Reaper

By the time I was healed enough to walk around the compound safely again without the watchful – and hawklike – eyes of my brothers, it was already the beginning of Spring. They told me that it was March now. I had no way of knowing for sure, but it didn’t really bother me that much. I had gone months without knowing what day of the week it was, much less the date. I was lucky if I even knew the time, considering a watch wasn’t readily available.

I had adjusted to having those kind of conveniences again, but at the same time, I thought it was strange that so many people relied on them.

I had been shut up in a room for a few days, so I had forgotten the animosity that followed me.
We were walking around the outside of the compound, Jesse in tow. Mason had decided that some fresh air might be good for me – apparently I was looking pale and sickly – but had also insisted that he come with us to make sure everything was alright.

I just wasn’t prepared for the dirty looks I was getting.

I had assumed that most of the people knew something had happened to me, but I also knew that my brothers wouldn’t have told them what. After the spectacular scene I’d made in front of everyone before, I should have guessed that they wouldn’t be thrilled to see me alive and walking around like nothing had happened. But I imagined that some of the sting had eased – or maybe I’d just gotten better at bracing myself for it.

When I was done with my walk, Jesse ushered me into a common area, fit with a television that some younger guys usually crowded around when a sports game was on. It was empty at the moment, and I wanted some distraction from all of the uneasy stares.

Jesse quickly grabbed the remote and sat down next to me, flipping it on.

There was a news anchor in mid-broadcast. He wasn’t familiar – I didn’t know any local news anchors – but he looked the same as any other, I supposed. Middle-aged white man who looked exhausted and like he was wearing makeup.

Jesse winced. “Ew, news, that’s boring.” He made a move to change it.

“Wait,” I told him, placing my hand on his wrist. Something about the news story intrigued me.

“… These mysterious attacks have risen dramatically in rate over the last few weeks,” the reporter said seriously, “ Many law enforcement officials are suspecting some type of terrorist violence, but no one is sure what organization is behind the brutal murders that are plaguing domestic soil. The President has declared a state of emergency, and is warning all Americans to stay indoors after dark, and make sure to make use of barricades.”

Images from around the nation flashed as the reporter spoke. Pictures of blood covering the pavement, of bodies covered in sheets, of cities boarded up and looted and empty at night. There were pictures of children crying and dirty, scared, looking for their parents. Things were bad. Things were worse than bad – the wolves had begun to attack. And damn if they didn’t have help.

I sat frozen watching the screen.

“Jess-“

I turned to look at him. He swallowed hard, looking confused and upset.

“The suspects have yet to be identified because… because of a lack of survivors of these attacks. If anyone has information, they are urged to call this national hotline, 822…”

I stood up as fast as my tired body would let me. I could feel a few pangs of protest from my abdomen, but I was so worked up that I didn’t cave into them. I launched myself off the chair and stalked out of the room, suddenly driven by a force I wasn’t quite sure of yet.

I was a few steps down the hall before Jesse snapped out of his trance.

“Whoa, Red, hold up,” he called, hurrying after me with hands extended, as if I was going to fall. “You’re not-“

He reached out to grab my wrist, but I shook it off angrily. “I’m fine,” I snapped. I couldn’t see him, I couldn’t see anything but tunnel vision as I walked down the hallway in search of whoever the hell was in charge around here.

“Charlie-“

I whirled on him. “Do you hear what’s going on?!” I roared, feeling my face contort into something I’m sure was ugly rage. “They’re attacking!” I heard my voice crack. I clenched my fists at my side to try to recover. “They’re attacking people out there and we’re not trying to stop them. What the hell kind of Hunters are we if we don’t do anything to protect people?”

Jesse opened his mouth a few times, trying to regain his composure from the sudden mood swing.

I didn’t wait for his approval. I was done waiting for approval from anyone.

I could feel the pain and the rage pulsing through me as I walked and it spurred me forward. What the hell good was this organization if it wasn’t protecting the people? That was the point, right? And here we all are, sitting on our asses while the rest of the country is cowering in fear.

I reached the main conference room before I really brought my thoughts back to the present. In a flurry of movement, I threw the tall dark wooden door open in front of me.

A number of faces stared back at me in surprise.

Among them were my brothers, who looked both concerned and irritated that I was there. Mason’s nostrils flared like he was going to say something, but the look in my eyes silenced him. I noticed my parents and Lily also at a conference table in the middle of the room, along with a few other people I recognized as being planners in the organization but had forgotten their names.

Without speaking, I turned to the large television in the room and turned it on.

“Civillians are urged to seek safe shelter during this time of crisis…” It was the same news channel.

I pointed my finger at the screen, shaking. “Will someone please fill me in on this?” I asked, as calmly as I could manage.

Silence. No one moved for what felt like forever. I could hear Jesse fidgeting nervously behind me, but I was too focused on the people at the table to notice. They all stared back at me with guilty looks and at that moment, I just knew…

I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it was. But I knew I had stumbled onto something much bigger than myself and in that moment, I had never felt so small.

