by Apryl Baker
Hijinks And Misdemeanors
The Reaper Chronicles #2
By Apryl Baker
Hijinks And Misdemeanors
Copyright © 2021 by Apryl Baker.
All rights reserved.
First Print Edition: 2021
Limitless Publishing, LLC
Kailua, HI 96734
www.limitlesspublishing.com
Formatting: Book Pages By Design
Cover Design: Deranged Doctor Design
ISBN-13: 978-1-954194-30-4
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Dedication
For every girl who feels less than.
Know you’re not.
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter One
Ella
The fresh aroma of all the pine trees and the woodsy scent of the forested mountains around me invade my senses. I’ve grown to love the unique smell of the mountains of West Virginia. At first, I sneezed my head off, but thanks to lovely sinus medicine, I can go outside and enjoy all the wonderful things the town of Jacob’s Fork has to offer.
But do I do that?
Nope.
I’m sitting on the bleachers surrounding the football field of Jacob’s Fork High School with my nose buried in my Kindle.
Until an errant football whizzes past my head so close, the air from it brushes my cheek and yanks my attention away from my book and squarely on the beautiful boy grinning at me from the bottom of the bleachers.
Eli McGreggor.
He has the strangest aqua eyes. I’ve never seen eyes that color before. They’re always laughing, and like right now, they hold a hint of the devil in them.
You’d never know he was part Angel with that wicked look in his eyes.
But he is, and I guess that’s why when I think of him, I always think of the word angelic. It was the word that came to mind the day I first met him, and it still holds true.
His toffee-streaked blond hair is a sticky mess from football practice. The team apparently only got a couple of weeks off for summer, and then they had to start practice in July. I’m told they’re division champions, and they work hard to keep that title.
“Whatcha reading, Ella?” His voice is deeper than most of the boys around here, and its smooth too. He knows exactly the effect he has on girls with that voice.
Sometimes it affects me too, but I have firmly friend zoned him.
He did the same with me and every other girl around here. He’s suffering from a broken heart.
I don’t know what that feels like, and I’m not sure I want to know either. Sometimes the pain he wears on his expression when he talks about the girl he loves breaks my own heart. I want to protect him.
Even if he is supposed to be the “protector” in this relationship.
“My favorite book.”
“Pride and Prejudice.” He spits the words out like they’re the foulest thing he’s ever said.
“You loved that movie. Don’t deny it.”
“Woman, I did not. I sat through it five times because you were in pain and couldn’t walk.”
“I still can’t walk.”
“Yes, you can.” He wags his finger and points to the cane sitting beside me. “You’re just slower than most people right now.”
“Fine, I can walk, but you loved that movie. And don’t you dare deny you fell in love with The Notebook as much as I did.”
He purses his lips and glances around. Half the team is listening. Snickering.
“Do you want me to make you suffer through a five-time marathon of Pride and Prejudice?” He glares at them all, and they back away slowly, horrified expressions overtaking most of them. “Don’t think for a second I won’t.”
There are shifters and other Supernaturals on the team that can probably morph into creatures that might rip him apart, so it’s impressive his look can send them running.
Yes, he’s the captain of the football team, but still. Some of those guys are bigger than he is, and he scares them.
Given how much he laughs, maybe he is scary. No one knows what he’s capable of. And that’s the X factor—his unpredictability. I have a feeling he’d hurt someone with a smile on his face.
“Or maybe I’ll make you do a Twilight marathon instead.”
And the rest of them trot off the field.
Even I don’t like Twilight. The girl was too wishy-washy and seemed to have no mind of her own when it came to Edward. I’d have taken Jacob in a heartbeat. He wasn’t a controlling jerk, but what do I know? I’m the reader, not the writer. Who knows what was in the author’s head when she wrote that series?
“That was mean.”
He winks. “It got them moving, didn’t it?”
“You’re impossible.”
“I sure am, and that’s why you’re my BFF.”
That’s me—living reaper with a Guardian Angel for a best friend. I went from a normal Army brat constantly moving with no idea of the paranormal world to this. I live in a town full of Supernaturals my father wants to capture and study. They know his assignment and are prepared to fight the Army tooth and nail. And if anyone in this town goes missing, they know exactly who’s responsible for it.
Which leaves me smack in the middle of the hostility.
How did this become my life?
Oh, yeah…said angry Supernaturals decided to force my father to leave and ran me over. I died, and Eli brought me back, but when I woke up, I could see ghosts. Dying apparently activated my reaping abilities.
I’m still not okay with that.
“You about ready to go?”
“I was ready three hours ago.”
“The sunshine’s good for you.”
“No, I think AC is better for me.”
