I wasnt surprised by her jab, and I shouldnt have been surprised to find out that Beck wasnt human. Especially considering that in the Netherworlda hellish reflection of our own world, from which all evil springsour school was the new hot spot for the monster A-list.
After a four-to-eight Friday-night shift at the Cineplex, where scooping popcorn and filling soda cups couldnt drive the image of Danica bleeding on the floor from my head, I pulled into my driveway exhausted, but ready for my second wind. Nash was coming over at nine to watch a movie, and my dad had promised to stay in his room all night. But before I could relax with my boyfriend, I wanted to shower off the scents of popcorn and butter-flavored oil. Also, I should probably tell my dad that my new math teacher wasnt humanthats the kind of thing he usually wanted to know.
Id just dropped my keys into the empty candy dish on the half wall between the kitchen and living room when the sudden silence made me realize my dad had been talking when Id come in. Until Id come in.
Hmm
Dad? I kicked my shoes off and dropped them on the floor of the front closet, then headed down the hall toward his room. You okay?
Yeah, Im fine, hon.
His bedroom door was ajar, so I pushed it open to see him standing in the middle of the floor, his hands in his hip pockets. Id expected to find him on the phonehe had to be talking to someone, right?
Whats up? I frowned when he hedged. Dad?
And suddenly Tod appeared in the room, several feet away, staring right at me.
Okay This is even weirder than the suspicious silence, I said, expecting one or the other of them to laugh and spit out one of the logical explanations my father always seemed to have ready. But there was only more silence. Okay, now you two are really starting to scare me.
Tod generally only acknowledged my fathers existence when an opportunity arose to drive him nuts. And my dad had no use for Tod at all, unless he needed information only a rookie Grim Reaper could gain access to. So this private powwow had to be about something important.
Guys? I can only stand here pretending youre not scaring me for another second or two before I completely lose it. T minus fivefour
Its nothing, honey, my dad started to say, but the scowl on Tods face exposed the lie before my father could even finish it.
If you dont tell her, I will, the reaper threatened.
Tod, I can handle this
Tod turned his back on my father and met my gaze with a frighteningly honest weight. Kaylee, the new list came out today. By which he meant the reaper list, detailing every deathscheduled in his district in the next seven days.
Oh, shit. Someones going to die. I took a deep breath, but couldnt stop my hands from shaking. Please dont be Emma. Or Nash. Or my dad. I couldnt lose another parent.
I tried to askI tried to summon that much strengthbut in the end, it just wasnt there. I couldnt stand the thought of losing someone else. Someone I loved.
So Tod answered the question I didnt have the courage to ask.
Its you, Kaylee. Youre on the list.
2
Wheres Styx? I turned my back on my father and the reaper and closed my eyes, trying not to let them see how shocked I really was. Fear would kick in soon, surely, once the reality had set in. But for the moment, I was numb and oddly chilled, like Id jumped into the lake instead of letting my body adjust to the temperature a bit at a time.
Kaylee? My dads footsteps thumped behind me as I stepped into my room, questions whirling around in my head so fast I got dizzy, just standing still. Did you hear Tod?
Of course I heard him. Though, admittedly, that was never a guarantee. Reapers could choose who they wanted to be seen and heard by, on an individual basis, and Tod had an irritating habit of appearing to just one person in the room at a timeusually me.
I think shes in shock, the reaper said as I scanned the floor, the rumpled covers, and the laundry piled in my desk chair, looking for a breathing lump of fur.
Styx? I called, but nothing moved. Tod materialized at the foot of the bed, studying me closely for my reaction, and I jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. Im not in shock. Not yet, anyway. At a glance, he looked nothing like his brother, beyond their similar athletic builds. Tod had his mothers blue eyes and blond curls, while Nash obviously took after his father, whod died long before I met either of the Hudson boys.
For the moment, I am firmly entrenched in denial, whichhonestlyfeels like the healthiest stage of acceptance. And Id really appreciate it if youd let me wallow there for a while. I brushed past my father into the hall, headed toward the kitchen. Styx!
I let her into the backyard, my dad said at last, following me into the kitchen. She doesnt like Tod.
Thats because Tod never brings anything but death and bad advice, I snapped, beyond caring that I was being unfairit wasnt the reapers fault that my number was up.
