Naomi Grim (The Silver Scythe Chronicles) Part 1 (4 page)

I didn't like where this conversation was
headed. "What are you guys getting? I think I might have a
cheeseburger."

The table was quiet except for Dorian telling
Josh about his recent scientific discovery. Keira and Bram looked
at the menu while stealing glances at each other that they thought
I didn't notice. Yes, my brother and best friend were probably in
love with each other, but I hated to think about that with my whole
being. The only consolation was the two-year age difference. Bram
had already turned eighteen and would be paired off with someone
else long before Keira was old enough to be betrothed. They were
both aware of this, so I didn't understand why they didn't just get
over each other. What did Keira see in Bram anyway?

Sullivan came over and took our orders—four
cheeseburgers, four sides of fries, a chicken salad for Keira, and
colas all around.

"Dunningham said we're going to be studying at
your place," Josh said, pushing his glasses up on his
nose.

Bram sat back in his seat. "You guys are going
to be studying. I know everything I need to know about that world.
I'm not like you. When I go there, I observe."

I rolled my eyes at my brother's never-ending
supply of confidence. Most times it annoyed me, but sometimes I was
a little jealous. "This is going to be different, Bram. We won't
just be watching them as we hide in the shadows. We have to hang
out with them, become their friends. If you want to fit in, you're
going to have to study."

Bram narrowed his eyes at me. He hated me
telling him what to do. After all, I was younger than him—and a
girl. "You think I don't know that? Why don't you worry about
yourself and why you feel bad about collecting lives—AKA—doing your
job." He looked at Keira. "Do you know what she had the nerve to
ask Dunningham?" He mimicked my voice. '"What's going to happen?
Bombs and a shooting in a school?' All sad and concerned." He
folded his arms across his chest. "You’ve never had the heart of a
Grim."

"Leave her alone, Bram," Keira said, coming to
my defense as always.

Bram sighed and shut up.

Sullivan brought our food over and it got quiet
for a while.

Just then, the bell above the entrance of
Brickman's rang. Two boys from the Upper Estates walked in. I could
tell they were from the Upper Estates right away because of the
black blazers they wore. Unlike us, they weren't confined to their
section of Nowhere. People from the Upper Estates could come to
Farrington whenever they pleased. Although most of the rich kids
stayed on their side because they wanted nothing to do with us,
Tristan and his sidekick Blake liked to visit frequently and cause
trouble.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Sullivan called
from behind the counter. The boys ignored him and walked up to our
table with smirks on their faces.

"Ladies," Tristan greeted Keira and
me.

Bram shoved the last bite of cheeseburger in
his mouth. "What are you doing here?"

Tristan laughed and looked at Blake. "What am I
doing here?" He fingered the intricate G embroidered on his left
lapel. "You don't question me, boy. I question you. What are you
doing here during the poor people's study hours?"

"We're not poor," I mumbled.

Tristan looked at me. "What was that,
sweetheart?"

"We're not poor," I said louder. We weren't. We
were middle class. It was a huge sign of disrespect to our father
for him to say otherwise.

"Quiet, Nay." Bram scowled at Tristan. "Don't
talk to my sister."

"Hey," Blake said. "You don't give us
orders."

Bram picked his teeth with his pinkie nail,
which I found utterly disgusting. I hoped Keira was wondering what
she saw in him.

Bram leaned back and rested his hands behind
his head. "Laugh now, gentlemen. Pretty soon we'll be living right
next to you."

Tristan placed his palms on the table and
leaned forward. "What?"

"Dunningham just gave us a huge job," Dorian
said. "We'll be filthy rich by the time we're done."

"Huh," Tristan said, standing back up. He hated
Bram, but he loved coming to him to flaunt his money and status.
Now that would be taken away. "When is this so-called
job?"

"In a week," Bram answered, "so we'll be there
really soon. You should throw us a welcome party."

Tristan leaned over, getting way too close to
Bram's face. "Shut the hell up. I'm sure before the week is up
you'll do something to screw up this opportunity and Dunn will give
it to someone else."

"Yeah," Blake said. "Everybody knows your
family could have been on the Upper Side a long time ago if it
weren't for you."

Tristan stayed in Bram's face as if daring him
to hit him. He wanted him to mess up this chance. To my brother's
credit, he didn't take the bait.

"Did you have road kill and ass for breakfast?"
Bram asked.

Josh and Dorian laughed.

Tristan backed away and pointed at Bram as he
and Blake made their way toward the door. "Watch yourself, Grim.
You're not on the other side yet, ass-hat."

"Have a nice day, gentlemen," Bram called as
they exited.

"Don't they have anything better to do than to
come over here and bother us?" Keira asked.

Bram took out a wad of money and began counting
out bills. "Apparently not. I can't wait to get over there. It's
going to drive them crazy. Lunch is on me, guys." Bram left some
bills on the table and we left.

The five of us decided to go to our house to
hang out for a while. We were halfway home when sirens blared
through the streets. That meant only one thing—Foragers.

Several doors flew open as men bolted from
their houses armed with rifles. "Kids, get in here!" shouted a man
named Colby, pointing to his open door.

I looked at Bram, and he nodded. The five of us
made a run toward the house. At least twenty men were in the street
now with their weapons. Colby's wife, Lamya, ushered us inside.
Bram stopped on the porch and began to back up.

"Bram!" I yelled.

"It's okay. I have to go help."

I called for him again, but he was gone,
running in the direction of the other men. Lamya closed the door.
Bram was eighteen, the age you must be to participate in defense
actions if our colony was raided, but he hadn't had his
Confirmation ceremony yet. When my parents chose a wife for Bram
and he was confirmed, then he could help the men.

