Death's Dilemma (DHAD #2) (6 page)

“Herald?” I let out a laugh. “No way! That guy did anything but work and hate life.”

“Yeah, apparently they were like three peas in a pod. ‘The lady killas,’ my dad joked. But my dad said his career in the group was short lived because he met my mom pretty early on. Once that happened, he said he tried to always set your dad up to go with them on double dates, but he’d always refuse, claiming he’d never settle down. The group dwindled down even more when Herald got Marge pregnant. Your dad would always talk about how he’d never settle down and that his father would either die or become a Demon with hundreds of legions before he ever saw a grandchild.”

“Well, that part was at least true, since I never met the man,” I said. When I was three, I asked my dad about his parents, and he said they’d left a while ago and he’d never met his mom because she had only been a convenience carry for his father to carry on his seed. At the time, I had no idea what that meant.

“My dad said he then married my mom and still saw Lucas once in a while when he’d drag him out with him on guy’s night. This went on for at least thirty years, and practically everyone had given up on your father ever carrying on the line when he came to my dad’s door one night in a panic with a baby in his arms. My dad said yours was always a pretty private man. His first guess was that he’d done just like his father and knocked up some human just to carry on his line. But, he said your dad had you in his arms and was balling his eyes out. He refused to say anything about it but gave you to my mom, saying ‘please protect her for a moment while I’m gone.’ My dad thought he’d misspoken when he said ‘her’, but as my parents looked down at you, there was no question. He said your dad returned hours later and looked like he’d lost his soul. ‘I lost her,’ he said was all your dad said, and then he left with you, Cendall.

The next day, he went over your house to try and talk to your dad about it more. When he got there though, your dad and Herald were arguing over Herald’s son. Herald’s son had died the night you were born, and Herald blamed your father for not protecting him. I guess your dad had been Herald’s son’s mentor, and even though it in no way was Lucas’s responsibility, my dad said that Herald was just looking for someone to blame. He said Herald screamed at your dad saying that, ‘Jake told me he was out with you… that you were going with him to fight that Angel, but NO you were too BUSY playing house to protect my son, and now he’s DEAD’. I guess he then swung at your dad, but Lucas knocked him out. Dad said since that day, he’s barely seen them say two words to each other. ”

“I always knew Herald held a grudge against me!” I’d always thought it had been because I was female though.

“Who’s Lucas?” Trevor asked

“Cendall’s dad’s first name.” Dave told him

“What is your last name, Cendall?”

“Todeslandwirt,” I replied.

“So your dad’s name is…Lucas Todeslandwirt,” Trevor blurted out before I could answer. “The death farmer?” he continued.

“Yes, that is my last name translated from German to English.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. We were told in training he had disappeared all of a sudden, and we assumed he’d been made a Demon. Most of the men in his family were before him. Are you sure?”

“Seriously, Trevor?” I used to think he was intelligent, but his responses were making me question that.

“Well, he was said to have disappeared around twenty years ago.”

“And how old am I? Around twenty-ish. Eighteen now, to be exact.”

“No way…”

“Finally, you’re as scared as you should be of me.” I gave him a dangerous smirk. His left brow rose as he made a smirk to match mine.

“Of him? Maybe. But you’re only half of him, so I should be fine.”

Dave looked back and forth between us and smiled. “So if you two are done… ‘arguing’, that was the part I wanted to get back to. My dad said he never met your mom, and your dad never said anything about her. When it was brought up, he would politely ask to not talk about it. He’d just say she was dead, and that was when he retired from being a Reaper and focused on raising you, Cendall. My mom offered to baby sit, as they needed your dad. He was, in my dad’s words, ‘the best Reaper the realms had ever seen’, but your dad refused, saying he had more important things to do. From the way my dad said it though, I think he suspected something else, and I think I do too. Like, if my mom offered to help so he could still keep his job, why wouldn’t he take it? I think that’s where we have to start. Why would your dad, other than the fact that he had you, not want to be a Reaper anymore?”

“Maybe she was on his list, and he had to collect her soul?” I suggested.

