The Garden of Eden (5 page)

“And what favour is that?”

“To help you learn more about your trait. See, he knew you would run away.”

“Only because I needed answers they refused to give me. And because I was too dangerous for him.”

The reaper smirked. “Ahh, I see. There
is
a boy.”

Oops!

“Um… did I say that? There’s no boy.” I couldn’t let him find Asher.

“You don’t have to pretend, sweetheart. I know whom you’re trying to protect. And the sooner you come with me, the sooner it can be done.”

“What? What can be done?”

“Will you ever stop pestering me with your stupid questions, impatient child? Get in the boat.”

Geez, he was bossy
and
grumpy.

“Wait, I don’t know you. I am not getting in the boat with you. My mother told me never to trust strangers.”

“Your mother is beautiful and wise. I can see what Lakyn sees in her.”

“Don’t talk about my mother like that!”

“Fine. If you don’t get in the boat now, you will never see your mother or your boyfriend ever again.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, it’s the truth.”

“Whatever. I’ll only get in if you tell me your name.”

“Fine. My name is Abraham.”

I wasn’t expecting a name so… ordinary. I was expecting something more like Karin, the ferryman who took souls over to the Realm of the Dead. But maybe Abraham had replaced Karin?

“Nice to meet you, Abraham.”

I knew I was an idiot for stepping into that boat, at the time anyway. But little did I know, as soon as my sneaker touched the rotting wood of the ferry, I had opened Pandora’s Box and the window to my fate.

Chapter Eleven

Eden

Our boat drifted further into the mist. It was getting darker and calmer out here and I didn’t like it. Like my dream, there was an overwhelming sense of impending doom approaching. But I brushed off the feeling and went for the ride. I realised now that I should have told Asher everything. Maybe then he would understand why I had to leave him. Maybe my mother would let him know. Deep down I counted on her to tell him. But I also knew, that with him being human, he shouldn’t know about my world. Yet he did. His people dedicated their lives to researching Nephilim, so I was being a little unfair, I realised. I felt an overwhelming need to turn back then. Sensing my fear or regret, Abraham replied to my unspoken words.

“There is no going back now.” My mouth must have been hanging open because he snickered and added, “The closer we get to the Realm of Death, the more I can hear your thoughts. So try keeping your inner teenage angst to yourself. Okay?”

I scowled. The sooner we got on with my so-called training, the sooner I could get out of there and back to Asher and my mother.

By the time the mist and fog had intensified, I had no idea how much time had passed. Did time even exist here?

“We’re here.” Abraham announced a little while later. I squinted, trying to see ahead, but I could only see mist, fog and more mist and fog. But a second later, I was jolted forward as the ferry bumped into another dock. It was so unexpected that when I was thrown forward I collided with Abraham’s back. I quickly righted myself, but I had to touch his back in the process. The mere thought of it made me cringe. Abraham laughed as he stepped out of the old wooden boat and onto the new pier. I went to do the same, but I discovered a hand in my face.

“Ugh!”

“Allow me.”

Yikes, the creepy guy had some manners, too. I reluctantly took his hand. It was a good thing I sensed it, as I certainly couldn’t see it. My sneaker found the pier and I stepped up.

“So, what exactly is this place?”

“The Realm of Death. Have you never heard of the Realm of Death?”

“Yeah, but in a bedtime story. I never thought it might be a real place. So, what’s its purpose?”

Abraham took a deep breath. And on the exhale, he answered my question. “The Realm of Death is the place I take souls to, Human souls. It is eventually where all souls end up.”

“Then shouldn’t it be called The Realm of Souls?”

“That is another one of its names.”

“Names? It has more than one?”

“Yes.”

I had a million and one more questions to ask, but I didn’t press on. I was probably bugging the heck out of him by now, me being a mere teenaged Nephilim, after all.

The walk to the gateway was short. It was only at the end of the pier. I didn’t know what I was expecting the gateway of the Realm of Death to look like. A magical portal, maybe? A magic tree? But not this. It was a mausoleum. I smiled at the irony of it.

Well, if the shoe fits…

“What are you smiling at?” He considered me as if I were an insect he was thinking about flattening.

“It’s a mausoleum.”

“Yes. What else should it be?”

“I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t expecting something so…”

“So… what?”

“So… death-related.”

“I know. Quiet poetic, don’t you think?”

“Definitely.” I watched as Abraham approached the door to the mausoleum and pushed the door open. It made a groan and slid back. Only darkness awaited us. I shivered. I didn’t know if it was from cold or fear, but I didn’t want to go in there.

“After you,” he offered, making a sweeping gesture of his hand to usher me forward.

