I wasn’t allowed to come to the mortal world unless I was gathering souls, but to be permitted to return to the mortal as I saw fit for our “game” made it almost worth it. I stood in the middle of the busy sidewalk in Whitrey, Massachusetts. Nearby the ocean rolled over the shore, while the slaps of shoes on cobblestones came and went as people passed me.
I was no more than an anonymous figure to them, someone they would one day meet. They offered no hellos or goodbyes, but simply stepped to the side at my appearance.
Magic swirled all around me as the witches became aware of my presence. No doubt they would discuss my presence at their coven meeting. A coven meeting I could exploit to clue Asena in on the witches’ plans.
If the Master wanted to use the witches, then so would I.
I meandered down the street, the fresh snow cleared from the stones and pushed against the quaint storefronts which displayed baked goods. Clothes, boutiques, and the mix of ocean spray and coffee greeted me. It was almost overwhelming.
But then I saw her. Through the glass of a coffee shop and library, she was lifelessly handing a customer a coffee.
Despite my position in the universe, I made myself a promise. I would bring Asena Black back to life.
I stepped away from the window and carried on down the street, feeling a flicker of her attention as I went.
In her past life, she had been vibrant. She did not need a sword or armor because she was a force.
When we were both alive, her father was the one who had destroyed and defiled my clan. He had killed my wife, daughter, and my father, leaving me in charge of the few that were left. He had left me with a long, ugly wound that blinded me in my left eye. My anger and pain was enough to drive me hundreds of miles to destroy and defile their clan as they had done mine. However, we met by chance before the attack and she quickly offered to heal my wounds.
My armor clearly showed her enemy clan. My dark hair and dark blue eyes were common among my clan and were a stark contrast of her silvery hair and icy eyes. She knew who I was, I told myself, yet she helped me. She had healed me despite what little she knew of me, none of which was good.
On the final morning, as her father’s army approached home, we fell into each other. I often found myself thinking of that morning, how she coiled around me, and how her nails had dug into my skin. Not to mention how her mouth never left mine. There was so much passion, so much life in those precious moments.
She never knew I was the next grim reaper, so when I’d ascended and the scar disfiguring my face was gone, she didn’t know who I was. I figured it was better for her not to know, to believe that the man who’d fathered her child was just another Wolf.
However, as I walked away from her coffee shop, I couldn’t help but wonder if my decision had been the right one.
~*~
She’s supposedly human. But as I see more and more of this creature posing as Asena, the more I am not so sure she isn’t made of stone. The only interaction she has that is not cold is with Rory. It was particularly evident the night of the coven meeting. Twila was chattering on about how exciting this coven meeting was because it was the yearly forecasts, as she called them. Each witch family would deliver a prophecy of the coven, usually depicting the year’s biggest challenges and successes. I had no doubt that this year would be full of Asena.
I listened to them while working on collecting souls. One of the perks of being a Grim was being in multiple places at once. At first it was a massive headache, but once I got used to it, it became natural. And it definitely helped with having multiple souls to collect.
So while part of me was collecting a particularly unruly child soul, the other was impatiently listening to Asena be silent and stare into her mashed potatoes.
“What’s wrong this time, Asena?” Twila said, her tone a bit clipped.
“Nothing,” Asena replied blandly. She looked up at Twila with doe eyes, forcing a smile on her face. “Everything tastes wonderful.”
“No, Rory just told me you refused her offer of coming to the coven meeting tonight. Why?”
“Oh that.” She tucked her silvery hair behind her ears. “See, the last time I was involved in a coven meeting I was almost sacrificed so I don’t feel particularly warm towards them.”
All parts of me froze at that moment. Was that sarcasm?
Twila let out a sharp laugh. “You know we do that to all the kids as a joke. It’s for Halloween and the public loves it. It’s not real.”
Asena stood abruptly, taking her plate with her to the garbage. “Well, it didn’t feel like a joke to me.” Then she muttered something else too quiet for anyone to hear. “But thanks for the invite.” She started up the steps.
“Well, you live in a magical household now,” Twila laughed awkwardly, “I can’t imagine you won’t end up at a coven meeting soon. Your parents may have let you skip, but soon you’ll be joining us.”
Asena smiled a smile that could’ve peeled paint off the wall. “Absolutely.” There was a threat in her response. It said “Try and make me and you’ll regret it.”
I almost stopped watching then, my frustration with watching this new version of Asena starting to get to me. Maybe she did deserve to be sacrificed if she was this cruel–
But wouldn’t that make her a cruel Grim?
