Grim Crush (Grimly Ever After) by S.L. Bynum Read Free Book Online Page B

had made an imaginary friend. What a disaster that would have been.
    Shilah was coming out of the house to get more groceries. Panicking, I ducked beside the SUV, opposite from the side Shilah was walking around.
    He grabbed the last grocery bag in the trunk and shut it. I held my breath the whole time as he walked back into the house. When there was no more sign of him, I exhaled and straightened.
    I walked around the SUV, thinking I’d take a walk back to Chad’s Cliff while I waited for my next reaping assignment. I ended up stepping into the path of an elderly woman with a cane, who was just coming up the sidewalk leading to Shilah’s house. She had gray hair hanging down to her knees, and her wrinkled skin was a dark caramel color. Her gray eyes stared straight into mine, like Shilah’s did.
    I started to walk away, but then the woman said, “They couldn’t see you, could they?”
    I froze, and my mouth dropped open. After a second, I composed myself and said, “Uh…what do you mean?”
    The old woman shuffled forward, stooped over her cane. “I know what you are. You’re a grim reaper.”
    My eyes bulged. “How…how did you know?”
    “Because I was watching you as I came up the road. My son and daughter-in-law couldn’t see you. But why did you hide from my grandson?”
    I was still in shock over finding another human who could see me. “H-he can see me too. I’ve been talking to him lately, and…I wanted to know if anyone else could see me like he can.”
    The elderly put a gnarled finger to her chin, thinking. “Ah. I thought there was something special about Shilah. Interesting. So, I guess you’ve accomplished your mission then. Here I am.”
    “Yeah…do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
    She glanced toward Shilah’s house. “They aren’t expecting me for another hour. I was coming over early just for the heck of it. But if you’ll come with me, I can talk to you safely at my house. It’s just down the street.” She turned and started hobbling away.
    I stood frozen for a moment. After three years of reaping (two solo years), this being-seen-by-humans thing was hard to get used to. Being seen by one human was unbelievable, two was unthinkable. At least I was finally about to get some answers.
    I jogged to catch up to the old woman, then continued walking by her side. “Uh, my name is Xia, by the way.”
    “Xia. Beautiful reaper name,” Shilah’s grandmother complimented. “Death has a way of picking the strangest ones, but they’re all nice.”
    “Thanks. What should I call you ?”
    “My name is Anna.” She grinned. “Shilah made up the cutest nickname for me. He calls me Granna.”
    I smiled too. “I like that. Can I call you that?”
    “Sure.”
    We found ourselves at another rickety house a minute later, this one yellow. On the porch, an elderly man sat in a rocking chair. He was bald, with dark age spots on his bronze head.
    “I thought you went next door?” he said, peering at Granna through round eyeglasses.
    “I remembered I forgot my shawl. You know how cold they keep that house sometimes. Be ‘bout to freeze an old woman’s bones.” Granna dropped her voice to a whisper then, leaning toward me. “Marshall here can’t see reapers either.”
    I nodded, and helped Granna climb the stairs leading up to the porch.
    Once we were inside the house, Granna gestured at an old decorative couch in the living room. “Have a seat.”
    I went over and obeyed, sinking deep into the cushioning. I looked around as I did, and it felt like I’d stepped into a room dedicated to my father/boss. There were skull decorations everywhere I turned, hanging on the walls and sitting on the table and shelves. There was even a miniature statue of a black-robed figure holding a scythe, and there were dead stuffed animals, from a squirrel to a mouse. I also spotted bone fragments, strings of animal teeth, and items with large feathers. There was a slightly rancid smell in the air.