A Light in the Dark Part Fifteen: A New Apprentice

Death:

Sitting by my mentor’s bed, his withered form broke my heart. For years we argued back and forth, his wrinkled hand holding mine. Kissing the top of my hand, his gray hair tickled the top of my hand. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, the blood pouring from his stab wound had me fuming. Life had gone too far this time, his light blinding me. 

“Keep going on the path you are going.” He wheezed, a coughing fit had a blackness all over his hands. “You need to name a successor. How about that Lily you seem to adore?” Hatred burned in my eyes, the very thought pissing me off. This was a lonely life that no one deserved, my fingers digging into his palm. Yelping in pain, a brisk apology left my lips. 

“Why would I do that!” I snapped, a steady stream of curse words flooding from my lips. Folding my arms across my chest, his head shook. A low growl rumbled in his throat, his weakened hand yanking me close to his face by the collar of my black corset dress. Cocking his brow, this moment had happened way too many times to count.

“She is an ideal candidate and you can’t deny that.” He whispered , his rotten breath sickening me. "She is keeping the underworld safe. I love you.” His grip loosened, my rage fading to grief. Watching him decay to ash, a broken wail burst from my lips. Sinking to my knees, my world felt as if it was crumbling around me. Burying my face into my knees, a soft knock interrupted me. Lily waved at me, her long emerald sweater dress hugging her swollen bump beautifully. Victoria left in a rush, my favorite reaper running over to me. Cupping my face, her kind eyes met my wet eyes. Brushing her lips against my forehead, no relief came over me. 

“I will become your prodigy.” She promised, pressing her forehead against mine. “Teach me everything.” Stunned by her kindness, her thumbs wiped away my tears. Unable to speak, she spun a golden key in her palm. How did she get the key to Life’s castle? Confusion mixed with sadness, a grin dancing across her lips.

“How did you get a key?” I queried through a wall of tears, her shoulders shrugging. Ignoring my protests, she helped me to my feet. Spinning on her heels, a quiet fury burned in her eyes. An inky raven appeared on top of her scythe tattoo, our bond now formed against my will. Grumbling under my breath, her hands rested on my hips. 

“I can’t have one of my favorite people in the world get pushed around. That reeks of your brother. Your father is the main guy and he gave you death and he got life. I don’t see how that is fair. Let’s have a family meeting of sorts.” She fumed, her hand hovering in front of me. "Sorry for the loss of your uncle. Boomer!” Bounding to her side, his wagging tail won me over. Taking her hand, a golden door appeared in front of her. Shoving the key in, the door swung open on its own. A pristine garden greeted us, a tall and slender man with a wild mop of short inky hair pinned her to the wall. Boomer snarled at him, the sight of a hellhound unsettling my brother. His eyes flitted between her bump and Boomer, a devious grin twitched on his lips. 

“Is this your new prodigy? She isn’t even dead. What the hell were you thinking making her a living reaper!” He snapped, his hateful gaze falling on me. “Uncle getting killed by one of my servants didn’t get the message into your freaking head. I don’t want to talk to you." Brandishing her scythe, Life took a step back. Pressing the blade into his neck, Lily let out a huff. Someone wasn’t having this, fresh tears welling up in my eyes. My brother had always been spiteful, his temper matching our mother’s. Smoothing out his white robes, his golden eyes glittered with malice. How could he be so callous?

“This is a pathetic argument.” Lily snapped venomously, lowering her scythe. “If I am correct, Death might have accidentally touched your mentor’s shoulder. That is why she wears gloves. You don’t have to be high and mighty when you can hug who you want. She went without a warm embrace her whole life. Grow up!” Pinning her to the wall again, his palm rested on the curve of her stomach. His expression softened, everything that happened to her raced through his mind. Sighing with dejection, he offered us a seat at a golden table a couple of feet from her. Pulling out her chair, her quiet smile did little to increase his anxiety. Pushing her chair in, we took a seat on either side of her. Snapping his fingers, a steaming pot of tea appeared in the center of the table. Tracing the ornate pink rose cups, the ginger tea poured from the emerald spout of the rosebud teapot. The glass clinked as he slid it over to us, guilt gnawing at his once haughty expression.

“I am sorry. Our fight got a little out of hand.” He admitted with a gruff groan, sipping his tea. Leaning back in her chair, something was eating at him. The chair groaned as she rose to her feet, her genuine smile never leaving her face. Waiting for an ordinary wooden door to show up, she waved goodbye as the door creaked open. Stepping over the threshold, the door faded away with her. Sitting in awkward silence, the slurping of his tea was the only thing mixing with the chirping of the birds. 