“I’ll go talk to her,” Rory announced, getting up from the table. She threw her napkin on the table with frustration and followed Asena up the stairs, leaving Twila alone in the kitchen.
Rory didn’t knock on Asena’s door before throwing open the bedroom door. “Why are you being such a bitch?” she demanded. “We gave you a home when you couldn’t stand to live at your parents house–which we are taking care of for you. All my mom is asking is you come to one coven meeting once in a while, but here you are sulking in your bedroom.”
Rory’s chest was rising and falling, her cheeks bright red. Meanwhile, Asena’s face was completely blank.
“I don’t even know you anymore,” Rory continued furiously; “You used to be kind, Asena Black. You used to give a shit about the people in your life, but since that night you’ve changed, and I miss the Asena who used to laugh so hard milk would come out her nose.”
When Asena didn’t respond, Rory stomped her foot. “I remember one time Willa Wisp was crying at school because she’d been bullied, and you know what you did? You found the bully and punched them in the face before comforting Willa. You were kind, fierce, and a force, but now you’re…you’re cold.”
Asena looked away from Rory and down at her hands. “I’m…I’m sorry.”
“Tell me what happened that night,” Rory demanded. “What happened that night that broke you.” Asena opened her mouth but Rory shut her down with, “This isn’t normal grieving, Sen. You and I both know something happened that night.”
For a moment, I didn’t think Asena was going to respond. She was fiddling with her fingers, staring at Rory uncomfortably. Finally she sighed, tears brimming in her eyes. “Mom and Dad found something that night. They found proof that the little sacrifice ritual your coven does on kids wasn’t a joke…at least not on me. I was supposed to be sacrificed but my parents stopped it somehow. At the time they’d been called crazy but they found the evidence they needed to go after the coven. Then as we were looking at the evidence, we found out about this curse…” she trailed off, and let her face fall into her hands. “They were trying to tell me about it but I ran.”
Asena looked up at Rory, tears forming in her eyes. “I never wanted them to follow me, but it’s all my fault… All because they thought I had some sort of curse and I got so upset….”
Rory crossed the room and took Asena’s hand, kneeling in front of her as tears streamed down Asena’s rosy cheeks. “We don’t know if you’re cursed.”
Asena snorted, and I could only imagine she was thinking about seeing me in the graveyard. “My parents are dead because of me. That sounds pretty cursed to me.”
Rory whacked Asena’s leg and then pointed a finger in her face. “Never. Say. It. Was. Your. Fault. They grabbed those keys because you meant more to them than the risk, Asena. There was ice on the roads that night, everyone knows that. No one blames you.”
Asena wiped at her tears with the heel of her hand. “I really wish that could make me feel better but it doesn’t. They’re gone because I ran into the night. Now I get to visit their stones instead of getting…getting…hugs.” She broke down, sobbing into her hands.
Rory came forward and awkwardly put her arms around Asena.
“How do you think it felt to know the people you called family your entire life had tried to kill you? Then to find out you’re some cursed being that has come back after centuries of being gone, and then that same night your parents die.” Asena looked up at Rory, her tears dripping off her chin while she wiped snot with the back of her sleeve. “Twila wants me to go to coven meetings, but I can’t face them. I could barely stand to face you, but I knew…” she hiccuped; “I knew you wouldn’t ever go through it if you knew what they were doing.”
“You’re right,” Rory replied, giving Asena a long, hard squeeze. “You’re basically my sister, and I cannot betray you.”
“You do believe me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
I stepped back from the scene, tears forming in my own eyes. I had been the one to reap her parents that night. They were considerably nice people who requested we find their daughter before they went to the Other Side. Once they found Asena at Rory’s house, they agreed to come with me.
But one thing about Asena’s story stuck with me.
The coven routinely “sacrificed” children every Halloween as part of partnership with the town. It was just theatrics and special effects, but Asena said hers hadn’t been. Unfortunately, it would have to wait because I had a date with a traumatized young woman.
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYomj7rSMZE
~*~
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTqSA9CdvS
Authors Note:
Hello new friends! I'm very excited that you've made it this far into my story. Please leave me a small comment or criticism before you click away. It would be extremely helpful otherwise I'm in the dark to what is being liked, disliked, etc. This is a work in progress and any help is appreciated. 278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13XYWsJIjZ
Thanks again for reading. I don't know what I'd do without you. <3 278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabzfSQtzoI
-SP
ns 15.158.61.51da2
