Authors: Kerri Cuevas
Her chest rose and fell faster. “I’ll ask, but I’m not happy about it. My mom is in a fragile state. She went to visit my cousin, Sabrina’s, grave yesterday.”
Hearing about Sabrina was bringing back memories of my death. I dreaded the death flashbacks with every fiber of my being. I didn’t want to remember how I had died, and that it was my fault. I was the one who wasn’t paying attention, driving over the collapsed bridge that had killed Sabrina and me.
Nine
I
was losing my scary Grim Reaper façade thanks to Bee. When it came to her, I was a pile of mushed potatoes.
I followed Bee to the kitchen. Her mother stood at the white porcelain sink washing dishes. She had lost her roundness and her cheeks were sunk in showing a shadow from her jawbone. Her brown hair was now streaked with strands of gray. Life seemed to be draining from her.
“Honey, please tell me that your report is finished. Just because you’re as smart as a whip and homeschooled doesn’t mean you can’t do the work.”
“I was done with that report days ago.” Bee walked to the desk next to the refrigerator and weeded through papers until she found it. “Mom, you haven’t looked at anything in over a week.”
“Going to Sabrina’s grave was exhausting. I’ll correct them tonight.” Her mom wiped her hands on a flowered dishtowel.
I would have given anything to have a mother that cared. I could have gotten straight Fs and my mother would’ve done nothing.
“Reading about how chlorinated water affects plant growth will cheer you up, Mom.” Bee handed her the papers.
I backed up into the hallway just enough where I could still see Bee. I couldn’t hear about Sabrina. It brought on my flashbacks in IMAX movie mode. I put my hand to my head trying not to let my death flashback overtake me. A piercing pain spliced my chest and went to my head.
I remember every detail after I accidently drove my car off the collapsed bridge. I awoke to find Sabrina’s hand was in mine. I turned to see if she was okay, and there was a look of horror on her face. I looked down to see a tree branch lodged in my chest. There wasn’t time for me to panic because the rough water shook the car. Sabrina’s already ajar door tore off, floating down the river. I’ll never forget how the car tipped and Sabrina’s hand slipped out of mine. She was losing consciousness and falling into the water, but I was pinned in place by my seat belt. It gave me the adrenaline to pull out the tree branch that was lodged in my chest, but it was too late. She woke as she fell out of the car, screaming as the river took her away.
I slumped against the wall.
“Mom, I love you so much.” Bee wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist. “You’ll get through this. We all will.”
Her small hands smoothed Bee’s hair. “Sabrina was so young. I would die if anything happened to you.”
I clutched my stomach and keeled over. If only I had paid attention to the road that night, I would have seen the collapsed bridge. I shook my head; beads of sweat fell to the ground.
“Don’t say that, Mom. Please don’t ever say that. If something happened to me then my time was up. Live and be happy. Know I would always be with you.”
She sighed and held her tighter. “Listen to you mothering me. This is hard on you too.”
I managed to stand back up. My death flashback lingered, a constant reminder why I had stayed a Grim Reaper, because I regretted killing my best friend.
Tears raced down Bee’s cheekbone and met at her chin. “My gift or curse does have advantages. Sabrina and I had said our goodbyes already, and our family had spent the week with her. It was our closure.”
I forced thoughts of Bee into my mind and the flashback lessened. “Bee, ask her about your family,” I managed to say.
If her mom held Bee any closer she would cut off her air supply, I envied her. “Aunt Anita is grateful for that. I’m not like her. I don’t think I would want to know. Would it be selfish if I tell you not to inform me of what you see?” Her mom started to sob in gasps. “I need a break from death.”
“No Grim Reaper talk. Got it, but I do need to ask you one thing and I promise to never ask again.”
Her mom smoothed down her hair. “What is it, sweetie?”
“Do you know why there is always someone in our family who can see Grim Reapers?”
Her mom went ghostly white and froze. Her mouth started to move, but nothing came out.
“Please,” Bee begged.
“I don’t know for sure, Bee, but Dad says we need to live here and nowhere else. Your Dad and I tried to live in Concord once, but bad things kept happening. He lost his job, the cars broke down almost daily, birds would fly into the windows and die, Jaleb would get hurt for no reason, and he almost died once. I was pregnant with you at the time.”
“After Jaleb recovered, Dad insisted we move back on the family land and promised things would get better, and it did. Before Grammy passed away she told me we were bound to cursed land and we couldn’t leave.”
