Chapter 34: Chapter 34

S A V A N N A H

I WAS NOT entirely sure what I had expected when I looked into the house from the windows, but Ron Weasley II’s curious face definitely had not been it. I yelped and jumped backwards, tripped over a bush, before consequently crashing into Søren and knocking us onto the freshly cut lawn.

“…Gods,” Søren rasped as I groaned. He was really bony and did not make the best landing mattress. “Are you okay?”

“I think so,” I murmured, staring upwards at the sky and closing my eyes in utter unwillingness.

“Good. Now get off me.”

I gasped and scrambled to my feet, before sheepishly offering him a helping hand. He raised an eyebrow at me, to which I responded with a huff. I rolled my eyes when he just stared at my hand begrudgingly.

So, I started withdrawing, pouting tauntingly. He finally took it, shaking his head, and I pulled him up. “Sorry about that,” I apologised. “I just kind of freaked out when I saw my cat.”

“What —you mean that one?” he asked, pointing to the windows.

I turned around and saw Ron scratching at the glass, mewling loudly. “Oh, Ron…” I whispered, moving to put my hand on the other side where his paw was. “How can he can see me?” I asked Søren.

“Wha…‘cause he’s a cat,” he said obviously.

“What, cats can see souls and the undead?” I snorted.

“Yes, they can see souls,” he actually confirmed. “The undead? Well, who wouldn’t be able to see those? But I hope you weren’t referring to us as the undead. Because we’re not zombies, Savannah. We’re Grim Reapers.”

“Right,” I mumbled, turning back to the windows.

At this point in time, I could not see a difference between zombie, ghost and Reaper. Reapers followed blindly and were Turned in order to kill —like zombies. But they could walk through walls, disappear and go undetected —albeit rather uncontrollably, but who could really complain —like ghosts.

So, what was so special about being a Grim Reaper?

“Ron? You silly cat, what are you doing?” a voice then said from inside the house. I flinched back. That was Phoebe’s voice.

“Who’s that?” Søren whispered.

“It’s my…my Mom…” I stammered.

I then inhaled sharply as her figure moved into my field of view. Then her gaze landed right on me. Her dark grey eyes widened too, before a loud crash suddenly rang out as she dropped the dish in her hands. My mother took a step back, before blinking rapidly. I was frozen, unsure of my movements. And she stared back with the same uncertainty.

“Savannah,” Søren then murmured. “Your Mom can see you. And since she doesn’t recognise you, she’s going to think that you’re trespassing.”

I was speechless —and still staring at my mother.

She then suddenly sprang to life and made for the front door with a speed I had never seen before. I turned, just in time to see her burst out and stumble on the pathway. I tensed, not knowing what to expect. All I had wanted to do was see her. But I knew she would not recognise me. She would think I was some crazy teenager trying to steal her cat.

She slowly walked towards me. I took a step backwards when she was close enough to reach out and touch me.

Why was she not shouting at me to get off of her lawn? Her gaze simply bore into my eyes, unable to be torn away.

“…How?” Phoebe finally rasped. “How are you here? How are you…”

I blinked rapidly. “What do you mean?” I asked nervously.

My mother then gasped. I flinched, unsure of what to do.

She leaned in, her eyes darting back and forth slightly, before raising up a hand towards my face. I paused and frowned, but I let her advance.

I then breathed out shakily as her skin came in contact with mine. I looked into her eyes, before I felt the prick of tears in my own.

I blinked again, hoping I was not imagining this. It felt good to feel her warm hand against my cold cheek.

“…Savannah?” she whispered so softly as though it was only for me to hear. I drew a sharp breath, and I heard Søren do the same. “Savannah how are you…alive?” she went on.

My jaw dropped and I suddenly flinched away from her, holding out my hands in front of me. She started in surprise as I somewhat glared at her. I was confused. “How do you even…know that it’s me?” I frowned in response, raising an eyebrow.

“Savannah,” she breathed, clapping a hand over her mouth. Then she started sobbing, letting the tears free fall. “Oh my God…Savannah —you’re alive!” she cried.

I opened my mouth to start explaining myself, but I was speechless. How in the world could my mother recognise me? She was only meant to be able to see me —but now it really was as though I was the Walking Dead. We stared at each other for a few more seconds, before my mother walked forward, stopping right in front of me.

“…I lost you so suddenly,” she started. “For a while, I couldn’t…function. I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep —it all felt so surreal. It was like being in a dream, but wondering if you’ll ever wake up. Don was so patient with me, bless him. But all of this time I blamed myself. I should not have kept you so sheltered that you felt that you had to keep things from me. I didn’t realise how I had raised you would result in such a —”

“Mom, no,” I cut her off, shaking my head gently. “It’s not your fault. The car accident was just that —an accident. I had been drinking. Aaron had been distracted by me. I wasn’t myself. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

“But I could have…” my mother struggled.

“Mom, you did your best,” I insisted. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better mother,” I whispered.

She glanced downwards and did not respond for a moment. “…I love you, Savannah,” she murmured. “I really wish that I deserved you.”

“What do you mean?”

She looked up and smiled at me while a few tears streamed down her cheeks. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me,” she told me.

A small smile then spread across my face as my own tears fell. I suddenly darted forward and hugged her tightly. She gasped, then hesitantly wrapped her arms around me in turn. We both cried. Tears of joy, and tears of sorrow.

Then a thought occurred to me. “…Mom, if you can see me now, how come you didn’t see me at the funeral?” I asked.

She suddenly withdrew from the hug and stared at me with widened eyes. “Wait —you were at your funeral?” she said with genuine surprise.

“Yeah —I was thinking of posing as my own long-lost twin sister,” I said before I could stop myself.

My mother was confused. “…What?”

