Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Ru sat on the couch in lotus position, her hands on her knees, frustrated beyond all understanding. “Why isn’t this working?” she whispered aloud. Not only was she unable to get anywhere close to freeing her spirit from her body and jumping into other realms, as Cutter had explained it, she couldn’t get the blue light to come back to her hands either. She’d been trying that one for a couple of days. Once again, she gave up in frustration.

It was past 11:00, and that meant she was going to bed late, which was never a good idea on a Sunday. She just wished she could figure out how she’d manage to make the lights appear the last time, but she’d been asleep then. If she could do it when her brain was dead to the world, why couldn’t she do it when she was really trying to?

Realizing she’d likely need some sort of training from Cutter, she decided to call it a night. She made sure the doors were locked and carefully flipped off all of the light switches as she made her way to her bedroom, Piper at her feet. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she made sure her alarm was set and nestled into bed. Six in the morning would be here soon enough.

Thoughts of Kyle filled her mind as she slipped off into oblivion. What was it about him that she liked so much? Sure, he was gorgeous, but there was more to it than that. She felt like she’d known him for years, like they had a connection, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Why was she so drawn to him?

Ru was standing in the middle of a garden. It was dusk, and the sky was covered in streaks of pink and orange with a backdrop of vivid yellow. Around her, flower petals wafted down in the air from a myriad of blooming trees. Streams of violet, crimson, and blush filled the air, pooling near her bare feet. She was wearing a long flowing gown again, this time it was the same shade as her eyes, the ocean after a storm. Her hair caught the breeze and the feel of the cool air on her skin was enrapturing. Wherever this place was, it was breathtaking, and she felt more at peace than she could ever remember feeling before.

A noise broke the solace, and she turned. Off in the distance, down past rows of flowers in every color and variety her mind could imagine, she saw a figure sitting alone on a bench. From this distance, she couldn’t tell who it was, but the person was hunched over, and she assumed the noise she’d heard was sobbing coming from that direction.

Without fear of stepping on thorns or any other obstacle, Ru slowly headed toward the lone figure. She wasn’t sure why this person had come to such a lovely place to weep, but she wanted to see if she could provide any sort of comfort.

She could see, as she approached, it was a man, dressed in black slacks and a black shirt. His hair was nearly as dark. It wasn’t until she was almost upon him that she realized precisely who it was. She stopped several feet behind him and waited, not sure what to do. Cutter had told her not to engage him, that if she saw him, she should run. But here he sat, no longer a powerful Reaper, but a puddle of humanity.

He must’ve heard her. Wiping his eyes on his sleeves, Thanatos turned to look at her. “I’m sorry, Ru. I didn’t mean to disturb you. It’s such a beautiful place you’ve created here. I only… I only meant to find some refuge. I had no idea my emotions would overcome me so.”

Puzzled by his candor, Ru only stared for a moment, not sure what to say. Finally, as he turned to stare back at a tall hedge which seemed to surround the garden, she asked, “Why are you crying?”

A laugh escaped his lips, and he slowly shook his head. “I am half human, you remember?” he asked, not even glancing over his shoulder at her. “I bleed as well.”

Fascinated by his response, Ru stepped around the low granite bench he sat on so that she could face him. “What’s happened?” she asked, wishing he’d be more forthcoming.

With eyes still swollen and red, Nat looked into her face. “Haven’t you heard about the tragedy in New York City? A family of four killed by a suicidal driver?”

Ru felt her eyes widen. “No, I hadn’t heard.” She wondered why this event had him in such distress. Was the family someone he knew?

“I could’ve stopped her!” he exclaimed, covering his face with his hands once more. “I meant to… I sent… my most trusted advisor. But….” He stopped speaking, swiping at his eyes again, as if he was ashamed at crying in front of her.

