Surviving Year One (Grim Reaper Academy 1)

“I don’t follow,” I managed, and I could almost imagine my breath flowing through my parted lips and tickling his skin. It had some effect on him, because he straightened his back, his hands squeezing into fists at his sides. What’s his deal? For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why he was so angry.

“Don’t think for a second that I didn’t go to the Headmaster and demanded he kicked you out. At least half of the students’ parents have done the same. We didn’t sit on our asses these weeks while you were dilly-dallying with the staff, making a fool of yourself and our Cabal.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, doing my best to adopt a position of power. If I was still here, that meant one thing only: they had all failed.

“And?”

His eyes narrowed at me. He was fuming, and I was still clueless as to why. Maybe he just had a temper issue.

“The new Headmaster is useless. His first year as the head of the Academy, and he’s ruining everything the others h

ave built before him. It doesn’t matter. We don’t need him or the professors to get rid of you, trash princess.”

Professors? They were on my side, too? Then why didn’t it feel like it? By this time, I was pretty sure Sariel had gotten a bunch of things wrong. It was as if we were living in different worlds, seeing different things, and speaking languages completely foreign to the other.

I sighed and shook my head. “Why do you want me gone, anyway? What have I done to you that you hate me so much? Look, I’m not a threat to you. I’m at a huge disadvantage here. I have to do everything by myself, with my limited skills and knowledge, while you guys are freakin’ supernatural beings!” My voice rose slightly, as if I was actually excited for them, thrilled that they were all so damn special. “I know the mages use teas and potions for learning and better memory. I know you and all the other angels and demons already know what they’re teaching us in History, Mythology, and Anthropology. Hell! You’re better than me at Geography, because you have actually traveled and seen the world! This is my first time leaving my town, dude!” I threw my hands in the air, and my gesture took him aback for a second. “And next year, we’re going to learn the geography of Heaven and Hell. That is… if I make it to next year.” I mumbled the last words. “So, really. How am I a threat to any of you? I’m working like hell here trying to keep up, and no, the professors couldn’t give a rat’s ass about me. They keep taking my worth points away if I so much as dare to look out the window when they’re talking. And I’m doing my best.” I was starting to sound desperate now. Honestly, I was impressed that he’d listened to me thus far. “I’m doing my absolute best every day, I’m not giving up because this is legit the best thing that has ever happened to me, even with all the gratuitous bullying and crap you give me every day, but let’s be real for a minute.” I dragged in a breath. I didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to voice my biggest fear out loud, but maybe if I was honest with him, he’d finally see me as a person and cut me some slack. “I don’t stand a chance. You have powers, you’re privileged, many of you have been on this Earth for longer than I have.” I had no idea who was immortal and who wasn’t, though. Or what age they were. “I’m just a normal human. The most normal, boring human you’ve ever seen. I’m me, and you’re you. Tell me, Sariel, do you really believe that I could become a Grim Reaper and take your place?”

For a moment there, I felt like I’d lost him. In his vision of the universe, my logic was just gibberish, and he simply couldn’t process what I’d just said. I rolled my eyes and made to walk past him, but he reacted on instinct, grabbing me by the arm, his fingers digging so deep into my flesh that he left red marks. He’d stopped me not because he had a particularly good comeback, but because Sariel, the almighty archangel, had to have the last word.

“What do you know, kuchka?” And there it was again! “Nothing. You’re in over your head, you don’t know how our world works, and we will break you.”

“Who’s we? You and Lorna? You and the guys? You and the Violent Death Cabal?”

He grinned, rather pleased with himself. “You won’t see us coming.”

He released my arm so suddenly that I almost lost my balance. I rubbed the painful bruises as I watched him walk purposefully down the corridor, unlock his door and slam it behind him.

“Seriously, what’s your fucking deal?” I whispered when I was sure he couldn’t hear me. “Nutcase.”

I went into the supply closet, grabbed a bin and a mop, and proceeded to clean the mess he’d made of my dinner. It was a good thing the kitchens were open, basically, twenty-four seven.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Mabon. I walked with Klaus down the narrow path that led through the forest, and we could already see the red and orange flames of the campfires in the distance. There were four. Four Cabals, so four campfires. Klaus had been nice enough to ditch his friends for an hour and walk with me, so I wouldn’t enter the camp of torture alone. Not surprisingly, his friends didn’t want to be around me.

“It’s not because they don’t like you,” he said as he removed a fallen branch from our way with a flick of his wrist. “They’re scared. If the Mighty Jerks, as you call them, see them siding with you, they might take revenge on them.”

“And you? You’re not afraid?”

“Nah.”

Liar. If he hadn’t been afraid, he would have spent more time with me. Not just in class and at the library, but on the weekends, too. He went out and did all sorts of activities with the Merciful Death Cabal, while I stayed inside and studied my ass off. On the other hand, maybe not having friends was a good thing. Sure, I had Patricia and the rest of the staff, but they were always busy, so I got busy around them, too, reading extra books and doing extra research. The only fun activity I could do with Patty was to decorate cookies and cupcakes.

“Speaking of revenge,” I started in a low voice. “I need your help.”

“What for?” I could hear the alarm in his voice, and I knew that I could as well finish what I had to say, but it wouldn’t make any difference.

“I want to get back at Sariel. GC and Paz, too, maybe. But Sariel deserves it most.”

“Now, why would you do that? Why would you even think it? Do you want to make your life harder than it already is?”

“What do you mean harder? My life sucks right now. Because of them. I need to retaliate in some way, stand up to them, otherwise they’ll just bully me forever because I’m weak. I wouldn’t ask for your help if I could do it myself. I’m human, they’re freakin’ gods. Without you, I don’t stand a chance.”

“Technically, just one of them is a god.” He started walking faster, and I picked up the pace to keep up with him. What a lousy friend he was… The second I asked something of him, he didn’t know how to make a quicker run for it. “I can’t help you, sister, I’m sorry.”

“You’re a mage. I’m nothing.”

He stopped and turned to face me. The lights from the campfires reflected in his eyes, and I saw how sad he was when he spoke again. “You’re not nothing, Mila. Don’t ever say that. You’re better than them.” I smiled bitterly, and he insisted. “You are. Don’t stoop to their level.”