by Jen L. Grey
Her husband helps her into the chair but his eyes never look at her. As he sits in his seat, he pulls at his trousers and smooths his button-down shirt.
The second couple make their way in. The woman has brown in her hair and not as many wrinkles around her eyes. She lifts her hunter green dress as she walks, and the diamond necklace that lays over the high neckline contrasts against the material. The man’s salt and pepper hair is slicked back and his posture is rigid. He moves in such a stiff manner that I’m surprised he doesn’t trip over his feet. His suit fits tight, not leaving much to the imagination. They join the other two at the table.
The second couple shift in their seats, getting comfortable, while the eldest lady stares at me. She raises an eyebrow and purses her lips as her partner opens a folder.
He flips through the folder and studies the documents it contains.
This must be my first solo target, the one I’m assigned to carry out on my own but am able to call my parents to help if necessary.
The target who looks like Beth.
After a few moments, he pushes the folder over to his wife, and she finally turns her eyes away from me. A sinister smile spreads across her face. She nods and turns her attention back on me.
It takes a second for him to gather the folder, but the lead elder, the oldest man, stands. His gaze lands on me. “Christina, it’s that time in every budding reaper’s life for you to take the first step toward independence.” His gaze flickers to my parents then back at me. “We had wanted you to come alone but, obviously, that didn’t happen. However, when you leave here, you will go alone and complete your assignment. Do you understand?”
My heart picks up speed, and the room seems to spin. Shit. I’ve got to keep myself together or this will get really bad even sooner. I take a deep breath. “Yes, I understand.”
The lady beside him rises, her clear eyes staring at me. She grabs the folder and walks around the table, down the stairs, and toward me.
I've always gotten the worst feeling from her. She seems calculating and reveals another misery. I’m glad she doesn’t know the extent I struggle with my powers and that no one knows my natural inclination is to heal.
When she reaches me, she offers the envelope. “Here is your target. You are allowed a few days extra since this is your first job alone. Remember to leave here alone and to only call your parents if you need help.”
Father stands next to me. “Of course, she will. You know she was bred for this.”
The woman looks me over, and a smirk crosses her face. “We will see.”
The younger couple stands, and the woman nods. “Good luck.”
We say our goodbyes, and I can't get out the door fast enough.
I’m so glad to finally be on my own. I almost thought Mom and Dad were going to come with me, but when we got back home, they saw me off, reminding me of all the steps to take when reaping.
As soon as I’m out of the sight of my parents’ careful watch, I close my eyes, searching for my target. She’s at a grocery store with a younger boy. When I picture myself with them, my body begins to grow cold and the wind whirls around me as I transport.
My body materializes once again a few feet away from them.
An older woman is pushing a cart down the aisle but stops when she sees me and does a double take. “Mercy, child. You scared the death out of me. It’s like you just appeared out of thin air.” She walks past me as she continues her trek and shakes her head. “I swear that girl wasn’t there just a second ago. I’m losin’ my mind.”
It’s so hard to hold in my laugh. That’s the funny thing about humans. No matter if we materialize right in front of their eyes, they rationalize it. The big ol’ grand reapers pop up in front of them all the time, and they refuse to see it.
The Beth-lookalike is not fifteen feet away. She’s looking down at the younger boy who appears to be around twelve. “Come on, Sean. We need to hurry back and cook dinner. What do you want to eat?”
He looks around and grins. “Chocolate brownies.”
Man, that does sound good. My stomach rumbles just at the thought.
“No, silly.” She smacks him on the arm. “That’s not dinner. That’s dessert. What do you want for an actual meal? Mom’s making us something good tonight.”
“Hey.” He smirks and rubs his arm. “That’s not what you asked.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She shakes her head and walks down the aisle.
Her voice and mannerisms even remind me of Beth. Is this some kind of test the elders are putting me through?
They walk around the store a little longer, grabbing items from time to time. Before long, they are leaving and heading back to make some type of dinner for the family. I guess I’ll give her this last little time with them before…
I wander around a bit, and before long, I find myself at her house, watching through her dining room window. The room isn’t large, and a mahogany table fills the space, with six chairs surrounding it. She’s already sitting down at the table with the boy from earlier, a woman that could be the spitting image of an older her, and a man who has dark hair and lines around his eyes.
A large pot roast sits in the center of the table with mashed potatoes, broccoli, macaroni and cheese, and squash all around. Sean takes a heaping bite of food from his fork as their mother watches with a smile on her face.
I can’t hear what is being said, but they are all smiling and talking with one another as they enjoy their meal.
Can I do this? Take her life? Not only does she look and act like my best friend, but she’s young, with her whole life ahead of her. She has a loving family. Why would her time be up?
Her brother grins up at her, and my heart drops. I can’t do this. Not tonight. They said I have a few extra days since I’m on my own. Let her have one last night with her family.
It’s around ten in the morning when I make it back to her house. I’m standing behind some bushes when my phone rings. I hurry and pick it up, not wanting anyone to hear. “Hello.”
