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The rest of the day sped by, but the lunch experience kept dragging my focus away from what was being taught; and at the end of the day I stood staring at the sparse contents of my locker wondering what the hell happened to the day. I was so preoccupied that I nearly yelped when my locker slammed closed.
I turned toward the owner of the meaty hand, steeling myself for more misery. Joe’s glare met mine and I exhaled.
“You really want to do this?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. My voice remained steady, which surprised me more than Joe’s momentary pause. A quick glance over my shoulder told me Joe wasn’t alone and I squared myself, maneuvering so my back was to the locker and I could see the other five attackers he brought with him. My skin vibrated with the sudden bloom of anger.
“I don’t like punks from out of town,” Joe started.
“—And I don’t like shit-head bullies,” I interrupted and had a second to wonder where this rebellious fury was coming from before Joe’s fist shot out. All logical thought stopped and I reacted, deflecting his fist into the locker. The satisfying crack and howl from his lips made me smile, but then his buddies stepped into the mix.
A flurry of arms, legs, and flying bodies assaulted my senses until Julia’s voice broke through my trance.
“Nick!”
I met her gaze with my chest heaving with exertion. I glanced at the six bodies on the hall floor, all moaning and holding broken or bruised limbs.
“What the hell are you?” Joe whispered; his voice filled with the same pain etched into his features.
My gaze fell to my clenched fists and I relaxed my hands and met Joe’s frightened gaze. “I’m not someone you want to mess with,” I said and walked away before any of the teachers made an appearance. I’m surprised no one but Julia saw my display, and I gave her a sideways glance as I passed, wondering the same thing she was.
How in god’s name did I do that?
She didn’t speak until we were off the school property and halfway to her aunt’s house.
“What...”
I put my hand up, stopping her from asking the question. “I don’t know,” I answered and let the quiet of our footsteps fill the space. “I guess I got angry when the six of them surrounded me,” I said after a few paces.
She laughed. “Jesus, Nick, you were like something out of a kung fu movie.”
I grinned, but kept my gaze on the sidewalk.
“It’s not funny. You hurt those guys,” she said when I remained silent.
I stopped and all humor evaporated. “What the hell do you think they would have done to me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Joe threw the first punch.”
“That still doesn’t make it right,” she mumbled, but her tone had softened.
“Would you rather have seen me in the emergency room again?”
Her wide gaze snapped to mine and she shook her head. “Of course not.”
“Because that’s exactly where they were planning on putting me.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and started walking again, frustrated that she wasn’t more supportive. Hell, with everything we had been through, she should know better than anyone, I only lash out when there’s danger, and Joe and his cohorts constituted danger.
“Hey, Nick,” a voice called from farther behind us and I glanced back. Noah, Danny and Ben were heading our way.
“Just perfect,” I muttered, but stopped and faced Julia.
“What’s your issue with them?” she asked. I guess she caught my less than enthusiastic expression.
“Danny and Ben are reapers,” I whispered and her mouth dropped open.
“You could catch flies with that,” I teased with the beginning of a smile.
Her mouth popped closed and she leveled an evil-eye in my direction. I dared to smile back and got an eye-roll before she turned toward the three boys. I inhaled and let the stream of air blow slowly out before I focused my attention on the approaching crew.
“Noah is clueless,” I said and stepped closer to Julia. She gave a slight nod, telling me she’d heard what I said. When her hand clasped mine, I felt the apprehension in her grip. The only time she’d ever dealt with reapers ended with loss for both of us, so I wasn’t surprised at the now coiled tension in her smile.
Ben’s gaze narrowed for a moment and a small crease appeared between his eyes before it smoothed and was replaced by the same smile he had moments before.
“Someone put Joe and his friends in a world of hurt,” Noah said. “I sure wish I had been around to see that,” he added as he stopped in front of me.
I squeezed Julia’s hand, relaying the ‘be quiet’ signal before I said, “Really?”
“Yeah, apparently no one saw it and they weren’t ratting out who did it, but I bet it was some of the kids in that gang,” he said. “They must have threatened them to keep them quiet.” Noah beamed as he relayed the poor condition of the school’s biggest bully.
I traded a glance with Julia who seemed just as reluctant to share the truth as I was.
“Either that or they were embarrassed as hell at being bested by someone,” Ben said, his gaze locked on me.
I narrowed my gaze and tilted my head, silently challenging him to spill what he knew. “Did you see who did it?” I asked.
Ben grinned and shrugged.
“You saw?” Noah asked with wide eyes, reminding me of a fifth-grader and not someone in high school.
Ben tucked his chin down and stared at me over the rims of his sunglasses and both Dan and Noah’s gaze snapped in my direction. My face heated and I shifted my weight, dropping my gaze to the sidewalk. I took a glance in Julia’s direction and decided to avoid this conversation, so I turned and started walking away.
“No way,” Noah gasped from behind me and then the patter of feet followed me until I was swallowed by the whole mini-posse.
“Hold up,” Ben said, stepping into my path.
Aggravation welled up and I snarled, “Get out of my way.”
His expression shifted into shock as he stepped aside, obeying the order I issued.
“My lord,” Ben whispered from behind me.
I spun and pointed my finger at him. “I am not in the mood to be toyed with,” I said before sensibility took hold and my gaze traveled to Julia’s. She leveled that be reasonable stare and I inhaled, turning back toward Ben. “I’m sorry; it’s just been a hell of a first day.”
“So you really took Joe and his goons down?” Noah asked.
“He threw the first punch,” I said like that would explain me going all ninja warrior and I shifted, uncomfortable with the conversation and the admiration in Noah’s eyes. All I wanted to do was get home and drown my shame in ice cream and video games.
“You decimated them, dude,” Noah said with a grin.
