A Reaper Made (10 page)

Eagerly, I went to Tessa’s bathroom. My reflection was nothing like my real self. Instead of my dark hair, brown eyes, and pink nursing scrubs, I now resembled a stranger - a young college student. Blue eyes accompanied a bleached blonde pixie cut; Tessa had even included a half-sleeve of colorful tattoos on my left arm. I looked about as far from Grace as a girl could be. I tested out facial expressions. When I smiled, my reflection also grinned, though she looked far more mischievous.
 

Tully appeared in the doorway to observe us. He stroked the end of his red beard in thought, but remained quiet, letting Tessa take the reigns.
 

“Your glamour is solid, but at the twenty-four hour mark, you’ll automatically look like you again,” Tessa said. “While I doubt we’ll be apart that long, I’d be keeping an eye on the clock and be ready to turn invisible, otherwise you’ll be Grace again.”
 

“And then we check Ally into the nuthouse,” I muttered.

“More or less.”
 

“How human am I exactly? I can’t, ya know, die again, can I?” I asked, toying with the ends of my short hair.
 

Tessa shook her head. “You’re technically still dead. You can touch and smell and taste just like before. It’s powerful enough that you might be able to feel physical pain, though.”
 

As though to be sure, she leaned over and pinched my arm. I jerked back, the skin sore from her nimble fingers.
 

“Terrific,” I mumbled. “No getting into cars then, that’ll just send me into a nervous breakdown.”
 

Tully grimaced and opened his mouth to protest once more, but Tessa quickly spoke over him. “You ready?”

Tully frowned, but I pretended not to notice. I had bigger things to worry about than a little twitch of pain. Tessa’s spell had worked. Now I had to work up the nerve to talk to my sister after being dead for three years.
 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Now remember, you’re Evie and like Allison, from Richmond, Virginia,” Tessa told me as she tightened her ponytail.
 

We headed to the library to meet Allison, a short walk across the green campus. I caught myself marveling every few moments at the sights. Students crowded around the student union, some inside for food while others had formed groups outside in the warm sunshine. Skateboarders and bikers whizzed past us, though there were plenty of pedestrians, too. I’d spent so much time in the retirement home that I’d almost forgotten that life could be so exuberant.
 

“And who are you?”
 

“I’m Tessa from Salem, duh,” she said with a wink. “Virginia, that is.”
 

I rolled my eyes at her and she laughed. The library’s triangular roof came into view and my smile dropped. I was about to talk to my little sister, my best friend, face to face for the first time in three years. I had to pretend we were strangers and somehow coax information from her. How did I do that?
 

“We’re not going to become such close friends that she believes me when I say her boyfriend is scum,” I said. “There’s not enough time for that and it seems like they’ve been together a while.”
 

“Since the semester started. That’s about four months, since the Reapers started disappearing,” Tessa answered, her attention on her surroundings.
 

“How do you know that?”
 

“She said something about it to her roommate this morning.”
 

My brow winkled. “And how do you know
that
?”
 

Tessa shot me an annoyed look. “I put a listening spell in her room. I needed access if we’re gonna protect her!”
 

She looked so ready to defend her decision that I let it drop, admitted it would be the quickest way to finding out information. We approached the automatic doors and I hesitated. Tessa paused with me, hands going to her hips as she faced me. She waited for me to speak first.
 

I wrung my hands together. “What if she doesn’t want to tell us anything? You don’t just go around telling things like that to strangers.”
 

“As far as she’s concerned, we’ve been her American History study group since the semester started. She’ll talk to us.”
 

I couldn’t help but smile; of course Tessa had thought that part through. “Okay. Let’s go.”
 

Tessa snapped her fingers and bags appeared in our hands. I rummaged through mine to see a history textbook, notebook and pens, and a large bag of kettle-cooked jalapeño chips. I gave Tessa a curious look.
 

“In case you want a snack.”
 