"Children, have a seat. I was just about to put
on some tea," Lamya said.

The four of us took seats on her living room
sofas. I hoped Mother was safely indoors. I couldn't call to tell
her where we were—getting a signal was impossible while the sirens
were engaged.

Dorian tapped his knee nervously. "I should go
after Bram."

"You will do no such thing," I said
forcefully.

Dorian shrugged. "They're just Foragers. They
can't hurt me."

That wasn't entirely true. Foragers used to be
Grims. They were descendants of Dunningham's twin brother, Dunstan.
Dunstan had been cast out for falling in love with a Fated and
refusing to kill her. That crime was punishable by death, but he'd
escaped that by being Dunningham's brother.

Foragers didn't have the years of life we were
granted. No longer Grims, they don't receive assignments. They only
stayed alive by stealing lifestones before we got to them or by
raiding the Mill, as they were attempting to do then. Foragers died
of old age. They wrinkled and their hair turned white, something
that was unheard of in Farrington or the Upper Estates. They
couldn't kill us, but we could kill them. Still, they risked their
lives attempting to steal our lifestones. What other choice did
they have other than to shrivel up and die? They attempted these
raids once every few months, but they had only been successful once
a few years ago. They had gotten away with almost a thousand
lifestones from the Generator Fund. That put our colony on hard
times, but we quickly recovered.

My ears stung from the persistent ringing of
the warning sirens. It would only stop once the Foragers were
caught, and it was safe to come outside.

Lamya placed a tray with teacups and a plate of
cookies on the coffee table. I was stuffed from my cheeseburger at
Brickman's, but I partook to be polite. Colby and Lamya had two
children, but since they were nowhere in sight, I assumed they were
on assignment.

We munched in silence. Lamya looked at us and
smiled politely from time to time. There was not much else to do.
It was inappropriate to carry on frivolous conversations during a
raid.

After thirty-two minutes, the sirens stopped.
We all breathed sighs of relief. Politely, we placed our teacups on
the tray and rose to leave.

Dorian, being the oldest male in the group now,
spoke for us. "Lamya, thank you for the refuge. We'll be on our way
now."

Lamya stood. "Okay. Be careful and get your
sisters home safely."

"Yes, Madam," Josh answered.

The streets were empty except for the roaming
Watchers. There seemed to be more of them now.

"Are you all okay?" Mother asked as we entered
the kitchen where she was preparing vegetables for
dinner.

"We're fine, Mother," I answered.

"Good. Keira and Josh, call your mother and let
her know you're here safe. I know she's worried."

Keira pulled her cell from the pocket of her
hoodie.

"Where's Bram?" Mother asked, just noticing his
absence.

"He went off during the raid. I tried to stop
him, but he wouldn't listen."

Mother sighed and threw down the dishtowel. "Of
course." Then she reached for her phone. I was sure it was to call
Father to see if Bram was okay.

Keira and I went upstairs to my bedroom, where
she kicked off her flip-flops and plopped on my bed. "Do you think
Bram's okay?"

"Why do you care?" I hated when she talked
about my brother. "They can't kill him."

She sat up and glared at me. "Because he's my
friend and I know they can't kill him, but they can hurt him. Don't
you care if he's all right?"

"Of course I do, but I'm not worried about it.
Nothing bad ever happens to Bram."

"I suppose you're right," Keira said, examining
her fingernails.

Just then, my bedroom door was flung open. Our
friend Chase came in, smiling broadly as he always did. I guessed
if I had dimples like his, I'd smile all the time too.

"Hey, don't you knock?" I asked.

"Why? You guys are always doing the same
thing—sitting around gossiping. I mean, what am I going to walk in
on?" he asked, sitting next to Keira on my bed. "Besides, I heard
the good news. I came to congratulate you two."

"Thanks, Chase," Keira said.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Now, what does a guy like me have to do to get
a gig like that from Dunningham?"

I shrugged.

"Oh, I know. My father doesn't kiss enough
ass," Chase said answering his own question.

"Hey!" Keira said, slapping his arm. "What are
you trying to say?"

Chase shrugged. "I’m just saying that your
fathers are a lot better than mine at being up Dunningham's butt.
We'll never move to the Upper Estates."

Chase was probably right. His family did what
Grims had to do—nothing more, nothing less. They didn't send
Dunningham expensive presents he didn't want or need, nor did they
make the effort to hang out after one of Dunningham's speeches to
tell him how profound it was and make themselves visible. My
father, on the other hand, was a big fan of networking.

Chase got serious. "You know what this means,
right? If you guys move to the Upper Estates, we won't be friends
anymore."

Keira shook her head. "That's not true. Kids
from the Upper Estates come to Farrington all the time."

"Yeah, but not to hang out with their old
friends. They come over here to gloat and wave their luxurious
lives in our faces. I mean, how many times has Lei come back to
visit?"

Lei had been our good friend until she moved to
the Upper Estates a year ago. Lei left, promising she'd come back
and see us a few times a week. We hadn't seen her since. "We're not
Lei, and we're not going to stop being your friend because we
moved. Keira and I will come back here all the time."

"Yeah, that's what you say now, until those
snooty kids get in your heads."

Keira sighed. "Chase, give us some credit.
We're not that easily influenced, and if we say we're going to
visit, we're going to visit. Now let's talk about something
else."

But Chase wouldn't. "Well, even if we stay
friends, Naomi and I will never be betrothed."

I looked at the ground, trying to avoid eye
contact. Since Chase and I were small, our parents had spoken about
us being betrothed to one another. Once I moved to the Upper
Estates, I would have to marry a boy from there.