“What if it’s not the land? Mom, I need to know if you or Dad ever bargained with the Devil to be able to see Grim Reapers.”
“What a silly thing to say, Beatrice. Dad and I love you and Jaleb more than life itself. You’ll always be our little bumble bee, and we would do anything to protect you. No more talk about depressing things.” Her mother seemed to escape into the past, staring at the bubbles in the sink.
Bee looked to me and I nodded. It was a good start. I rubbed my hand on my forehead, but it didn’t release the built up tension. I turned around and made my way to her room. I just needed five minutes to get my thoughts together.
When I entered Bee’s room, I dodged her brother who was searching every nook and cranny trying to find me. He threw punches into the corner and came inches from my shoulder. Blood shot webbed veins circled the brown of his eyes. He looked like a rabbit in panic, running for its life.
I lay down on Bee’s bed. I moved until my back touched the wall in case Jaleb sat down on the edge. My eyes drooped like lead to the bottom of the sea. I pushed thoughts of Sabrina out and replaced them with Bee. It worked.
I inhaled deep until flowers and the scent of her wafted from her pillow, invading my nose. Her soul responded and swirled in excitement. A pull drew her to me.
Jaleb still paced her room.
I didn’t have to open my eyes to know when she walked into the room. A fire sparked in my soul when she was close. I had to get my soul back because the longer she held it hostage the more entangled they became, and the more I wanted her to keep the small piece of my soul she had inside of her.
“He’s not here. He’s probably sleeping or something. He seemed tired.”
I opened my eyes and peeked out of the hood so I could see her. Jaleb put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. “Bee you act like you sympathize with the thing. He. Wants. You. Dead. Did you forget? This isn’t like the other Grim Reapers you see. This one wants
you
.”
“No. How could I forget especially with you looking at me like I’m a ghost? Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.” She ducked away from him and went to turn on the radio.
“I’m just freaked out, but understand why you want to have fun—just in case.” He switched the station and an indie rock song was playing. “You ready for tonight?” He pointed to the radio. “Keep listening. I made a request for you and it’s the band that’s playing tonight. I scored us some tickets. I’m determined to go down as the best brother ever—you know, just in case.”
“I didn’t know there was a show going on tonight. Mad Dogs?” She jumped up and down clapping, her hair bouncing. “You have to let me raid your wardrobe. I want to dress biker chick tonight. Come on, I love dressing up and Halloween is still days away. Please!”
The request line opened and the DJ announced the Mad Dog’s song, “When Death Comes Knocking on Your Door,” to Bee from Jaleb. I admired the boy’s twisted sense of humor, but in a way, the song fit. The lyrics were that when death knocks, you don’t answer. In Bee’s case she had already opened the door and let me in.
Ten
E
ven in the middle of a forest in hundreds of acres, I couldn’t find silence. Ravens circled Bee’s small house. A car miles down the mountain revved its engine, sending a group of sparrows flying across to her cousin’s house.
The ancient soul of my mentor was close and it summoned me like a puppet. I regained my composure. With my shoulders back, I walked down the path to the cemetery, and into the crypt where I kept my gondola. Halfway there, I saw the six-inch hood and the pointed nose of my boss, Abe. I was utterly screwed.
He bellowed. “Follow me, boy. Now!”
I followed not because he was my Reaper and mentor, but because he was older than old. Abe had the pull to get me in big trouble with a Grim Reaper even older than him. You didn’t want him coming after you. Reina said he was one big, scary, dead Norse dude.
Abe opened the gate to the cemetery and waved me in. “Find a spot to sit.”
I sat on the stairs of the crypt where Bee had sat. Abe worked up to give me an excellent speech. This might be one of epic proportions.
He paced back and forth with his hand clasped behind his back. “I don’t even know where to start. This is why there should be no Grim Reapers your age. They are irresponsible, difficult to work with, and emotional when getting flashbacks of their death. You’re my best Grim Reaper, but you’re not cut out for this work.”
He pulled his hood off and scrutinized my every feature. Abe bent toward me, bringing his stern eyes to mine. “Where’s your scythe, boy?”
“I locked it to my gondola.”
He flung his hands in the air. “We have a genius. He locked it to his gondola, ignoring when I told him to always, always have your scythe with you.”
“I couldn’t scare Bee if you wanted me to find out information for you.” I buried my hands in my face.
“You listen to nothing I say. Maybe I should hand you to the demons on a silver platter.”
“The girl won’t release my soul, Abe. She threatened me, but you’re in luck because at least I found out there was no deal with the Dark Lord. Now what?”
