by Chanda Hahn
“I’m not a straw,” Mina said.
“No, but you are short.” He tried to hide the smile, but Mina smacked him in the arm with the back of her hand. “I followed you this morning when you took off on your bike. I almost lost you a few times, but I figured out where you were heading. You wanted to say your goodbyes.”
Her gaze dropped to her folded hands. Her heart swelled with the pain of her loss. “It’s not fair,” she mumbled, not expecting an answer.
“No, it’s not. I know you cared a lot for her.”
“She was like a second mom to me.”
Mina looked over her shoulder and noticed the white handle and red metal frame in the backseat this time. “You grabbed my bike.”
“Yeah, it took a bit of finagling, but I got it in.” Brody reached out with his right hand to hold hers and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Mina looked at their clasped hands on the seat between them, and she was filled with mixed emotions. This was everything she wanted, but she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with guilt. She had been forced to face her true feelings about Teague in the tower, and—given the choice—she had chosen to stay.
But she wasn’t quite herself then. Right?
“What are we going to do if that thing shows up again?” Brody’s mood got serious as he faced the fact that the encounter with the Reaper would not be their last.
“We have to be prepared, ’cause what you saw is only one of many Reapers. And I don’t know how many are coming.”
“What do you need me to do?” He pulled up her driveway and turned the car off.
Mina studied her house. It looked as if it had been pieced together from various eras, because, in fact, it had. This was the house that had traveled across an ocean with magic, the sanctuary of the Grimms. It was the safest place for her now.
But for how long? Teague’s army destroyed the Godmothers’ Guild, and that had been warded and guarded. Inside were her mute brother Charlie and her mom. Was the house strong enough to protect them? She felt sick to her stomach. Even Brody’s question made her reel.
“You shouldn’t have to do anything. It’s not your fight. I’m so sorry you got dragged into this.” She touched his shoulder.
Teague’s warning about taking each of her friends away one by one was making her question the wisdom of getting Brody and the others involved.
He looked taken aback. “No one forced me. And this isn’t just about you. I mean it is, but if there’s a threat to you, my friends, and our world, then you can be sure I’m going to fight it.”
Chapter 2
She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn’t relieve the immense feeling of pressure that built around her. Instinctively, Mina looked around the car and outside. The back of her neck prickled.
“Go, get inside. Now!” She pushed Brody toward the driver’s door, and she leapt from her side and ran toward the front door, as the dog howled somewhere—not far enough—behind them.
Brody raced to her front door, opened it, and beckoned her to get inside. As soon as her feet crossed the threshold, he slammed the door.
The house shook as something large slammed against it.
“I didn’t even see it.” Brody pressed himself against the door. “How did it get here so fast?”
“It’s Fae,” Mina yelled over her shoulder. She ran to the back of the house and locked the back kitchen door. She peered out the curtains and didn’t see anything, but she could hear it—the terrifying howl of the beast. There was a Reaper here. On their property. All she could do was hope the wards held better than the Godmothers’.
Charlie came around from the side room and stood in the kitchen, his face a mask of fear.
“Get Mom!” she yelled.
He nodded and took off running up the stairs, but their mom was already on her way down.
“Mina, what’s going on?” She had a laundry basket full of clothes, and her hair was pulled back and secured with a clip. She wore jeans with an oversize men’s flannel shirt—Mina’s father’s.
“It’s a Reaper who’s also a giant black dog.”
“A what?” she pressed her hand to her forehead with a confused look on her face.
Her gold charm bracelet dangled from her small wrist. A new charm from Pandora’s box was attached to it. When and how this new charm appeared on her mom’s arm was something Mina would have to worry about later.
“Charlie,” she called to her brother. “The bracelet.”
Her younger brother didn’t need any more direction. He ran to his mom, grasped the charm bracelet, and pulled with all of his might. Her mother yelled out as the chain broke, and small golden charms scattered across the floor. Mina recognized the memory charm and the forgetting charm, and she kicked the new one that looked like an apple under the stove. It rattled as it rolled around.
In only a few seconds, the haze in her mother’s eyes cleared up. The beast howled again, and her gaze snapped to the window.
She froze, her breath caught in her throat as her eyes darted between her kids and Brody and back outside, where another long howl pierced the air. The sound spurred her into action. She rushed to the cupboards and began to dig through the spices.
“Have you seen it?” Her mom rushed about her hands shaking as she pulled out pepper, flour, and sugar and slammed them down onto the counter.
“Yeah, it’s a Reaper.
“No,” Sara turned and gave Mina a stern look. “Did you see the dog? What’s it look like?”
“Uh, it’s large black beast.”
“Mina. The eyes. Tell me about the Reaper’s eyes.”
The fear combined with resignation in her mother’s voice—that tone—scared her more than the horrifying howl.
“White as death.”
Her mother gripped the countertop, and her head dropped. “An omen,” she exhaled.
This time, it was Mina’s turn to be confused. “What?”
“An omen, a Death Reaper.” Her mother’s eyes lit with anger, and she reached into the back of the cupboards and grabbed a large container of salt, which she pushed into Brody’s hands. “Sprinkle it in a circle. A big one.”