She knew me too well. I flashed her a quick smile of thanks and swung the bag over my shoulder. Entering the cavernous building, I breathed deep, inhaling the scent. I’d always loved the smell of libraries, like absorbing knowledge through your pores.
 

“We need to get her talking about Brady,” Tessa whispered.
 

“We need to gain her trust, like big time. She won’t listen to us or break up with him if we’re just randomly throwing out advice.”
 

“What do you suggest?” she asked me.

Tessa waved to my sister. Allison sat at a large wooden table in the back corner. She’d spread her books around to insure two seats, but most students were at the computers and print stations on the other side.
 

“See if you can get her to talk about me.” I kept my eyes ahead as I said it, unsure of how she’d react.
 

Tessa shot me a look, smile still glued to her face. “You sure you can handle that?”
 

My human side couldn’t ignore the selfish need to hear Ally’s thoughts on me. Part of me even wondered how I’d react, but I couldn’t let Tessa see it. “I’m a Reaper, I’m supposed to be impartial.”
 

“This exceeds any Reaper duties I ever heard,” Tessa scoffed. When I didn’t reply, she huffed. “Fine, get her talking then.”
 

We walked over to Allison, my stomach tightening with every step to her. When she looked up with a smile, the knots loosened. Even if she weren’t my sister, Allison had always been easy to talk to. Everyone used to flock to her sweet personality and friendly disposition.
 

Now that Allison actually saw me, I could take in her face. She’d lost the baby-faced cheeks, but still had the light smattering of freckles across her nose. Her dark eyes, however, aged her, a bit of a hardness around them. I’d seen those haunted eyes in many of the souls I’d guided over. That look belonged to a person who’d lost something significant.
 

Allison noticed me staring. “You okay, Evie?”
 

“What?” Yikes! I blinked a few times to clear my head. “Oh, yes I’m fine, sorry. Um, pulled an all-nighter.”
 

Students said stuff like that, right? I tried to rummage in my bag for a pen to get the attention off myself.
 

“Hey guess what?” Allison said, tapping the open book in front of her with a pencil. “I found a BAD dropping today!”
 

My nose wrinkled, not having the slightest idea what she said. Just as I opened my mouth to ask what a “dropping” was (and praying it wasn’t what I thought), Tessa saved me again with a squeal. She nudged me and I followed suit, clapping excitedly for Allison’s good fortune.
 

“You know it’s good luck to find something the campus’s secret society left for someone!” Tessa said. Her face clearly told me to get it together.
 

“Secret…society?” I repeated, not getting it.
 

Allison gave me a weird look. “Yeah, BAD - Beta Alpha Delta? The school’s infamous secret society?”
 

“Oh, right.” I still didn’t get the “dropping” thing. “Must’ve missed that at orientation.”
 

Allison chuckled, her face full of disbelief. “How have you been going here for this long and not know about them? They do monthly walks around campus, leave little charms around for students to find? Mine was a blue and white marked teddy bear. Anyway, they’ve been around since the school was built.”

She cast a furtive look around the library to make sure no one overheard them. Apparently satisfied, her shoulders shrunk as though to be more inconspicuous as she leaned over the table to whisper. We leaned in to hear her secret. A smile flitted across her lips.
 

 
“Brady and some friends and I snuck into their old tunnels a couple months ago.” She even seemed surprised at herself. “They’re like, super old and it’s forbidden to go down there, but Brady dared someone and we all went. Matt almost wet his pants at a rat down there.”
 

Tessa chuckled and Allison straightened up with a giggle. I seized the opportunity.
 

“Speaking of Matt…,” I said, pausing to look down at the table, hoping it appeared bashful, “is he single?”
 

I looked up in time to see Allison’s nose wrinkle. It disappeared, but she knew I’d seen it. She tried to backtrack. “He’s cute, don’t get me wrong. Yes, he’s single right now.”
 

“You don’t like him?” I asked. My eyebrow arched.
 

Allison sighed, an apologetic look on her face. “No, it’s not that, he’s one of my friend’s ex-boyfriends.”

