Grim and Bear It
Chapter Three

Jake

My heart thundered so loud I could no longer hear the music. Every inch of my skin prickled with sweat. My lungs burned and I gasped for air. Holy shit, what had just happened?

Poppy? My Poppy was...a reaper? I reached down and picked up a purple sequin on the floor. I hadn't been hallucinating. She'd really been here.

I didn't scare easily. Didn't jump when the toaster popped, didn't panic when snow was forecasted. I'd been more angry than scared when Mina had crashed her truck and tried to die on me last spring.

Haunted houses and horror movies were mundane a good thing, too, since I lived with a ghost-but staring at the space where Poppy had stood? Something inside me was irreparably broken. Was this real life? She looked exactly the same, except not.

She still had long, dark hair, gray eyes, and fair skin, but nothing that made her Poppy. Her smile was gone, the light behind her eyes extinguished. As if her face was only a mask.

I swallowed hard, knowing that's probably exactly what it was. She'd been dead for twelve years. She didn't have a real human face anymore.

"Jesus," I whispered, rubbing the back of my neck. I leaned against the wall and took several gulps of air. Poppy was dead. Not only dead, but also a grim reaper. And I could see her.

I could see her.

I counted out each inhale and exhale, trying to steady my breathing. Poppy had been the reason I'd joined SHAP. I had spent the last twelve years trying to piece clues together about her disappearance. I never found a trace. Not a death certificate, no social media presence, no school records, nothing.

I'd assumed she was in witness protection. How else could she just disappear completely? I'd never thought... I should've... I couldn't have. Access to grim reaper records were above my paygrade. I worked with the living. She worked for the dead.

I sucked in another sharp breath to clear the stinging in my throat and pinched at the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my eyes from watering. I needed to keep it together. I couldn't fall apart for several more hours. "Uncle Jake!"

I startled as my eight-year-old niece, Daisy, ran at me and wrapped her hands around my waist. "You promised to come dance with me!"

"I did, didn't I?" I managed, then took a deep breath in through my nose and out through my mouth. "Uncle Jake doesn't break his promises. Let's go." I wanted to go clear my head, needed to take a minute or ten to figure out what the hell was going on, but I couldn't disappoint Daisy. There would be plenty of time after the wedding.

My niece bounced on the balls of her feet all the way to the dance floor and waved with both arms at the DJ. The DJ waved back. Only eight and already elaborately planning. I had my work cut out for me.

As I looked down at the smiling girl, I was struck by another realization-Eliza had named her daughter after a flower. Had that been because Eliza's mom, my stepmom, was named Magnolia? Or was that because Poppy's disappearance had left a deep scar on her, too?

"This one's a special request," the DJ announced, then the opening accordion to "The Chicken Dance" boomed over the speakers.

"Come on, Uncle Jake!" Daisy ordered.

"Did you know 'The Chicken Dance' used to be called 'The Duck Dance'?" I asked her, a trivia fact I had picked up on a sleepless night watching bad game shows.

She just shook her head at me while opening and closing her hands, simulating a chicken's beak. "You can't talk your way out of dancing."

I tucked my cane under my arm and moved my hands in the opposite direction. "Is this right?"

"No!" she giggled, turning my hands over. "Like this. Now we flap our arms."

"Kick our legs?"

She dissolved into more laughter as she showed me the correct moves. I hated this dance, but it was worth it to see her smile. I loved being an uncle. I couldn't wait until this investigation was done and I could concentrate on helping her grow into her powers.

If I was still alive. My stomach tightened and I gulped in a breath to keep my focus on Daisy. I looked up at the sound of cheering, spotting Eliza, Mina, and Carma recording us on their cells. Mina was like another sister, but one who didn't get to experience a true childhood. Who had used her gifts too soon, too young, and was still learning how to navigate the world as someone other than a cog in the SHAP machine.

I wouldn't let that happen to Daisy.

Daisy tugged on my sleeve, then jumped on my back. I clenched my jaw to not let out a string of expletives at the pain that shot through my leg at the extra weight. We'd done this dance move a dozen times, but usually I hadn't fought a bunch of drug dealers only hours before.

It had been back when I had more good days with my leg than bad ones, and the cane had been occasionally instead of frequently. Poppy's face flashed behind my eyes and I forgot my leg. If things were about to go wrong, I wanted this memory, wanted Daisy to have this memory.

Her knees dug into my ribs as she threw her hands up high above her head and laughed. I laughed along with her. This was worth the pain.

Then, as if to remind me I was breakable, my leg buckled. I lowered my cane and caught myself, throwing my other hand around my back to keep Daisy from falling.

