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“Tevin, you were once a Child-of-Balance yourself.”
    My eyes flared. “You are mistaken. I am an Ashen, a reaper of death, a daemon, always have been and always will be. I have no past memory of living like that.” Using my arm and scythe to make a point, I motioned to the Vessel on the bed.
    Rae-Lynn walked toward her daughter and took her hand. “All children born with Balance are required to make a choice when they reach the age of maturity. An entity representative from one of the Houses will explain how their powers could benefit in keeping the unions of their House balanced. The child then makes a choice to serve one of the three: the House of Light, Space or Time.” Cheeks flushed with impatience. She huffed. “Obviously, I’m not getting through your thick, Ashen skull.”
    “What does that have to do with me?”
    “Dear Reaper, I am trying to explain it to you. Once upon a time an entity closed in on you, offering immortality to use your talent for the good of their House. But you made the choice to trade your life for an eternal existence wrapped in death.”
    Hanging my head from the weight of our conversation, it was too much to absorb on an empty stomach. The back of my cloak flowed over my body. I felt the hood weave together, covering my brow in shadow. Eyes burning with indigo cast a glow within the cloak’s hood. I urged her on. “So you are saying…”
    Rae-Lynn’s hair framed her face in a cascade of fire red and sunshine gold strands. She whipped her head around to grab my attention as she latched onto my challenging glare. “I’m saying you were once like her.”
    None of it made any sense. The headache was blurring my vision, along with the added confusion of the conversation. Having more questions than answers, getting pissed was predictable.
    I slammed the scythe down in front of her and raised my voice. “So, what are you really saying, angel?”
    Blinking several times to regain her composure, then for reassurance, Rae-Lynn quickly glanced at her daughter. Steeling herself, she focused on my cloaked form. “How many times do I have to explain? You really were once a Child-of-Balance. Your Vessel form died. Now as a daemon, you tend to the dead.”
    Shock and denial ran through my veins. “I was never human.” The unpleasant taste of the word human caused a gagging sensation in my throat.
    Rae-Lynn swished a thin finger back and forth in front of my face. She spoke with a hint of pity, her lips full of pout. “Once human… now daemon… forever a cursed child hiding behind death-laced lies.”

 
2
     
    When I took his hand
    It felt so familiar…
    When I stole a glance
    His eyes felt like strength…
    When I held a breath
    Seconds felt like minutes…
    When I welcomed its embrace
    I felt death dancing… with me.
    ~Alexcia
     
    Seven twenty-three in the evening and I glared at the LED lights on the clock as my brain hummed the familiar Jeopardy tune. Struggling for time, I tripped over discarded boots, other shoes, and handbags. With eight minutes to impress, late Lex-Cee strikes again. Friday and Saturday nights were normally like this if work permitted. It was an extra bonus when my parents were away due to their work schedules. To fill the void of their absence, I toted a pretty crammed schedule. I excelled at making every mundane minute in my life count, the need to spread myself among two lists was a challenge. A have to list was scribbled in pencil and split between serving my junior year prison sentence, and my job at the local coffee house, called the Sip ’N Chug. The other list, my priority want to list, penned in ink, of course, for friend time or the next group social. I may not act it at times, but I managed to skip a whole grade. For me, planning was the only way to feel a sense of stability.
    I stood in front of the mirror, inspecting the new silver skirt as it shimmered with the glow of the black lights. Pleased with the loosely curled strands of blond that