Reaper's Novice (Soul Collector #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Mom is back with a bang. My siblings have combined their efforts and are mad at me, which is quite refreshing after a two-year hiatus. By the look on Dad’s face, he’s lounging on seventh heaven, swathed in clouds. He’s here nonetheless. I want to punch the air, whoop, and dance around. Instead, I scoot away from the table, plant a kiss on Anton and Lucy’s foreheads—amid their glares—then round the table to where Mom has perched herself on Dad’s lap. She’s still watching me like a hawk, though. Dad seems more than content to have Mom cuddled into him. Seeing them like this reminds me of two spoons fitting each other perfectly.
    I lean down for a kiss from Mom, then Dad, hoping, come tomorrow, the public pawing will have toned down a notch. If my friends see this, I’ll never hear the end of it.
    “Goodnight, Silver,” Dad says, brushing a kiss on my forehead. He’s called me that since I was a toddler because I was born with silver-grey eyes. Later, they settled to light brown.
    I plod my way down the hallway, limbs heavy, heart soaring. At the bottom of the stairs, I pause and look over my shoulder one last time, before forcing my legs upstairs.
    When will Grim come for me? Will Dad and Mom ever find out what really happened today?
    I shove the questions aside and for the first time in as long as I can remember, retrieve my purple diary from the bottom desk drawer. After blowing the dust away, I flip to a fresh page and press my palm on the pages to flatten them, pen in hand. Grim reversed everything, and gave my family a fresh start—with an extra piling of romance for my parents. Given what happened during dinner, I’m the only one who knows this.
    I begin to scribble on the soft purple paper.
    Dear other self, my second chance at life began today. I won’t throw away this chance for anything. I promise.

 

    M ONDAY MORNING, after the four days off school, I make my way to the second lesson of the day: PE class. I join my classmates running laps on the track to warm up. Herr Schulz, our PE teacher and administrator of torture, is standing in the middle of the field, hands on his rotund waist, barking orders and frowning. Moments later, Schulz blows his whistle. Everyone halts in various phases of breathing, sweating furiously, and shuffles closer to him, keeping a healthy distance all the while. I weave my way in and out of the cluster of students and finally settle behind Niklas, the tallest boy in our class. And also the widest.
    In the first hour of class this morning, I had math. The only thing I remember are hazy lines and a formula the teacher scribbled on the board, which is bad because the dreaded finals are around the corner. I’m banking on Rolf to tutor me in math.
    I look around to find Reiner and Lea a few feet from where I stand, arguing heatedly. From the corner of my eye, I glimpse a movement. I look up to find Rolf grinning at me. He waves and winks, shifting from one foot to the other. I forget to breathe as I stare at him, taking in his tall, lean, well-toned frame. Sweet Mary, Jesus, and Joseph . If that smouldering look won’t kill me, my heart whacking itself inside the walls of my chest will.
    Rolf rakes a hand through his blond hair, and mouths, “I missed you.” He blows me a kiss. I remember to breathe, exhale, and grin back.
    This is the Rolf I remember falling in love with a year ago. Spending time with his dad in their summer cabin in Salzburg must have restored his usual disposition. I murmur a silent “thank you” to the gods of boyfriends as my eyes feast on Rolf’s face, basking in his slate-grey eyes.
    I’m sure I’m grinning idiotically, but I don’t care. It feels good to smile. I mouth back, “I missed you, too.” He shifts and slinks towards me, his eyes darting to Herr Schulz every few seconds.
    God, I’ve missed him. We haven’t seen each other in the last four days. I’m really looking forward to lunch break. The word ‘lunch’ triggers a