The dresser is full of several sets of the same clothes I already had on and I make a mental note to buy something more comfortable to sleep in. For tonight I get down to an undershirt and panties, refusing to sleep in these tight pants.
Even though my brain still wants to panic, the moment my head hits the pillow I pass out, hoping that the void doesn’t pull me back in.
ChapterFour
Luz
This guy is a complete fucking douche bag. If he’s trying to kill me, jokes on him, I’m already fucking dead.The rants in my head keep me motivated yet I force my face into an emotionless mask. I refuse to let him see how much he’s breaking me down. Arianna said I only have a few days of training, I can handle it.
“I said, again!” Elias bellows from his position a few feet away from me. With muttered frustration I pick myself up off the ground and get back in my defensive stance. Without warning Elias runs toward me, leaps into the air, and lands inches away. I manage to jump out of the way before he reaches me, but just barely.
My training is essentially a fucked up game of cat and mouse. I can’t let him hit me or I fail that round and he reminds me that I’m a useless reaper. Honestly, it’s not like I can argue; I do suck.
“Some souls will run, how will you catch them if you can’t even dodge me?” he demands.
It takes everything in me not to flip the asshole off but instead I take a deep breath and regain my focus. He sees me getting prepared so he starts running toward me again. Every time he’s switched directions before he jumps so as he switches, I’m there, throwing my shoulder into him and knocking him to the ground.Take that, asshole.It’s a practiced move I learned in self-defense class after… again the memory is taken from me as soon as it forms.
“Finally! I thought you were just another useless newbie,” he grunts, standing up. I glare at his retreating back as he walks over to the edge of our training arena. “Usually I have to slog through four fucking sessions of throwing your asses on the ground. Congratulations on not being the worst.” His voice is half muffled but I can hear him easily. Another perk to my new senses.
He picks up a long chain and brings it over to me, tossing it my way. I manage to catch it just in the nick of time, staggering under its weight as it shifts to a scythe.
“This is how you bring in your souls. Once any part of the chain touches the soul it binds to them, then you open up a portal and bring them back through. Most just swing it, the blade doesn’t harm souls, just demons. Tomorrow you’ll learn how to open the portal. The next day you’ll shadow another reaper as they do their collection of souls.”
“Wait, we’re not going to just casually pass up the mention of demons,” I say with a strained laugh. “Am I going to be fighting to claim these souls?” The humor does little to hide my fear. Memories of the void and those disembodied whispers have me shifting, anticipating his answer.
There’s shock in his gaze as he finally meets mine. “You’re smarter than the others, too. Good. Maybe you can turn this city around.”
“That’s not an answer,” I remind him before he can move on.
“Let’s just say, the quicker you are, the better,” he shrugs. “Demons aren’t the only thing out there, even those of us around for centuries couldn’t tell you where all the void connects to. But you’ll be collecting souls on earth and they’re the only thing I’ve ever run into. Be swift and sure in your swing.”
I grip my scythe and nod, suddenly realizing just how important my role will be. It’s no longer about me, but the souls I’ll reap. That somehow makes it an easier pill to swallow. I can save them, offer those who deserve it salvation.
“I’m stepping out of your way. Swing it around, get a feel for it. Yours won’t be as heavy, since we train with stronger ones to build up your muscles.” He walks away quickly after his explanation and I grip the end of the handle and try to move it. My attempt is pathetic and I’m suddenly not so proud of my former office job.Should have hit that gym a little bit more, Luz.
I can hear Elias snicker from the edge of the arena and it causes my anger and determination to flare. He already knows the way to motivate me. With a deep breath I channel my emotions into my task and try again with renewed vigor. This time I manage to swing the scythe in a circle. It cuts through the air easily and I maintain my balance as I move with it, not fighting the momentum but leaning into it.
With a final grunt Elias walks away and I roll my eyes at his form of goodbye. Good thing there haven’t been any reapers in a long time; he’s such a harsh teacher they would probably all quit before they succeed. He just happened to find a fiery woman who doesn’t like being talked down to.
He may have thrown in the towel but I have no such desire. The last thing I want is to fail when I finally get out of this arena and into actually reaping.
God, how can I think about it so casually already? The honest truth is because my old life already feels so far away, disconnected, that clinging to this one makes me feel less lost.
And for now I just want to not think and swing this until my body is screaming and my mind is blessedly blank. It’ll be second nature before too long.
Each swing becomes easier, even as my arms protest the workout. Eventually I’m slicing through several of the practice dummies at once, marveling at the sight of them repairing instantly each time.
When the light in the city starts fading away from dim to nighttime darkness I finally call it a day. Throwing the scythe to the side, it drops to the ground as a single chain.
My stomach starts growling fiercely as soon as I’m not punishing my body, so instead of heading up to my room I make my way to the diner. Partially because I’m exhausted but also because the cool air and calm night is soothing. Just like I wanted, my mind is fairly quiet. It should scare me that my memories are fading and I’m already feeling at home here, but right now all I know is I’m proud of myself.
The blue fog has settled in for the night, but it doesn’t bother me. The energy mingles with my own, the buzzing on my skin almost feeling natural now.
When I walk into the diner, I have one of those awful movie moments. As soon as the door closes behind me, the noise of the crowd goes silent and everyone stares at me. I keep my head up and slip into a booth at the back, facing away from the other diners. I’m not going to give into their strange need for gossip. The city must really be struggling for my presence to be this hot of a topic.
“I heard she was awful in training today,” I hear a nasally woman’s voice say, from somewhere in the crowd.She ends it with a giggle that has my hands clenching into fists. Of course my hearing had to improve, so I can’t just ignore them.
“Elias said she’s the worst student he hasevertrained.” A man laughs and is joined by a few other chuckles. It’s the opposite of what Elias told me but I don’t bother to say anything back. Everyone here is a reaper and they have to know I can hear them. This is purposeful and petty.