Reapers -- The First Familiar (Reapers Chronicles Book II)

2 - Walls

I lay panting on the grassy ground, arms stretched as I watched the first of the sun's rays pass through the flurry of leaves that canopied the forest floor. The sky slowly lightened to a faded hue of silver. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and listened.

There wasn't anything to hear but the flapping of small wings as birds flew from tree to tree. The silent whoosh of leaves as a gentle breeze swept the woods. No blood-curdling shrieks. Wraiths hardly ever tried these areas. The Sinclairs didn't appreciate visitors much. Just to be sure, an impenetrable barrier took care of those stupid enough to get too close.

In silence, I imagined the house where it used to be. Amyr and Rosario bickering in the porch. Byron Flynn running around the sinkhole in the front yard. Archie standing at the door. Mei right behind her master Vladimir, both smiling at me. Vincent, sitting on the steps.

Something in my chest wrenched to the point of aching. How far was I?

More than ever, I became impatient. Twenty yards seemed like a thousand miles. The walls were too tough, too many for me to bring down. I was drowning again, and this time, in my own thoughts.

"I knew you'd be here," a familiar voice said.

I opened my eyes, shielding it from the harsh light. Lindsay stood beside me, stooping over so that her curly blond hair fell over her shoulders. With a sigh, she adjusted the thick glasses on the bridge of her nose before offering me a hand. She was already in her school clothes-a gray turtleneck and a pleated flowery skirt that stretched until her ankles, paired with white slip-on sneakers. For someone who's five-nine, she didn't look a lot taller than me because she always hunched.

"I'm always here every night," I shrugged, shaking the dirt off my jeans as I got to my feet. "Look. I'm fine. Don't worry."

All along, she had openly expressed disapproval on my nightly visits to Centralia. Since I told her everything, she had been more nervous- well, more than the usual. She thought it was too dangerous for me, what with all the increase in reported crime rates in Ashland. I wouldn't worry about any human attacking me. It was the things that go bump in the night that she should be afraid of.

"I have to tell you something urgent." She could only shake her head in frustration, pausing to throw a dubious look at me. "By the way... I'm just thinking, Aramis. Maybe... maybe you should just do what Vincent wanted. For your own safety."

For a moment, I stopped my mouth from saying anything. I didn't want to argue with her. She was the only person besides me who knew Vincent Sinclair ever existed. And most of all, I trusted her with everything I knew. With my life. Somehow, hearing her telling me to stop made me want to break down.

"You know I can't do that," I replied in a weak voice, feigning a shaky laugh. "Besides, if someone tried something bad on me, I could always cut their heads off."

Lindsay's eyes widened, her lips quivering. Her already pale face became ashen. It looked like she didn't find my joke that funny. I forgot that I was with Lindsay and not with the cabal anymore. With those guys, it was normal to hear death threats and morbid jokes all the time.

"Y-you mean... w-with your... scythe?" she stammered, taking half a step back.

"Lindsay," I took her by the shoulders. "I'm kidding."

Her brows furrowed a bit then she blinked vacantly at me. All of a sudden she started laughing nervously. It sounded more like she was hyperventilating, really. For a minute I was scared she would pass out.

"You... got me there," she panted, stooping a bit more to catch her breath. "B-but seriously, can you really do that? I mean... kill people?" She whispered the last two words as if speaking them aloud would get her a ticket to detention.