Page 55 of Autumn Secrets
“Sweetheart, let’s take this from the beginning, okay? I know how crazy this must sound.”
“This sounds like a bad joke. Honestly, light bearers and spells and magic, and God knows what else you have up your sleeve.” I couldn’t get my mind around anything they were saying. I needed to be alone. It was all too much. I got to my feet. “Sorry, but I need a few minutes alone. If you would all excuse me, I’ll be right back.”
I ran up the stairs and into my room. I wanted to hide for a little while. I sat down on my bed and stared at nothing. I’m a guardian of light, in a world where light and dark are fighting for power, like some freaking fantasy movie. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How was this even possible? What did this mean? It just felt wrong. Everything I’d ever known was based on a lie. Every decision and every move had been calculated behind my back by the people I loved and trusted the most.
“God, I wish you were still here, Grandma,” I whispered, closing my eyes and taking another shaky breath. She wouldn’t have lied to me. She would have told me the truth. She never would have let me live this lie.
Slowly my breathing seemed to find its natural rhythm again and everything stopped spinning. I took a deep breath and decided to go back downstairs, to listen to the rest of their story.
“Aurora, I’m sorry,” Mum said as soon as I came into the living room.
I didn’t respond to her apology, because I didn’t have it in me to say that this was okay. It wasn’t. I took a seat at the end of the couch and looked at Mum.
“All right, so how do you fit into this then?” I asked her, ignoring her apology.
“I’m a light bearer as well.”
“I figured that much out by myself, but what exactly are you? Like, do you have special skills?”
Mum glanced over at Mr and Mrs Peters, who nodded encouragingly to her. She turned to me. “Before I tell you what I am, I need you to understand that there are always two sides to everything. Good and evil exist side by side. It has always been that way. When I tell you what I am, please remember that I descend from the angels of light, therefore I am good. My actions are always pure.”
I could see fear in her eyes. It scared me and saddened me in equal measure.
“Okay?” I whispered.
“I am a reaper, Aurora.”
“A-a what?”
“A reaper.”
The whole room went absolutely still. It was like no one dared to move or even breathe.Oh my God, my head was screaming to me.
I swallowed. I had to ask the question. “You kill people?! How is that good?”
“Oh no, no, Aurora! It’s a common misconception about reapers in the human world. Not all reapers are evil. We escort souls to the afterlife, only when they are deceased. My work is to make sure all light bearers that depart this world get to where they are destined to go in the afterlife, and to make sure their souls don’t end up in the hands of the dark side.”
“So, you kind of decide who gets a happily ever after?”
Mum chuckled. “I guess that is one way of looking at it. I see myself as a guardian of the natural order. Of life and death. I make sure that everything proceeds as it should. No one deserves to end up in the hands of a dark bearer. They would be turned into slaves, forced to do evil in this world.
“We can talk more about our powers later. I think it is more important for you, Aurora, to come to terms withyourgifts tonight. I don’t want to overload you with information about other creatures; that can be saved for later.”
I swallowed. “O-other creatures?”
“Well yes, of course.”
“Such as?”
“Um, well, I already mentioned mages and vampires. There’s fallen angels, druids and other shape shifters…”
I felt the room spin again. Too much information! Shape shifters existed? Druids?
“I can’t believe this,” I whispered and shook my head side to side.
Mum moved closer to me on the couch and put a hand on my shoulder.
“I know this must be difficult, Aurora.”