Surviving Year One (Grim Reaper Academy 1)

“No. But are you fucking scared?” he grinned at me. His perfect, white teeth looked eerie in the dark. “Don’t tell me you never learned how to swim.”

“I know how to swim.”

“Good. There’s no danger at all, really. There’s a beach below. You can’t see it from here.”

I looked over at Francis, and he nodded. Okay, that made me feel slightly better. Still, it was the end of September. The water was probably as cold as… well, not hell, because hell was hot. As cold as death?

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

Sariel shrugged, as if he couldn’t give a shit. “Suit yourself. I know we’re all going to jump, and if you don’t, then at least it will finally be official. You don’t belong in the Violent Death Cabal.”

I let out a deep sigh. “No one is going to…”

A dark-haired guy removed his jacket, shirt, boots, and socks in a rush, and I just stood there, not quite believing my eyes. He was going to jump. What was his name, anyway? I couldn’t remember… Raziel? An angel, if I remembered well. We all moved out of his way, and when he ran toward the edge and jumped, he didn’t spread his wings. I could see the long slits down his back, and I knew his wings were tucked in, underneath skin and muscle. Moments later, there was a splash, and when I looked down, I saw him rising to the surface, wiping the water out of his eyes. He waved at us and started swimming toward the beach, soon disappearing from view.

“See? That wasn’t hard,” Sariel smirked. “Raziel! VDC!”

They all chanted his name three times, and then it was someone else’s turn to jump. Some stripped down to their underwear, others kept their pants on. A demon said it should be a piece of cake because hi

s skin couldn’t feel the cold. I stole a glance at Pazuzu. Interesting. Now that I thought about it, Paz, the demon who was about to jump, and another guy were the only ones who weren’t wearing jackets. Now it all made sense.

They jumped one by one, until only Sariel, Paz, Francis, and I were left on top of the cliff. Every time someone made it into the water, they would all chant his name three times. The guys who were on the beach below chanted, too.

“Your turn,” Sariel said.

“I don’t think so.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “You’ve already seen it’s safe.”

“Yeah, well… you’re all supernatural and shit. You don’t feel the cold.” Maybe I was exaggerating. Or maybe, I truly was mildly worried that my heart would stop the second my body hit the freezing water.

“Are you VDC, or are you a coward?” His voice changed. He sounded dark and serious, as if he wanted to warn me that my answer would define my fate. “What are you? Who are you, human? Are you the girl from the dream who’s crying because her life is sad and pathetic, or are you a future Grim Reaper?” A grin tugged at the corners of his lips, although his somber demeanor didn’t falter one bit. “Are you the first human Grim Reaper in history?”

I gulped. I looked at Paz and Francis, trying to divine what they thought about this whole thing, but they were impenetrable. Paz was just standing there, bulky arms crossed over his chest. He avoided my gaze and kicked a rock into the water. Eventually, Francis shrugged, which was, basically, his way of saying “yeah, I see nothing wrong with this.”

Okay then… Seems I’m doing it. I shrugged off my blazer and folded it neatly, trying to buy myself more time. My blue shirt was next, then my shoes. I kept my long wristbands, though, and wrapped my arms around myself as I stepped closer to the edge. In just my bra and my leggings, I felt exposed. I could feel the guys’ eyes on me, and I cursed my breasts for being so full and round. Also, my nipples… The cold had turned them into hard pebbles. I looked over the edge. I can do this. They’ve all jumped, and they’re fine. I could hear the VDC guys laughing and joking on the beach below. At least, now I knew for sure there was a hidden beach, and I wouldn’t have to swim far to find it. What about my clothes? I’ll have to climb back up in my bra to get them. A crazy thought crossed my mind. Maybe, if I proved to all of them that I belonged in the Violent Death Cabal, an angel would agree to fly me back up the cliff, so I wouldn’t have to walk. Or an archangel. I huffed at my own silly thoughts. Sariel was the only archangel in the VDC. Raziel was an angel, and the other guy was a throne.

“Don’t make us wait all night,” Sariel pushed.

“I won’t.” And with those words, I raised my arms above my head and jumped.

The iciness of the dark ocean felt like a punch to my chest as I broke through the surface and sank. Once it enveloped me, my body got used to the temperature, and it didn’t feel as bad. I kicked my arms and legs, exhaled through my nose to keep the water out, turned toward the light of the surface, and started swimming quickly and elegantly, like I’d learned when I was eleven and my parents agreed to pay for a couple of swimming classes, hoping I’d actually be good at it and later go to competitions. After a month, my instructor informed them I was average at best, and that was the end of it.

I was close to the surface now, my lungs burning for lack of oxygen. I hadn’t swum in so long, I’d lost the hang of it. Normally, I should have been able to hold my breath longer. It didn’t matter. It would be over soon. I’d breach the surface, take a deep breath, wipe the water out of my eyes, and swim toward the shore. And then, they would all accept me. I’d be part of the VDC at last.

Close, so close.

I felt something wrap around my legs, and it didn’t make any sense. Algae? No. It felt different. It felt like… rope. Plain, normal rope. I twisted my body to reach it and try to untangle it, but it was no use. It snaked around my hips and my waist, trapping my arms and tying me up from head to toe. I struggled and tried to kick my legs, but I couldn’t move an inch. I was sinking. I shouldn’t have been sinking, though. I relaxed my body and waited for the water to do its thing and push me up so I could float, but that didn’t work either. It was as if something was pulling me down, something heavy that was attached at the end of the rope. I strained my eyes to see in the deep darkness, and for a split second, I thought I saw a rock down there, a rock that kept sinking and sinking, and pulling me down. Down down down.

I was out of air. I couldn’t move, couldn’t swim to the surface, couldn’t call for help. Magic, I thought. Mages. Lorna. Because it was the only logical explanation. Sariel had done it again, and this time… for the last time. Because I was going to die. Drowned. I relaxed my body and let it happen. Closed my eyes and tried not to think of anything. I’d read about death by drowning, and it was one of the worst, most horrible ways to die. At least, I’d get to see a Grim Reaper before my soul left my body. A Grim Reaper in the flesh. So, at least I’d die knowing that Grim Reapers really did exist, and this whole thing hadn’t been a dream. Just a bad dream.

I must have lost consciousness at some point. When I regained it, my body was twisting and convulsing, my chest was burning, and a sharp stab to my lungs and throat pushed me to double over and retch violently. Water flowed up my throat and through my purple, frozen lips, and I heard someone protest and jump a few feet away from me, disgusted.

“I did not imagine our first kiss like this. Wet, cold, and nasty.”

GC. What was he doing here? What was I doing here? I was no longer in the water. I sat up, drew my knees to my chest, and wrapped my arms around them, my head buried low, so no one could see the tears streaming down my face. I was on the beach, I could feel the sand sticking to my skin and my soaked leggings and bra, and I could hear the VDC guys whispering around me. At least, they weren’t laughing. That had to be something.

“Damn, girl, are you crying?” GC scooted closer, suddenly not as concerned that I might vomit water all over him again. “Of course you’re crying. Come here.”