Who's The Dark Reaper & Who's Is The Victim

Hyun pressed hi lips together. "No. This was a bad idea ," he said ,crossing the path to take my arm. "Let's go."

I jerked out of his grip. "So what if I can't push my thoughts into yours ? If you don't want to leave me here ,then I'll follow you and stay out of the way.

Jeez ,Hyun. It's a summer camp. How much trouble can I get into ?" "Plenty ," he said ,his smooth ,young-looking face twisting into a grimace.

Someone was coming up the path ,and I rocked back a step. "I'll stay out of the way. No one will even know I'm there ," I said ,and Hyun's eyes crinkled in worry.

The people were getting closer ,and I fidgeted. "Come on ,Hyun. Why did you fly us out here if you were jut going to take me home again ?

You knew I couldn't solidify in twenty minutes what I've been trying to do the past four months. You want this as much as I do.

I'm already dead. What more can happen to me ?" He looked up the path at the noisy group. "If you knew ,you wouldn't be arguing with me.

Hide your amulet. One of them might be the dark reaper." "I'm not afraid ," I said as I tucked it behind my shirt ,but I was .

It wasn't fair ,being dead and still having to deal with heart-pounding ,breath-stealing tension whn I was afraid.

Hyun said the sensations would fade the longer I was dead ,but I was still waiting ,and it was embarrassing.

Eyes down ,I dropped back to let three girls and three guys go by. They were in flip-flops and shorts ,the girls chattering as if they didn't have a care in the world as they headed downhill to the dock.

It all seemed normal-until a shadow passed over me and I looked up. Black wing ,I thought ,stifling a shudder.

They looked like crows to the living-when the living noticed them at all. The slimy black sheets were nearly invisible when viewed from the side but for an oddly bright ,shimmering line.

These scavengers fed on souls of the people taken by the dark reapers ,and if it wasn't for the protection of my stolen amulet ,they'd be all over me.

Light reapers stayed with a scythed soul ,protecting the deceased until they could be escorted from the earth.

I glanced at Hyun ,not needing to hear his thoughs to know that someone in the goup was targeted for an early death.

To find out who it was would be a mix of the sketchy desciption from Hyun's boss ,and Hyun's intuition and ability to see auras.

"Can you tell wo the victim is ?" I asked. from what Hyun had told me ,auras had a telltale shimmer as to a person's age-which sort of gave Hyun an excuse fr why he had failed in protecting me.

It had been my birthday ,and he only worked with eightteen-year-olds. I'd been seventeen until right before the car flipped ,and officially eightteen when I actually died.

Hyun squinted ,his eyes silvering for a moment as he drew on the divine. It totally creeped me out. "I can't tell ," he said.

"Everyone is eightteen but the girl in the red swimsuit and the ,dark-haired guy."

"How about the reaper ,then ?" I asked. No one was wearing an amulet-but since the stone could shift to look like anything ,it didn't mean much.

Just one more skill I didn't have. He shrugged ,still watching them. "The reaper might not even be here yet.

His or her aura will look eightteen ,just like ours. I don't know all the dark reapers by sight ,and I won't know for sure until he or she pulls their sword."

Pull sword ,stick it in a person ,reap accomplished. Nice. By the time you knew wo the threat was ,it was too late.

I watched the blck wings sport above the dock like gulls. Beside me ,Hyun fidgeted. "You want to follow them ," I said.

"Yes."

It was too late to give the prevention to someone else. The memory of my heart seemed to pound harder-a shadowy remnant of being alive my mind couldn't let go of yet-and I grabbed Hyun's arm. 

"Let's do this." 

"We're leaving ,"he protested ,but his feet were moving ,and I watched his sneakers meet the earth in perfect synchronization with mine as we headed downhill.

"I'll just sit quiet. What's the big deal ?" I asked. Our steps achoed hollowly on the dock ,and he drew me to a stop.

"Raven ,I don't wat to make another mistake ,"he said ,turning me to face him. "We're leaving. Now."

I looked past him ,squinting in the brighter light and the fresh wind ,shuddering when one of the slimy sheets of dripping black alighted on a pole-waiting.

Oblivious ,te group argued with the dockmaster. If we left ,someone was going to die. I could do this ,but from the dockmaster's hut a voice called ,"Hey ! You guys doing anything ?"

Hyun jumped ,and I turned ,smiling. "What's that ?" I called back ,tension hitting me.

"Skiing ," the short ,dark-haired guy said ,holding a pair. "We can't take two boats unless we have eight people. You two want to be the designated watchers ?"

A quiver rose through me. "Sure !" I said ,sealing the deal. Hyun wanted this. I wanted this. We were going to do this.

"Raven ,"he griped. But everyone was enthusiastically piling into the boats ,and I dragged him closer ,scanning the faces to see who didn't fit.

"Which boat has the victim on it ? I'll take the other." Hyun's jaw was clenched. "It's not that easy.

This is an art ,not a memo."

"Then guess !" I pleaded. "For criminy's sakes ,even if we're on different boats ,you'll be like what...thirty feet away ?

What is the big deal ? I'll just shout for you ,okay ?"