“I didn’t mean to touch your mentor. I was trying to catch him. I didn’t have time to stop when I realized that I wasn’t wearing my gloves.” I apologized sincerely, bowing my head in shame. Setting his teacup down, his hand held my gloved hand. Dropping the teacup onto the table, hot tea spilled over the edge of the table. Watching the clear liquid pool by my feet, his gentle tone did little to ease my nerves. 

“I apologize for my part. I shouldn’t have acted so rashly.” He returned with a crooked grin, snapping his fingers. The mess disappeared, his hands cupped my face. What was up with everyone doing that today? His magical prowess allowed him to touch me, the kindness in his eyes reminded me of how he would always take care of me when I struggled through my tasks.

“I could never do what you do. You have the hard part of taking care of the afterlife. I would spend every day crying. You are stronger than me.” He assured me softly, his hand dropping to the table. “I blessed her child for you.” Touched by his gift, a fresh wave of tears flowed freely from my eyes. Laying my head on the table, the exhaustion of everything hit me. Depression mixed with relief, my palms resting on the table. Patting the top of my head, a long groan poured from my lips. Struggling to my feet, I couldn’t be here anymore. Mouthing a silent goodbye, I needed to take a breather. Snapping my fingers, a field of wildflowers took the place of his home. Climbing the oak towering over me, the branch groaned as I laid down. Watching the blue sky over my head, the fluffy clouds floated without an agenda. Barking echoed in the distance, a happy smile dawned on my lips. The wood creaked in protest as Lily took a seat next to my feet. Scooting closer to me, her hands placed my feet on her lap. 

“Did you have a good chat?” She chirped cheerfully with her real smile, her bump grazing my leg. “I want to show you a place that I discovered. I claimed it as mine with a bit of protection.” Swinging down from the branch, Lily had her hands on her hips. 

“Are you coming or what!” She shouted warmly, Boomer dancing around her legs. “He wants you to come as well.” Jumping down, my eyes fell on her scythe tied to her back. Saying nothing the whole walk, the bright sunny day darkened to a foggy night in the cemetery. Glancing around, we were in the cemetery by her store. Her dome hummed around the stones, dark spirits banging on the other side. Her lack of a reaction was alarming, my mind wondering when she got so comfortable in her role. The good spirits waved at her, each one stopping to have a conversation with her. Smiling softly to myself, my mentor’s reading of her was correct. Lily had the grace to handle the responsibilities of her future duties, her kindness towards the dead was pulling on my heart strings. Carrying a ghost kid on her hip, the others all gathered around her. Shifting through her bag on her shoulder, books rested in her palms. A tiny argument ensued between them, her finger raising in the air. Hanging back, the women spirits stood next to me. 

“Isn’t she the loveliest? I have never seen a reaper take the time to take care of us spirits that want to stick around. The others pushed but she seems to see why we all want to stay. Our little cemetery is our village and I never want to leave.” One of them explained with a bright smile, my favorite reaper picking a random one from behind her back. Her angelic voice rang out into the still air, every child scooting closer with every word and picture. Tears of joy stained my cheeks, the translucent children hanging all over her like that had my heart fluttering. Finishing up, they all whined as she rose to her feet. Smothering them all with a bear hug, her elbow hooked around mine. Exiting out of the dome, a miniature one surrounded her. 

“I know it's stupid but I can’t force them to go if they are happy. I figured that I would read to the kids every night and check up on everyone before I go home.” She choked out oddly, hoping that I wouldn’t yell at her. Yanking her into a desperate embrace, something felt off. Pushing her to the ground, my scythe blocked a golden sword from cutting her down. Pushing him back, his golden armor glistened in the pale moonlight. Golden vines curled around Lily’s body, her protests falling on deaf ears. This action didn’t speak of my brother, a dark spot on his neck catching my eyes. Now it made sense, the rogue angel had been cursed by the dark one. The bones in her body creaked, the vines getting tighter by the second. Whimpering in pain, her fingers dug into the dirt. Ruby ribbons soaked her sweater, her arms covering her bump. A loud snap echoed in the air, her bone piercing her skin. Begging for the angel to stop, his clumsy form stumbled to his feet. Charging at me, a quiet fury burned to life in my eyes. No one hurt my girl, a cloud of dirt choking us both. Life stood in front of us, the vines not letting go with every snap of his fingers. Raising his golden curved blade, strange symbols glowed to life. Taking my place next to him, my ruby energy swirled around his golden energy. One swing from both of our weapons sent him tumbling in another cloud of dirt. Glancing back at Lily, her ankles were groaning in protest. Panic twisted my face, a shadowy figure darted towards her.  

