The Deathtaker's Daughter

by S. L. Baum

  Krista smelled the decay of Anna’s body. It always seemed like a more ferocious smell when it came from the body of a child. In that instant, as they drove by the elementary school and Eva pointed out her favorite tree on the playground, Krista could tell that the sickness inside of Anna had become aware of Krista’s abilities and her intentions. It tightened its grip on the girl and Anna leaned back in the seat, suddenly more tired than she had been moments before. Krista hoped for a connection soon and the weaker Anna got, the better chance she had of making one.

  Just before she’d left the guesthouse, with Eva and Anna in tow, Krista told Klaus and Willa that they would need to throw away all of their daughter’s medicine. The mini-pharmacy of pills had to go. Krista didn’t want to be fighting for a connection against the medicine that was designed to prolong the child’s life. The pills could only extend her for a little while; Krista knew they would never actually save her. She smelled the cancer; she knew it would eventually take the child. It was incurable.

  Anna’s parents had initially protested. Even after people said they believed that Krista’s power was real, that she would take their death away, they had a hard time knowingly participating in the decline of a loved one’s health. Krista hoped they were back at the guesthouse, at that very moment, dumping every single bottle of pills down the toilet.

  Anna took a deep breath and tried to sit up a little taller, ignoring the exhaustion that had taken over. “Do you do this a lot?” she asked Krista. “Invite people into your home?”

  “Actually, you are a first. I guess that makes you special,” Krista told her.

  Eva pulled at the front of her shirt, wringing the bottom of it in her hands. “Actually, Opal and Egon were saved at the house, by Grandma Chai.” She still didn’t like thinking about it.

  “You are absolutely right, Evie. I just meant she is the first invited guest. Opal was at our home in an emergency situation.”

  Anna stared out the window of the truck. “I remember when Chai stayed at our house. She told my parents that I would soon be going into remission, so when the doctors confirmed what she said they were so incredibly happy. But when Chai promised them that if they ever needed her, if the cancer came back, she’d return and heal me, I knew it wouldn’t be in remission for very long. I’ve been waiting for it to reappear. I wasn’t even surprised a few months ago when it showed up on the scans again.”

  “I’m sorry you’ve been fighting it for so long. When you leave Cedar Creek, every single cell in your body will be cancer-free. It won’t be lurking around, waiting to come back, I promise.”

  Anna turned her head to look at Krista. “It’s almost an impossible thought. Where does it go?”

  “I’ll take it into my body and then I get rid of it. But a tiny part of it will live inside of me for the rest of my life. If it ever gets a whiff of you again, it will leap from my body and basically jump back into yours. And it will take you, super fast. So after you leave here, you and I can never be closer than one hundred feet from each other again.”

  “Really?” Anna breathed.

  “That’s the truth.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing you live in another state,” Eva said.

  Anna nodded her head. “I guess you’re right. But it’s also a bad thing because I think I’d like to see you guys again.”

  “Not to worry. We’ll keep in contact. Technology is a wonderful thing, something my grandmother and the rest of my bloodline didn’t have access to. I keep a website and I’ll give you a personal login. So, to make sure our paths don’t cross in real life, whenever I go somewhere outside of this area, even if I only go away for the weekend, I’ll put it online. You can check up on me and make sure we didn’t both pick the same cruise or something,” Krista said with a wink.

  “But I won’t be able to see you in person. I won’t be able to hug you and thank you and show you how I’m living my life.”

  “That’s true,” Eva told her. “But, we can all get together online; we can see and talk to each other that way.”

  “I guess so. That would be great. Do you guys do that with many people?”

  “Actually, we don’t. I do talk to a few of them on the phone, from time to time, but I think most people are a little bit scared to see me again. So that would be another first for you! Lucky girl.” Krista grinned widely.

  “I am such a lucky girl,” Anna laughed. “And I don’t think I would ever be scared to see you again. Plus, Eva and I would still get to see and talk to each other.” She bumped her shoulder into Eva’s. “You’re a pretty cool kid, even if you are younger than me.”

