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Chapter 67
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2021-04-20 07:33:06Ivy was just as good at cooking breakfast as she was dinner, and as Ru slathered a pat of butter on top of her stack of pancakes, it occurred to her that she’d either need to up her exercise or rein in the calories a little bit. At this rate, the nickname Chubs, which her adoptive mother had given her, even though she was nothing more than a stick figure as a child, might be a little more fitting.
She hadn’t spoken to Cutter much about what had happened the night before. When she’d opened her eyes to discover she was back in her body, she hadn’t really known what to say, and after he told her how proud he was of her, she’d gone to bed almost immediately. If what he’d said before was true, this meant he’d take her to the Keepers’ hometown of Los Angeles soon. She’d have the chance to meet her grandmother and find out more information about where her real mother, Seraphina, might be. However, she still
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 68
Ru was halfway up the stairs when she heard Cutter’s footsteps behind her. She slowed down, and he caught up. “You okay?” he asked as they proceeded to the hallway in unison.“I’m fine,” Ru replied, hoping her smile was counterfeit enough to fool him.“You don’t have to go through with this tonight if you don’t want to. We can wait until you’re ready. I can even tell Ivy to hold off on the travel arrangements if you want.”She turned to face him and saw nothing but sincerity in his expression. His hands were shoved down deep in his jeans pockets, his handsome face crinkled with concern. “No, it’s not that,” Ru assured him, though she wasn’t completely sure that was true. “It’s just… I can’t go to Wyoming without talking to my mom—to Liddy.”Cutter looked surprised. “You&
Last Updated : 2021-04-21Reaper's Hollow Chapter 69
Darkness enveloped them completely, rendering Cutter’s visuals useless but heightening the rest of his senses so that the faintest brush of Ru’s skin against his sent sparks through his bloodstream, causing gooseflesh to crawl up his arm. The scent of warm vanilla and nutmeg would’ve been intoxicating if he wasn’t constantly reminding himself he was in the dark room with her for a reason other than to revel in her fragrance. While part of him was overjoyed that she was finally beginning to understand how to transform to her spirit form, he knew he’d miss these intimate moments alone with her. It had also occurred to him that their cessation might be his salvation as it was abundantly clear that Ru thought of him only as a friend at best and an antagonist from time to time.He sat next to her, his right arm held firmly in the grasp of both of her hands. She’d mentioned how it seemed to help her last time to anchor herse
Last Updated : 2021-04-22Reaper's Hollow Chapter 70
Unlike the real woods that stood near Angel Grove, only a few miles away from the historic home, these woods were shrouded in eternal night. Being part of a dream realm heightened the more sinister qualities of the location. The real woods would’ve appeared less menacing during the day, while it would always be just as dark, foggy, and uninviting here no matter the time, although it didn’t help that it was almost eleven at night when the team began their search.Cutter kept Ru within eye sight, which wasn’t difficult considering she was more than a little scared to step out of his line of vision. She was also more than a little distracting, not only because he felt he was constantly checking on her location, but because it was her. While he was surrounded by twisted trees with long, scraggly branches, thick roots reaching up from the ground to snare a misplaced step, she was the embodiment of all things lovely and good, even in jeans an
Last Updated : 2021-04-22Reaper's Hollow Chapter 71
Ru headed off in the direction she’d gestured in, and Cutter followed behind, watching as she picked her way through the dense foliage, stopping from time to time as if she was trying to sense her way forward.It took nearly half an hour over the rough terrain for Ru to see something in front of them and hasten her pace. Cutter didn’t see it a first, but once the fog lifted a bit, he saw where she was headed. In front of them, three trees, remarkably shaped even more oddly than the others, stood out against the black backdrop. Unlike all of the other twisted, tangled trunks, whose bark was deep brown or even black, these trees were a dirty white, as if they’d once been made of chalk and had grown dingy over their years of standing amidst their darker neighbors.Ru stopped about ten feet away from them where there was a clearing. The fog here was thinner, more like a mist, and it didn’t encumber their vision at al
Last Updated : 2021-04-22Reaper's Hollow Chapter 72
Popping antacids seemed to be a new trend, at least in Ru’s world; she shoved three more into her mouth and steered her car onto her mother’s street. She must’ve taken half a bottle of Tums between the time she’d gotten back to her room after the hunt last night and now, and she was thankful Rider seemed to have a never-diminishing supply, though he’d warned her they were not a long-term solution. Right now, she was just hoping to get the burning under control before she walked into her mother’s house. She needed to focus on what she wanted to say, not the fact that she might spew acidic vomit all over her mom’s pristine carpets.She wasn’t sure what had been so difficult the night before. Unlike the first time she’d gone with Cutter to the other realms, the woods had been painful in a way she hadn’t expected. It didn’t help that he couldn’t explain it. She’d done her best to d
Last Updated : 2021-04-23Reaper's Hollow Chapter 73
