practically, the perfect boyfriend, I couldn’t deny that I sometimes had nightmares about us having sex and then him betraying me the next day, telling everyone about it, telling lies, making the entire school call me a whore. Was it paranoia? Maybe? But what if it was just a strong sense of self preservation, and what if it was the only thing that kept me safe? I hated living with this uncertainty. Did GC really like me? Did he want me for me, or was this whole relationship part of a greater prank that was supposed to destroy me forever? It was stressful, and it hurt, but it wasn’t my fault. They’d successfully bullied me into the paranoid person that I was now.
PE was next, and to my disappointment, Mrs. Charon announced that we would be starting out special practice for the Yule Ball. The ball was scheduled for Christmas, the night before the winter vacation started and all students went home. Needless to say, I felt completely deflated. Everyone was looking forward to the Yule Ball, but not me. The parents were invited, but I knew mine wouldn’t come. No one had invited them, and no one would. Headmaster Colin had asked me about them, and I’d begged him to not contact them. Ever. If they found out where I was, they’d take me back home for good. So yeah, Yule Ball was going to be a bore. And because my parents wouldn’t be there to see our scythe demonstration, there was no reason for me to perform. I had no intention to get up on that stage with the VDC, the only girl in my Cabal, the only human in the entire school, and let everyone’s parents treat me like a circus attraction. I was going to practice with the VDC because I needed the worth points, but I’d already told Mrs. Charon that I wouldn’t perform at the ball. She understood.
“I have an idea,” Klaus approached me after PE, when we were crossing the yard to take our scythes back to our rooms. GC had stayed behind with some guys. “For your revenge on Sariel.”
“You do?”
“You’re not performing at the Yule Ball. So, you won’t need your scythe.”
“I don’t follow.”
He stopped walking and put his hands on my shoulders. “Woman, the scythes are unique and attuned to our energy. We chose the scythe we chose at the test because it was meant for us. We can only do our job with our scythe, and with no one else’s. But you won’t need yours at the ball. Because you’re not performing. Sariel, though… he’s doing the demonstration. In front of his parents. In front of the whole Academy.”
He grinned, and I grinned with him. Oh, I was following now.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Patricia was supposed to lend me a dress for the Yule Ball, but that wasn’t happening anymore. Our friendship wasn’t happening anymore. Not since she and Paz had started dating.
“We can still be friends,” I’d told her. “I don’t care who you date. Paz was a jerk to me, but if he makes you happy, then I’m happy.”
“It’s obvious that he has a thing for you,” she’d explained, half enraged, and half pained. “I don’t want you around him.”
I’d rolled my eyes. “In case you couldn’t tell, I’ve been avoiding him since forever. I don’t want to be around him either, trust me. And he doesn’t like me, Patty, he despises me. He, Sariel, and Francis almost killed me.”
“You know that was Lorna.”
“Whatever. Look, this doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends. Come on! Are we seriously ending our friendship over some guy?”
“He’s not just some guy,” she’d said in a small voice, and that was when I knew Patty was in love with Paz, and if he’d been the one who’d convinced her to end it with me, she wasn’t going to change her mind.
I was out of a friend, and I was out of a ball dress.
“Why don’t you ask GC to buy you one?” Klaus had asked me in History.
“Do you hear yourself? I don’t depend on my boyfriend. I don’t need him to buy me anything.”
“Well then, what the hell are you going to wear?!”
“I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t go at all.”
“Would GC allow that?”
“No…”
“Fuck it. I’m buying you a dress.”
I didn’t resist him much. He hadn’t exactly been the most loyal friend this past semester, and he knew it. The dress would wash some of his sins. So, the weekend before the ball, we went down to the city and I chose a cute, frilly dress that he paid for with his parents’ money. Obviously. It was a light, girly shade of purple, it stopped right above my knee, and the tight corset pushed by round breasts up and made them look even bigger. GC was going to love it! But what was most important was that I loved it. It was the nicest thing I owned, and I couldn’t help but hug Klaus for dear life, and even give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
“You know what? All of your sins have been washed. Even the original sin.”
He rolled his eyes at me but couldn’t suppress a smile. “You do know I’m baptized, right?”
“I honestly didn’t know mages get baptized.”
“Depends on what side you’re on. The holy or the unholy. I bet Lorna still carries the original sin.” We both laughed. Yeah, she was carrying many sins alright.
Now, the only problem was that it had no sleeves at all. I tried to find a similar model with long sleeves, but there was no use. If I wanted long sleeves, then I’d have to give up on the corset. And I really, really liked the corset. Klaus was confused.
“Wait. I thought you liked this dress.” He held it up. I’d asked him to hold onto it, so no one else would snatch it.
“I do. But I want to have my arms covered, too.”
“Why? It’s a ball! I know it’s at the end of December, but believe me, they will have the heaters in the whole building running on full blast.”
