A Reaper Made (11 page)

“She knows that above anything else,” I said. Tessa elbowed me in the ribs; I’d said it with such certainty that Allison looked up, confused. I hurried over it. “I mean, she would probably want that, too. To say goodbye one last time.”
 

Allison bowed her head, eyes back on her hands. “It’s funny how it’s the little things, isn’t it? Fighting over who got to drive or talking all night after our parents went to bed? She was my best friend and that man took her from me.”
 

“Oh, Ally,” I said, pausing when she winced at the nickname.
 

“Um, that was her name for me,” Allison said. “If you don’t mind, I go by Allison now.”
 

“Of course,” I murmured, angry with myself for the mistake.
 

She turned her attention back to the textbook, picking up her pen to take notes. Tessa shot me a look and leaned in to start telling her side of things while I let my mind wander.
 

I had to keep it together. We’d never save anybody at this rate if I couldn’t stay focused on the task at hand. My sister was a priority, but the souls had to come first, I knew that. To do that, we needed Brady the witch to talk. I just had no clue how yet.
 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tessa and I said our goodbyes, leaving Allison at our study table. Outside the library, the witch and I faced each other.
 

“I’ll see you back at my place, yes?” Tessa asked.
 

At my nod, she turned and walked off behind the building. Away from prying eyes, it provided the cover she needed to disappear. I waited until she’d turned the corner and took a few moments for myself.
 

I strolled along the path, not wanting to go quite yet. Instead, I took in the sights, the sounds. Students were scattered on campus, many in study groups on the grassy hill or grabbing a bite to eat over by the Student Union. A small gaggle of sorority sisters passed me, excited about this coming weekend’s charity event. A skateboarder whizzed by, the noise startling me. He paid no attention to passersby, his earbuds firmly in place blasting music.
 

Colorful banners screaming about campus events were strung across the balcony and porch; recycling bins were readily available; and music sounded from nearby dorm windows. I lifted my face toward the sky, soaking in the warm sunshine. For a moment, I could forget about my problems and simply be a college student.
 

“Hey!” a voice rang out.
 

I turned to see Allison, raising her hand in greeting. I turned around to make sure no one stood behind me and returned her wave.
 

“How’s it going?” I asked as she walked up to me.
 

“I texted Brady about giving you Matt's number,” Allison said. “He suggested maybe we all go out so you two can get to know each other.”
 

My mouth fell open. A double date with my sister and her witch boyfriend? I was torn, seeing both an opening and a dangerous situation. I’d have to walk a fine line around him to prevent his suspicion (if he didn’t have it already). The sooner the better.
 

Allison hesitated, mistaking my silence for embarrassment. “I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything…”
 

My hand went up to stop her. “No, that’s great! Sorry, it surprised me is all. Are you sure you’re okay with it? With your friend and the history there and all.”
 

She nodded. “It’s not really any of my business, in previous or any future relationships. He’s always been nice to me, so maybe I didn’t hear the whole story.”
 

I’d take that and run with it. No use spoiling a golden opportunity. “Yeah, cool, I’m free tonight.”
 

“Great, I’ll text you the details. See you later.”
 

Had I not been her sister, she would’ve fooled me. That bright expression, her dimpled cheeks pulled into a smile. But I saw no smile in her eyes and I knew she wasn’t entirely comfortable with the double date idea. That only encouraged me. If Brady had suggested the date because he suspected something, he might take it out on her. I couldn’t let that happen.
 

To my great disappointment, Tessa and Tully both disagreed. Once they’d chewed me out for not immediately returning to our makeshift headquarters, they teamed up on me about the date idea.
 

“Are you insane?” Tessa asked, whirling on me in her living room. “Going on a date with the enemy?”
 

My hands went up in protest. “Even if he saw through the spell, he wouldn’t do anything with Allison and Matt right there.”
 

