Oct. 4

I woke up before the daybreak. My eyes darted open to the darkened room. A pale moonlight shone through the window, just enough to see the figures of shadows. I heard my brother on his side of the room. Every so often, I could hear him turning in his sleep.

I’d like to say I had dreams, but I’ve never been able to remember them. Even as a kid I would wake up and nothing. Sometimes I would feel happy or sad from the dream, but I never knew why. I guess that was for the best. Owen always told me about his in great detail and they always sounded terrible. Nightmares were second nature to him. Just another bad thing he had to deal with.

I crept out of bed, not wanting to bother my brother. Carefully assessing each step, I found our bedroom door and quickly made my way into the illuminated hallway. The grandfather clock ticked filled the tiny house, but all was quiet. Making my way to the bathroom, I clicked the light on to see my face in the mirror.

My face was a tone of moonlight, see through to the point where I could see the form of my skeleton. Once again, my hair was a golden hay color, too bright and vibrant to be natural. I wanted to scream at my horrid facade. I wanted to scream in anger, but it wouldn’t muster up to anything.

Suddenly, a faint, harsh laugh echoed in my head. I recognized it as the one who spoke to me on the 2nd; the one who told me to meet the others at the park. I spoke softly, “You.”

“Heed my warning girl, though your soul will never be mine, Death should always be revered.”

I took a breath, suddenly I could feel the air around me become chilled and foggy as if the presence embodied the entire room. “What do you want, I’ve found others. I’ve taken up the hunt.”

“Though it is true I rarely speak to your kind after, it seems you are a special case. Your soul and I are intertwined.”

I bit my frigid lip before continuing, “So we’re one in the same.”

Another slow laugh, “Not exactly. You do have unique gifts in Death, but for now, I am here to but hold conference.”

“Is that it?” You just came to say hi?”

He was silent for a moment, then sighed. “Very well, do you wish anything from me?”

Trying to stay quiet in lieu of the time, I quietly commanded, “Yeah, I want some answers. I want the truth. Now.”

“As you wish.” With no feeling, I collapsed on the bathroom tile.

-

“Dad do you have to go?” Without realizing I was suddenly reliving the last time I saw my dad. I stroked his arm, holding it tightly.

He coughed, then took the bag he was packing off his bed. “Come on Gracy, don’t make this hard.” Everything that used to decorate his bedroom was gone. Owen sat beside me with a frown, we were both around twelve.

“Why can’t we move in with you and Rosie?”

“Because.”

“Because why!”

Owen spoke up, failing to hold a smile. “Its because he doesn’t want to deal with me.”

He gazed down at us, “That's not true.”

I spoke up forcibly, “Then why not?”

“Rosie and I just found out we’re having a child! We want to move into the city, just us before the baby.”

I remember being in shock about hearing about a baby. I remember feeling anger. I felt like we were being replaced.

“Besides,” His tone returned to a calm. “You two are better off with your Bubbe. She knows things, more than me. Stay with her and you should be alright.” He placed a kiss on my forehead and gave my brother a hug. With that, he walked out of our lives forever.

-

I awoke with a jolt on the bathroom floor. My face was pressed into my hand keeping me up from the gross tile. As I picked myself up, the mirrored image showed my normal, human face. I felt my cheek just to make sure this was real. Was that what dreams were?

I quickly got out of the bathroom. Down the hall, I could hear Bubbe and Owen talking at the breakfast table. I didn’t know if they knew what happened to me. I knew one thing, there were things going on that I’d have to figure out. I rushed to my room to grab my phone. Before I could text him, I saw I had a text from Reyes.

‘Hunt tonight, get some sleep for 2:00 am!’