Clearly, Liddy was not expecting that question, nor the commanding tone in which it was asked. The shocked expression on her face lingered for a long moment. If Cutter had taught Ru anything it was that she was more powerful than she’d ever given herself credit for. “Cutter grew up in the same town Seraphina did. He knows her mother. He came here looking for me, Mom.” It was difficult to let the word slip out of her lips, but then, she’d been choking on it for years. “I’m living with him and three other people now, all of them from the same place. And we’ll be going there in the next few days, looking for clues as to where she might be.” She said all of it with her jaw set, her gaze even, her insides on fire.Shaking her head, Liddy said. “I have no idea why you would do something so reckless, Ruin. And totally unnecessary. To give up everything you’ve worked so hard for to find a woman who cast
Last Updated : 2021-04-24Reaper's Hollow Chapter 74
The flight from LaGuardia to Jackson, Wyoming, was a long one, almost six hours. Ru couldn’t believe how much more complicated it seemed to even get to the plane than it had when she was younger, though she likely wasn’t paying much attention when she was ten since she was in awe of the thought of getting on a plane at all. She’d felt so lucky her mother’s uncle had insisted on flying them all out for the funeral, Ru couldn’t believe she was actually awake—not dreaming—and included. Not that her mother could’ve explained to her distant family why she’d left a ten-year-old at home unattended.Ru had supposed she’d sit with the girls or Cutter on the flight, but she found herself nestled into a seat next to the window with Rider on the other side of an empty seat between them. He needed the aisle because of his long legs, or so he’d explained it. Ru could believe that, but she was pretty tal
Last Updated : 2021-04-25Reaper's Hollow Chapter 75
“They’re definitely gone,” Raven said, her voice cutting through Nat’s thoughts like a heated blade through a block of ice. “Where they’ve gone, we can’t say for sure, but we expect it’s likely to their village.”“I would think that would be easy enough to establish.” He had his back to her, so rolling his eyes would lose its effect. That didn’t stop him from doing it anyway. “Check the airlines, Raven.”“Right. Anything else?”Rather than turn and address her, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand and listened for her footsteps to echo down the hall.It had been weeks since his failed attempt to take Rune in the woods, and since then he’d had nothing but time: time to reflect, time to regroup, time to regret. He’d been so close, and yet he still wasn’t sure exactly what it was that bet
Last Updated : 2021-04-26
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Reaper's Hollow Chapter 158: Epilogue
One year later… “All right, boys and girls. That is enough for today. We will pick up with Ramona’s story tomorrow afternoon. For now, go ahead and get your backpacks on, and let’s line up at the door.” Groans filled the air as twenty-two fourth graders followed their teacher’s directions despite wanting to hear what happened next in the story. They stood and walked to the cubbies where their backpacks were hung and politely took turns getting their belongings before making an orderly line at the door. Ru took a deep breath and looked lovingly at her students. Even though she’d made the same prediction every year since she started teaching, she had had a feeling about this group of kids from the very beginning. And she was right. They were the best group of fourth graders she’d ever taught. The bell rang and she wished them all a good weekend, gathering up the four students who went to daycare and walking with th
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“I need to face him,” Cutter said. “And you need to get to the portal.” Ru craned her neck around the tree. While there were still some Reapers near the entryway, for the most part, the Keepers were able to set up a perimeter around the portal. If she was going to go, now was the time. “Okay. Be careful,” she said. Realizing that Cutter was about to take on one of her assignments made Ru feel uncomfortable, particularly since she knew what the end result would be, and despite the bargain she’d almost just made with the devil, she still didn’t want to see Nat destroyed. But she had to push those thoughts out of her head. She quickly kissed Cutter’s cheek and scurried off to the next tree closest to the portal. Nat saw her now, and he began to move in her direction, using his scythe to cut down an attacking Keeper as if he were nothing. Ru swallowed hard and steeled herself, looking for the next place to hide. If she used her powers on Nat, there was a chance she would
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 156
A Reaper stepped through the portal opening. Tall, with ebony hair, he wore the long black cloak she expected to see, a scythe in his hand. The man quickly ran to the left of the portal, and then another Reaper appeared on his heels. Dressed identically, with the same weapon, he ran to the right. Then, another sprang forth, and another. Ru watched, her eyes wide as the Reapers continued to pour out of the portal, as if Hell had spilled an inkwell and the thick, black substance was covering the entire earth. “Holy Hell.” It was hard to pull her eyes off of the sight, but she turned to see Cutter standing next to her. “We’ll never be able to take all of them.” It was Ivy, and Ru glimpsed a look of defeat on her face as she came to a stop behind Cutter. “We have to try,” he said. Ru could see the resolve in his face and noticed his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Ivy and I will hold them off while you concentrate on the portal.” There ha
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 155
