Grim Girl

by Nicky Graves

  “Go and sit with him if you want,” I said.

  “Only if you come with me,” she said with a hopefulness that I didn’t want to squash, but I had to.

  “I don’t feel comfortable with them.” Especially with Chloe sitting at the table looking like she’d turn feral if anyone got too close to Dane. “But you go ahead.”

  She glanced over at Finn again and then shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here.”

  “If you’re worried about abandoning me, I’ll survive.”

  It was funny how things that would have bothered me before just didn’t seem important anymore. The fact that Larue was completely gaga for Finn might have concerned me. That I might be left to sit alone might be another concern. But now it didn’t seem to matter . . . well, not as much.

  “No,” she said adamantly. “We’re best friends. I won’t let a guy come between us. But . . .”

  “But?” Nothing good ever came after a hesitant “but,” especially with Larue.

  “Don’t get mad,” she said quickly.

  Again, nothing good ever came from a phrase like that.

  “What?” I prompted.

  She paused for a moment. Her fingers nervously played with the ends of her honey-blonde hair. “Well, I asked Finn if any of the guys he hangs out with might like you.”

  I groaned. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because then we can date at the same time. Two best friends dating two other best friends. It will be fun.”

  I had a flashback to what Lawson had said. Reapers couldn’t have normal relationships. But Boomer dated and seemed happy. Would I even want to bother?

  “Since you brought up the subject,” I said, “I assume Finn gave you a name.”

  “He did.”

  “And?” I questioned, wondering why she didn’t just blurt out who it was. She seemed excited at the idea of it, so why was she hesitant?

  “Dane likes you.”

  It was the wrong time to take a drink of water. I had to choke it down or risk giving Larue a shower.

  “Dane?” I coughed. “Chloe’s arm candy?”

  “That’s just her wishful thinking. Finn said Dane likes you.”

  I shook my head. There was no way. And even on the remote possibility that he did like me, he was not worth Chloe’s wrath.

  “Please,” Larue begged. “Just one date.”

  “I’m not interested,” I said.

  She narrowed her eyes at me and leaned in. “Unless you have someone else lined up, you’re doing this. Or I will evoke our pact of freshman year.”

  “That was freshman year.”

  “Still stands.”

  I sighed. Stupid pact. “How about just bumping into Finn and Dane at Zero’s sometime?” I suggested. “Then it doesn’t have to get weird.”

  “It will only be weird if you make it weird.” Before I could argue, she grinned at me. “I knew you’d come through. We’ll go after school.”

  “Wait . . . today?” I asked.

  “Of course.”

  “I’m busy today,” I said.

  She snorted and then covered her nose with her hand as if shocked such a sound came from her face. “You’re not busy. You’re never busy.”

  I couldn’t tell her about training.

  “I’ll tell Finn to meet us at the café.” Larue hurried over to Finn and leaned down to talk to him, which didn’t seem necessary. Even with Finn sitting, he was nearly the same height as Larue’s short-stature frame. Finn nodded and then Larue grinned as though he’d agreed to marry her instead of meeting her at the café.

  When she returned to the table she could barely sit in the seat. Her excitement had her nearly bouncing. “He said they’d meet us there.”

  I pulled out my phone and texted Boomer. Boomer probably wouldn’t mind postponing training.

  When Boomer didn’t reply to the text, I figured all was good.

  It was about a half hour into the “date” that I realized all was not fine. Lawson appeared at the coffee shop and hovered next to the table, scowling at me. I tried to ignore him. I mean, I couldn’t very well speak to him since no one else could see him.

  “Boomer said you’re not training today,” Lawson clipped. He then looked at the others at the table. “Really, a coffee date? This is what was more important?”

  I wanted to explain. But I also didn’t want to be labeled as the weird girl who argues with imaginary friends.

  Finn said something that made Larue laugh in a giggly way, which made me suspect whatever he had said wasn’t that funny.

  Dane was decent enough. But I kept expecting Chloe to storm through the door and rain doom down on me.

  “We need to talk,” Lawson said, exasperated. “Excuse yourself and meet me outside.”

  When I didn’t move quickly enough for him because I was waiting for a lull in the conversation to excuse myself, he said, “Riley, it’s time to go.”

  His authoritative command annoyed me, so I crossed my arms and ignored him. At least for a little bit. I had no intention of being a pouty brat, but he needed to understand I was with people who could see and hear me.

  After a few moments of silence, I looked over to find he was gone.

  A bit of me felt guilty. But the rest of me was content. I glanced over at Dane, who had a puzzled look on his face. I realized I still had my arms crossed while frowning.

  I quickly smoothed my expression to that of someone not irritated by a pushy reaper.

  The conversation had been dominated by Larue and Finn so far, but Dane leaned over and asked if I was okay.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I just thought of an assignment I need to do later,” I lied.

  He nodded as if he understood.

  “What do you like to do besides football?” I asked, hoping to find common ground.

  He shrugged. “Nothing much. Hanging out with friends. Sometimes watching movies.”

  Before I could respond, the door to the coffee shop opened and Lawson walked in. His expression was like that of a brewing storm. I knew I was going to get hit with a lightning bolt.

