I reach up and cup his handsome face in my hands and smile, “I love you too, Da, but lose the beard, I miss seeing your dimples when you grin.”
“You and your mother,” he grumbles, before saying in jest, “but don’t I look dashing?”
Laughing, I agree, “Always. It’s just weird having parents that never seem to age. Now I look like your little sister, not your daughter.”
“See? I thought I was doing my children a solid by sporting a beard.” He leans in and whispers, “It makes me look older. Don’t you think? The sacrifices I make for you kids.” He winks with a grin and I chuckle at his light-hearted banter. He’s wearing jeans from this world and a snug-fitting black tee-shirt. My father is beyond handsome as I take him in, his cerulean blue eyes twinkling, a perfect match to my own.
My mother smiles at the two of us before turning to address my brother, “Lachlan, we’ve been over this. Your sister needs a bit of a vacation. Time to sort through some personal things, so … you are coming back to Faerie with us. No arguments.”
Lachlan looks over at me, his handsome face, so like our father’s contorts in disbelief, and he sputters, “But, she needs my protection. I’m her Guardian. She’s my sister! My twin sister.” He insists as if that makes a difference.
My mother looks over at me and nods, “Yes, she and you are close and depend on one another as is the nature of your sibling bond, but, my little Elf-Man, your sister needs time and we intend to give her that. So, come along.”
“But…”
“Come along, son.” My father winks at me and my heart melts for my two wonderful parents.
“But … She needs me. I need to be here for her.”
Walking over to my brother, taking his hand in my own, I look up at him and smile, “I love that you are so protective over me, and I adore that you want to be here for me, but brother, you know that this has been coming for some time now. I just need some space to figure some things out. I’ll try not to take too long. I promise.”
Lachlan pulls me into a hug, and I’m swallowed up by his massive frame. He whispers, “Why won’t you let me help you?”
“Because this is a journey that I need to take alone. I need to sort through,” and I wave my hands around my head, “all this stuff. You will be the first one to know if I need your help, you know that.”
“I think I get it, but I don’t like it.” He pulls back and looks down at me, his face etched in concern, before grinning mischievously, his dimples popping, just like Da’s and announces, “I’ll give you some space, but I won’t let you shut me out completely. I get to pop in on you from time to time, or no deal. Have you even talked to Poppy about your little hiatus from us?”
I grimace at the mention of Poppy and shake my head, knowing that I will need to talk to her at some point, but for the moment I give into Lachlan, “Okay, that sounds good, and I’ll do the same. I don’t know how long I need, and I don’t want to be isolated from any of you. Now that I’m finally ready to face my future, I think that I’m ready to talk about my worries and concerns.”
“I don’t know what you are so worried about. If there was ever a Keeper to handle transporting souls to The Underworld, it’s you. You’re not jaded, you’re fair and just. Always. I don’t know why you think it’s a bad thing, because it’s not, but that’s for you to figure out. I’ll be back with the whole gang in no less than five days’ time. So be prepared.”
Nodding, I say, “Got it.” Swallowing back the lump in my throat, I push on, “Thank you for understanding.”
Mother smiles sadly and pulls me in for another hug and whispers, “I know you’ll figure it out. You’re smart, and it’s about time that you embrace your role. We may have been too easy on you kids. I just didn’t want you to feel rushed into anything. Once you embrace what you know to be your truth, it will set you free, Lillie Joanna.”
With that, one by one they wink out of sight. I’ve gotten my space, my time alone to figure things out, and now the house is utterly silent. For the first time in my life, I’m alone because it is what I have asked for. Cara stands from where she was sitting and walks over to me, whimpering as I stand in the middle of the sitting room that overlooks the large open kitchen, reminding me that I will always have her.
What now? I’m not sure that I’m ready to embrace becoming the Grim Reaper.
3
Time To Stretch My Wings
(Lillie Joanna)
It’s been two days since my family left me on my own and in that time I have binged watched some classic TV shows. The first couple of seasons of Stranger Things were entertaining, but I really fell in love with the Harry Potter movies and make a mental note to acquire the book series to read. I had to search the archives to find some shows from Mama and Aunt Lexie’s era here in The Mortal Realm. As we grew up in Faerie, time moved so much more quickly here. Evidently, something like two hundred and eighty years has passed over time. We’ve grown up popping in here and there. So, the stark contrast is something that we have come to expect from our visits here, that and as a Keeper, for those certain souls that need special handling, I’m here often on business. This place has