  “Thanks, I guess.” Eva scrunched up her face. “But we should really do it. It’d be fun to keep in touch.”

  “I agree.” Anna gave Eva a little side hug as Krista slowly drove down Main Street. “This is a neat little town. Those decorations must be, like, fifty years old,” she said as she pointed to the nativity set in front of the library.

  “I think they’re older than that,” Krista told her. “I was pretty lucky to find this quiet little town. I’m living the life I was meant to. You, my dear Anna girl, are going to grow up to discover the life that you were meant to live as well.”

  “What about me, Momma?” Eva asked.

  “Pumpkin, you are going to do the same. I don’t know what the future holds for you any more than I know what it does for Anna. I just know that you’ll come into your power when the time is right, and then you’ll have to find your own path in life. It may be here in Cedar Creek, or it may be in another city entirely.”

  “I think I’ll want to stay here,” Eva told her.

  Krista smiled. “I’d be exceedingly happy if you do. But I wouldn’t want you to feel tied to this place, or me. Especially not if your heart is trying to pull you elsewhere. Everybody has to live the life that was meant for them, the one they create on their own, not one that they settle for because they think it’s what they are supposed to do. Remember that, girlies.”

  “We will,” they chimed in unison.

  Recording No.36

  Eva Webber Vita here. I just looked at my notepad and this is the thirty-sixth time I am making an audio diary. That’s what Uncle Abe called it today. I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but I guess that’s exactly what it is.

  We have guests staying in the guesthouse. Guests in a guesthouse. Funny. Anyway, there is a family staying here: Klaus, Willa, and their daughter, Anna. Anna is dying, but we’re going to stop that from happening. Well, Momma is. Which is really great, because Anna is only thirteen and it’s just not right. I’m glad she’ll get to live.

  There is another woman staying with us too. She’s staying in our actual house. Her name is Barbie and she talks a lot, a whole lot, like more than anyone I’ve ever met before. But she is super nice, and she makes great cookies. I don’t think I know anybody who smiles as much as she does. That part can be annoying. Sometimes a girl just wants to be grumpy!

  So, they’ve all been here for a few days now, and they’re going to stay until it is time for my mom to use her Deathtaker power. Which, hopefully, won’t be for a while, because I like having Anna here. We’re all, both our families, going to the movies in a little bit. Trixie and her family are meeting us there too. I haven’t seen her since school got out for Christmas break, so that’ll be nice.

  Christmas was good. I got a new origami set from my dad. It has all this colored paper and I’m going to try to make more things than just birds. My dad is always making birds, he says they mean love and that’s why he makes them for me and Momma. I also got my own laptop. So that was probably the best gift of all. I can’t believe it! It’s so exciting!

  Aaahh. Dad just called my name. Gotta go!

  Chapter Eleven

  The small movie theatre on Main Street had been packed. It was a Sunday, right after a holiday, and everybody was looking for yet another family activity. Not much business was conducted in Cedar Creek between Christmas and New Year’
s Day. Most of the stores, restaurants, and sources of entertainment were still open but, during those seven or eight days, everything seemed to open later in the morning and close earlier in the evening. Residents were used to it; they knew to check online or call to find out that day’s hours. But visitors were often quite shocked to find how limited their activities were. Long ago, when Abe’s grandparents had been in their prime, most of the residents decided to let families and friends celebrate and relax during that time of year. Mostly, the passing of time had not changed the town’s general attitude on the subject.

  The group of friends and family that Eva found herself in was so large it took up the entire back row of the theatre. Sam always insisted on the back row. He didn’t like people behind him when he watched movies. He said it just added an extra layer of noise: talking, popcorn-crunching, drink-slurping, candy-bag-ripping noise. Krista decided he got the habit from his Uncle Abe, because Abe always complained that the noise drove him batty. Whenever Abe said that out loud, Eva would laugh. She said she couldn’t stop imagining her precious Grumple turning into an actual flying bat.

