I Know I Did Something Wrong

My knees burned as they hit the plastic carpet. Looking up ,I was blinded by the sun reflecting upon a moving blade ,and I gasped as it sliced cleanly through me with the sensation of dry feathers against my soul.

It was as if time stopped ,though the wind still blew and the boat still bobbed. The people on the other boat broke from their shock and started shouting.

Qblivious to them ,the dark reaper stared at me ,her lips parted in horror when she realized she'd scythed the wrong person. "By the seraphs..."she whispered as the confused babble rose higher.

"Damn it ,Raven,"Hyun said ,his voice clear over the rest. "you said you were just going to watch." Still kneeling before her ,i splayed my hand against my unmarked middle and remembered the awful feeling of when I'd sat dazed in a flipped car at the bottom of a ravine ,shaken but alive.

And then the helpless terror when the dark reaper had pulled his sword ,meeting my confusion with his anger because I hadn't died in the crash and he had to kill me with his own blade.

"Uh ,you missed," I said as I shook off the memory of my death. Ana staggered up ,and the dark reaper dissolved her blade ,sending its power back into the stone around her neck.

Her lips parted when her gaze found my amulet resting against my chest ,shaken from it's hiding place by my fall. Kim Jae Joong's stone !"she said. "You have Jae's amulet ? How ? He's..."She hestated ,peering at me in confusion.

"Who are you ?" Who the devil is Jae ?I thought. Hero was the dark reaper who'd killed me. my lips ,I got up ,almost stepping on Young. "Raven,"I said boldly ,scared to death. "I took an amulet ,yeah. Leave ,or I'll take yours too."

It was an idle threat ,but the reaper's expression went from surprise to determination. "If you've got Jae's amulet ,he probably wants it back,"she said ,her slim hand reaching for it.

"Raven ,get away from her !"Hyun shouted. Frightened ,I backpedaled ,tripping over Young and landing on the long bench seat at the back. Face grim ,she followed. Sure ,she couldn't kill me again ,but she could drag me off.

People shouted ,and a blur darted between us. It was Hyun ,and I stared ,gaping as he suddenly stood before me and the dark reaper from under his wet curls. "She has Jae's amulet,"the dark reaper said ,and with a violet pulse from her amulet ,a blade was again in her hand. "She belongs to us."

What did she mean ,belongs to us ?I shrank back into the stiff cushions ,but Hyun had created his own blade ,pulled from the power of his amulet ,now glowing a violent orange.

The two clanged as they hit ,followed by a deep thrum echoing between my ears. From around us came the noise of frightened people scrambling back ,trying to get out of the way.

Swiftly ,Hyun stepped forward and swung his weapon against hers in a rasping spin ,violet and orange streaks of light marking their paths. The dark reaper's blade was torn from her hand ,arcing through the air to slide cleanly into the water with hardly a ripple.

Shocked ,she hunched over ,holding her wrist as if she had been stung. Her amulet was as dark as her expression. Someone swore a muffled oath of a question.

"Get back,"Hyun said. "I've heard of you ,Gabriella ,and you're out of your depth. Don't reap in my sphere. You'll fail every time."

The dark reaper's eyes narrowed. Jaw clenched ,she looked at Ana ,then me. "Something's not right. You know it. I hear it in the seraphs' songs,"she said ,and when Hyun's chin rose ,she dove into the water to retrieve her blade.

Seconds passed. The dark reaper didn't surface ,but if she was like Hyun ,she didn't need to breathe and was likely gone.

The guy in the blue shirt darted to the back of his boat and looked down. "Did you see that?"he said ,spinning from the water ,to us ,and the water again ,his eyes wide. "Did you freaking see that?"

Hyun took a breath to speak ,losing his mien of wrathful warrior on his exhale when he changed his mind. The light reaper's eyes met mine ,and I cringed when the silver sheen was replaced by worry.

From the corner of the boat ,Ana asked, "Did you just shove her in the water ?" Whoops. This might be kind of hard to explain. Hyun was staring at the sky ,his gaze clearly tracking the dispersing black wings.

Ana's expression became confused. "There was a girl,"she said ,sitting up. "She had black hair."Ana looked at Young. "And a knife. It was a knife ,wasn't it ? You saw it ,right ?"

Taking the towel from his head ,Young looked at the red stain and said, "I saw it." Hyun walked with perfect balance through the boat and dropped to one knee before Young.

"I didn't see anything." Still holding his amulet ,he peered into Young's eyes as he put the towel back against his cut. "You hit your head pretty hard. You feel okay ? How many fingers am I holding up ?"

Young didn't answer ,and I looked over the water ,avoiding Hyun's gaze. His eyes had gone silver again ,and I thought to look now would be a mistake. "Young hit his head,"Hyun said calmly.

"He needs to go to the dock and get it looked at." Like magic ,the gear and confusion turned to concern as everyone rearranged themselves on the two boats. My knees were shaking as Hyun got our boat started ,and in the sudden noise ,I leaned into him.

"They won't remember ?"I asked ,not realiszing he had the skill to change memories.