“Charlie,” she said, “get me the hand mirror from the bathroom.”
His feet pounded up the stairs.
“But it can’t cross the wards, right?” Mina asked, looking out the window.
“Don’t count on it. Nothing can stop Death,” Sara said firmly.
The howling stopped, replaced by low growling. First it sounded far away, then by the front door, and then the beast started to ram itself against the door. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Mina hurried to the front of the house but saw nothing. Something invisible was ramming against the door.
“Why can’t I see it anymore?”
“You won’t, honey. You only see a death omen once, unless he wants you to see him. But you see where he’s been in hindsight.”
The beast stopped its attack on the front door, so Mina jogged back to the kitchen. Brody handed her mother the rest of the salt. Charlie ran in with a small black cosmetic mirror and handed it to his mother.
Her mom picked the largest chef’s knife out of the cutting block and tested the sharpness against the edge of her thumb. She looked pleased with the results.
“How do you know this?” Mina asked accusingly. “You’ve met him before. Haven’t you?”
Her mother stilled. Her hand wiped a loose strand of hair out of her face, and she turned to face her daughter. “You’re right. This is not the first time Death has come to my door. But this is the first time I can fight back. This isn’t just any Grimm Reaper. He’s not just hunting Grimms. This is Death himself, and he won’t leave until he’s collected.”
“What do you mean?”
Sara looked out the kitchen window and across the yard. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you better. I did the best I could, but without your father, I just wasn’t strong enough. I gave up so much to be with him. I could have
done something back then, but I didn’t. I promised him. I had to stay for you… and for Charlie. Mina, listen to me. Find my parents. They’ll help you.” She paused and looked at Charlie and then Mina. “I love you both…very much.”
This was the first she had ever in her life heard her mother mention her own parents. She had grown up thinking they were dead.
Mina watched in alarm as her mother’s deft hands poured the salt into her right hand, picked up the knife, and cast a furtive look over her shoulder. She added a little salt to the knife-hand too.
“Whatever happens, don’t let her follow me out that door. Do you hear me?” The command was directed to Brody, who nodded solemnly. “For any reason.” She stepped out onto the back porch and turned to face them through the window.
“Mom!” Mina yelled and rushed for the door, but
soft hands pulled at her. Mina looked down to see her brother’s head against her midsection as he held onto her in a bear hug. “Charlie, let me go.”
His small head shook back and forth violently, and his shoulders shook with fear. His emotions affected Mina as if they were her own.
The howl sounded again, and Mina watched her mother, whose face was grim. Sara held the mirror up and used it to see behind her. Left and right, she swayed the mirror, staring into it intently. What was she doing? She kept her back to the yard.
Mina pulled out of Charlie’s grip and headed for the door, but Brody intercepted her. He picked her up around the waist and refused to let her down.
“No. Stop it, Brody. Let me help her.”
“You can’t. You need to stay here for Charlie.” His voice was firm.
“Please, Brody, let me go.” Mina cried. “I can help.”
She looked back through the upper glass of the kitchen door and saw her mother’s shoulders stiffen. She must have seen the beast in her mirror. She shifted her posture, and Mina knew that the beast was close. It had stopped howling and was stalking her mother.
A loud snarl ripped through the air, and her mother dropped the mirror and spun. She tossed a fist full of salt into what Mina assumed were the beast’s eyes and slashed at the air.
The beast howled in pain, temporarily blinded from the salt.
Brody’s arms were like a vise on her, and Mina screamed, trying to pull from his embrace. She couldn’t see the beast, but she heard a loud yelp as her mother’s knife struck true. A slash of red appeared midair, and her mother followed her attack with another desperate swing. Another yelp followed, and a deep voice bellowed, shaking the windows in the house.
“Enough!”
The whole world seemed to still. Then, the Reaper appeared on the sidewalk fifteen feet from the house. Close up, he was even larger than before. His white, dead eyes were the stuff of nightmares.
“I’ll kill you,” Sara threatened. “Then you won’t be able to collect.”
“Silly mortal. You can only wound me—even as an omen. Nothing can stop me from collecting.” The dark-haired Reaper laughed like crackling fire.
Her mother gripped the bloodied knife in front of her. “You can’t have my daughter.”
The Reaper hissed his displeasure. “The girl has seen my omen. I am here to collect,” he answered. “I cannot leave without a soul.”
Though her mother’s shoulders shook, she stood even taller. Her voice didn’t quake as she called out loudly, “I know you don’t care whose life you take, as long as it’s a soul. Your omen will not hunt her again.”
“I cannot guarantee that I won’t be sent here again.”
“You will not take her,” her mother repeated. She tossed a handful of salt into the Reaper’s eyes this time. He reeled back in pain, and pressed his hands against his eyes. “Yesss.”
For just a moment, Mina felt like her mother had won. But then her mother tossed the chef’s knife into the grass and stepped off the porch. She walked confidently toward the Reaper.
“Then take your soul.” She held up her hands as if she were walking into her lover’s arms. Her head fell back, and her eyes closed.
The air around the Reaper blurred until the omen stood only feet away from her mother. It snarled and growled and let out a one last long howl.