“We need to do our dual attack.” He shouted over a gust of icy wind, my head nodding. Placing our blades together, Boomer climbed on top of her. The golden and scarlet ribbons of energy swirled together, our eyes falling on Lily placing her palm on the ground. A white dome throbbed to life around us, ruby pouring from her nose. Slamming the tips of our blades into the dirt, a blast knocked us back. The vines disintegrated, Lily rolling onto her back. Trembling while holding her broken arm, a scream bursting from her lips. Our enemies had been vanquished, Life unable to heal her. His only ability was to grow things, real cries of pain kept flooding from her lips. Her arm wasn't the only thing that wasn’t broken, her nose refusing to stop bleeding. The poor reaper had gone beyond her limit, her magic tearing her apart from the inside. Horror rounded my eyes, none of us able to do anything.  

“Make it stop!” She cried out desperately, ruby dripping from the corner of her eyes. Sobbing violently, Matty rushed over to us with Toby with a vial of a purple liquid in his hand. Opening her mouth, he poured it down her throat. Her screams stopped, a rough darkness stealing her away. Lifting her up, he loaded her into the car as the bleeding slowed down to a stop. Climbing into the back with my brother, we both watched with deep concern at her state. 

“You can’t take her to a hospital.” Life blurted out awkwardly, Matty shooting him a death glare as he buckled her up. “We need to go to Scones to get her magical core healed.” Cursing under his breath, he chose not to say anything as he tossed him his phone. Fumbling with the phone, his brow raised higher with every passing second. 

“Just put in the address, you fucking idiots!” He barked, his eyes falling on me. Shaking in the back, I snatched the phone from him. Typing in the address as he told me, Matty ripped it from my hand. Peeling onto the road, houses turned into a deeper forest. Fuming venomously as he pulled down a dirt road, his head snapped back at us. 

“You are lucky you matter to her! Next time you protect her.” He threatened darkly, undoing her seat belt. The car shook with the force of his slam of his door, his strong arms picking her up. Carrying her in, we could barely keep up. A masked angel ripped open the door, his arms ripping her from his. Slamming the door into his face, the lock clicked. Banging on the door for five minutes straight, he spun on his heels. Marching towards us, he pinned us both to a tree. His seething rage burned in his eyes, both of us shrinking back in fear. 

“Care to explain how my wife short circuited! I let her go to the cemetery like usual with extra protection and she ended up with a broken arm!” He roared thunderously, his grip strengthening. “Is my child even okay? Why can’t you heal if you make life!” Scones shot a white ball of energy in our direction to shut us down, Matty letting us go. Getting into the car to wait patiently for us to be let in, exhaustion wore on his face. 

“She came out from the cemetery and one of his rogue people decided to attack me. He had her in vines and she used what she had left to save the town. I had no control.” I explained calmly, his expression softening. “My brother can only create things.” Buying my reasoning, an oppressive silence poisoned the air. Smoothing out his navy t-shirt and jeans, his numb stare frightened me. Climbing up to the passenger seat, his gaze never left his window. Tossing me a brownie, he mumbled something about Lily making it for me. Touched by her kindness for the millionth time, silent tears stained my cheeks. Sighing irritably, his hand fished around his center console. Dropping a box of tissues in my lap, his wet eyes met mine. 

“Did she come to rescue you or something?” He inquired brokenly, digging at his pants. Clearing my throat, all of this felt like my fault. Shame dimmed my eyes, a busted nod answered his questions. Leaning back, a familiar kindness brightened his eyes. 

“I see. How are you holding up? She mentioned something about losing someone close to you.” He asked warmly, the tears flowing faster. “Why don’t you move in with us? I don’t like you living alone.” Confusion mixed with bliss, my face unable to decide what to show. How could he be so gentle with me after what happened? The door opened, Life leaving us alone to gather the fixed up Lily. Holding her in his arms, her arm was no longer broken.  

“Why? I let her get h-” I began meekly, his hand raising up stopping me mid-sentence. Dropping a pair of house keys into my quivering palm, his words had weight on them. Clutching them close to my chest, his friendly smile made the moment better. 

“I meant it. You are family and family needs to stick together.” He asserted himself firmly, banging his fist on his palm. “I think Lily would be happy to have you. You can make one of our closets a doorway into your former home if we become too much.” Life climbed in with Lily, his nimble hands buckling her up. Matty and him broke into a pleasant conversation. Thankfully everything about Lily was healed, a white book glistening underneath his arm. Sliding it over to Matty, his steady hands picked it up. Flipping through it, it was every healing potion known to mankind. 

“He said you will need it if you intend to keep her in one piece.” Life spoke gently, laying her head on her lap. “Death, do stay with her. I gave her life and can see the rough path ahead. I had to finagle a deal with him but it was worth the cost.” His golden ring from our mother was gone, my heart breaking for him. Why did he care so much? Father, please grant us the luck we would need.