“Why didn’t you come home last night?” My mother’s tone is frantic.
Oh, this is going to be fun. “I ran into a little bit of a snag, but I’m outside her house right now.”
She lets out a huge sigh. “That’s what I was afraid of. Do you need us?”
“No, I don’t.” I take a deep breath and try to keep my voice level. “I’m fine, but I have to go.”
“Fine, but don’t disappoint us.” She huffs before the line goes clear.
Sometimes, I wish my parents would just leave me alone, but that will never happen. They are hoping to become the next elder couple, and if I don’t live up to their expectations, I could ruin it for everyone. I have to go ahead and get this job done. The longer I drag this out, the harder it will be.
The front door opens, and the girl walks out. She has on a sports top and workout shorts, with her hair in a ponytail. She takes off in a jog, and I hurry to catch up.
As she continues to run, heading into a trail in the woods next to her house, I fall farther and farther behind.
Crap, I’m getting out of shape.
She turns a corner and disappears from my view for a few seconds.
When I make the slight curve, there is a scream and the sounds of someone struggling. My heart panics into overdrive, and adrenaline pushes me to move faster. When the trees clear, I see the familiar pulse of reaper magic pulling the life out of my target.
What the hell is going on?
Chapter Four
I’m not sure what to do. This is unprecedented. Any reaper can tell she is marked now that her time has ran out. It’s like when most humans walk past a graveyard at night. Your skin crawls as if something isn’t right, but we know what’s not right. I should have reaped her last night, but I just couldn’t. However, we have an order, and whoever this person is knows she is someone’s target. So, they shouldn’t be stepping in and interfering without approval from the elders. And the elders granted me a few e
xtra days since this was my first solo mission.
My target convulses as her life begins to leave her body. My natural power begins to thrum inside me, and I take a step toward them but stop. I clench my hands and take a deep breath while trying to contain it. Why do I have to be so different? A moan brings my attention back to the scene unfolding in front of me. The girl’s convulsing has almost stopped and her soul is almost vanquished. Her dark hair is spread out amongst the dirt and the rocks. Her chest is arched up from where the reaper is still pulling the life force from her. She’s whimpering, fighting, not ready to go.
As the last little bit of life drains from her, her eyes find mine before they go vacant.
Oh, hell no. This can’t happen. I don’t care if the universe decided her time was up. I must have the ability to restore life for a reason, and I can’t live with something else weighing down my conscience.
The reaper stands, and I hurry to hide behind some trees. The last thing I need is to be spotted and reported back to the elders and my parents. I’m hoping this will just blow over and that they’ll think I completed my assignment since her soul was checked in as soon as it left her body. This person has no clue who was assigned to vanquish her. We have no way of knowing each other’s assignments.
When I hunch down and am hidden, I find a tiny hole in the thick trees to peek through. The person who interfered is now turned and pulling her black shirt down over her blue jeans. Her dark, red hair is messy and falling out of her ponytail from the fight my target gave her. She’s frowning and glancing around. “Who the hell was supposed to take care of her?”
My heart races. Maybe she won’t let this drop. This can’t be good, but I need her to go now before a human stumbles upon my Beth-lookalike and finds her dead. Then I won’t be able to save her.
The other reaper sighs and attempts to fix her ponytail. “At least, I was here to set you straight. Now I need to go find my actual target.” She walks off, heading deeper into the forest.
Her target must be close by, and that’s how she found mine. I stay hidden until the sounds of her footsteps have been gone for several minutes.
The whole time, I can’t take my eyes off Beth. Okay, it’s not really her, but at this moment, they are almost merged in my mind. I can’t separate them. Maybe, by saving her, I can save Beth.
I get up from my spot and climb out of the trees. A tree branch cuts into my arm, causing blood to drip down my arm. It’s almost as if fate is warning me not to do it, but this is something I have to do.
As I walk toward her, my body shakes. How could I have let this happened to her? I fall to my knees beside her and attempt to steady my hands as I hold them out and place them on her chest.
Her body is already cold to the touch and stiff.
My power begins churning inside, me and the warmth spreads throughout my chest. I welcome the sensation and let it course throughout my body. This is how our power should feel, natural and in sync.
I close my eyes and search for her soul. I need to find it in order to bring her back to life. Without that, all hope is lost. I just hope I didn’t wait too long, and I can still find her. It takes a moment, but her signature connects with mine.
Thank goodness. My power encircles her essence and pulls her back here. The other nice thing about restoring a soul is that, when they pass through your body, it’s a nice warm, pleasant feeling, which is very different from the cold, bitter one when you pull them.
She passes through me, and I coax her toward her own body. My hands light up a bright blue as she merges back into life.
When she fully connects back to herself, the light fades and my power fizzles. I can feel the rise and fall of her chest again as she begins breathing once more.