“He break her heart?” Tessa asked.
 

“More or less. He’s always been more Brady’s friend than mine.”
 

“Oh, so maybe I could ask him about Matt?” I asked, making sure to sound hopeful. That would give me a good excuse to learn a few things about our enemy.
 

Allison nodded, her smile a bit too frozen. Must’ve been a nasty breakup. “Anyway, you ready to talk about witches?”
 

A nervous laugh bubbled up from my throat. “Witches? What are you-?”

Tessa “accidentally” slung her bag into me, her tone cheerful. “Salem Witch Trials, you bet. I’m practically an expert.”
 

Oh. History study group, right. I shot a look at Tessa, her lips quirking into a smile at the topic. Allison rummaged through her book bag and I took the opportunity to address my witchy friend.
 

“An expert, huh?”
 

She kept her expression neutral. “Well, I do have a great memory.”
 

“And was this topic always on the syllabus?” I asked out of the corner of my mouth.
 

Tessa’s slender shoulder came up, her face innocent. She cleared her throat, a cue that it was time to get information. I hesitated at Allison’s open face, honest and cheerful. I didn’t know if I wanted to upset her. Maybe I couldn’t do this after all.
 

“Hey, Allison, I wondered…” I trailed off, having no idea what to say. How did someone ask about a dead sibling? There was no tactful way. Allison waited for me to finish my question but my mind went completely blank.
 

Tessa saved me by bursting into tears. Allison and I jumped, our eyes going to the waterworks. I stared at Tessa, bewildered.
 

“What’s the matter?” Allison asked, concerned.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…well, I lost my cousin over the weekend. He was like a brother to me, you know?”
 

Stricken, Allison immediately leaned in, put her hand on Tessa’s. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”

Tessa proceeded to tell some cockamamy story of a skiing accident that also somehow involved a giant moose. I had to glare at the library table scars and bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling and ruining everything. Allison never looked away from Tessa, sympathy all over her face. Once Tessa ran out of steam, she slumped back in her chair.
 

Allison bit her lip, her eyes going from me and Tessa. “Actually, I know how you feel. I lost my big sister three years ago.”
 

I’d have to remember to tell Tessa she was a genius. I looked up at Allison, trying not to appear eager to hear her memories. She went silent for a long moment. Tessa motioned for me to test it out.
 

“You can give me the bird if I’m prying, but how did she…?” I hardly noticed I sat on the edge of my seat, never having known I’d wanted so badly to hear how I died. More importantly, how did it go afterward?

Allison’s eyes went to her lap, but after a half second, she said, “A drunk driver hit her, some idiot who plowed through a stop sign.”
 

Tessa gasped and I resisted glaring at her for the overdramatic effect.
 

I leaned forward. “What happened to the drunk driver?”
 

An ugly look I didn’t recognize came over Allison. “Got away with rehab and fines. One of my brothers texted me yesterday to let me know the guy was arrested again, this time for drug possession. Serves the bastard right.”

I grimaced, unsure of what I’d expected to feel. I still felt a rage at that man for my death, but I hadn’t shared with anyone just how much. Tully would not approve of my spite, but I hoped prison treated him poorly.
 

I faked a sympathetic look. “At least he’s not out on the streets anymore.”

Allison shrugged as though indifferent, but a flash of something in her eyes said otherwise. I would bet anything she wished him dead.
 

“He turned out to be some company bigwig who needed rehab long before he killed her,” she said. “We sued and gave a third of it to MADD. Another bit went to the hospital Grace volunteered at and the rest we put into savings for all of this,” she said with a small wave to the library, referring to her college education.
 

“I’m so sorry.” My voice caught on the last word, the deep sorrow within me bubbling to the surface. I swallowed hard, hadn’t expected to get so choked up about it.
 

Allison’s features softened. The lost look on her face making my insides twist with emotion. “I never got to say goodbye to her. That was the worst part. More than anything, I want to tell her I love her.”