Mason slowly put his hands out on the table in front of him and stood up in his spot. “Charlie, you’re not well enough yet –“

“Try again,” I snapped, thrusting my finger back at the screen again.

I’m not sure what had come over me. All I could feel was the anger flowing like fire through my veins. How could they keep me in the dark about this? How could they let all those people die out there and do nothing to stop it?

Noah stood up then, looking like he had less patience than Mason did. “This doesn’t involve you-“

“Like hell it doesn’t!” I slammed my hand on the table, as hard as I could manage. I saw the glasses of water jump from the impact, and everyone around it as well. I felt the sting travel up my arm, suddenly regretting the dramatics. “Do I really have to throw a tantrum every time I want to be involved in something? I’m sick of being kept in the dark! I can handle it! I’m not three years old anymore!”

And then something happened that made my blood boil.

“You’re certainly acting like you are,” my mother said quietly, so quietly that I’m almost sure I wasn’t meant to hear it.

Oh, but I did.

I didn’t move for a few moments. I fixed my eyes on her, locked in a battle of wills I knew she wouldn’t win. Her pale blue eyes stared back at me, daring me to speak out against her. I realized at that moment how exhausted she looked – she looked like she had been awake for days, like she’d been to the ends of the earth and back, like all she wanted to do was sleep for a year. Her face was gaunt and she had bags under her eyes that could have been designer for all I knew. It almost pained me to see her looking like that, except that I hated her. I hated everything she stood for, and any moment of discomfort she felt was a victory for me.

“I’ve almost been killed for this,” I whispered, my voice shaking with anger. “I was dragged into this world without a clue and I was almost killed for it because you lied to me. You lied to me my entire life.” I took a few steps toward her. “But I could handle it if it was just me. Everyone important to me was yanked into this, too – this world, full of Reapers and Vampires and God knows what else. If I can stop anyone from feeling the way I do about these, these… monsters, I would do it without a second thought. No matter what it cost.”

I caught the looks of Lilly and Jesse out of the corner of their eye. They both looked like they felt sorry for me, which only spurred me on. “So why are we doing nothing while everyone outside this place is running for their lives?!”

My mother’s face was screwed up in frustration, but she didn’t respond – Mason beat her to it.

He held up his hands. “I see your point, but there are some things about the situation that you don’t know-“

“Then tell me,” I pleaded.

Silence.

Noah and Mason exchanged glances. Noah was clearly having none of this, but Mason was deep in thought. He stared at me, a mix of emotions flashing across his face. I saw fear, anxiety, anger, sadness… but I also caught a moment of respect. He was starting to recognize my ability to speak for myself and I was grateful – no one else did. I could tell from Mason’s face that the decision had been made, and so did everyone else at the table.

Mason’s shoulders relaxed. “Close the door. Jesse-“

Jesse nodded tersely. “It’s fine, I can leave-“

“No, I’d like you to hear this, too,” Mason told him, shaking his head quickly.

Jesse looked confused, but he stayed, shutting the door behind him and taking a seat at the table next to me. I could feel myself shaking, coming down from the rush of adrenaline that had surged through me. I could feel the cold seeping into me as I started to understand the gravity of the situation.
Jesse placed a hand lightly on the small of my back, and I instantly felt comforted – at least I wasn’t facing all these people alone.

“We’ve got a bit of a problem.” Mason scratched his head. “The relations between the Vampires and the Werewolves and the Reapers have completely dissolved – it’s become dog-eat-dog out there, no pun intended.”

Noah’s jaw was clenched. “The wolves and the vampires have been launching attacks left and right,” he said, malice laced though his voice. “They’re attacking to build up their strength – increase numbers, feed… But they’re also attacking because we’re hidden. They’re trying to draw us out – they know they don’t stand a chance of getting what they want unless we leave the compound.”

Before I could say anything, Jesse spoke up with the question on both of our minds. “What… what do they want?”

The look on Noah’s face said everything. Oh, right. Me.

Mason sighed and rubbed his face, like he was tired and had been over this before. “No one will support going on a mission like that with the knowledge that you’re still here in the compound. It’d be a death wish. We’ve got protection, but…” He glanced up at me. “Nothing like you’ve got.”

I clasped my hands together in my lap. No one else at the table would look at me, so I knew that Mason was telling the truth. I should have known, to be honest, that no one would go without me – given how everyone has been treating my presence lately, it came as no surprise. They all saw what they wanted to see: a protected brat who has no idea what she’s gotten herself mixed up with.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that maybe they had a point. Maybe – well, no, I had been extremely sheltered ever since my brothers had ridden in on their white horses to save me. To them, I was fragile. I was the little sister they’d vowed to protect. But they didn’t know what I had been through to get here. I’d been through attack upon attack, passed back and forth like a pawn between players of a massive chess game. I was way out of my league here, but for once I wanted someone to treat me like I had a say in my own destiny.

I guess that person had to be myself.