My Soul to Reap (Archived)

Taken

As it turned out, I'd made a very bad decision. I stayed on the floor for a while, hugging myself, trying to calm down. Eventually I swayed upwards, finding my feet, and tried to get towards a bathroom. Thankfully it was the first door I tried, to the left of the kitchen. It seemed a little strange that all the doors were in Brie's room rather than the hallway, but I didn't bother questioning it too much. The bathroom was about average sized, nothing extraordinary, and I peeled off Brie's clothes and stepped into a steaming hot shower. I breathed out a sigh, leaning backwards into the warm spray and closing my eyes. All her shampoos smelt exotic, and I ended up looking through most of them just to have an excuse not to get out. Eventually the water started cooling down and I realized I would have to get out or risk taking a cold shower. I emerged in a haze of steam and lilac, wrapping myself in a towel and slipping the cloths back on, unsure what else I should be wearing. The makeup had obviously not remained intact, but I just washed off what remained and left my face bare. I realized too late I should have been preparing, that something like what had just happened didn't just pass without an aftermath.

When I walked back into Brie's room, hair hanging loose and still a little damp from where I'd given up on blow drying it, I was met with Aryan perched on the bed. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What, come to rub in the threat?" I asked, a little braver even though I was unarmed. Compared to the twins he didn't seem like much of a threat anymore. For now, at least.

"Not quite," he smiled, and made a move to stand up before I glared him down. He raise his hands in mock surrender. "I was asked to show you something," he said, each word perfectly measured. I scoffed.

"I don't think so," I told him firmly, shaking my head. "Unless it doesn't involve leaving this room you aren't showing me a thing." Reckless though contacting the twins was, I wasn't stupid enough to do this. He just sighed, although it sounded patient.

"I'm just passing along a message," he said, getting up but making a show of staying away from me.

"That's what you are then? Their messenger?" I asked, injecting venom into the statement. He paused, back to me, and I felt a stab of fear. Impulsiveness was not helping me today.

"You'd do well not to forget what you're getting into," he said slowly, an obvious warning. I glared at his back.

"What were you supposed to show me?" I asked, but he just walked away silently, his footsteps going down the stairs barely audible. I flopped down onto the bed, face-first, and even though he's been sitting there there was no warmth left. It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

Seconds later the door banged inwards, and I barely had time to sit up before the same pink and blonde blur from earlier came hurtling into Brie's room.

"Rina, what-" but I wasn't able to get a word in.

"Where's Brie!" She said, frantic, gripping my arms almost painfully hard. Her eyes were wide, pleading.

"She... She was going to find you," I replied, confused. Rina shook her head. I watched her, confused and only understanding slowly.

"I heard about the twins, and I wanted to make sure she was-" she could barely finish the phrase, she was already tearing through the house. I turned around slowly, heart sinking as I saw a small piece of paper on the bed. Written in small, precise lettering, was what Aryan was going to show me.

If I were you, I would remember just which side holds most power. The reaper forgot that.

I dropped the paper and bolted out the door, nearly tripping on the steps in an attempt to catch up to Aryan. He was leaning against the wall, watching the door. I stopped, staring defiantly up at him.

"You want to show me something? Let's go."

I sounded a lot more confident than I felt.