Skeleton Keys (on hold)

Chapter Eighteen

He stepped back suddenly, releasing me as sagged to the floor. Willing my heartbeat to slow down, I watched him walk back across the room and pick up his coffee like he hadn't just thrown me against the wall. What the hell?

"What's that suppose to mean?" I asked, picking myself off the floor. "Am I training for a war no one told me about? Am I some sort of solider?"

His eyes narrowed. "There is no war, Mary. Only creatures out there that would see a meal or a quick profit when they look at you. Your plane is one of the safest in the Realms but that is only because of Reapers like your father and grandfather who have fought to keep it safe." He returned his coffee to its spot on the floor and took a stance in the middle of the room. "Now again, but properly this time."

I stepped over slowly to retrieve my Scythe, picking it up and letting go of the power that kept it in its shape.

"You know what? I'm done." I stalked pass Apollo and out the door. I was so over being lied to. Creatures and demons out there that attacked Earth, and now I was one of those who were supposed to defend the planet? Umm, hello, that's kinda a big deal. And yet another piece of information my father held from me.

I pulled my things from the office and walked out to the main part of the store. Dad was already gone, of course, but he'd left his keys behind for me again. I snatched them off the counter and headed for the door.

"Mary, I-"

I heard Apollo, but I didn't look back. I pulled out of the parking lot without any idea of where I was going, and I didn't care. It was just me and the road, and the ridiculous sized SUV.

Dad had left the radio station on NPR, so I switched it to my favorite rock station. But none of the songs they played fit my mood. I turned the radio off in disgusted and drove in silence.

I couldn't believe that Dad wouldn't tell me something that important! Why wouldn't he tell me that I was signing up to fight? This whole situation enraged me. I'm so tired of being lied to and controlled. I just wanted everything to go back to normal.

My phone buzzed, and I dug it out of my purse as I stopped at the only real intersection in town. I didn't even bother looking at the caller ID,

"What?"

"Mary?" Mom's voice hesitated, but then hardened. "Finally, I've been trying to get a hold of you for days. Why wouldn't answer the phone? When are you coming home?"

I sighed, and tried not to scream in frustration. Was it impossible to be left alone?

"No, Mom. I can't do this now. Look, I'm not coming home. I'm moving up here to," I hesitated, hating that I was about to do what my father had been doing since before I was born. "To work with dad."

"You're what?" I pulled the phone away from my ear as she yelled, and then just went off. I couldn't understand all of what she said, but mostly it was to the affect of your dad's putting you up to this.

"I'll call you later." I yelled and hung up on her, tossing my phone on to the passenger seat. The drive was silent, just the noise of the car and the road. It was refreshing and something I hadn't realized I'd been craving.

I drove, not really heading in any particular direction until I realized that I was only a few miles from the lake. I guess subconsciously I had known where I was going all along.

Pulling up to the lake house really felt like I was coming home, even though it had already been shuttered and closed up for the winter. I parked the car and got out to walk down to sit at the end of the dock, hanging my feet over the edge like I used to do with Grandpa.

I got out of the car. And took a deep breath in the chilly air. The early afternoon sun was bright overhead, and everything was just like I remembered it. Walking down to the edge of the dock, were the worn dirt path met the wood, I stared out over the water.

My life was such a mess. I'm sure mom had left a bunch of messages by now, and the last thing that I wanted to do was listen to her yelling, or screaming, or even crying into the phone. And I'm sure there would be a wide variety of all three.

Lying to my mother, just like my dad had all those years, it was the last thing I wanted to do. I shook my head, I couldn't see any other option. I couldn't tell her the truth. I turned my gaze to the ground, looking for stones that might be the right shape. And yes, I totally lost my temper with Apollo, and it wasn't his fault at all. It wasn't even his job to be telling me all that stuff, or training me. It was Dad's job, and he let me down. Just like he had my entire life.

Picking up the few stones I found, I walked out on to the dock to stand at the very end. I threw the first stone, watching it skip over the surface. I put all my strength into the next one, and it sank as soon as it hit the water. I held the last one, turning it in my fingers.

I was a Charon now, and like it or not, I wasn't one to back out after I'd given my word. Grandpa had wanted this life for me, he'd believed in me and knew me almost better than I know myself. If he thought I could go out and stand my own against the monsters of the universe, then I would.

I sent the last stone flying with a steady hand, counting each time it hit the water. "Lucky number seven."  

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