“Um… okay.” I slowly and reluctantly moved forward towards the threatening darkness of the mausoleum, looking back over my shoulder to see if Abraham was coming. He stood there watching me, lantern staff in hand, and black cloak flapping in the wind.

“What? I
am
coming.”

“It’s so… dark.”

“Then grab a torch from inside.”

“There’s a torch? Where…” I didn’t need to ask, because the answer smacked me in the face. Literally. I reached up to the right, grabbed for the protrusion, and tugged. It came loose and automatically lit. I gasped and looked back over my shoulder at Abraham. He shrugged and a slow smirk appeared on his face. So he had done it.

“Ready now?” he asked impatiently.

“Yes.” I said reluctantly. Swallowing hard, I stepped into the darkness.

In front of me, lay a gaping hole. Was I expected to enter?

“Go down the stairs.” Abraham’s voice behind me almost made me jump out of my skin.

“O… kay.” I realised my voice had come out shaky. I was more scared than I thought. Raising the torch high above my head, I stepped forward and placed a sneaker on the first step and my next foot automatically followed. Soon I was almost at the bottom of the short staircase into an unknown abyss. Who knew what awaited me below? A funny thought occurred to me, which made me smile. I wonder if Abraham had a guard dog?

“I do have a dog, two in fact.”

I cringed. Crap! I had forgotten about how loud my thoughts were.

“Will they bite my legs off when I enter?”

“No. Their only job is to make sure souls don’t escape.”

“Have you had souls escape?”

“More than I can count.”

When my shoes touched the bottom I realised I was standing on a weird looking path. With each step I took, it shimmered and changed to different colours.

“What is…?” I was lost for words.

“The path is made of a mixture of old souls and misguided Nephilim wings.”

My face must have registered my shock because Abraham added, “don’t worry, they are from long ago. Keep walking.”

I had to walk the rest of the way to the building with my head down because I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the sparkling path. Every now and then, I saw a soul dart past like a fish, which made me jump. I almost didn’t want to walk on it. But a firm hand on my back kept me moving forward.

The main building here in the Realm of Death was much like any other Headquarters in any of the other realms. It served a purpose and was where the realm’s gatekeepers lived. The Headquarters in the Realm of Death was a gloomy building. It looked like a gothic mansion on the outside, with vines overwhelming almost every surface. As we neared the front door, it opened automatically, as if it had a motion detector installed. And just like all the other headquarters of the realms, each of the interiors was completely different from the exteriors. I expected it to be gloomy, cold and dark, but it was none of those. Lately I was beginning to realise that Nephilim loved to surround themselves with lush furnishings. And this was no exception. Every chair in sight, from the ones next to the grand staircase, to the loveseats on each side of the foyer, was covered in red velvet. A red velvet runner also lay down the middle of the enormous oak grand staircase in front of me. Before I could ask any questions, Abraham spoke.

“Don’t question the interior design effort, it wasn’t my idea.”

“Whose was it?”

“I said don’t question it.”

“Fine. So when do we get to train?”

“Later, once you’ve…”

“Come on, you’re not going to make me go to bed, are you? I’m not tired.”

Before he could reply, a bluish-white light pulsed near the front door.

Abraham groaned. “No rest for the wicked!”

“What does that mean?” I asked, watching the light. The pulsing grew more persistent by the minute.

“It means someone is waiting for us.”

“Us? So you mean it? You’re going to take me on a job?” I almost couldn’t contain my excitement.

“Why not? Come on.” No sooner had we arrived, we left again. It was back on the boat for us.

Chapter Twelve

Asher

I checked my phone again. Still no text messages. Where had she gone? Was she avoiding me? When I had checked her room earlier, the majority of her belongings were still there, but her sneakers were missing, as was her black hoodie. Crap. I knew what this meant. She had escaped.

After dinner and lights out, and once the halls were quiet and dark, I snuck out. My luck was good, up until I reached the front door. The butler was sitting in his chair awake and staring right at the front door. I froze, hoping his eyesight would be too poor for the dim lighting. After waiting a few seconds, he didn’t stop me. He simply looked back down to the book he was reading, some spy novel, I was certain. He hadn’t seen me. I breathed out, as I was relieved, and I began to turn the door handle. I slipped out without making a sound.

As I walked through the streets, I began to feel the sudden urge to head towards the water. I turned down a side street that I knew would lead me to the pier. I couldn’t explain the feeling. First, the butler hadn’t noticed me when I was standing right in front of him. It was as if I were invisible. And now the urge to walk to the pier was so strong, I couldn’t think of anything else. What was happening to me? Was I dreaming? Sleepwalking? I tried to pinch myself but I didn’t feel any different. When I rounded a corner, I could hear the lapping of water against the pylons under the pier. The water was murky and I couldn’t see a thing, but the invisible thread pulled me forward until I came to stand at the end of the pier. I didn’t need my eyes. What greeted me there answered all my questions.