  After the movie was over they all walked over to Downtown Diner, where Jim, Opal, and Pete were waiting for them. They’d kept the diner open until the group arrived and then closed the doors for a private get-together. There could be no talk of deathtaking while the Tyson family and Eli Kaufman were with them, something they’d all have to remember. Abe had decided to never tell his old friend the truth about Sam’s wife; he didn’t think the man would ever quite comprehend it. And while the Tysons were very close friends of theirs, Sam and Krista had decided that they needed to keep the number of people in town who knew her secret to a minimum. It just wasn’t necessary to let them in on Krista’s gift.

  Opal locked the door and turned on the neon “closed” sign. “Daddy made a bunch of burgers and is about to drop a basket of fries,” she told them, and then she motioned to the two teachers sitting at a table in the corner of the diner. “I told Marjorie and Daniel they could stay as long as they like. I think they are spending the holidays together for the first time,” she said with a wink.

  Eva looked over to find Miss Montgomery and Mr. Williams sitting in a booth across from each other. They were sharing a piece of pie. She didn’t know they were dating, but she thought it was cute. She missed Miss Montgomery; she’d been a really nice teacher. Eva still stopped by her room at least once a week to say hello.

  “Hey, Mr. W! How’s life?” Trey called out when he saw his former Sixth Grade teacher.

  “Life’s good!” Daniel Williams called back. “Good lord, you’re not such a little dude anymore. That’s quite a growth spurt.”

  “I’ve got to get even taller if I’m going to make it into Varsity, as a freshman, next year.”

  “I’ve heard good things from Coach about you.”

  “Hey, have you ever seen Hoosiers? Coach made us watch it this year. He told us that small town basketball is a glorious institution that should be upheld in the highest honor, or something like that. Anyway the movie was pretty cool, I guess, for an old film.”

  “I’ve seen Hoosiers. Great film. And I am pretty partial to small town basketball.”

  “I guess Coach was hoping we’d get inspired or something, which I guess we were. But I think most of the team was just glad our uniform shorts aren’t that short anymore,” Trey said with a laugh.

  Daniel Williams lowered his head and stifled a laugh. “Hopefully they won’t come back in fashion. Good luck on making Varsity next year, Trey.”

  “He doesn’t need luck,” Tyrell Tyson, Treys’ father, told the teacher. “He needs to practice.” But he wasn’t so much telling the teacher as he was telling Trey.

  “Lots and lots of practice,” Tawny Tyson, Trey’s mother, added.

  They both knew their son was dedicated, so it wasn’t a reprimand, more just a reminder.

  Daniel Williams nodded his head in agreement. “True enough. So I guess you’d better keep hitting the court as hard as you do.”

  “Oh, I will. Every day.”

  Tyrell clapped Trey on the back. “He’s a good kid. He’s just got to work on making that amazing natural talent grow into a finely honed skill.”

  Tianna shook her head. “Mom and Dad are just upset that I don’t have a sport to propel me into the fanciful world of full-ride scholarships.”

  “Hey now, we are happy to help you get through college. And we know you’ll get some assistance. But if we can end up with at least one of you three on a full scholarship, that would ease some of our financial stress,” Tawny told her eldest.

  “I still have plenty of time to apply for academic scholarships. The school year isn’t anywhere near over yet. And if I stay in state the tuition will be affordable. You don’t have to stress about me,” Tianna told her parents.

  “We’ve got you covered. I promise. But we’re parents. We stress about finances. That’s what we do,” Tyrell told her, and every parent in the room nodded their head in agreement.

  Klaus and Willa just hoped they would be able to have those moments of stress about Anna’s college decisions. They both knew money wouldn’t be an issue. The Fischers had been involved in many successful real estate ventures; their finances were solid. But they wanted to pour over college brochures, fly out and take tours, hope her scores were good enough for the schools that she desired to go to. They wanted all of that and more for their daughter.