He shakes his head. “I need to grab a shower, and then we’ll go. Gramps says to bring you by. He made your favorite brownies.”
“With sprinkles?”
“Is there any other way?”
I love his grandpa’s brownies. He won’t give me the recipe, but he makes sure there are always brownies for me and my sister Cecily. He’s as fond of her as he is of me.
“Do you have your bracelet on?”
I hold up my wrist to show him the iron bracelet covered in silver. The iron keeps the ghosts from coming to near when I’m out.
Like right now, I can see three ghosts hovering just outside the football field behind the fencing. None of them look scary, at least, and they’re leaving me alone, but I’ve been told by my reaping
teacher that’s not going to last. Once they figure out I can see them, word will travel, and I’ll be the ghosts’ party line, for lack of a better reference. Even with the iron bracelet.
And I want that to happen about as much as I’d willingly eat peas. Mushy, nasty things.
“Stay here until I’m done, and I’ll come get you. If anything gets too near, just text me or your sister.”
I want to roll my eyes, but he’s right. I might be resentful of having him tell me what to do, but he’s only trying to keep me safe from the pests that are ghosts. They can apparently hurt you, according to Eli. His other charge found that out the hard way when one almost killed her accidentally.
I hold up my Kindle and give him a mock salute. “Yes, sir, Sir.”
He winks. “Be good.”
When am I not good? I’m the epitome of the term “good girl.” I never disrespect or disobey my parents. I always get good grades. I prefer a book to a party. I’m respectful to others, especially my elders. That’s just the way Mom and Dad raised me.
Eli saunters off the field, and I glance toward the ghosts at the gate. I know I’m meant to help them move on, but they creep me out. Before Eli got me this bracelet, they were jumping out at me everywhere. I woke up one night with the bloated corpse of an old man in my bed, his eye sockets rotting out. I screamed my head off. Mom and Dad couldn’t see what I could see, and I think it freaked them out more than it did me, to be honest.
Eli brought me the bracelet two days later and explained it should keep them at least ten feet away so I wouldn’t wake up to any more of them in my bed.
I was grateful, but I hated that I needed a talisman to get a good night’s sleep. It’s not fair.
None of this is fair. I didn’t ask to come here. I didn’t ask for the townspeople to be so mad at my dad they tried to kill me. And I certainly didn’t ask to be a living reaper.
But as Dad says, life’s not fair. You just have to roll with it. Easy for him to say, though. He’s not terrified of walking into a living nightmare.
He just causes the nightmares.
Something else I’m trying to come to terms with.
I love my dad. I’m used to constantly moving because he’s in the military. I always assumed he was doing good things, protecting the country and all that stuff. Never once did I imagine he was kidnapping people and experimenting on them. Well, he doesn’t do the experimenting himself; he just makes it possible for others to.
And that’s not right.
Nothing he will ever say to defend himself will make that right, and I’ve lost respect for the man I idolized my entire life.
Some days I even think I hate him a little.
I’m trying to come to terms with it, but I can’t. He doesn’t talk about it, but he has to know how I feel. I’m one of the things he’s been charged to hunt. What makes me different than anyone else? When I asked him that very question, his answer was I was his daughter.
So just because I’m his daughter, he thinks it’s okay for me to be exempt from his orders? It’s not right. No one should be taken hostage and had horrible things done to them. Nothing he can say to me will ever make me agree that what he’s doing is right, that it’s protecting the country and its citizens.
You can’t hurt people like that.
You just can’t.
“Hey, you’re Eli’s friend, right?”
Startled, I glance up to see a girl whose bright red hair is done up in a high ponytail staring at me. She has on a cheerleading uniform, and for the life of me, I can’t remember if I’ve ever met her before or not.
“Yeah.” I’m wary. I’ve met two girls already who were downright hostile to me when I told them if they wanted Eli’s attention to get it themselves. I’m not an in to the captain of the football team. I can’t magically make him want to date them.
“I’m Jessie.” She runs up the bleachers. “He asked me to come check on you.”
I frown. He’s never done that before.
“You can text him if you don’t believe me.”
I really want to, but at the same time, I don’t want to offend her. Not a lot of the kids have been overly nice, but I can’t blame them. Everyone knows why my dad is here.
“I’m fine,” I tell her. “I don’t need to be checked on.”
“Girl, please. We all know what you can do. You have to be freaked out twenty-four-seven. You need friends who can help you.”
“And you want to be my friend?” I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
“Why not?”
“Because of my dad.”
“You can’t control what your dad does.” Her brown eyes turn somber. “Most of us realize that and don’t hold it against you. Everyone’s just a little wary about getting too close.”