“Maybe, but for your dad, from what I’ve heard, to stop, I think it had to be something more than that. Like if your mom was, say… a Guardian. That would explain some of your other powers as well. It would also explain why he never brought her home.” Everything he was saying made sense, and I’d already assumed the same myself, but something just didn’t quite fit. “Did he ever let on anything about her?” Dave asked.

“He didn’t ever really say much about her, just that we looked alike besides our hair color. We were the exact opposite he said, as where my color was red, long and wavy, hers was blonde, short, and straight. She was very stubborn he said, and they weren’t officially married when I was born. But he once said he would have given anything to be able to marry her. On that topic too, he’d once slipped that she had strict beliefs or something, which was why she wasn’t in limbo during my birth.”

“Strict beliefs, huh? Maybe Catholic, Muslim, Baptist? I mean, all of them can be strict,” Lacie chirped in.

“Or strict beliefs could mean Guardian, like I was going with earlier,” Dave pointed out.

“Well, how about her maiden name? A picture? Surely you saw a picture of her,” Trevor added.

“No,” I said and Lacie’s mouth dropped

“You never thought that was strange?” she asked.

“No, I remember asking about her when I was younger, but every time I did, it made my dad so sad.”

“Still, that’s strange.”

“Maybe you were a one night stand baby, Cendall,” Lacie said and I gave her the death stare.

“I know you’ve never met my dad, but even in the glimpses he’s showed about her, something in his eyes just changed when he talked about her. He loved her. I know it.”

I don’t know why I hadn’t let it bother me so much before. Thinking about it now, I should have had her picture up somewhere growing up. So many humans had their dead plastered everywhere around the house, and other Reaper families did the same. My house was the only one, in fact, that didn’t have pictures. We even had three day ceremonies as a reminder every year. Reapers were told never to forget their dead. They wanted us to embrace, remember, and learn from the dead, to ensure we didn’t make their errors and end up on the wall.

We had a specific hall in the town square that had photos of those who had fallen. Some of my great grandparents were there, along with several other Reapers that had apparently been related to me. Every year, when we’d look at the photos, someone would stop and say how they were all worried about my dad carrying on because it took him so long to find a mate. When he showed up with me, though, they were overjoyed until they realized I was a girl, then they supposedly weren’t as happy. They did, however, seem satisfied that his line wasn’t ending.

“So far, I think the only theory that makes sense is Dave’s, so we’ll have to try and carry on with that.” Too bad we didn’t have a picture, name, or any freaking clue who she was. If we did, you better believe I’d question every single Guardian when we got home.

“I’ve got to go as I can feel the calling, but I’ll try and see if my dad has any more info. I hope some of this helped.” He gave me another hug, and I stared at his scythe as Trevor handed it back to him. My fingers tingled, remembering the rush I used to feel when I was about to cross off another name on my list.

“I found it to be helpful, Thank you, Dave.”

“I’ll try and keep an ear out for when any of our neighbors are coming for you.”

“Thanks.” He ported out, and I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to command my brain to think.

“Well, I’m just going to state the obvious. She wasn’t human,” Lacie said.

“Well yeah, that is now assumed, but why would my dad lie to me about her being human?”

“Well, if she was a Guardian, it would make sense. You guys are
supposed
to be enemies,” she said with a sleek smile as she pointed at Trevor and me.

“She’d have to be a strong Guardian though. Cendall has electricity and healing. Most -*/Guardians don’t ever get that strong. Do you think…,” Trevor started.

“No way,” I interrupted, knowing exactly where this was going. “Do you really...no way. A Reaper and an Angel? No way. I can’t see dad with an Angel.”

“Love is a mysterious thing,” Lacie said. “Uncontrollable, sudden, and hard to deny once one has fallen…or at least I’m told it works that way.”

“Wouldn’t you have heard about some Angel dying though? Like, I know of all the Reapers who died in battle. The ones that move onto to Demons and stuff is where things get fuzzy. But if anyone dies while on duty, everyone knows and talks about it. Not only at that stupid ceremony each year either. We were forced to learn about it in great lengths to ensure the error didn’t happen again.” I laughed, thinking back to the lesson in training. It had been the only day Herald called off, which is why I think I remembered it so well. I couldn’t hide the excitement on my face that day.

