Reaper Chronicles: Reformed

Chapter Five - Food Offering

Chapter Five - Food Offering
Riley

The cotton and polyester sheets of my bed were lightly rubbing against my left calf and the sole of my right foot as I threw my baseball up into the air and catching it as it fell. What was with her and the ice? I watched it go up Why is she so quiet? and back down. How is it that I didn't know about her earlier? I smoothed my thumb over the grips and shifted my hold to give the ball a spin as I threw it up again. Is she even hu-

"Oof! Ro, what the hell? Get off me, you're heavy!" My dumbass brother freaking jumped me!

Ro sported a pout. "What? I can't try to scare my favorite sister when she's completely zoned out? I've been trying to tell you that dinner's ready for past few of minutes."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "Try calling me that in front of Rachel. Now get off me, you oaf!" I tried to push him off but he has a good grip on the side of my bed. "Come on, I thought you said that dinner is ready? Dad will kill us if we make them wait."

Roland let out a huff before reluctantly getting off me. "So what's gotten into that big head of yours?"

"My head is not big, you're just tiny," I said, sending him a quick glare before looking down at my feet with a sigh as I slid on my slippers. "It's just... How do you know if you've found your mate?"

For a moment, I didn't look back up as I waited for his answer.

"You just know." He paused for a moment and lifted my chin so he could meet my eyes, "You'll just know when you meet her. It may not be as obvious as reading a sign plastered on someone's forehead; it could be as subtle as a slight tug of a string tied to your pinky for all we know. You may not be able to realize it's her straight off the bat but you'll know when the time is right."

I stared at my brother for a moment. "You know, I'm not used to listening to you talk like that. I can't take you seriously." Well, there goes his face.

"Oh, come on! I was actually trying here. Were you just pulling my leg this whole time?"

"Yup!" I bolted out of my room and shut the door before he could get out and screamed "Race you down stairs, Ro!" I honestly wasn't but I'm not telling him that.

-*-*-*-

When I got to the mess hall, the first thing I heard from Richard Jr. was "Ry, where's Ro?"

"I left him in my room with Shark and the others and ran down here as fast as I could."

"Riley, no fair, you cheated!" Ro's voice came from down the hall.

"And there he is now." I turned to face him just as he came into the noisy mess hall. "Ro, what took you so long? I thought Shark ate you," I said with a cheeky grin plastered to my face.

"I can never understand why you keep a school of piranhas for pets." He shook his head as if he really meant it.

"You just don't like the fact that Shark hates your guts." The frown on his face was priceless. It was obvious that he was remembering how Shark would snap at him whenever he came close to his side of the tank. Then again, all of them except Sophie would snap at anyone who goes near them that isn't me or mom. Shark is just the worst.

"Riley, Roland, both of you shut up." Junior cut off whatever Ro was about to say and turned away heading to his designated seat.