I bit my lower lip. I didn’t like lying to Klaus but telling him the truth was out of the question. I touched my old wristbands. God, I really needed to buy myself some new ones!
“It doesn’t matter why. I just want to have my arms covered.”
After another minute, he shrugged and gave up. “Okay, whatever. What about a pair of long gloves, then? The kind that reach up over your elbow?”
“Oh my God, you’re a genius!”
It took us another half hour to find a pair of light pink, velvet gloves that worked just perfect with my dress.
I hid the dress from GC, and he saw it only the night of the ball, when he came to my room to pick me up. His jaw dropped, and I couldn’t lie. That made me feel even better in my own skin. I’d dyed my hair blue again and straightened it, put on a pair of black high heels, which I still had from my first high school prom and weren’t too beaten up, and sprayed just a bit of rose water all around me. Not too sexy, but not plain, either. The long, velvet gloves complimented my outfit just right, giving my dress an air of elegance it couldn’t have achieved on its own. I couldn’t have made a better
choice. Chic, but practical, too.
GC bit down hard on his lower lip, and I could tell he was doing his best to act normal, and not throw me on the bed, lock the door, and fuck me right then and there. Huh. Maybe he does care about me. Well, if he proves to be a gentleman tonight, maybe we can sneak back to the tower and have him make me a woman before he leaves with his parents in the morning. Yep. I was a virgin. And that had only added to my paranoia. I didn’t want my first time to be something I’d regret all my life. I wanted it to be with someone I trusted, not someone who’d betray me right after he got what he’d wanted all along. And GC Apis, the false god, might just have proven himself worthy.
“You look like a goddess.”
“Not a normie goddess?”
He shook his head. He couldn’t take his blue eyes off of me, and I didn’t mind it at all.
“There’s nothing normal about you. In a good way. In the best way possible!”
“Aww… look who’s turned into a sappy sap sap puppy.”
He growled low in his chest. “Do you want me to shift and show you I’m anything but what you’ve just said?”
I kissed his nose. “Only if you let me ride you to the ball.”
“Don’t challenge me. I’ll do it.”
I laughed out loud. “Oh my God, we’d both roll down the stairs and break our necks.”
“I can shift at the ball, if you want,” he grinned, and for a second, I thought he really was being serious.
“What? And go naked in front of everyone? In front of your mother?”
He pouted. “Not in front of my mother.”
“Good. You’d better behave. I don’t want people to think my boyfriend is a savage.”
“So, now you care about what people think?”
I laughed. “You know I don’t.” He offered me his arm, and we went down to the dining room, which had been reorganized and redecorated for the Yule Ball. I couldn’t help wondering, though… Had I changed? Maybe I did care what people thought about me. I was GC’s girlfriend, and he was everything that I was not. He came from a good family, he came from wealth. Suddenly, as we walked through the doors of the ball room, I wasn’t feeling very well. If it hadn’t been for what Klaus and I had planned for later, I would have bolted right back up the stairs and locked myself up in my room. GC had promised me his parents were okay with me, but the moment to meet them had come, and I wasn’t ready.
The long, wide tables and wooden benches had been replaced by a bunch of round tables and upholstered chairs, which to me looked a lot more comfortable. Four families could sit around a table, and each guest’s place had been decided beforehand by Headmaster Colin and a couple of professors who’d helped him make the right decisions. Apparently, having all the parents sit together the day of the test hadn’t been the greatest idea. So, the Headmaster had decided to separate them. For instance, GC’s parents sat at the same table with Klaus’s parents, which worked for me. Francis’s father was sitting with them, too, and since his mother hadn’t come, there was a free spot for me. The fourth family at our table was with a girl from the Righteous Death Cabal with whom I hadn’t interacted at all.
With a warm hand on the small of my back, GC guided me toward his parents, who were chatting with Francis and his father. Klaus hadn’t come down yet, and I was sure he was still stuck in front of the mirror, wondering if he looked manly enough in his tuxedo. I threw a glance at his parents, and I understood right away why he was so scared of them. They both looked like they had two sticks up their asses.
“Mom, Dad… this is Mila.”
I froze. I’d been so busy studying Klaus’s parents that I hadn’t realized the moment of truth had come. Would GC’s parents accept me, or not?
“Hi,” I said. “Nice to meet you.” Oh, could I be more boring? At least my voice didn’t crack…
They didn’t say a word at first. His mother studied me from head to toe. She was a redheaded beauty with locks flowing down to her waist, ruby red lips, and eyes as dark as coffee. GC had certainly not inherited his blue eyes from her, but from his dad. In fact, GC looked like a younger version of him. They had the same blond hair that changed colors whenever it pleased, and the same dimples when they smiled. And I knew that because his father was actually smiling at me, while his mother was still frowning, undecided whether I was a good match for her son or not.
