The Grim's Daughter

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:

The gates to Reaper Maonor were binded together with rose stalks, their sharp throns making it impossible to climb over. Nevaeh was only a few metres away from the gate, but she stood there, gazing through the gaps, waiting for someone to appear. She stood a while, alone. Nevaeh started to walk away, when a black shadow jumped moved from tree to tree- then it stopped. "Who's there?"

There was no answer. The shadow moved again, much quicker than last time, moving toward her. Nevaeh stepped back, but tripped over something, hitting her head on something hard. The shadow moved closer. Nevaeh crawled backwards, trying to escape from whatever was taunting her. "Get away!" she cried. 

She suddenly pulled herself up and began to run, but the shadow was faster than her. It caught her and pulled her back, making her scream in panic. "Be quiet!"

"Luko, you scared me!" she snapped. 

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. "You go and then you come back? You could have been seen! Did anyone see you?"

"Of course nobody saw me, I'm not stupid!" she groaned, angrily. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you- we need to go. Dusk's looking all other the place!"

"Where can we go?" she asked.

"I know someone Dusk won't think of looking for a while," said Luko, walking a way. "Wait there he whispered when he heard the twigs under Nevaeh breaking.

He came back a few seconds later with the hell hounds walking either side of him. "How did you get them?" said Nevaeh, crouchin down so she could stroke their black fur. "Dusk said he would kill them."

"I took them before I left," said Luko. "I also packed your stuff." He handed her a bag with things in. "It's everything you'll need for a few days."

"Thanks," she said, taking the bag from him. "So how far is this place?"

"We'll get there soon if we hurry up; the snow will be rising quickly." Luko started to walk away from the gates. "Haven't been there in years."

They approached the house that Luko had spoken about after a while. An unexpected snowstorm had slowed them down, especially while having Dawn along with her injured paw. The shutters were locked together tightly, and the door creaked whenever you tried to open it. Many houses surrounded it. The neighbours stared at Nevaeh and Luko with curiousity written on their faces, but also, an unwelcome gaze. 

Luko took a hook of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. "It's probably a little messy," he warned. "But it's safer than anywhere else- even with the neighbours," he said, watching the people walk inside their houses when he turned around. 

They both walked into the house, closing the door behind them. "Where are we?" said Nevaeh, looking around the house. She could hear a crackling fire from the next room, it's flames dancing. "Is anyone here?" 

They walked into the living-room where they sat down on the chairs.

"It's Dusk's house," he said, catching Nevaeh's cold glare. "He'll be away for a few days, leaving us with enough time to find some clues as to where he'll be giving his sacrafice. All I know is, if we don't get to him before the next full moon, his powers will become unimaginable."

"It'll be somewhere in Carleswell, wouldn't it? We could follow him," Nevaeh suggested. 

"It's too dangerous out there," said Luko, shaking his head. "You can't go out there until you learn to fight, Nevaeh. Right now, you don't even know how to use a scythe!"

"Why do you have to do that?" said Nevaeh, thinking she would have said something to him sooner or later. 

"Do what?" he snapped. 

"Everything is always a negeative. Have you always been like that?"

Luko stood up, standing by the window, but the curtains were not drawn back. He slowly shook his head. "No," he said, quietly. 

"I've seen your past, Luko. I don't know what it was like for you, but it hurt me watching it. My mind always changes about you, and I want it to stay on one thing; right now that seems impossible. Why did all that happen? 

 Nevaeh still sat in her chair, watching Luko. His mouth started to quiver as he tried to speak. "I was kicked out at a young age- too young to be on the streets. I told Dad I didn't want to become The Grim Reaper like him, so he tossed me away. That's when Beetle found me. You were two years old at the time. You were two at the time, but old enough to remember me. I asked Death if I could speak to you one last time. That's when I discovered he had wiped me from your memory." 

He pulled out from his pocket a picture of himself, nearly half the age he was now, holding a baby girl in his arms. His cheeks were rosey red and his hair short, not like his hair now. Nevaeh could see it from over his shoulder, only slightly. "I believe you," she said, wondering why. "I just don't know why he'd do that." Nevaeh rubbed her eyes.

"I think you should go get some rest," said Luko. 

"I'm fine," she said. 

"No you're not. Look, you're falling asleep." He spoke in a quiet voice now. 

"Alright. But where can I sleep?" she asked. 

Luko took a  few cushions from the chairs in the room and layed them down in front of the fire, upon a soft rug. "You can sleep here," he said. He gave her his robes as a blanket. She fell asleep by the fire, warm by Luko's robes and the hell hounds sleeping quietly beside her.