The Untold Story of a Grim Reaper: Chapter 24: Renegade

“I know you’re not asleep.” Phoebe nudged me with her foot, “Get up, you’re a mess.” She kept poking me with her sneaker, “You’ve got mud all over your hair and clothes. School started three hours ago.”

I groaned, “Five more minutes.”

She snickered, “Glad to see you’re trying to find humor on such a dark day.”

Looking up, I think Phoebe meant dark in both the metaphorical sense and by definition of the current weather. The sky was thickly painted black and grey. If I didn’t know any better I’d think it was still evening.

“Come on,” Phoebe held out a hand, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I didn’t move, “What’s the point?”

“I know you want to stop Lilli and I know you want to hear what I know. Only way I’ll tell is if you get up and wash up.” I contemplated. Realizing, as well, that Phoebe was a friend. She continued persuading, “Or you can lie here and do nothing at all but self-loathe about how you are doing nothing at all.”

I reached up my hand, Phoebe took it and abruptly springing me up to my feet. Phoebe was right, I was an utter mess. 

She teased, “The back of your head looks like a rats nest.”

I rubbed my hair, “Stop trying to cheer me up.”

“Come on, you can wash up in the locker room.”

We walked solemnly to the school. Frequently, I would stop to pick the wet straw from my clothes. It scared me that I might have kept lying there if Phoebe hadn’t come to get me, that maybe I was giving up.

The school appeared between the trees when Phoebe said, “You know, I didn’t really know Aaron but we spoke a couple times since I started at this school.” I didn’t want to talk about Aaron so I didn’t respond… but she continued, “He introduced himself to me on my first day. Offered to sit with me. Aaron was always the kind of person that was concerned with the little things. No matter how small, he enjoyed making people lives a little bit easier.” She glanced at me. I showed no interest but my heart ached from my mutual memory. Phoebe said with such kindness, “People like him never really die.”

We reached the front doors of the school. My face, neutral and cold, became calm but I couldn’t mask my depression. I appreciated Phoebe and was glad she was my friend, we both deserved each other’s friendship after such lonely existences. 

Phoebe pulled me into a hug, “It’s going to be alright. I know it doesn’t look possible but I can’t lose you. You’ve showed me that I still have purpose left.” I released from her embrace, she squeezed my shoulders and I gave a nod. Feeling an ember of warmth from her sentiment. “Noa, before meeting you I was just counting the years, but now… I don’t know, I just feel actually needed.”

I gave another nod, weakly smiling, “Thank you.”

She smiled back while handing me a cardkey as she instructed, “I have some clean clothes in my locker. And you’ll need this key to get into the showers too. Meet me at the edge of the woods at lunch. We’ll have to find someplace hidden to talk about what I need to tell you. I found something big while I was looking through the Tombs. What I have to tell you could… it could completely rip apart the middle world. Anyone could be listening if we’re not careful.” She looked side to side, “I can’t help but feel we’re being watched.”

Her last words alarmed me and only hyped my anxiety. I wanted to know then and there but she left before I could protest. I wanted to know what she had to say so I quickly walked to the girl’s locker room to get the dirt out of my hair and pores.

The locker room was completely empty. I swiped the key to the showers. Specifically choosing the handicap shower so that I could clean my wings as well. Rinsing away yesterdays memories from my skin and thoughts I began to brew on how I’d expose Lilli, how I would send her to Hell. The success of sending her to a place of eternal pain made me sick with pleasure. Making her pay for what she’d done to Aaron, Cedric, and many others polluted my heart with happiness. It made me feel strong. Venomous. 

When I finished my shower, I dried off and went searching for Phoebe’s locker. Using my wings as a robe to hide my bare body. Reading the locker number from the cardkey, I found it, swiped the card, and removed the clothes from the locker. 

Thankfully, the clothes fit me perfectly. Phoebe was much smaller than me but I fit well in the stretchy skinny jeans and brown sweatshirt. The sweatshirt had the red Mortimer Private emblem on the heart. The school colors brown and red but to me I saw it as dirt and blood. School should not but this hated, school should be a safe place but it’s not. And it was hard to think differently when so much damaged history breathed in every hall. 

The only thing missing were shoes, so I took my dirt filled sneakers and washed them in the shower. I got back most of the color, putting them back on even though they were still damp. All these little things preoccupied my mind from thinking about the things that hollowed my heart.