“It isn’t something I’m all that proud of.” I started walking again, but at a pace that welcomed company. The group fell into step with me allowing the silence to prevail until it was time for Julia and me to turn onto our road. I stopped at the corner and kicked at the tufts of grass edging the sidewalk, unsure of how to break from the group without appearing rude.
“This is where we turn off,” I said, hooking my thumb toward the upscale neighborhood.
“I know,” Ben said. “We’ve seen you around.”
“We all live in the same neighborhood,” Noah said, giving me an amused stare. “We weren’t following you just for shits and giggles,” he added with a laugh. “Your girlfriend, maybe... but not you.” He waggled his eyebrows at Julia and she laughed, breaking the tension the silence created.
“I hear you had a close call up in Maine,” Danny said, joining the conversation as we trudged down the street.
“Yeah,” I said and left it at that. I didn’t want to discuss what happened last spring any more than I wanted to discuss my ninja status.
“What happened?” Ben asked.
“Firework malfunction.” They waited for more and I gave Julia a glance before I added, “It wasn’t a good spring for any of us.”
Julia wasn’t forthcoming with information either and I glanced at Danny, Ben and Noah. “It’s not something either of us talk about much and I’d really appreciate it if you just let it go. Maybe someday I’ll tell you what happened, but it’s a little too raw right now.”
“We lost our parents,” Julia added, closing down the conversation.
This time a thick silence settled.
“That’s harsh man,” Noah said, breaking the silence. He slid one hand in his pocket and clasped the strap of his backpack with the other, hiking it higher on his shoulder.
We rounded the bend and I faltered, coming to a stop at the sight on our porch. My mother stood with her hands on her hips, a scowl forming on flesh that I’m sure had already decayed in her grave but was still present on her ghostly form. The glare she sent in our direction sent a shiver up my spine and I picked up my pace again. Only Julia noticed my misstep and gave me a slight tilt of her head.
Danny and Ben stopped short as their gazes fell on our house. The way their eyes narrowed sent me into action and I stepped in front of them, turning my back to Julia and Noah.
That’s my mother. I sent the thought out and their eyes dropped to mine, widening.
You really are his son, their thoughts slammed into my mind and I nodded.
“Do you mind if we hang out at your house for a little while?” Ben asked.
“I’ve got to head home, I’ve got piano lessons,” Noah said and gave a wave, heading farther down the road. I watched until he turned onto the second side road beyond our house and disappeared.
“What do you want from us?” I asked, swinging my hard gaze back to Danny and Ben.
“We don’t want anything,” Danny said, his gaze traveling from me to beyond my shoulder.
I turned toward Julia. “Why don’t you head inside? I should only be a couple minutes, okay?”
Julia eyed Danny and Ben, her face carved in suspicion and mistrust.
Their gazes traveled from me to her and back.
“She knows?” Ben asked.
“Yes, Julia knows everything. But she doesn’t know my mom is now a reaper.”
My mother stepped to my side, handing me a sheath with a dagger in it.
The moment it touched my hands, the overwhelming power of the ancient blade filled every pore of my skin. It had been three months since I touched Death’s blade and a cool confidence settled in me. I glanced up at the two reapers wearing the average teenager guise and knew they were not a threat. The blade would have warned me, vibrating and taking on a warning glow if they had been. I slid the knife into my waistband, covering it with the hem of my shirt before I gave my mother a nod of thanks.
I glanced over my shoulder at Julia. “I’ll be okay.” Her shocked and worried gaze fell to where I stashed the knife before returning to mine. Her cheeks went pale and then they slowly bloomed pink and her lips pressed together.
“Your mother?”
I nodded, not knowing whether she was angry or just upset by the subject matter.
“That’s what I have to look forward to?”
Before I could answer, she turned and marched into the house, leaving me with my mom and the other two reapers. I sighed and turned my attention back to Ben and Danny. They were in some kind of weird staring contest with my mother and the tensions mounting in the air between them was teetering on dangerous.
“Guys, chill, this is my mother,” I said, trying to diffuse the pending hostilities.
“They aren’t normal,” my mother whispered in my ear and my eyebrow rose in her direction.
“We are death’s brothers,” Danny said.
It was my turn to blink. “My father had brothers?”
“No,” my mother said and her eyes narrowed.
“The original death,” Ben clarified, staring her down.
If a thousand spiders ran across my flesh it would have come close to the sensation gripping me and I shivered.
“Where were you when all hell broke loose last spring?” I asked.
“We were here, exactly where our sister told us to be.”
“Who the hell is your sister?”
“Fate. Fate is our sister,” Danny interjected with a soft, calm voice. He gave Ben a sharp glare and then returned his gaze to mine. “And we don’t ever question where she sends us because it usually means saving someone important from a pending disaster.”
My brain had a tough time wrapping around this new information and I stared, dumbfounded. They looked so young compared to Fate. The shift in the air pulled my attention away and there she was in all her twisted glory.
Fate.
She strode down the street dressed in red silk that flowed like blood, strutting like she owned the place and I clamped my mouth closed on the sarcasm that wanted to leap out. The last time I was face-to-face with her, she gave me an ultimatum. I imagined today wouldn’t be any different and the narrowing of her eyes and tightening of her lips told me I was not on her happy list.
Pissing Fate off was never a good thing.
“Don’t worry, she always looks pissed,” Danny whispered before he turned toward her with a bright smile plastered on his face.
“I see you’ve met wonder boy,” Fate said, addressing Ben and Danny and waving in my direction.
When she turned toward me, I resisted the urge to take a step backwards. Hell, I had to plant my feet to keep from springing toward the house, away from this mini-family reunion, because I knew what was coming before she even said the words.
“You.” She pointed her finely-manicured finger in my direction. “You’ve had enough time to play around. You need to get your father before another uprising occurs.”