And then it lunged and disappeared.
“Nooooo!” A young, high-pitched voice wailed.
Mina turned. That wail was her brother’s very first word. “Charlie!”
Brody released her. She wrapped her arms around her brother as he sobbed and cried out in pain.
“No, M-M-Mom.” His eyes were red and filled with tears.
When Mina glanced out the door, the yard was empty.
Chapter 3
“Mom!” Mina shouted. She fled the protection of the salt-circle. Brody reached for her again, but she shoved his hands to the side. He’d held her back! He kept her from saving her mom.
Mina raced outside, ignoring the fresh blood on the back porch. It had to be from the omen. There wasn’t a lot. It couldn’t have been from her mom.
There was no other visible sign. She ran into the grass where the Reaper had stood only moments ago and turned full circle, scanning the woods. Nothing. Only a bit of scorched black grass.
Mina wanted to lash out and scream her pain and her loss to high heavens, but she couldn’t do that. Charlie’s wailing drew her gaze back toward the house. Brody held her brother as he continued to cry loudly.
What a terrible miracle. He was talking. He’d never spoken a word…until now. Until their mother died.
Everything pressed down on her, and she couldn’t breathe. The world grew smaller, colder, darker. Hope was blinking out like a dying star and being swallowed into a black hole of nothingness. She couldn’t survive this. Not when the war was costing the lives of her family.
Her knees collapsed beneath her, and she wanted to give in, give up. The darkness seemed to be her only peace, so she let it claim her. The cold grass pressed against her cheek, and her eyes closed.
***
“Stupid. How stupid could you be?” An angry feminine voice greeted her ears.
Mina opened her eyes and saw a dark head of short hair blur in and out of focus. When she tried to look beyond the shadowy form, she saw the faint outline of the familiar fireplace and bookshelves of her front living room. She was stretched out on the sofa, covered with an old woven blanket.
The girl studied her. Her short black hair with purple highlights looked even darker in the light. But the tone, the snarky tone of voice, was all Ever.
“Dumb. That’s what you are,” Ever snapped.
“Who? Brody?” Mina asked, for once close to agreeing with the pixie.
“Oh no. I’m not mad at him.” She thrust her thumb in his direction. “He’s tolerable. He actually did something smart. Kept you from doing something stupid by running after the omen and suffering the same fate as your mother. You, on the other hand, are foolish. You went back to the Guild? How stupid can you get? The final blast of exploding Fae power probably attracted a whole bunch of evil Fae. They could be sniffing out errant bits of magic hoping to scrape it up, and then you go and get spotted by an omen. I can’t leave you alone for a few hours.” Her hands waved in the air, and she started to speak in pixie. It was impossible to follow along, but Mina just assumed she had run out of human names to call her and had to berate her in her own language.
Mina sighed and dropped her head back onto the cushion. She let Ever’s anger roll off her, ignoring it easily.
Brody sat in a high-back chair nearby, head in his hands and elbows resting on his knees. His hands rubbed his face. He looked consumed in guilt.
Charlie sat on a rug, his arms wrapped around his knees as he rocked himself, staring off into the distance. This wasn’t good. How was she going to keep him safe?
Then Mina remembered what her mom had done. She shoved the hurt away and hid it behind her anger. She didn’t have time to mourn her mother’s death when she had her brother to look after. How could their mom do this to them? How cou
ld she abandon them so easily?
She sat up and flung the blanket off of her lap and walked over to Charlie. Kneeling beside him, she wrapped her arms round him. “I’m so sorry Charlie.”
Her brother hugged her back, his shoulders shaking in silent sobs. “M-Mom,” he gushed out.
She couldn’t help but cry tears of relief. Her brother was speaking, and the sound of his young, unsure, and unused voice was the one glorious spot in her grim future.
“I know, sweetie. I know.” She rocked him.
“Mina,” Charlie whispered.
It unlocked something insider her. And then, with Charlie, she let the tears and grief overtake her. Their pain and grief poured out in loud, uncontrollable sobs.
When Charlie finally cried himself to sleep, Mina whispered, “I’ll protect you, Charlie. I promise.”
Brody came over and helped lift him onto the couch that she’d vacated. Mina pulled the blanket up to his chin, and her hands accidentally brushed his cheek. It was hot. She touched his forehead. Charlie was burning up.
She grabbed a digital thermometer from the bathroom. His reading was 101 degrees. She got a wet washcloth and put it over his forehead and searched for some liquid fever reducer to give him.
“Mina, can I talk to you?” Brody spoke softly over Charlie’s sleeping form.
She didn’t want to even look at him. He was the reason her mom was gone. He barely knew her mother, yet he listened to her mom instead of her. How could she trust him?
“I’d rather not,” she said stiffly.
Brody’s hands fisted, and he took a deep breath, about to say something, when they heard a knock.
All three of them turned to the door. Ever’s wings started to flutter, and she hovered off of the ground. Brody reached for the fire poker, and Mina walked quietly to the window and pulled the curtain aside to see Nan’s Volkswagen Beetle parked out front. They hadn’t even heard it pull up.