My heartbeat slows, and I shift so I’m now sitting on my bottom and wrap my arms around my knees. I rub a hand down my face. Shit. What have I done? If anyone were to find out… I shudder. I don’t even want to think about the repercussions. How in the world am I supposed to get her back to her house when she’s out cold in the middle of the woods?
There is a snap of a branch coming from the trail several feet away followed by rocks being jostled.
Crap. What am I going to do? I can’t leave this girl passed out like this. I grab her arms and drag her a few steps toward some low hanging trees just a few feet away. Some twigs crack again, closer this time. Shit, I’m not moving fast enough. I need to get out of here.
Someone rounds the corner. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I drop the girl’s arms and turn. My breath catches in my throat. Oh, hell. This is the reaper from earlier. “Well, I found this girl passed out so I was trying to get her out of the main trail.”
The reaper walks around me. She bends down and touches her neck.
Could she possibly know? She couldn’t, right? Most reapers just take them past the point and are done.
I bite my lip. “What are you doing?”
She moves her hand away from her neck and looks at me. She tilts her head and stands. “You’re a Malone.”
Well, this is going from bad to worse. How does she know my family name? “Sorry, you must have me confused with someone.”
“I don’t think so.” She heads over to a tree and leans back against it, facing my direction. She crosses her arms, a green leaf peeking over her right shoulder. “You don’t recognize me, do you?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m sorry.”
She barks out a laugh and shakes her head. “Figures. I’m Selena.”
I’m not sure what to do. I can’t leave the girl here, alone with this reaper. But, at the same time, she’s suspicious of me and I do need to get away. I rub the back of my neck and glance down the trail. I wish she would just leave.
“You know,” she rubs her jaw with her hand, “it’s odd. She was dead when I left, and here she is now with a heartbeat again.”
I close my eyes. She’s not going to let it drop and she knows my family. “Maybe she wasn’t dead at all. I’ve heard a lot of stories…”
She pushes off the tree. “Stop with the crap. I know you’re a reaper.”
It would be surprising at this point if she couldn’t tell. We aren’t human, after all, and we can sense each other’s supernatural race when we pay attention.
“And let’s be real.” She turns her hand over and motions up and down. “You look just like your mother with your stature and sharp features. The only difference is your dark hair.”
I don’t know what she wants from me. I have nothing to say to all this. I just wish she’d go away. Her scrutiny is not sitting well with me, and neither is the fact she seems to know things about me. I have never seen her before in my life.
“It’s strange though.” She places her finger to her lip. “First off, she was already living on borrowed time, and I didn’t sense anyone around to take care of it. So, I thought I would help things to ensure the balance is maintained.”
Since I’m not sure how to respond, I keep my mouth shut. This is the first time that I wish my parents were here. I never thought I’d see the day where that would happen, but let’s mark this day down in history.
Her pretty, porcelain face turns into stone and her brows line together. “But when I went to check on her, her soul had vanished from the afterlife. How could that have happened?”
For the first time ever, I’m stunned speechless. It’s not taught or common practice for a reaper to check back in on a soul. I let out a breath and stare at the ground. “Huh, that’s weird.”
“Isn’t it though?” Her green eyes harden. “I don’t know why you guys think, just because your family has been around for a long time and you live in a fancy house, you can break the rules, but it doesn’t fly with me.” She stands in front of me and bends down so our gazes meet. “Did you somehow restore her soul?”
I open my mouth to say no, but I can’t. I don’t want to lie, and, even if I did, she’ll know I’m lying. The girl is right there breathi
ng not even five feet away. However, I’m not going to admit I did it. My heart races and my stomach begins to roll. I may throw up before this day is over.
“How did you do it?” Her tone is getting loud.
This is escalating quick. “I never said I did.”
She invades my personal space and places a hand on my shoulder. “But you did, and I want to know how and why.”
“Look,” I take a step back and remove her hand, “I don’t want to fight.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She snarls at me. “You don’t have the right to make that call. The elders will hear about this.”
She closes her eyes and then her body grays out and disappears as she transports out before I have a chance to say anything else.
I fall to my knees and close my eyes. What have I done?
Chapter Five
I can't believe the huge mess I've made of things. How in the world am I going to fix it all? My parents are going to disown me.
A moan catches my attention and is followed by a cough.
I drop my hands from my face and turn to the girl.
She’s still unconscious but seems to be coming to. What am I going to do with her? It’s not like I can just let her go home right after this in her condition.
There isn’t any point in dragging this out any longer. I pull out the phone from my pocket and dial my father’s number. It rings four times before he picks up. His tone is gruff. “Do you need us? Have you taken care of your target?”
For some reason, I want to laugh at this. “Well, not right now. And, yes, my target was reaped, but I need to talk to you guys.”
He blows out his breath. “Well, at least the target was reaped so this isn’t an emergency. Your mother and I are busy on our own assignment, so we’ll be home tonight to discuss whatever it is you have on your mind.”
Then the phone clicks in my ear. Well, okay then.
