The Reaper Child: Book II [Child!Reader Protagonist]

~Chapter 7~

The explosion was much too loud for it to be a part of a dream. You shot upright in your bed, all sense of drowsiness gone in an instant. Your heart pounded as your eyes scanned the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but you did smell smoke.

You carefully climbed out of bed, your bare feet softly landing on the carpet. You peered out into the hallway and spotted smoke coming from downstairs.

Suddenly, the fire alarms blared around the whole house. Unable to bear how painfully loud it was, you pressed your palms as hard as you could against your ears. It was then you found yourself running down the stairs, where you somehow tripped on your own feet on the last step and tumbled forward onto the floor.

"Ow!" You exclaimed when your knees hit the ground. The impact did not feel good, but you were still fully mobile.

You looked to see that the source of the smoke was the kitchen, where you could see Grell half-walking, half-jogging out of there.

"(Y/N)!" Grell said when she spotted you on the floor in front of the staircase. She spoke in between coughs. "Stay where you are! Don't move!" She quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher that was located on the wall to the left of the staircase before rushing back into the kitchen.Though you couldn't see what it was that was on fire, you watched as Grell used the extinguisher in the kitchen.

Eventually, you saw Grell breath a sigh of relief, which was an indicator that the flames were gone. She walked back over to you.

"Are you alright, (Y/N)?" She asked you, helping you up.

"Yes," you replied.

"Okay. Let's sit outside for a bit and let the house air out." You nodded and held onto Grell's hand as she led the way out of the house.

Grell took you out into the front yard and took a seat on the grass. She patted the spot next to her, inviting you to sit by her. You did.

"Why was there a fire in the kitchen?" You asked your mother.

"That's just what happens whenever I use the stove, I'm afraid," Grell said with a sigh. "I don't even know how it happens! I simply turn on the heat and then before I know it, the house always nearly burns down.

"Because of this, Will forbids me from using the stove," she continued. "But I couldn't help myself! I wanted your first night here to be special so I tried to make Shepherds Pie for dinner." With a defeated groan, Grell fell backwards from her seated position onto the grass. When you looked at her face, sorrow was written all over it. All she did now was stare up at the now darkening sky.

She looked as though she was going to start crying at any moment.

Come to think of it, this was the first time you've ever seen Grell sad. The only moods you've seen her in were mostly rage and joy. But never said. Witnessing Grell's melancholy state filled your own soul with sorrow as well.

You wanted to make her feel better.

"I'm sure the pie will still taste good!" You reached over and squeezed Grell's hand. "I don't mind if it's a little burnt!"

"Oh darling, it's much more than a little burnt. Trust me, it will taste horrible." Grell looked over at you and smiled. "But thank you for trying." She pulled you toward her so that you were curled up at her size. After she gave you a squeeze, she sat up.

"I should call Will now..." She reached into her back pocket and grabbed out her cell phone. She dialed her husband's number.

"Hello, my love! I hope my handsome man is having a wonderful day at-" Grell paused for a moment. It sounded like she got interrupted. "Yes, something is wrong..." She said flatly. "Before I explain, could you pick up some dinner on your way back here from work...? Yes, I tried to use the stove again... I know we just bought it last month. Yes... I know it's the third replacement this year... I just wanted to make a nice dinner for (Y/N)'s first night here! So will you pick up dinner then...? Oh thank you! I love you, darling!" Grell finished the call off with a kissing sound before hanging up.

"Alright, even though this is not exactly what I had planned tonight, we'll at least have a hot meal tonight," Grell told you as she put her phone away. "Will is a bit cross with me at the moment, but he should get over it by the time he gets home. He can never be mad with me for too long. Even if he is, I have my own special way of cheering him up."

"What is it?" You asked curiously.

"Not telling you!" Grell grinned mischievously, showing off all of her sharp teeth. "Perhaps when you're older when that skill becomes useful, but even then you'll wish I hadn't told you." She gave you a wink.

You had no idea what she meant by that. But you didn't bother trying to investigate further.

Grell stood. "Come on, let's go back inside. It should be safe now."

You and Grell both headed back inside. It still smelled very strongly of smoke, but the air wasn't as toxic. You walked into the kitchen and saw the extremely charred pie that Grell tried to make earlier sitting on the stove top.

Just by looking at it, you knew Grell was right about it not tasting good. It hardly resembled a pie anymore. You were glad that you didn't have to eat it tonight.

"I had prepared everything perfectly," Grell said sadly as she opened the fridge and grabbed out a wine bottle. "The beef and the potatoes looked so delicious. It all went to waste when I put it in the oven. I don't even know how it burst into flames like that. But there is nothing we can do now..." She grabbed the ruined pie and tossed it in the trash. She then opened up one of the cabinets in the kitchen and grabbed out a glass.

"On the bright side, we at least have some time to kill," Grell said as she began to fill her glass, which she took with her back to the living room. She took a seat on the couch, using one of the blankets on it to curl up in. She then grabbed the remote. You followed shortly after. You climbed up on the couch and made yourself comfortable next to Grell.

She switched on the TV and began to slowly sip her wine as she began browsing through the channel. You didn't recognize the show on the channel that Grell settled with. But it appeared to be some sort of reality show.

"This is one of my favorite shows to watch," Grell said. "It plays every evening at this hour. The drama is addicting!"

And it was true. It wasn't long before the drama happened on TV. They were awful, but you couldn't stop watching even if you wanted to.

Deciding to get more comfortable, you grabbed a blanket nearest to you and wrapped it around yourself. The thickness of the extremely soft blanket warmed you almost instantly. Not just to the body, but your soul as well. You scooted closer to your mother and used her side as a pillow, as you both spent the rest of the time before dinner arrived watching TV.