Eliza rushed over, grabbed her daughter around the waist, and spun her around. "It's my turn to dance with Uncle Jake!"

I straightened, swallowing hard as the sharp pain dulled to a throbbing.

"Daisy, come dance with me!" Mina called.

My niece scrambled to the ground and darted toward Mina. "Let's go get more cake."

Mina grimaced. She hated cake. "I heard there's also pie. Want to try some pie?"

Daisy grabbed her hand. "Both is good."

Eliza laughed and grabbed my free hand. "Let's sit down and grab some ice for your leg.'

"Dance with me a second." Maybe I could give my sister one more happy memory of me, too. Just in case.

"You've overdone it. I can see it in your face."

"I can rest tomorrow," I promised.

She sighed and put her other hand on my shoulder. "We can stand still here for a few minutes."

"Can I ask you a question?"

She grinned. "Since when do you ask permission to butt into my life?"

"I'm feeling magnanimous tonight."

She rolled her eyes. "You can ask me anything. You know that."

"Did you name Daisy after a flower because of Poppy?"

She stilled, her gaze snapping to mine. "You still think about her?"

I nodded once. "Hard not to, here."

"Yeah." She looked around the room once, as if looking for her old friend. "I wish I knew... I keep combing social media, hoping she'll pop on. I just want to know if she's happy, you know? I looked through the SHAP database a few years ago, but nothing came up."

Grim reapers, despite being supernatural creatures, weren't always individually cataloged in the SHAP system. They didn't spend much time in the human world, and when they were here, they were just shepherding souls. Or attending weddings, apparently.

Eliza's eyes met mine. "To answer your question...yes. It had only been a few years since she'd disappeared and I dunno, I just thought it carried on the legacy of our friendship somehow. Plus, it made Mom happy, keeping with the flower theme." She laughed softly. "I'm ridiculous."

I lifted my arm and she twirled. "No, you're pretty awesome," I admitted when she returned. "I miss her, too."

"Maybe nothing bad will happen after this wedding. I mean, outside of the bloodstain."

"That's the dream." My voice was steady, despite the anxiety that poked at the top of my stomach. I wanted to tell her about Poppy, but then it would be real. Tomorrow. I'd tell her tomorrow.

As the song ended, I squeezed her hand. "Want to go replace some more cake?"

She squeezed my shoulder then dropped her arms. "I thought you'd never ask."

So we ate cake, and I watched Eliza and Daisy dance the Macarena and Mina and Carma slow dance like they were the only ones in the room. And when we finally said goodnight to the bride and the groom, I believed for one moment everything was going to be okay. How could something bad infiltrate such a wonderful evening?

"There you are!" Magnolia called, rushing over as we opened the front door. "Family dinner next weekend."

Mina and Carma walked up from behind, and as if she had eyes in the back of her head and I was pretty sure she did-Magnolia spun around and grabbed Carma's arm. "You, too, honey!"

Carma looked startled. "But I'm not family."

Magnolia gave her a pointed stare. "You love my goddaughter?"

"With my whole heart." Carma hadn't even paused.

"Then you're family. See you next Sunday." Magnolia blew us kisses and walked to her car.

"No offense, but she scares me," Carma whispered.

Eliza threw her head back and laughed. "She definitely should've worked for SHAP."

I winked at her. "Don't worry, we'll protect you." Poppy's terrified face flashed in front of my eyes and the words felt like a lie.

Carma wrapped her arm around Mina's waist. "Don't worry, my girl's got my back." Mina's cheeks turned pink as she leaned over and brushed a kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

I tried to memorize this moment, tried to internalize when things didn't go to plan, it still sometimes turned out okay. Despite the pain these two had gone through over the last few months, they'd found a new path with each other. Mina no longer had that soul-deep exhaustion weighing down every movement and Carma didn't look like she was two seconds away from bursting into tears.

If something happened to me, they'd be okay. Eliza and Daisy would have Dad and Magnolia. Sebastian materialized next to me and tilted his head to the side. I fell back two steps. "Everything okay?"

He put his top hat on his head. "Jacob, how were you talking with Poppy?"

I startled. How did he even know Poppy? I looked around, checking for people listening in. Magnolia had spies everywhere. "We'll talk at home."

"Yes, I suppose we will."

To: [email protected] From: [email protected] Fletcher, Your request to begin human experimentation with Vixen has been reviewed and approved as long as supply holds. Unfortunately, another liquid reserve was decimated by Agent Robinson and his team two hours ago and the labs are still working on replenishing. While it is a regrettable choice to directly interact with SHAP, I think it is time we send Agent Robinson a warning. Please do so at your earliest convenience.

Somerset