Thats not true. Tod tried to grin, and I had to respect his effort to lighten the mood. Sometimes I bring pizza.
After a four-to-eight Friday-night shift at the Cineplex, where scooping popcorn and filling soda cups couldnt drive the image of Danica bleeding on the floor from my head, I pulled into my driveway exhausted, but ready for my second wind. Nash was coming over at nine to watch a movie, and my dad had promised to stay in his room all night. But before I could relax with my boyfriend, I wanted to shower off the scents of popcorn and butter-flavored oil. Also, I should probably tell my dad that my new math teacher wasnt humanthats the kind of thing he usually wanted to know.
Id just dropped my keys into the empty candy dish on the half wall between the kitchen and living room when the sudden silence made me realize my dad had been talking when Id come in. Until Id come in.
Hmm
Dad? I kicked my shoes off and dropped them on the floor of the front closet, then headed down the hall toward his room. You okay?
Yeah, Im fine, hon.
His bedroom door was ajar, so I pushed it open to see him standing in the middle of the floor, his hands in his hip pockets. Id expected to find him on the phonehe had to be talking to someone, right?
Whats up? I frowned when he hedged. Dad?
And suddenly Tod appeared in the room, several feet away, staring right at me.
Okay This is even weirder than the suspicious silence, I said, expecting one or the other of them to laugh and spit out one of the logical explanations my father always seemed to have ready. But there was only more silence. Okay, now you two are really starting to scare me.
Tod generally only acknowledged my fathers existence when an opportunity arose to drive him nuts. And my dad had no use for Tod at all, unless he needed information only a rookie Grim Reaper could gain access to. So this private powwow had to be about something important.
Guys? I can only stand here pretending youre not scaring me for another second or two before I completely lose it. T minus fivefour
Its nothing, honey, my dad started to say, but the scowl on Tods face exposed the lie before my father could even finish it.
If you dont tell her, I will, the reaper threatened.
Tod, I can handle this
Tod turned his back on my father and met my gaze with a frighteningly honest weight. Kaylee, the new list came out today. By which he meant the reaper list, detailing every deathscheduled in his district in the next seven days.
Oh, shit. Someones going to die. I took a deep breath, but couldnt stop my hands from shaking. Please dont be Emma. Or Nash. Or my dad. I couldnt lose another parent.
I tried to askI tried to summon that much strengthbut in the end, it just wasnt there. I couldnt stand the thought of losing someone else. Someone I loved.
So Tod answered the question I didnt have the courage to ask.
Its you, Kaylee. Youre on the list.
2
Wheres Styx? I turned my back on my father and the reaper and closed my eyes, trying not to let them see how shocked I really was. Fear would kick in soon, surely, once the reality had set in. But for the moment, I was numb and oddly chilled, like Id jumped into the lake instead of letting my body adjust to the temperature a bit at a time.
Kaylee? My dads footsteps thumped behind me as I stepped into my room, questions whirling around in my head so fast I got dizzy, just standing still. Did you hear Tod?
Of course I heard him. Though, admittedly, that was never a guarantee. Reapers could choose who they wanted to be seen and heard by, on an individual basis, and Tod had an irritating habit of appearing to just one person in the room at a timeusually me.
I think shes in shock, the reaper said as I scanned the floor, the rumpled covers, and the laundry piled in my desk chair, looking for a breathing lump of fur.
Styx? I called, but nothing moved. Tod materialized at the foot of the bed, studying me closely for my reaction, and I jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. Im not in shock. Not yet, anyway. At a glance, he looked nothing like his brother, beyond their similar athletic builds. Tod had his mothers blue eyes and blond curls, while Nash obviously took after his father, whod died long before I met either of the Hudson boys.
For the moment, I am firmly entrenched in denial, whichhonestlyfeels like the healthiest stage of acceptance. And Id really appreciate it if youd let me wallow there for a while. I brushed past my father into the hall, headed toward the kitchen. Styx!
I let her into the backyard, my dad said at last, following me into the kitchen. She doesnt like Tod.
Thats because Tod never brings anything but death and bad advice, I snapped, beyond caring that I was being unfairit wasnt the reapers fault that my number was up.
Thats not true. Tod tried to grin, and I had to respect his effort to lighten the mood. Sometimes I bring pizza.