Eden

The ride back out of the Realm of Death was a lot faster than the ride over. Did Abraham turn on the motor or something?

“So, do you get any information about the… uh, soul, before you take them over?”

“No, not these. I only get told about the ones I’m meant to reap on land, when they are about to die.”

“Interesting.” I pondered this as we drew closer to the pier, and what awaited us there made my blood run cold.

“No!” I stood up, making the boat rock profusely.

“I’m sorry, Eden.”

“Why did you do this?” I couldn’t breathe. How could he do this to me? I was on my way back to him! I was making myself safe for him!

“I had no choice. I had to find you.”

“But I was coming back! You didn’t have to die!” I composed myself enough to jump up onto the pier, and I grabbed onto Asher.

“How did you know where I would be?”

“I can’t explain it. Something brought me here.”

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“But you don’t understand, I was about to tell you how I felt, but you ran away.”

“No, please don’t say it.” Tears fell over, and ran down my face.

“I have no choice, Eden. It’s too late. You’re like a drug to me.”

“No, it’s not real. It’s an illusion. It’s because I’m Nephilim, and you’re… you’re…”

“Human? Yes, I’m human, I know. But that doesn’t mean what I feel isn’t true.”

“No! It’s not real! You have to go back now!” I pushed my hands against his chest, hoping he would just leave. But he stood solid like a brick wall, refusing to move. Abraham’s voice broke our emotional turmoil.

“Ahh, young love. I’m guessing this is the boyfriend you were so eager to get back to? Looks like you don’t have to make your way back now. He found his way to you.”

“No!” I spun around to face Abraham. “You can’t take his soul! He’s not dead!”

“Uh… I’m afraid to say that he is, love.”

“What? No, no, no! This can’t be possible!”

“Sorry,” Asher added. I spun back around to face him.

“How dare you kill yourself for me!”

“What? I didn’t kill myself.”

“What? Then how did you die?”

“I don’t understand it, I just… passed out, and when I woke up I felt the strongest urge to find you, and then I was standing here. I don’t know how I got here and I don’t know how I died.”

A huge grin appeared on Abraham’s face, which Asher noticed.

“What is he grinning about?” Asher asked.

“Oh, he grins all the time like that.” I glared at Abraham. “Okay, spill. What do you know?”

“I just want to say, congratulations. You’ve discovered the full extent of your trait.”

“What do you mean?”

“You touched him, am I right?”

“Um… yes.” My heart rate picked up as I glanced back at Asher and began to feel dizzy. Could I really have caused his death by a mere touch? I thought he was immune. My hands flew to my mouth.

“Oh, My God!”

“It’s not your fault, Eden. We couldn’t resist.”

“But I killed you! I’m so sorry!” Tears spilled from my eyes and my knees could no longer hold my weight as I fell forward.

“Hey.” He caught my arms, sliding his fingers down so that he was holding my hands. Then he made me look at him. I tried to tear my eyes away, I couldn’t stand it, but he made me.

“Don’t beat yourself up.”

“But I killed you, Asher! I warned you.”

“I guess you didn’t warn me enough,” he added with a smirk.

“
Not
helping.” I looked down at our hands. “I warned you to stay away from me. I’m toxic.”

“You know that I couldn’t. I’d much rather be here with you than back there with Jazmine.”

I tried to pull away, but his grip was tight. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. What I’m trying to say is that I want to be a part of your life.”

This time I managed to turn away. “My life. My life is doomed, Asher.”

“What are you going to do, tell me to go home? It’s too late. I’m here and I’m not leaving.”

I sighed but continued facing Abraham. He was waiting for me to make my decision. And in a second, it was made.

“Okay, you want to know why I am here, with
this
man?” I told Asher, turning back towards him.

“Yes, I would.”

“Well, you already know what I can do, my trait. I was offered a job.”

“A job? What kind of job?”

“I’m going to be the new Grim Reaper.”

Asher began to laugh and stopped when he saw I wasn’t laughing along with him. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“So, what, you kill people?”

“I
can
kill people, but my job description involves taking souls over to the Realm of Death.”

“Is that what you’re going to do to me?”

I glanced at Abraham. He stood up straighter. He seemed to be waiting for my answer. I knew what I wanted.

“Yes.”

The expression on Asher’s face was one of worry. Abraham grinned as I walked towards Asher. I reached out and took his hand.

It was bizarre, I expected not to be able to feel his hand in mine, but it felt the same as it did the last time we had touched in the garden. He felt solid, but cool. I guess ghosts were always cool. I led Asher to the ferry, stepping in after Abraham.

As we set sail once again, I grinned at Asher and then internally at myself. I had a plan and no one was going to get in my way.