The demons were up again, too, and the battles picked up where they had left off. Everyone else was engaged, which left Ru to face this Goliath all by herself. “Kill it! Kill it!” Rider shouted at her as streaks of blue wrapped around the snake’s midsection. He seemed to be closing in on his prey, and Ru tried not to let the sight distract her. He was right. It would be best to take out the giant before he was fully formed. With a deep breath, Ru drew upon all of the strength she had inside of her and aimed her blue light at the giant. It was difficult to figure out where to aim since he was only out of the portal up to his shins. Still, she hoped it would be enough. Perhaps it was because of his size, but she felt the need to shout even louder this time as she recited the incantation almost word for word along with Rider who was also sending the snake into oblivion. “Infernus et perdere faciam te in nomine Domini!” This time, Ru didn’t feel as confi
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There it was, right in front of her, the portal. The final one. And all she had to do was raise her hands and say the incantation. All of this would be over. If Thanatos wasn’t here, she couldn’t kill him. Surely, Raphael would understand that. She’d just close the portal and sneak away, leaving that confrontation for another day. Except she knew it wasn’t that easy. Just because she didn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there. And even before she could raise her hands, the pull from inside of her became overwhelming, causing Ru to double over. The air between the edges of the portal continued to ripple and wave, and Ru recognized the sensation from both of the previous portals. Something was coming. She looked at Cutter and for the first time she could remember, she saw fear in his eyes. “They’re coming,” she whispered. He opened his mouth to say something, but before anything came out, a rush of heat shot out of the portal opening. Both of them instinctively
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 153
“Well, that doesn’t even make sense.” Lyric rolled her eyes. “If you’re in charge, then why do you have to do what someone else told you?” Flint launched into a defense of his decision, but Ru shouted over him. “Flint! Look, the reason their numbers were so low at the beginning of the battle is obvious, isn’t it? It’s not because this portal doesn’t mean anything to them—it’s because it means everything to them. They’re not on the battlefield yet. They will come through the portal!” She had him by the shoulders, which caused him to jump backward, shaking himself free, and once Ru finished her statement she took a step back as well. “What? No,” Flint argued. “They’re not going to send them through the portal. That would be suicide. They’d have to come through a small opening into enemy controlled territory.” “Yeah, into a stream of five whole enemy fighters who cannot possibly hold them all off,” Rider reminded him. “You have to close in behind us.” Ru
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 152
Aokigahara sprawled in front of her like the untamed wild it was, trees encroaching into the neighboring farmlands and open spaces as if the forest insisted on reclaiming what used to be hers. From this direction, it was difficult to tell where the forest began and civilization ended, though Ru thought for certain she’d know when she crossed the line. She stifled a yawn and kept moving forward, one boot at a time, toward what might be her very last mission, if she had her way. Though she had fallen asleep for a few hours, for the most part, she’d gotten her wish and was able to stay up most of the night, with Cutter’s help, and the activity he’d chosen to occupy her certainly didn’t make her feel less worn out. The few hours she had spent in oblivion had been dreamless, as far as she knew. At least, if there had been dreams, they had been unmemorable. Her friends surrounded her as they made their way into the forest. Cutter was in front of her, Rider b
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 151
Navigating airports was hard enough for Ru when she was in countries where most everyone spoke English. Flying to Japan would’ve been completely overwhelming if Ivy wasn’t fluent in Japanese and Mandarin, especially when they had to switch planes in Shanghai. Luckily, the gentle-natured Keeper had managed to keep all of them in line and they’d made their way to Shizuoka Airport with little incident, though Rider complained about the lack of legroom on the commuter jet nearly the whole flight. Thank goodness for headphones, Ru had thought to herself. The entire van ride from the airport to their hotel, a place Ru hadn’t even attempted to try to pronounce for fear she’d embarrass herself, her eyes were glued out the window. From the buildings, to the natural surroundings off in the distance, to the smiling faces of those they passed along the streets, Ru was fascinated. By the looks she was getting, so were the people staring back at her. Five tall blondes with blue e
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 150
Cutter squeezed her leg, and Ru realized it must be apparent she wasn’t paying attention. She tuned back in to hear Sky say, “Now, the team we are meant to protect so that they can get in and close the portal will be given the code name Alfred. This will allow us to be briefer in our communications about the team.” Sky continued to talk, and she knew it was important that she listen, since Ru would be involved in whatever the blue-haired Keeper was discussing presently, but curiosity got the better of her. “Why Alfred?” she whispered to Cutter. Without turning his head, he replied, “Alfred Nobel.” “Huh?” Ru was still confused. “The inventor of dynamite.” “Oh.” Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Sky, who was giving her the same look Ru might give a student who wasn’t paying attention. Ru swallowed hard and made herself concentrate. “Alfred will be dispatched from here, a break in the forest away from the typical entrance