  He walked straight for our table. As Larue’s gaze tracked him, I knew he had shed his invisibility. A part of me thrilled at it. Finally, someone else could see him. And he was coming for me.

  “Do you know him, Riley?” Larue asked.

  “Never seen him before in my life.”

  “Well, he’s looking directly at you.”

  And then he was at the table. “Riley, your mom is in the hospital. I’m supposed to take you there.”

  “I thought you didn’t know him,” Larue said. “Is this stranger danger?”

  “She knows me,” Lawson said, not even looking at Larue but keeping his eyes on me as if daring me to contradict him. “Don’t you, Riley?”

  “What’s her middle name?” Larue questioned with suspicion.

  Lawson looked at Larue as if he was contemplating becoming a blank reaper. I stood. I had already pushed Lawson into storm mode. It was time to go.

  “This is Cuthbert,” I said, smiling when he glowered at me. “He’s my annoying cousin,” I lied. I wanted to take it back a second later, but the lie was already out there. “He doesn’t know my middle name.”

  “Oh, why haven’t I met him before?” Larue asked. “I thought I knew all of your family.”

  “He’s from the part of my family no one likes,” I said. “I’ll see you at school.”

  “Call me later. Tell me how your mom is doing.”

  “I will.”

  As soon as we walked out the door, Lawson put his hand on my shoulder and we shifted to an empty studio. The wood floors were old and worn. A punching bag hung off to the side. The rest of the room was open. I glanced through the floor-to-ceiling windows, noticing it wasn’t as sunny as it had been in the café.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  He didn’t say anything at first. He just glowered at me with crossed arms.

  To get out from under his stare, I wal
ked to the punching bag. Maybe I could hide behind it if he decided to use that lightning bolt.

  “You said you weren’t going to push me, remember?” I said. “You said we could go at my speed.”

  “Yes,” he said, running a hand along his jaw. “But you have to at least take training seriously. That means no ditching to hang out with a guy at a café. How can I make you understand how dangerous it is for you right now?”

  “What do you mean ‘dangerous’?” I asked, peeking over to find him still glaring at me.

  “You are a mortal entering an immortal world. Even though I said I wouldn’t push you, I want to keep you safe. In order to do that, we still have to move forward. Especially since you have the crystal.”

  “Why did you say ‘especially’?” I rounded the bag. “I thought it was a training tool to use as needed.”

  “Not everyone wants you to have the crystal. It has value beyond monetary.”

  “Is it worth stealing?”

  “Many think so.”

  “Then take it back. Put it in a safe or something.”

  “Under opposition, the Supreme Elder decided to give you the stone to train with. He will not be happy if you give it back just because you aren’t willing to train. And I don’t want to be the one to tell him that. Anyway, the stone already decided.”

  I didn’t want Lawson to get into trouble, but I still felt the stone ought to go to someone other than me.

  “What do you mean the stone already decided? What did it decide?”

  “That you are an acceptable host. It stopped glowing, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ranger said when you saw the cloaked man in the other world, the crystal didn’t do anything, right?”

  “I don’t know. It was in my pocket.”

  “If it hadn’t chosen you, it would have tried to get back to the previous owner.”

  “Wait. What does this have to do with the creepy snake guy? Did the crystal belong to him?”

  “It did for a while. But the crystal doesn’t truly belong to him. And, if you think he’s creepy now, give him the crystal and he’ll get a whole lot creepier. You need to complete the bond.”

  “Who is he?” I asked.

  “If I tell you, will you complete the bond?”

  “I’m not promising.”

  We stared at each other. I think Lawson was trying to glare until I backed down. But I wouldn’t. He kept telling me how serious it was and yet he wasn’t willing to tell me the full story. What if I turned into a smoky snake guy by bonding with the rock?

  “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” he asked.

  “Why do you have to keep me in the dark?”

  He laughed, but it wasn’t joyful. It was the kind of laugh that meant he was either giving up or he was going to substitute me for the punching bag.

  “You win,” he said. “The man you saw is Azrael.”

  “As in the Grim Reaper?”

  Lawson nodded.

  “I thought we were pro-reaper. Why do I get the feeling there is a long, complicated story?”

  “It’s not long or complicated. He was the first reaper.”

  “And how does the crystal come into play?”

  “Legend says he placed the stone into his scythe, which amplified his power. With the stone, he could wipe out thousands of people at a time.”

  “As in kill? I thought reapers shepherd souls, not kill people.”

  “It wasn’t always like that. Reapers used to take lives as they saw fit. But the Elder Council changed that. However, Azrael doesn’t always play by the rules. He tolerates them when it suits him. And the elders turn an occasional blind eye to him because they know they don’t truly have the power to stop him. Azrael still reigns king to the reapers.”

  I didn't want to follow under the leadership of a guy who billowed with snakes.

  “Guardians appointed by Life were able to take the stone from Azrael, but they paid for that in bloodshed. The guardians haven’t been heard from since. But I do know Azrael has been looking for the stone.”

  “And you all thought the smartest thing to do was to give it to me?” I asked.