  Seeing her push herself to interact with the other kids in the room, smiling and laughing with Eva and her friends while raggedly drawing in breaths, was heartbreaking for her parents. They had been willing to pay Chai whatever she wanted for her services and were shocked at how quickly Krista had refused any thought of a financial transaction. She wouldn’t even allow them to give her anything for the groceries in the guesthouse, or the electricity they were using during their stay. The difference between the two women was a pleasant reminder that there were still truly good people in the world.

  Trey sat down in a booth behind the teachers. “Mr. W., you sure better hope you don’t get either of these two girls next year,” he said and pointed to his sister and Eva, he had a playful twinkle in his eye.

  “Trixie and Eva were very good students when I had them,” Marjorie Montgomery countered.

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to lie,” Eva told her. “I know I was a pain. You had to send me out to Mr. Williams’ room more than once.”

  “That doesn’t mean that I didn’t absolutely enjoy having you in my class. You were a quick learner, a very inquisitive child, and I was sorry to watch you walk out the door on the last day of the year. Both of you! Trixie, you were so eager to be the best helper any teacher could have, and you were friendly to every single kid in class. Mr. Williams would be lucky if he got either of you.”

  “And if Eva acts up, I can just send her back to you,” Daniel teased.

  Eva covered her face in embarrassment. “Sounds like you’ve got it all planned out. Come on guys, let’s go sit at the counter and get some food… and ice cream. I think I need ice cream.”

  “Me too.” Trixie said and walked with Eva to the stools at the counter where the two of them sat down next to each other.

  Trey followed them and sat beside his sister, while Anna went to sit next to Eva. Tianna stayed with the adults, as she considered herself one of them now and usually found their conversations more interesting than her siblings’.

  “Mr. Stone, can we have some burgers, fries, and vanilla milkshakes?” Trey asked Jim after they were all seated.

  Jim saluted them with his spatula. “It’d be my pleasure.”

  “Where’s Vinnie and Egon?” Eva asked Opal.

  Opal sighed. “They both fell asleep in the back playroom. Which is so horrid, because Lavinia will be up soooo late now. I should go wake her up.”

  “Oh, please do,” Eva said with a smile.

  “Alright, give me a minute. I’ve got to be quiet so I don’t wak
e Egon. He didn’t nap earlier today and was pretty darn crabby before he fell asleep,” Opal told her and then left the room.

  Tyrell stepped over to Klaus and extended a hand. “Tyrell Tyson. We didn’t have a chance to be formally introduced before the movie. It’s really nice to meet you guys.”

  “Do you all have names that start with T?” Willa asked.

  “We do. Tyrell, Tawny, Tianna, Trey, and Trixie Tyson,” he stated. It had been his idea to name the children that way after he’d married his wife.

  Tianna rolled her eyes. She hated introductions. Everyone always blinked in confusion as they processed all the T names as they were rattled off. She was never going to do that, even if she ended up marrying someone with a T name, which she hoped would not happen. She’d probably turn down a date with a guy just for that one simple reason. Oh, your name is Travis? No, sorry, I’m busy Friday night.

  Klaus shook the Tyrell’s hand. “Klaus, Willa, and Anna Fischer. Nice to meet you.”

  “So, you guys are friends of Krista’s. How long are you going to be staying in town?”

  “We have left our travel plans open ended,” Klaus said, not sure how to answer.

  “I haven’t seen Krista in years, so we are planning on an extended visit. We might even stay a month, who knows,” Willa said lightly, practicing the lie they’d concocted. It flowed easier than she expected it to.

  “And I’m a pretty mobile fellow anyway, so I might fly out for a day or two, but I can conduct the majority of my business through the phone and with emails,” Klaus added. That statement was the truth. He hoped to avoid leaving his wife and daughter if he could, but he hadn’t ruled out the chance.

  “Awesome. Well, welcome to Cedar Creek from the Tysons. We hope you enjoy your extended stay,” Tyrell said.

  “I swear the man thinks he is on the tourism board.” Tawny rolled her eyes.