Because my dad might use any relationship they have with me to get to them.
My shoulders slump.
I hate this.
“Don’t worry. There’s a few of us willing to take the risk.” She nudges my shoulder with hers. “Like me.”
“But why?”
“Because I’m a nice person whose uncle is the sheriff. If I go missing, this town will get ripped apart until I’m found. Your dad would be stupid to try to do anything to me.”
I’ve met the sheriff. He’s the Alpha of the local wolf shifter pack, and to say he’s scary is like saying a baby is adorable. It doesn’t do it justice. I wouldn’t do anything to piss him off, and if my dad’s smart, neither would he.
“Look, Eli’s taken it upon himself to be your protector of sorts. That means you’re going to get dragged into his world whether you want it or not. He’s popular. He’s expected at parties. He has obligations the team’s responsible for. Which means he can’t always be with you. He needs help. He’s my friend, and I’m willing to help him.”
“Or do you just want into his good graces to try to get a date?” I’m suspicious. Sue me.
She laughs. Outright laughs. “Honey, he and I could never work. We’re both too much of a flirt, and even if we weren’t, he’s not in any shape to be dating anyone. That boy is suffering from severe heartbreak. I’m not stupid enough to think I can cure him. That kind of pain goes too deep to heal overnight. He needs a friend more than he needs a girlfriend.”
“You wouldn’t believe how many girls have come up here to talk to me just so I can put in a good word for them.”
“Oh, I believe it. They tried that crap with me too, and I sent them packing.”
Maybe she’s okay.
“So, what do you say? Think you can use another friend? One who’s a girl?”
I glance down at my baggy t-shirt and gym shorts. “I’m not very girly.”
“That’s okay. I’m girly enough for both of us.”
“So, you said your uncle is the sheriff. Does that mean you’re a wolf shifter?”
“Partly. My dad’s a wolf, and my mum is a witch. Anywhere else, I’d be an outcast without a pack because of stupid pack laws and tradition, but not here. Uncle Ethan includes us all.”
“What do you mean, be an outcast?”
“In the shifter world, especially among the wolf shifters, if you dirty your bloodline with anything besides a wolf shifter, you’re unclean. Not pure blood. You’re thrown out of the pack when you take a mate that’s not a wolf. It’s stupid.”
“That’s racist.”
“You’re telling me. We’re hoping that’s going to change, though, if Cole decides to take up the mantle of Alpha.”
“I have no idea who that is.”
“No, you wouldn’t. You’re not a wolf, so you don’t know the politics or the players. If you live here long enough, you will, though.”
I’ll be here at least a year, and Eli says the university in town is made just for Supernaturals, so I’ll probably go there for college as well. Maybe.
“So, you want to go into town and get some food with the rest of us? We’re all heading to the Coffee Shoppe for burgers and shakes.”
�
��I told Eli I’d go to his grandpa’s with him when he gets out of the shower. His grandpa is making brownies.”
“Brownies!” Her eyes widen. “Eli brought a few to school with him once, and they’re the best things ever.”
“I’ll take a brownie over a burger any day.”
“Good thing we’re picking up real food before going home.”
We both jump at the sound of Eli’s voice. How is he so good at sneaking up on people? We should have seen him come up the bleachers, but neither of us did. Jessie’s a shifter, too. How did he get past her?
“How many times have I told you not to be sneaking?” She wags her finger at him. “One of these days you’re going to get hurt doing that.”
“Never happen.” He holds out his hand. “Come on, Shortcake. Let’s go pick up food and then gorge on brownies.”
“With sprinkles.”
“Sprinkles?” Jessie looks ready to cry. “Will you bring me some tomorrow?”
“Sure thing.” Eli hugs her the same time he pulls me up. “Got to keep my girls up in chocolate.”
She laughs. “See you guys tomorrow.”
“You ready?” Eli asks, and I nod.
“She’s nice.”
“Jessie?”
“Yeah. Did you send her to check on me?”
“I did. There’s a ghost that’s gone a little crazy pacing back and forth in front of the church next door. I wanted someone here with you in case he decided to attack.”
“Wait, you can see him?”
“Remember I told you I can see the ones that have gone crazy because it’s what my family’s gift was.”
“You kill them.” Part of me doesn’t want to say it because even though I hate that I see them, I’m not built to hurt them. I instinctively want to help.
“Yes, but only because there’s no other way. Even Mattie had to end up killing some to save people.”
“The other reaper girl.”
He slings an arm over my shoulder as he walks us toward his truck. “Yeah. When she’s in her right head, I’ll introduce you. She’s probably the best person to help you understand this.”