  “I didn’t know any of this until Ranger told me you saw Azrael and I put two and two together. I would have never agreed to give you the stone otherwise. When I confronted the Supreme Elder with the information, he told me what you hold is a sacred life stone. One of seven pieces. I don’t agree with the Supreme Elder’s decision to give it to you, but I understand why he did it. If the life stone bonds with you, it will be harder for Azrael to take it back.”

  “Unless he kills me,” I said, stepping closer to Lawson. “You did say he’s the only one who would have the power to kill a reaper, right?”

  “Well, he’s not the only one. Let’s just focus on the life stone.”

  “So, I’m going to have the big, scary Grim Reaper chasing after me? No, thank you!”

  “Riley—”

  “No. I want to understand this world, but not like this. This is too much. I don’t want the king of reapers to come after me. I don’t want to die early. I just want to live whatever life I have left without the stone and the Grim Reaper. Seriously, I have homework due tomorrow.”

  “Whether you choose to accept this or not, your fate is already that of a reaper.”

  “But until I die, I’m just me.”

  “I can’t force you to train. And I was serious about not pushing you. I don’t want to. But I can’t leave the stone in your possession any longer unless you decide to be in this one hundred percent.”

  After hearing what the stone was and who wanted it, there was no way I wanted to keep it.

  “I don’t want it.”

  He gave a resigned nod. “Put the life stone on the floor.”

  “On the floor?”

  “I can’t touch it.”

  I took the stone from my pocket and set it on the floor. Lawson grabbed a towel that was near the punching bag and picked up the stone with it. Then he shifted.

  Was that it? Was I temporarily free from the responsibility of training?

  I glanced around the room, wondering if I was supposed to stay here or figure out my own way home.

  Just as I was heading to the door, Lawson reappeared, placed his hand on my shoulder, and deposited me into my bedroom.

  “Give me your phone,” he said, holding out his hand.

  “You want my phone?”

  “Only reapers or those in training are allowed to have one. I’ll have to return it along with the stone.”

  “Oh,” I said, pulling it out from my pocket.

  “Riley, you’ll still feel death. There is nothing I can do about that. I’m sorry.” As soon as he took the phone, he shifted.

  I sat on my bed, wondering if I had just made the best decision of my life or the worst.

  12

  “Dane seemed disappointed you had to leave,” Larue said as we walked into the cafeteria the next day. “I think he really likes you. Do you want to go sit by them?”

  “No, I’m not up to it today.” Plus, Chloe was there. If Dane liked me, he didn’t seem to mind that Chloe was draped on him.

  I didn’t want to think about them. My mind was too absorbed with Lawson. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I hadn’t made the right decision. But keeping the stone and being Azrael’s scythe target wasn’t a smart decision either.

  And what happens if I get the pull of death again and run into Boomer or Lawson? That would be awkward. But a part of me wanted it to happen.

  I wished I could talk to Larue about this. If she could get past the fact that I was destined to become a reaper, she would have good advice. I trusted her advice. In fact, I wished I was a little bit more like her. If she was in my shoes, she would have tackled training head-on.

  “How is your mom?” Larue asked. “Are you feeling a little out of sorts because you’re worried about her?”

  I had forgotten about Lawson’s fib. “She’s bet
ter. Maybe I’m just tired from taking care of her.” I grasped for an excuse. I hated lying to Larue.

  “Oh, okay. Well, maybe some other time we can sit with them,” she said.

  “Thanks,” I said. “You go and sit with Finn if you want. I think I’ll just grab some air.”

  “It’s raining and cold.”

  Rainy and cold kind of fit my mood.

  She looked at the time on her phone. “Offsite lunch is done in about ten minutes. You have until then before they lock the school doors again.”

  “That’s plenty of time. I’ll see you later.”

  I had to believe I had done the right thing in giving the stone back. I wasn’t ready for that level of responsibility. Seriously, me going against the Grim Reaper? It had horror movie written all over it.

  Still, I had dreamt of the stone last night. I held it in my hand. It pulsed with energy then transformed into a pool of light. Before I could capture it, the light was gone. So, if I was interpreting the dream correctly, it meant the stone wasn’t for me.

  And yet I still carried the guilt of letting down Lawson. And myself. I had never thought of myself as a coward, but I had proven myself wrong.

  I stepped outside the door and stood under the eave, listening to the gentle pitter-patter of rain on the concrete. I would have loved this rain on the deserted planet I had been stuck on. Maybe then I wouldn’t have come back looking like a mummy. I would also have loved to be able to tell someone about my experience, but that could never happen. The only people who would understand were the reapers, and I had effectively closed that door.

  I looked out over the parking lot. What would this place look like in a hundred years? Five hundred years? Maybe it would be gone. Bulldozed for a future school or homes.

  And then I saw a wisp of smoke in the parking lot. Was something on fire? I scanned the area.

  Smoke began billowing between cars before I saw Azrael emerge, flanked by a dozen robed reapers. Their hoods hid their faces, but an eerie red glow emitted from the shadows. The smoke snakes that writhed from Azrael’s robes hissed and snapped. Their glowing eyes targeted me, locking me in place with some sort of paralyzing magic.