“Well, usually, like we know all the ‘greats’ you could call it, but there’s been so many. Angels often die as they have to deal directly with Demons, whereas most Guardians just deal with Reapers. Even though sometimes it results in death, it’s nothing compared to the risk an Angel faces.”

“Well, I was born about eighteen years ago, so let’s start there, I guess.”

“Has anyone on the guard staff been around that long?”

“Not sure, but if you ask them, I’m sure they’ll help,” Trevor stopped.

I couldn’t help the exaggerated laugh that left my lips. “Yeah right, they hate me.”

“There is that, but we could start there.”

“I think that will be a lost cause.”

“Well it couldn’t hurt, and they’re all back home where it’s safe, so I vote for that plan.”

“Of course you do,” Lacie and I said in sync.

Chapter Eight

Breaking Bubbles

“So what’s on our agenda for today?” I said, opening my eyes as Lacie entered my room through our connected closet. I hadn’t slept much. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I needed to find out more about my mother. Of the five Guardians who gave me the time of day, none of them had been doing the job for more than five years. The ones who I guessed were here longer just used their selective hearing and chose to ignore me as I asked the simple question of “How long have you worked here?”

“Dress shopping.” She smirked

“Listen, I know we sort of talked about this before, but I really don’t think it’s a good idea. Going to the football game on Friday is pushing it already. I know we went a few months without any activity, but after what happened in gym, we should tread lightly. You know the more we are out the more you’re at risk, especially with other Reapers gunning for my head now. I just don’t want a repeat of last year’s homecoming dance.

“So because something bad happened to me in the past, am I supposed to just stay in this hole? Cendall, look. I know what happened last year was terrible. I was there, remember? But I can’t let them dictate every moment of my life and have me cowering away in some hole. We have no idea when and where they will attack, but I’m not going to live my day to day in fear. I feel safe with you, and I trust your judgment. If you really don’t want us to go, I won’t, but know I won’t let them have me shrinking away in panic. None of us are guaranteed a future, so I’m going to live in the moment. And in this moment, I want to pretend that I’m like the rest of them. I want to go to a dance and just have fun. And I want to go to the freaking store and find a dress that has my date wondering all night what it’d look like on the floor. I just want a week to pretend that I’m a normal kid, who doesn’t have to worry about serious shit. A week where I can enjoy my friends and be more concerned about how I’m going to do my hair for the dance, than about how I’m going to die.” Well damn. “I’ve already talked it over with Trevor. It’s a masquerade ball, so that’ll allow even more Guardians there as they won’t technically be revealing themselves. They can wear masks. They already have Wards up at my school, and you’ll be able to tell if a Reaper is near. And if that happens, the moment you say ‘go’, I will follow. Just please let me have this. I need this. I am determined to just go to a dance as a normal teenager without having to watch my friends die.”

“Fine.” Sometimes, I’d swear up and down there was no way this girl was only eighteen. Everything she said made sense, and I got it, but that still didn’t ease my worry.

“So, where do we find this dress that will end up in a pile on the floor?” This time, the smile spread across her face. After all of this was said and done, I’d put twenty on her going to law school. The way she could convince people to see things her way was astonishing.

***

“Where to Lacie?” Abram asked. Since I’d been here, he’d never spoken directly to me. He would speak to everyone but me it seemed. No idea why, but I didn’t probe. Most of the Guardians disliked me, but they’d at least nod or go over things with me when it came to protecting Lacie. But with Abram, nothing, not so much as a nod or peep my way. The most reaction I’d ever got out of him was the deliberate rolling of his hazel eyes. If he always didn’t look so angry, I’d say he might be attractive. He stood about six feet and had the body of an Olympic swimmer. He had long, lean, and muscular limbs, but he wasn’t overly bulky. His hazel eyes complimented his short, honey brown hair that never looked combed.

“Mall of Georgia,” I answered to annoy him. Lacie rolled her eyes. Abram gave me a death stare through the rearview mirror and kept the car in park.