Not since the first day of classes did I spend a successful full time in class, I hadn’t a clue even where I was suppose to be for that period… so I decided to just roam the halls. Only to eventually come across Aaron’s locker, I paused and played with the ring he gave me.

The classroom door swung open, instinctually I leapt into the shadows to hide. It was Dr. Conrad speaking with another teacher, “I don’t think we should ever reassign Aaron’s locker. It’s just too difficult for the students and teachers to lose that little bit of him. It just wouldn’t feel right to give it to another student. Aaron meant something to all of us. I blame myself for not seeing any of the warning signs. He always seemed so bright, so optimistic. I just can’t bring myself to understand what brought him to this.”

When he turned the corner into the back hall, I jumped out of the shadows to gaze once again at his locker. I appreciated Dr. Conrad’s words, I judged him too harshly at first, my first impressions were skewed by my desire to feel more righteous than him.

The bell rang, filling the hall with students, I was relieved to see no sign of Jonah. It was one less thing for me to worry about. 

I spotted Lilli, the fact that she’d show her face here meant she wouldn’t be here unless it had something to do with this plan of hers. 

It became even clearer when I saw whom she was speaking with, Tori and Kurt, their bodies were standing but their limbs hung dead by their sides, their heads were slightly down, eyes barely open. I knew that posture. I knew that stare. She was manipulating them, she was commanding them to do a deed for her against their will and they were perfect targets, they were known for destruction.

Watching her lips, they were no longer the red ribbon that everyone admired. They were crisp and thin, snake-like, pointed at the tips as she cast her spell on their sub-conscious. She ended with a smile and her lips bled back on her face.

Lilli walked away briskly, Tori and Greg swayed as they regained control of their minds. They were pale, groggily muttering confused phrases. Whatever she commanded from them had yet to take action. 

First, I needed to find Phoebe and discuss her findings. Swiftly, I made my way through the sea of students. A part of me hoped to avoid speaking with Senoi. I felt too ashamed to speak with him after everything I said. But luckily, I made it to the double doors without any of the triplets in sight. 

I fast-walked across the bus loop pausing once I reached the beginning of the trail. I checked my watch, I was a little early but what was weird is that the entire lot surrounding the campus was empty, no soul in sight.

I heard a rustling of leaves from behind me, I looked into the woods and called out, “Phoebe?”

With no response, I turned back around to face the school when two hands came from behind and wrapped around my neck, dragging me into my shadows. Dragged through the sand of shadows was like sandpaper to my skin and suddenly being brought back to the physical world made my skin feel like it would fall off. My head spun from the unnatural rush. A single hand wrapped around my neck, holding me high above the ground, my legs dangled and tried to kick to free myself.

“Noa! Noa!” Phoebe was screeching over and over. 

My eyes were still in pain from being dragged here, I could barely see, little by little the scenery took shape. Samel was standing behind Phoebe, restraining her in a headlock. She was kicking and punching. Samel was much stronger than her though. His arm clasped around her neck, making the worst sounds squeeze from her cries.

I looked down to see that my capture was Senoi. Out of all them, the one I trusted most was holding me by my neck, dangling me like a dead animal. 

I yelled the best I could but my throat scratched and burned, “What is going on?! Why is this happening?” 

A large shadow began swallowing the woods, approaching closer and closer to us, it looked much like the Nest we had closed. 

Samel commanded, “Senoi, keep Noa here. Phoebe, your sentence is henceforth canceled for contributing the murder of Aaron Thaddae.”

Phoebe kept screaming, her magpie swung from the trees, trying to claw at Sam’s eyes. His guard was let down slightly, giving Phoebe the right chance to kick free. She only made it two feet before, out of nowhere, Senson appeared and clutched her ankle. She landed flat on her face, Senson didn’t bother picking her up, he started dragging her across the straw and dirt. Her screams worsened from her fear, her fingers trying to dig into the dirt to escape.

I kicked Senoi in the face, hard enough to release me from his grip. Landing on my feet I charged like an animal at Samel. Clutching his ear with one hand while holding his neck with my other. Samel was stronger than me too. He kicked me in the leg. I staggered backwards. He gave a final kick to my face. A stabbing pain bent my jaw as I skid across the dirt.