“What?” I immediately echoed, averting my gaze self-consciously and trying to seem equally surprised.

“Uh, does anyone want to explain what is happening right now?” Søren then said from behind me.

Phoebe then withdrew further and turned to face Søren. She looked between me and him, and then raised an eyebrow at me suggestively. “And who is this? Your new boyfriend?”

Søren snorted a laugh.

“Mom,” I clipped, shaking my head. “No.” Then I paused and frowned. “…Wait, how can you see him?”

She frowned as though I was the one who was making no sense. “Like I can see you,” she scoffed. “I can see the divine, unlike most mortals. It’s a special and rare thing your father once told me about. It’s something in Greek —I can’t quite remember the name.”

I frowned curiously. I had not been aware of such an exception. Then I decided to answer her question. “This is my…Trainer. Like a guide and mentor. Just…I will explain,” I chuckled softly.

“Right,” my mother murmured, moving to tuck her hair behind her ears. “Okay. Well, why don’t you come inside, then? It’s cold out here.”

“Sure,” I agreed, before turning and beckoning Søren.

He had safely put his crossbow away but did not look all too thrilled to be invited inside. “This is not what I was expecting, Savannah,” he whispered in my ear as he walked beside me.

“Me neither,” I whispered back. Then I climbed the steps and stepped into something familiar.

✠

Nothing had changed.

Of course, I would not have expected anything to have changed in the short amount of time I had been gone; but it brought a dull comfort to see an environment so recognisable.

I chuckled softly as Søren and I sat on the sofa opposite Phoebe. “…It’s like I never left,” I breathed.

“Yeah,” my mother said, pressing her lips into a thin line.

I glanced at Søren for some help but all he did was raise an eyebrow and shrug. I hissed at him in warning before turning back to my mother.

“Mom. I…I know about Dad,” I started confidently. After studying her expression, I realised that it might not have been the best topic to start with. As anticipated, my mother tensed up and breathed out heavily. She then looked away and tried to clear her thoughts.

“Sorry,” I apologised. “That wasn’t the best thing to start with. But it was the way to start with what I am, and why I’m…here.”

“Did he set you up to this?” she asked. “Did he send you here to torture me or something? Did he…do something so that you would still be alive?” she whispered fearfully.

“No,” I assured her. “He didn’t do anything. But…you should know that I’m not technically alive.”

She frowned at me. “And just what is that supposed to mean? You’re sitting right in front of me. I hugged you two minutes ago.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But…even Søren and I can’t understand why you were able to know it’s me. You see, I’m a Grim Reaper now. I work for Death. And when I Turned, I had died, but my soul didn’t go to the Underworld —in these semi human bodies we’re in a sort of in-between stage. We knew that you would be able to see me —but you were not supposed to be able to recognise me,” I said firmly. “But now…you knew that it was me and were able to touch me. And I don’t understand why.”

Phoebe Green suddenly looked very guilty. I frowned, wondering what had resonated with her.

“Look, I knew what your father was when…when we created you,” she admitted. Then she paused, narrowing her eyes at nothing in particular. “…I knew what I was getting myself into,” she whispered. Then her face hardened, and she clenched her fists. “I knew…I knew, and I still did it, damnit,” she hissed, banging her arm on the armrest.

We jumped in surprise.

I then drummed my fingers on the sofa uncertainly. “Is there something that you want to tell me?”

Phoebe looked back at me with a face of regret. She brought her hand to her mouth and choked out a sob, before looking away.

“Savannah,” she croaked. “I am so sorry. It’s all my fault. I…I shouldn’t have…You’re going to hate me for the rest of your life. It’s just…” She was struggling to say whatever it was. “Look, I know that you’re a half-blood god. I always have. I just thought that maybe, if I pretended nothing had ever happened, that it would be so.”

I stared at her blankly as she then continued sobbing. Søren shifted next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

I shook him off and blinked as my vision blurred from tears.

Phoebe had known.

Well, I had not thought she was completely clueless. Of course, she had known Hades was who he was. But she had repressed my nature knowing full well that doing it could hurt me and the people I cared about.

That did not sit well.

“I think that I’m going to be sick,” I stated, before standing up and storming to the bathroom.

I flushed the toilet when I was done.

I was surprised that something had actually come up —considering that Grim Reapers did not eat. It must have been excess bile left over from before I had died. I stumbled to my feet and looked at myself in the mirror. I was paler, and pinkish-red bags hung underneath my eyes.

I scraped my hair back against my scalp, panting hard.

How could she have done this?

I closed my eyes and breathed out deeply, before I flinched at a series of knocks on the door. “Who is it?” I whispered.

“Søren.”

I sighed and moved to open the door.

“Hey,” I murmured, avoiding his gaze.

“Hey,” he returned. “Are you okay?”

I snorted. “Do I look okay?”

He paused. Then, “No,” he sighed. I breathed unnecessarily.

“Your Mom —” he then started.

“No,” I immediately cut him off. “I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s…let’s just get out of here,” I told him, sidestepping his tall frame and making for the door. “…I need some time to think.”

“Okay.”

I walked into the living room and stopped short as my mother looked up at me. “Savannah,” she whispered hopefully.

I gave her a look of indifference and shrugged with my hands stuffed into my jacket pockets. I strode for the door, and momentarily paused only to spit, “This was a mistake.”

“Savannah,” Søren said after me, but I did not stop.

I threw the door open and stomped outside. I walked down the steps and onto the pathway. I gasped at the sight of Hades, decked in a black suit, standing in the driveway but I still did not stop. In fact, I sped up.

“Savannah!” Søren called.

Hades’ slight smile fell at the notice of my hostility. “…What happened?” he asked. I stormed down the path, making a beeline for him.

“You knew too,” I growled as I roughly pushed past him, before turning to walk down the street. I could not handle any of it.