“Now, I’m giving you a lesson in Grim Reaper history and don’t fall asleep this time.” Abe backed away leaning on a rusted gate.
“I’m listening,” I said.
Abe nodded. “After the Dark Lord fell and became trapped in Hell, there was a need for Grim Reapers. He was using demons in Hell to capture souls as a way to try to escape. The angel’s appointed the purest souls to become the first Grim Reapers, and for them to find a way to recruit more Grim Reapers. For that, the angels would give them any angelic resource they desired. So it came to be that to get more help, the perk was, to walk the earth in death. And you already are aware that the angelic resource they gave us is the power to control our scythe to protect a soul.”
Abe continued, “The angels agreed, but could already predict the plan was flawed. Being in Heaven they could not control Grim Reapers, especially after their personal test. They created a secret race amongst the humans. When these secret humans passed into the afterlife, they had the power to heal Grim Reapers and eradicate the ones that strayed off the good path.”
I sat straighter. “When you say healed, could they do it in their human life too?”
“Yes, I suppose. They go by many names such as spiritual healers, Reiki healers, herbalists, witches, and they could even be a common doctor. On our plane we call them healers.”
“There’s something I didn’t get around to telling you.” I pulled up the sleeves of my cloak, exposing my skin.
Abe’s eyes widened. He reached out, touching my arm. “She’s one of them. Protect her well. I need to go find out more information because I wasn’t a Grim Reaper when there were healers amongst us.”
I followed him. Rock scraping on rock made my teeth clench as the door closed. Abe was quick to leave me as he materialized.
I stepped onto my gondola and lay down next to my scythe. I closed my eyes to let the gentle waves of the river and soft moans of the damned lull me into a relaxed state. Bee’s image floated through my mind and warmed my body. Panic receded.
I wrapped my arms around myself imagining it was her next to me keeping me warm and her hands stroking my hair. If I could go back and change things about my life, I would. I would’ve told Bee about Jaleb and let his family help him instead of me, and I would’ve found a way to save Sabrina.
My body warmed. Bee was seeking me out like a Labrador pursues a duck. I could feel her near the crypt. She was always a smart girl, but now she acted like one with a death wish.
The need to see me was driving our souls together. I wanted her to stay away from me, but I was betrayed yet again by my own feelings. I wanted her comfort.
I didn’t need to get up because I could open the crypt door by touching my scythe and imagining it open.
I heard a gasp get caught in her throat when I closed her in. Slivers of light filtered through from the cracks in the stone. She could see my gondola floating in the shallow river and the glittery look of the water.
Moans from the lost souls of the river erupted with the crunch of gravel, but the silly girl still continued to walk closer. My gondola rocked as the skeletons swarmed to get Bee. I kept my eyes closed, but I could hear her heavy breathing and the rustle of her jeans as she stomped them off.
“Ad,” she whispered. Her voice was sweeter music than I created with my guitar.
The gondola tipped slightly as her slender fingers clasped the edge. I opened my eyes and could see her through the sheer fabric of my hood. Her face looked angelic as always with no sign of being scared.
The gondola was narrow like a canoe with one leather seat in the middle. It then sloped up where the ferro, the shape of half hearts, crept up to the tip. It was traditional for your boss to choose the decoration. I hated the silly symbol Abe had chosen.
The other end of my gondola was flat so I could stand to steer. I made sure the exquisite cherry and walnut floor shined. It was the only thing I had ever owned, besides my Fender.
Bee’s short breaths cut through the moaning. The gondola swayed as she stepped into it. Her feet jabbed against my hip, making me grunt. I bit my lip and muffled the noise. She balanced herself when she was fully inside.
She crept her way up to me and lost her balance. “Ad, this isn’t funny. I need to talk with you. Get up.”
I wanted to get up, push her and tell her to stay away—far, far away from me. A rush of hot energy filled me to the brink. She put one leg on each side of me in panic to stop the gondola from tipping.
Her chest rose and fell. Her emotions told me she didn’t want to be drawn to me, but the pull in my direction was too strong. Her fingers went up the length of my jaw and found their way to the edge of my hood.
“I just need to see you. It’s important to me . . . please,” she whispered.
Her head moved, blocking the light. Her silhouette came closer, slowly. I would have done anything she asked until a necklace fell out of her shirt. Pain seared the warm energy and overpowered it with cold. I had given the half-heart pendent to Sabrina on her sixteenth birthday—it was her last birthday.