“Yeah, I’m fine.” He grabs a notepad and some paper and heads out of his room.
I stand in front of him. “Look, you’re acting weird. What the hell is going on?”
It takes a moment, but soon a sigh leaves him. “Look, if I tell you something, promise to keep it a secret? You can’t even tell Christina.”
Wow, for him to start off like that, it must be huge. “I promise.”
“Something big is going down.” He rubs a hand down his face. “I’ve been assigned a prison reaping with at least twenty other reapers.”
“Wait … Did you say with at least twenty other reapers?” That can’t be right. I must have misheard.
“Yes, it’s not normal, and that’s why I have to get to a planning meeting now.” He walks around me and calls over his shoulder. “With this many people, it might get chaotic. We have to make sure we have a good plan to get things in order.”
Yeah, I bet they do. Most reapers work alone or in pairs on occasion. Never this many.
The front door opens and shuts, and he’s gone again.
I walk back into my room and Christina glares at me from my bed with her arms crossed.
My room isn’t soundproof, so I’m sure she heard the whole thing which is good. I didn’t have to break my promise to Charlie. “You know we have to go watch this prison reaping, right?”
“No. No, we don’t.” She shakes her head.
“This could be what I need to figure out how to reap.” If I watch all of them perform their jobs and be around all those souls, I bet I could figure out my power. “I can figure out what’s wrong with me.”
Her eyes soften, and she looks out the window. “I don’t know.”
Maybe if I push a little harder, she’ll cave. “I think it might help both of us.”
“Look, let’s think about it for a day.” She focuses back on me. “Promise me we won’t do anything rash.”
“Of course. I promise.” However, I have my fingers crossed behind my back. That still counts even in high school, right?
4
The next morning, I leave the house early, not wanting to have to talk to my parents. Dinner was hard enough last night when they kept glancing at each with their foreheads wrinkled. There were a few times Mom even grabbed Dad’s hand under the table. I hate I’m putting them through this. Hell, I hate I’m going through it.
Before I realize it, the school comes into view. The brick building is large and square. I speed up and walk up the five stairs to the large set of double black doors. I open the door and walk into the large hallways where our lockers line the walls. There are a few students loitering in the halls, but it’s still twenty minutes before school begins. Most students will rush in the last five to ten minutes which is what I usually do.
I get my books together and someone snickers behind my back. I turn around and find one of the guys in my class.
As soon as our eyes meet, he looks away and licks his lips. He swaggers off with a smirk.
What a jackass. When did I become the class outcast? Well, that’s a stupid question. We all know when that change happened.
I turn back around and grab the last items I need for my morning classes. I wish I could hide for the rest of the day, but that’s going to make everything worse. Let’s be real. By being here, I might be able to hear more things about the group reaping that’s taking place soon. I need to figure out a way for both Christina and I to get there anyway. We won’t be able to transport there. We’ll have to hitch a ride somehow.
I slam my locker and turn almost running into a tall man wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants. Somehow, I skid to a stop and manage to not slam into him. “Oh, sorry.”
Ignoring my comment, he examines me. “Are you Beth Neal?”
“Uh….” Who the hell is this guy? “Yeah, I am.”
His shoulders relax. “Okay, good. The council sent me to find you. They are requesting your presence.”
My heart drops to my stomach. “Oh, well. I need to go get my parents.” I turn toward the exit.
A hand touches my arm. “That’s not possible.” He tightens his grip. “They have only requested your presence; alone.”
“I… I don’t understand.” None of this is making sense. “The teacher said I had one more chance.”
He lets out a sigh and glances around. “That may be, but they still want to meet with you.” He steps close and leans toward my ear. “Please don’t make a scene. It will only make things worse.”
Sweat pulls at my hairline and under my arms. This can’t be happening. I’m supposed to have one more chance, and Christina and I practiced last night. I take a deep breath and nod. “Okay, let’s go.”
He’s right, the elders always get what they want. The more I drag this out the worse it will be for me.
After a moment, he lets go of my arm and leads the way out of the door.
As we pass, more students walk in getting ready for the day. Some are going to their lockers while others are standing talking to friends. How I wish that was my morning right now. The only blessing is this guy is young enough to blend in, so we aren’t standing out.
When we get outside, there’s a large black SUV parked in the faculty lot. The guy makes his way toward it and opens the back door, motioning for me to get in.
Well, I guess this is it. I climb in the back and he shuts the door.
Within a few moments, he has the driver door open and is starting the car.
I stare out the