“You cannot be certain of that, child,” Tully argued. Despite his tone, he’d managed to master standing perfectly still. I marveled at the skill; I twitched too much like my old self. Tully had assured me it would fade over time.
 

“Look, it’s the best shot we have to learn more about him and what’s happening to the Reapers,” I said.
 

“You can’t just ask him about magic or draw him out,” Tessa said.
 

I shot her an annoyed look. “I know that, but I can read him. Gauge his reactions about certain phrases. Observe him and stuff. What other evidence do we have to go on right now?”
 

At that, Tully and Tessa exchanged a look. They knew I was right. I decided to push my luck.

“Great. Can I borrow one of your dresses?” I asked, gesturing to my plain jeans and tee. Tessa grumbled, turning around to rummage through her closet for my outfit. Tully disappeared to check on his souls that needed attention.
 

An hour after Allison texted me about the Italian restaurant across the street from campus, we walked over together. Conversation came easy; we fell into a rhythm, taking turns to gush over hot celebrities and our favorite movies. As we got closer, I noticed the boys waiting for us.
 

I offered Matt a shy smile. He grinned back and I couldn’t help but notice his very white, straight teeth. Those dark blue eyes were much prettier from this angle. His friendly, open expression caught me off guard; as one of Brady’s friends, I’d expected something a little darker. Instead, he looked like a normal guy. A feeling I didn’t know swooped through my belly.
 

We all did the awkward greetings and made our way to the table. I bit back a grin when Matt pulled my chair out for me. No boy had ever done that for me. He had a seat next to me and I pretended not to notice the brief thumbs up he gave Brady.
 

Matt made a little small talk with me, while I threw out the first things that came to mind. Right now, I was Evie, and maybe Evie was a bit more spontaneous and fun than Grace. Evie, in my mind anyway, had ridden a motorcycle, bungee-jumped, and most likely lost her virginity to her first rocker boyfriend.
 

“Where did you get your work done?” Matt asked me. When I gave him a blank look, he used his fork to gesture at my arm.
 

“Oh!” I said, realizing he meant the tattoos Tessa had given me.
 

I silently cursed her; I was not nearly exciting enough to have such a colorful sleeve. I glanced down at the shapes, wishing I’d studied them more. The intricate pattern of assorted bird feathers surrounded a much larger peacock feather. I admired it certainly, but in no way did it scream ‘Grace.’ Then again, that was probably the point.
 

“Um, took several trips. This one I got at senior week with my friends at the beach,” I said, pointing to one and trying to be as vague as possible.
 

“It’s a beautiful piece,” Allison said. “Mine’s much smaller.”
 

I sputtered on the water I’d brought to my lips. “You have a tattoo?”
 

“Sure, you don’t have to look so surprised,” she said. “It’s a mirror, in honor of my sister.”
 

People had often remarked on our likeness, more than a few even asking if we were twins. That’d been our inside joke. As a matter of fact, we’d once said we’d get those tattoos together. I’d been sixteen and thought I’d been going through a rebel phase. Turns out it was just my smart mouth that stuck around; the rest of me wanted to be either at home or at the hospital rather than partying with my vapid friends.
 

I bit my lip, fighting back the initial reaction to leap across the table and hug her. “That’s really nice.”
 

Brady paid me no mind, instead buttering a slice of bread. I eyed him across the table, wondering if he knew my secret. He kept most of his attention on Allison, only looking at me when I answered a question.
 

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Matt asked me.
 

“Nope.” I shook my head, maybe a little too forcefully.
 

I didn’t look at Allison when I said it, feeling like she’d see right through the lie. She remained quiet, probably not wanting to talk about me — er, her sister — any more than she already had today. Luckily, Brady changed the subject.
 

“What are you majoring in?” he asked me.
 

I blanked again, trying to remember my fake class schedule. Had Tessa and I gone over this? Under Brady’s scrutiny I’d forgotten.
 