“You are lovely, my dear,” he said as he stood up and took my hand. “GC Apis the Second.” He kissed my hand, which took me completely by surprise. In my world, such gentlemen simply didn’t exist. I’d read about men kissing women’s hands in books, but I didn’t think it ever happened in the real world. Maybe in Europe it was still a thing… “I’ve heard so much about you. The only human at the Grim Reaper Academy! How marvelous! My family is known for having had good connections with humans in the past. Times have changed, of course, but we still feel the same.”
Huh? I honestly didn’t know that. I stole a glance at GC, but he shook his head lightly, as if to say: “not important”.
“That’s great to hear,” I managed. “I… I guess I was a bit nervous. I mean, your son is a god, and I…”
“False god, darling. There’s no shame in that. You can say it.” GC’s mom finally stood up and shook my hand briefly. “You’re pretty. I like that.”
Oh, what a relief! It didn’t matter that I was also smart and happened to have a personality. I was pretty, and she liked that. Woohoo! Insert sarcasm.
“Sit down. Drink something. You’re going to need it for the performance thing you’ve prepared.”
GC Senior pulled a chair for me, and I sat down between him and his son.
“Actually, I won’t be performing. My parents aren’t here, so I thought it was best not to take up space on the stage. The Violent Death Cabal is numerous as it is.” Which was true, in fact. The VDC had the highest number of students, with the RDC following close behind. It made sense. Most deaths were violent or righteous.
“Darling, never say that.” Mrs. Apis motioned for one of the servant girls to pour me a glass of wine. “You’re not taking up space.” We clinked out glasses, and she gave me her first real, genuine, bright smile. And, oh my God, false or not, when this woman smiled at you, you felt like you were the most important person in the world! “My name is Andromeda, and I rather like it, so please call me that from now on.”
“Thank you. I… I’d be honored.”
Holy shit, holy shit! This is going way better than I expected! I took a sip of wine and started making light conversation with GC Senior and his lovely wife, Andromeda. From time to time, I’d steal a glance across the table at Klaus’s parents, who were in a heated conversation with Francis’s father. Both Francis and Klaus were minding their own business, one looking over his glass at the ball, and the other playing on his phone. It was stupid. Klaus’s parents were behaving like their son wasn’t even there. I would have included him in our conversation, but he looked like he wanted to block everyone out, tapping on his screen like a mad person.
“It’s time,” GC said, and stood up. “Wish me luck.”
“Oh, you’re going to be perfect.”
He pecked me on the lips, and I blushed. I couldn’t believe he’d kissed me in front of his parents! Okay, it was barely a kiss, but still. He walked to where the scythes had been lined up next to the improvised stage. My heart started beating faster. I looked over at Klaus, and that was when he finally looked up and nodded. There was a small smile playing on his lips, and I knew. He’d replaced Sariel’s scythe with mine. Mages really were skilled! I just hoped after all this was over, Sariel wouldn’t figure out he’d been involved.
One by one, the VDC students took their places on the stage. They had to be the first ones, of course. The VDC was always first. Francis had left the table, too. I was glad GC wasn’t standing next to Sariel, because I had no idea how a scythe that wasn’t attuned to its rightful wielder would react. Klaus didn’t k
now either, so we were rather in the dark about how our little prank would turn out. I just hoped it would work as an attempt at taking revenge, because I honestly didn’t have any other valid idea.
Paz was to Sariel’s right, and Francis was to his left. GC was next to Francis. Safe. Normally, nothing too bad should have happened. The scythes could draw blood, of course, and they could cut someone in half if used with that intention, but we had all been trained to never use them that way. We’d learn how to use our scythes in physical combat in year three. Until then, it was all about the auras and letting the blade go through energy fields, not flesh and bone. It was something subtle and invisible. Hard to explain. It was as if the Grim Reaper programmed the scythe with his or her mind. And depending on how the blade was programmed, when the Reaper swung it, it would either cut through the aura or through the body.
If Sariel’s intention was right, then my scythe wouldn’t do more than swing around chaotically, hopefully making my enemy look like an untrained fool.
Professor Charon gave the signal, the music began – a gloomy, gothic orchestra piece, – and the students started doing their number. Scythes up, then down, left foot back, scythes flowing diagonally back and then front, swing, up, down, change hands. All those handsome guys dressed in black tuxedos, sporting the badge of their Cabal, moving in the same rhythm, at the same pace they had all learned by heart, gracefully and with ease… It would have been a sight to behold! If not for Sariell, that was.
Poor guy, he was trying to control the scythe, but to no avail. When it was supposed to go up, it fought him and went down. When he was supposed to swing it, it fought him again, refusing to go the way he commanded it to go. It was a disaster! He’d managed to overpower its will at first, but he’d quickly grown tired. It was too much of a mental strain. The scythe didn’t belong to him, and the more he tried to control it, the more it wanted its rightful master. Or mistress, in this case.