Senoi picked me back up with one hand holding onto my neck again. I was paralyzed, Senoi’s grip on me had taken a full arrest. I could barely kick my legs or even bare enough strength to make a sound. Senoi’s eyes were cold, unforgiving. Why he was doing this was beyond my understanding.

The sinister shadow that drank the woods, this Nest, crept closer and closer. The sound of crinkling leaves and pebbles hitting each other filled the woods as Senson kept dragging Phoebe. She kept screaming, her cries getting frantic within every second.

The shadow had finally caught up with us. Senson backed into it, swallowed by it immediately. Within Phoebe’s frantic screams, “Noa! Run back to the school!” 

As if alive, the shadow attached to her leg like a monstrous ink. Senson was completely engulfed by it, but I could still see his fingers wrapped around her ankle, dragging her in. 

She cried, “The school! Jonah! Protect them!” The side of her face that was dragged was covered in mud, “Everyone’s in danger! Find Salvatore!” Her words were barely audible, “Find Salvatore!”

And then she was gone, swallowed whole by the menacing shadow that left as quickly as it came. I was still held by Senoi’s one hand around my neck. 

Samel held up Phoebe’s magpie. It wiggled aggressively to be free from his claws. Samel mercilessly tightened his grip on the bird. Crushing it till a slight crack, it lied lifeless in his fist.

He muttered, “No need for it where she’s going.” 

All I could produce from my throat was a roar of hatred, which only made Samel laugh. 

He commanded to Senoi, “Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.” He stepped near me and snickered, “You should have kept to yourself Noa, no good can come from friendships like these.”

I spat in Samel’s face. Senoi immediately clutched his other hand around my calf. It was like a venom biting my leg, making me scream an unholy plead. He tightened his grip. Samel just watched, his expression tense yet filled with pleasure. My leg burned, feeling like a thousand tiny spiders were racing up and down my leg. 

He let go, my screams deteriorated to weak whimpers. 

Samel scoffed, “So pathetic,” he threw the magpie into a pile of leaves, “meet me at the gates tonight, Senoi.” 

Senoi nodded in confirmation as Samel sunk into the darkness.

Senoi’s hand released my neck,I couldn’t catch myself in time to recover, landing on my back. I rolled over, hatefully spitting, “You traitor! You know she had nothing to do with his death!”

He answered, “Renegade.”

“What?”

He defined, “Someone who abandons one faith for another.”

“A deserter, I know. What of it?”

“You’ve been branded, I forged the Mark of the Renegade on your calf because you have broken a commandment and have abandoned your previous purpose.” I pulled up my jeans. My leg looked like a black map of tree roots, Senoi continued, “You’ve been branded as a renegade by the Cardinals and have been put on probation. You’re sentence is officially permanent, tomorrow you will be brought to a trial to decide your relocation into Hell. For sentimental reasons and fairness, you are given this day to say your goodbyes to anyone you have met, otherwise if you have no ties, come with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I have done nothing wrong!”

He continued coldly, “You are found guilty for contributing in the unnatural death of Aaron Thaddae.”

Hurt, I screamed, “You know I had nothing to do with Aaron’s death!” He tried to interrupt but I cut him off, “Don’t talk to me like I mean nothing to you! Why are you doing this?”

“You wanted me to take action, so I did.” His face and words were angry, hateful, and merciless, “You asked for this. You asked me to bring justice to Aaron’s death. So I am doing what I know what will save Aaron.”

I roared, “God damn you!”

A clap of thunder shook the woods. Senoi’s intimidating demeanor crumbled, as if the Creator was scorning him. 

I hatefully muttered, “I will never forgive you for this.”

The ominous clouds had brought on a sudden complete darkness in the woods, no light in sight. 

Senoi ended with, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

The faintest peek of sunlight bled through the clouds. I could see the entire woods again but Senoi was gone. I roared in frustration, I had so much pent of hatred and no one to aim it towards. 

Phoebe was gone, wrongly accused and being delivered to Hell’s doorstep by these corrupted angels. How could so much change between us over such a short period of time? How could he possibly think I’d understand?

The school, Salvatore, and Jonah. I shot up and sprinted towards the school first, hoping that I could deliver help for the others just as quickly.