“But what?” Ru wanted to know, taking a step closer.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

It was a possibility; perhaps the most complex part of her job was listening to students’ problems when she couldn’t possibly understand. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t listen. Cautiously, Ru sat down on the end of the bench, leaving some space between them. While she had no reason to think she could trust him, she felt compelled to comfort him. She kept her hands folded in her lap so she wouldn’t be tempted to touch him. Cutter’s words stuck with her even under the veil of sleep. She shouldn’t touch him for any reason. “Why don’t you tell me anyway? Even if I don’t understand, it might help you to speak about it.”

He glanced at her out of the corner of one pristine green eye and then looked back to the hedge. Ru took that to mean he wouldn’t be revealing anything to her, but just when she thought she might verbally nudge him again, he began to speak. “I sent Raven to collect her, knowing Deena Jones would kill the Bridges family. My father, Azrael, he knew what was written in the book. He knew that she must be stopped. Raven was unable to accomplish her task, even though Deena was willing to go with her, because she was interrupted by a Keeper. Rider. He chased her through several other people’s dreams before she finally managed to shake loose of him. If… if Rider Michaels hadn’t shown up and interrupted the process, Deena Jones would’ve died of natural causes in her sleep instead of plowing into the Bridges family, killing a mother, a father, and two innocent little boys.” He turned to meet her eyes, punctuating the last few words with conviction.

Ru didn’t know how to respond. She had so little knowledge about how all of this worked. Was Rider supposed to be there? Was Deena meant to die in her sleep or on the highway? What about the Bridgeses? Surely, this must’ve been part of the plan for them. But Nat seemed quite certain they were not meant to die. “I don’t know what to say,” she said quietly. Whatever the path these people were meant to walk, clearly, Nat was hurting because of their deaths. He felt responsible, especially for those children.

“You don’t need to say anything,” he replied, looking down at the lush carpet of green grass. “Just know that there is a thin line between good and evil. A villain is only a hero whose story has yet to be told.”

Ru couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as she pondered that sentence. From his perspective, Nat wasn’t trying to hurt anyone; he was trying to help. Rider, Cutter, and the rest of the Keepers also felt that they had a job to do to assist humanity.

“We were charged with this, Ru. It is my directive to collect the spirits and steer them onward, to whichever destination they’re fated based on their choices in life.” He was looking at her again now, and Ru couldn’t help but find herself captivated by his green eyes. “Not all the souls I collect are banished to Hell. Many are received by loved ones and spend eternity in Heaven, a place I will never know because of who I am; because I, too, have a destiny, one given to me before I was even born. But we can change all that, Ru. That’s what Sera was trying to do, to bring an understanding, an enlightenment, to both sides.”

Confusion swept over her. What was he saying. “How? How could Seraphina do such a thing?”

“By causing both sides to see the reality of the other, by uniting us once more. We used to all be the same, you know, once, long ago, before the flood. Now, Sera is lost to us, and your father suffers immeasurably because of his part in trying to heal both sides. Ru, you are the key. You must help me find Sera, to bring her to stand before my father and the Archs so that she can finally have her chance to explain herself. Otherwise, the war will go on for eternity, and no one will ever win.”

Ru began to shake her head. It was too much. She had no idea why Nat thought she was capable of ending a war, of bringing her mother anywhere, of even finding her in the first place. “I… I don’t know what to say, Nat.”

“You don’t have to say anything right now, Ru. Just think about it. Remember, as much as they say you cannot trust me, I will say the same of them. Their purpose for wanting you revolves around your immense power and nothing more. You haven’t lassoed it yet, but soon you will, and when you do, I pray you’ll choose the right side, Ru. They may be able to help you find your mother, but they cannot free your father. I can—with your help.”

He was looking at her so sincerely, Ru was once again at a loss for words. She ran her hands through her hair and stared down at the ground, wondering what she should do.

“I’m sorry to have disturbed the serenity of your garden,” Nat said, standing. From this position, he towered over her. Looking up at him required her to crane her neck backward. “I will go. But Ru, you know, if you should need me, call on me at any time, and I will be there to help you. The Keepers may claim you as their own, but you are part Reaper. I know you feel that in your heart.” As she watched, Nat faded away, and soon, Ru was left all alone in the garden, wondering which side to believe.