“Must be undecided like me,” Matt said with a good-natured chuckle. “Don’t worry, it’s not unusual. I can’t figure out what I’m good at, ya know?”
 

My shoulders went up in a nervous shrug. “My problem seems to be that I want to do it all, I think. I like doing a lot of different things.”
 

“Sounds like Al,” Brady said offhandedly. He tucked a strand of hair behind Allison’s ear. I saw the moment his fingers froze, a spark of realization in his hazel eyes. He kept his gaze on his girlfriend, but I knew what I’d seen. He’d put something together, but what? How much did he even know to put together?

I forced a nervous laugh and tried to change the subject. “Matt, tell me more about you.”
 

He eagerly jumped in, telling us more about his interests (soccer and bad guitar playing). Brady asked him a soccer question and they immediately broke into their own sports language. Allison and I exchanged an eye roll. My stomach unknotted and I relaxed a little. Brady was acting totally normal; I must’ve imagined things. I focused instead on Matt’s mesmerizing voice.
 

I let my eyes wander to him, this young college boy with the handsome smile. Despite the strong jawline, his profile still had a bit of baby face to it. I focused in on his neck tattoo, remembering he shared Brady’s ink design.
 

“You didn’t tell us about your tattoo,” I said. “You and Brady have the same design, right?”

My question definitely took Matt by surprise. I didn’t miss the glance he gave Brady.
 

Brady’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about mine?”
 

Oh, crap. With the ink on his ribcage, how
would
I know about something like that? I tossed out a lie and hoped it stuck. “Uh, Allison mentioned it a couple months ago. The description sounded like what’s here on Matt’s skin.”
 

To my relief, Allison just laughed and cuddled up to Brady. “I was probably talking about your hot bod.”
 

I forced a laugh. “Exactly.”
 

Brady relaxed, but I could tell my question had unnerved him. Matt answered for both of them instead.
 

“Oh, you know, just a stupid whim. Only young once and all that.”
 

Allison chuckled. “I’ve been bugging Brady for months about it. My guess is they got too drunk over fall break and took a ride into the city. Better that than a stripper STD.”
 

Brady’s lips pursed, but he nodded. “Yep, I told ya babe, just a stupid decision on the fly.”
 

I didn’t miss Matt’s eyes drop to the table. I pressed further. “What does it mean, though?”
 

“Just some symbol we saw on the parlor wall and decided was cool. Nothing special,” Brady said.
 

For obvious reasons, I didn’t believe him. I could tell they weren’t going to talk though; no use in pushing my luck and raising Brady’s eyebrows more than I already had. That symbol they shared meant something, but what?
 

As the evening wore on, I couldn’t help but enjoy myself. Matt was an upbeat guy who enjoyed telling jokes that had Allison and me in fits of laughter. Even Brady chuckled at several of them, though I noticed he didn’t look at me much throughout the evening.
 

At one point, Matt brought his hand over, letting it sit on top of mine. I jumped at his touch, at the intimate contact I hadn’t had in years. When I didn’t pull away, Matt gave me a tiny smile and I swear my heart skipped at the sweet gesture.
 

After the boys paid for dinner, the four of us walked back to campus. While the boys went back to discussing sports, Allison looped her arm through mine and leaned in to whisper to me.
 

“Brady’s going to walk me back to my dorm. Figured we’d give you guys a little privacy, if that’s okay with you,” she said.
 

My stomach tightened; I knew better than to leave her alone with Brady. I couldn’t arouse his suspicions, however, and instead nodded. “Sure, that’d be great. Thanks for bringing us all together.”
 

Allison shrugged. “I have to admit it went even better than I expected. Matt’s really funny. He’s definitely into you.”
 

“You think so?” I asked, ignoring the hope in my tone. So what if I was technically dead? It was still nice to hear a boy might be crushing on me.
 

“Yeah and I have to admit, I was wrong about him. He’s really nice. Looks like my friend was being overdramatic as usual,” she said, a smile playing around the corners of her mouth.