The Reaper's Mission- 2013

Chapter Eleven- History Class

"If you say that you were there one more time..." Karolyn warned. It'd been about two weeks since Karolyn and I had the conversation about living, and since then, I had been making an honest attempt to act more human. I was admittedly having a difficult time taking human problems to heart, or interacting with people by choice, or even paying attention to anyone when I was out and about. However, with some unintentional help from Karolyn and some practice, I did begin to enjoy the whole living thing when I did begin to get the hang of it.

As for my issue with being attracted to Karolyn... Well, it was still an issue. We talked every day, and I continued to find more and more interesting aspects of her character. For one example, she sculpted small clay statues depicting everyday, ordinary moments of life, such as a young girl reading on a park bench or an old woman staring at her hands. She said she did it to capture more small moments of people's history. She was also a debater; Karolyn was the most sweet, amiable person, but she could argue a point like a trained lawyer.

This particular day Karolyn and I were having a debate in class about who fired the "shot heard around the world." Currently, Karolyn's argument that it was a misfire, but the excuse that everyone needed to begin open fire, was holding fairly strong against my "I was there" argument. What she didn't know was that I actually was there, on an assignment to reap a colonist that was killed in the battle of Lexington, and that I personally watched an elderly colonist whose name I never bothered to find out intentionally fire the shot.

"Well I don't know what to tell ya, then," I said, putting my hands up in surrender.

"I can think of several things," she began, and I laughed at how much her usually hidden sassy side came out during our historical debates. "One, you could back up your argument with more than 'I was there.' Two, you could give up because you refuse to back it up with anything else. Three, you could tell me your story and we'll be even." I sighed, and Karolyn flushed. "I mean, you don't have to tell me anything..."

"Perhaps I will tell you my story someday," I said, and then smirked. "Or, I could just leave you hanging because you're hot when you're frustrated." She narrowed her eyes and would have said something else, but at that moment Mr. Grouse spoke up and called us back to attention.

"Students, may I have your attention for a moment while I tell you about your end of term assignment," he began, and a series of groans followed his words. "As you can tell, it is the beginning of November, and the assignment will be due the Friday before break begins, or December 14th for you number people."

"That is the day of the winter dance, you know," a girl to the right of Karolyn snapped. Mr. Grouse blinked once and continued as if she'd said nothing.

"The assignment at hand will be a 'group' project where you will attempt to solve an unexplained mystery of the Revolutionary war. I'm not giving you a list of subjects. You're seniors, not freshman, so you should be able to find your own. I am not requiring a minimum word count. You should be able to judge that for yourselves. I am also not requiring a certain amount of sources other than one. If your source is strong enough and well-argued... You get the idea. I would like to give you the rest of the class period to pick your partner and brainstorm ideas. When you've picked your partner, come and see me so I can write down that you have one. That's all." The class exploded into chatter and I put my face in my hands; group projects had always been ailing to me, as the ability to work with others had never been one of my attributes. I was about to stand up to start asking around for untaken partners when I noticed the figure standing over my desk.

"Shot heard around the world," Karolyn said, looking around at me with fire in her eyes. Compared to the usual melted-chocolate look in her eyes, this was rather intimidating.

"We'd never agree on a conclusion," I warned her. And I'm supposed to be avoiding you and am already failing miserably.

"We don't have to," she said, pacing the floor in front of my desk. "He never said we had to decide on one outcome, just that we had to try and solve it."

I thought for a moment.

"And you don't think that our topic would be too much the obvious choice?" I asked. Karolyn shrugged.

"If we could crack down and really dig, I think it could be fun trying to come up with a solid argument for it, seeing as it's never been officially solved."

I sighed, weighing my options. This would be an irritating subject to work on with someone who wasn't a Reaper, since I couldn't just use my "I was there" excuse and get away with it. However, I did think it would be interesting to work with Karolyn on this and I had a few ideas about ways I could sneak in proof from some Underworld records...

"Partners?" I asked, extending my hand. Karolyn took it and shook once.

"Partners."

I nodded and stood up to go and tell Mr. Grouse, but Karolyn stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

"I already told him," she said with an indignant smirk. I shook my head but couldn't help the grin coming to my own lips.

"You are something else," I muttered. Karolyn, fortunately for me, didn't hear my last comment, and pulled up a chair to sit at my desk with me. She sat on her chair backwards, and I felt my eyes drifting down towards her skirt against my better judgement. Luckily, I caught myself just in time for Karolyn to turn back to me, though I felt a sudden heat rush to my face and neck and wondered if it was visible.

"So, where do we start?" Karolyn asked, not seeming to notice any change in my appearance. "I'd say we try to find personal accounts like diary entries and artwork." I agreed, so Karolyn stood to go and fetch school laptops for the two of us. When she stood up, I caught a glimpse of running shorts under her skirt, and sighed in relief. Physical attraction was a bit of a given with girls with as much looks as she had, but coupled with the interest I had in her as a person, it was quite deadly at times.

The rest of the class period consisted of the two of us finding articles, sending them to one another through google docs, and compiling a list of arguments and inconsistencies from each. By the end of class, we hadn't accomplished as much as we'd hoped, but there was nothing to worry about with a month and a half of school left before break.

After that day, we talked more and more, especially in history, to the point where I was even convinced to go to Dimples a few times in the next few weeks and to eat lunch with her group instead of alone. Karolyn was growing on me more and more, as were her friends Tracy and Darren, and by the end of November, I was beginning to panic about having to kill Karolyn and leave in the condition I was in beginning to care for them all.

I could probably have handled it, had it not been for the growing attraction I felt towards Karolyn. Tracy was beginning to hint at me taking her to that stupid dance, and for one day, during a walk home in light snow that Karolyn and I were taking, I almost considered it.

That's what, for the first time in hundreds of years, scared me; I was almost ready to ask Karolyn to a dance, like any human that didn't have to kill his date would have done. We'd been brushing arms the entire walk home. It would have been perfect...

But no.

I'd consider finishing the history assignment with her, I decided finally, but outside of that, I was going to see her as little as possible.

And I was going to kill her as soon as her kill period began.

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Wow. What a difference five years of writing makes. That's all I have to say. *cringes*

Sorry I don't update this more. I forget, and my life is a wreck :D 

Happy Reading!

-Haybails