Surviving Year One (Grim Reaper Academy 1)

“Mom, Dad… this is Mila.”

I froze. I’d been so busy studying Klaus’s parents that I hadn’t realized the moment of truth had come. Would GC’s parents accept me, or not?

“Hi,” I said. “Nice to meet you.” Oh, could I be more boring? At least my voice didn’t crack…

They didn’t say a word at first. His mother studied me from head to toe. She was a redheaded beauty with locks flowing down to her waist, ruby red lips, and eyes as dark as coffee. GC had certainly not inherited his blue eyes from her, but from his dad. In fact, GC looked like a younger version of him. They had the same blond hair that changed colors whenever it pleased, and the same dimples when they smiled. And I knew that because his father was actually smiling at me, while his mother was still frowning, undecided whether I was a good match for her son or not.

“You are lovely, my dear,” he said as he stood up and took my hand. “GC Apis the Second.” He kissed my hand, which took me completely by surprise. In my world, such gentlemen simply didn’t exist. I’d read about men kissing women’s hands in books, but I didn’t think it ever happened in the real world. Maybe in Europe it was still a thing… “I’ve heard so much about you. The only human at the Grim Reaper Academy! How marvelous! My family is known for having had good connections with humans in the past. Times have changed, of course, but we still feel the same.”

Huh? I honestly didn’t know that. I stole a glance at GC, but he shook his head lightly, as if to say: “not important”.

“That’s great to hear,” I managed. “I… I guess I was a bit nervous. I mean, your son is a god, and I…”

“False god, darling. There’s no shame in that. You can say it.” GC’s mom finally stood up and shook my hand briefly. “You’re pretty. I like that.”

Oh, what a relief! It didn’t matter that I was also smart and happened to have a personality. I was pretty, and she liked that. Woohoo! Insert sarcasm.

“Sit down. Drink something. You’re going to need it for the performance thing you’ve prepared.”

GC Senior pulled a chair for me, and I sat down between him and his son.

“Actually, I won’t be performing. My parents aren’t here, so I thought it was best not to take up space on the stage. The Violent Death Cabal is numerous as it is.” Which was true, in fact. The VDC had the highest number of students, with the RDC following close behind. It made sense. Most deaths were violent or righteous.

“Darling, never say that.” Mrs. Apis motioned for one of the servant girls to pour me a glass of wine. “You’re not taking up space.” We clinked out glasses, and she gave me her first real, genuine, bright smile. And, oh my God, false or not, when this woman smiled at you, you felt like you were the most important person in the world! “My name is Andromeda, and I rather like it, so please call me that from now on.”

“Thank you. I… I’d be honored.”

Holy shit, holy shit! This is going way better than I expected! I took a sip of wine and started making light conversation with GC Senior and his lovely wife, Andromeda. From time to time, I’d steal a glance across the table at Klaus’s parents, who were in a heated conversation with Francis’s father. Both Francis and Klaus were minding their own business, one looking over his glass at the ball, and the other playing on his phone. It was stupid. Klaus’s parents were behaving like their son wasn’t even there. I would have included him in our conversation, but he looked like he wanted to block everyone out, tapping on his screen like a mad person.

“It’s time,” GC said, and stood up. “Wish me luck.”

“Oh, you’re going to be perfect.”

He pecked me on the lips, and I blushed. I couldn’t believe he’d kissed me in front of his parents! Okay, it was barely a kiss, but still. He walked to where the scythes had been lined up next to the improvised stage. My heart started beating faster. I looked over at Klaus, and that was when he finally looked up and nodded. There was a small smile playing on his lips, and I knew. He’d replaced Sariel’s scythe with mine. Mages really were skilled! I just hoped after all this was over, Sariel wouldn’t figure out he’d been involved.

One by one, the VDC students took their places on the stage. They had to be the first ones, of course. The VDC was always first. Francis had left the table, too. I was glad GC wasn’t standing next to Sariel, because I had no idea how a scythe that wasn’t attuned to its rightful wielder would react. Klaus didn’t k

now either, so we were rather in the dark about how our little prank would turn out. I just hoped it would work as an attempt at taking revenge, because I honestly didn’t have any other valid idea.

Paz was to Sariel’s right, and Francis was to his left. GC was next to Francis. Safe. Normally, nothing too bad should have happened. The scythes could draw blood, of course, and they could cut someone in half if used with that intention, but we had all been trained to never use them that way. We’d learn how to use our scythes in physical combat in year three. Until then, it was all about the auras and letting the blade go through energy fields, not flesh and bone. It was something subtle and invisible. Hard to explain. It was as if the Grim Reaper programmed the scythe with his or her mind. And depending on how the blade was programmed, when the Reaper swung it, it would either cut through the aura or through the body.

If Sariel’s intention was right, then my scythe wouldn’t do more than swing around chaotically, hopefully making my enemy look like an untrained fool.

Professor Charon gave the signal, the music began – a gloomy, gothic orchestra piece, – and the students started doing their number. Scythes up, then down, left foot back, scythes flowing diagonally back and then front, swing, up, down, change hands. All those handsome guys dressed in black tuxedos, sporting the badge of their Cabal, moving in the same rhythm, at the same pace they had all learned by heart, gracefully and with ease… It would have been a sight to behold! If not for Sariell, that was.

Poor guy, he was trying to control the scythe, but to no avail. When it was supposed to go up, it fought him and went down. When he was supposed to swing it, it fought him again, refusing to go the way he commanded it to go. It was a disaster! He’d managed to overpower its will at first, but he’d quickly grown tired. It was too much of a mental strain. The scythe didn’t belong to him, and the more he tried to control it, the more it wanted its rightful master. Or mistress, in this case.

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying my damnedest not to laugh. Klaus was watching the whole shitshow with a straight face. How the hell did he do it? I took a sip of wine and looked over at Sariel’s parents.

His father was an archangel, and his mother was a seraph. They were both tall, blond, perfect, and absolutely mortified. Their beloved son was doing the most awkward dance known to man, and they were red with embarrassment. At some point, his mother wanted to walk away, maybe go to the bathroom, but her husband grabbed her by the arm and forced her to stay. He whispered something in her ear, and she paled, her lips pursed and her shoulders tense. For sure, he hadn’t told her something pleasant.

I bit the inside of my cheek. This was going well, so far. My scythe struggled against Sariel’s grip and pulled so hard that his arm went back, his tuxedo ripping at the armpit. I patted my lips with a napkin. I needed more than just my hand to cover my ever-growing smile.

“What is he doing?” I heard people ask around me. “Is he out of his mind?”

“Oh, this is bad, so bad,” Lorna was stressing over a few tables away. She wrapped her arms around Pandora, almost knocking her off the chair. “Should I help him? I should help him.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Pandora hissed. “If he’s an incompetent, it’s his business. Do you want your parents to catch you doing magic to cover his ass?”