Dead Girl Walking Read Online Free PDF Page A

pounding in her chest. Wynter was right; she was alive again. Leila tried to stand up, but Violetta gently pushed her shoulders back down.
    “You can thank us later. In the meantime, you need to learn to look more like a commoner than a princess.”
    “I know how to go in disguise.” It was what she'd done twice a week for over a year, sneaking off with Larkin.
    “Well, your disguise sucks. Don't get me wrong. It's a better one now with that new face.” Violetta pointed at Leila. “No one will believe you were ever going to be queen, but I assure you, you won't blend in unless we teach you how to act, dress, and behave like a commoner.”
    Leila glanced down at her bloody attire. She still had the same outfit she'd been reaped in. Violetta was right; she needed to change clothes. “All right. I'll accept your help.”
    “Don't seem so ungrateful.” Violetta gestured for Emblyn to grab a fresh change of clothes from the wardrobe. After Leila changed, Violetta added a touch of makeup and then looked her over. “Perfect.”
    Leila examined her new self in the mirror. Stunning. She wasn't a princess anymore and hardly looked like royalty, but she still found herself feeling beautiful. Perhaps that was what Violetta had been attempting to accomplish all along.
    “Any questions?” Emblyn asked.
    Leila stared at her new reflection in the mirror. It was peculiar to see a different set of eyes staring back at her. “A thousand.”
    “Well, I'm not sure we have time for all of them,” Emblyn said, “but come and have a seat.”
    Leila glanced at her new reflection one last time before coming to sit on the sofa with Emblyn. Violetta took a seat across from the couch. “What do I do exactly? I mean as a reaper. How does it work?”
    “Well, your scroll works specifically for you and no one else. It will give you the name of the person going to die, their age, location, and time of death. The information helps us narrow down the reap. The last thing you want to do is reap the wrong person. Trust me, Edon gets mad if you do that.”
    Violetta chimed in, “Once you have a name, you have to physically touch the person to reap them, like Edon touched you.”
    Leila remembered him touching her hand. “What if someone is wearing gloves?”
    Emblyn answered. “It doesn't matter. We can reap through a fur coat in winter if we have to. Our reaps aren't always in our vicinity. Although we're always given adequate time to get there.”
    “How far do we have to travel?” Leila asked.
    “No more than a day by horse,” Emblyn said. “Wynter and Jasper had to go by boat once for a reap across the Jade Sea. It's pretty rare to travel that far. We get enough deaths in our own vicinity; we don't need to travel very far to reap a person's soul.”
    Leila sighed. It was still a lot to take in. She needed to check on Mara and make sure her sister was all right. She wouldn't be able to do that with Emblyn and Violetta watching her every move.
    “Vacation's over.” Violetta flashed her scroll toward Leila. “I've got a reap and you get to watch how it's done.” Violetta stood up. “Lucky for us, it's not too far from here. Twenty-three-year-old Adam Losenko will drown in the Jade Sea off the coast of Morro.”
    Leila was familiar with Morro. She’d visited once or twice with her father. Morro was a kingdom east of Casmerelda where Astin Stafford resided. Along the Jade Sea, its land was nothing like Casmerelda. Beaches lined the eastern coast with mountains to the north. “It gives that much detail?”
    “Not always. Beginner’s luck, I guess.” Violetta saddled up and waited for Leila to ride with her. “We're teaching you to ride a horse first thing tomorrow.”
    “Why can't we get a carriage?” she fussed.
    “Only the royal and wealthy have carriages, which neither of us are. You'll learn to ride, just like the rest of us.” Violetta took off with Leila gripping her from behind.
    Approaching the ocean, they slowed.