Accidents Made Right 1: Pistanthrophobia

Chapter 5: Manipulative Truths

45 minutes later

I loaded the wagon with full buckets next to the garage, then skipped gleefully up the porch steps and into the house.

I couldn't believe it. I had my first crush! Or at least I thought I did.

Once I closed the door behind me, I turned around and saw my father standing just a couple feet behind me.

"Where were you," he asked with a disapproving stare.

"I-I..."

"You don't need to answer. I already know."

"H-huh?"

He started pacing from the side of the stairs to the shoe closet next to the front door, and explained "I know about your mother's plan to 'redeem' me and unite our families. And I also know about your crush on Steve."

"B-but... I just met h-him. Y-you haven't e-even seen me w-with him."

"Let me tell you something, son," he said as he put his hand on my back and we started walking to the back deck behind the house.

"Me and your mother have already hinted about my true nature, but I decided I should let you know the truth now."

He opened a sliding glass door, and we walked onto the deck to see a large, unnatural crater that spread for miles. Also, directly above the porch, was the twin mountains which crossed each other.

"You see, I am not human, at all. In fact, I am actually what is called a Grim Reaper, a being able to manipulate magic and dead souls. And long ago, before even the creation of this universe, I launched a plan, one that most wouldn't agree with."

"W-why?"

"Because it's selfish beyond reasoning. But... that's pretty much the point."

"H-huh?"

Ignoring my confusion, he explained "The Grim Reapers relied on fortune-telling, and were completely obsessed with it. We even found a way to see the fate of our realm."

"Y-you're from another r-realm?"

"Yes. And as I was saying... one day, I went to the sage, a very old, female Grim Reaper who was what everybody came to for fortunes. Sort of like an oracle."

...

"W-what did she t-tell you?"

"A story for another day. But just know this. The both of us... we were born evil."

"I-I'm not evil. And, what about Alexander?"

"Let me show you something," he said as he pulled down the top of his plain, black shirt to reveal a Black Dahlia flower birthmark on his chest, which, while it symbolized many bad things, overall it symbolized evil, dishonesty, and betrayal.

After processing the birthmark, I asked "So... t-the reason why Alex isn't e-evil is b-because he d-doesn't have a flower b-birthmark?"

"Not exactly, it is a symbol that shows we are, well, the way we are, but it's not the direct reason."

"B-but... Steve... he h-had a flower birthmark."

"What kind of flower?"

"A-A Gardenias birthmark, I t-think."

"A flower that symbolizes family and wisdom... yes. A pure flower, proving his connection to a different group of people."

"T-then... w-why do I have m-my other birthmark?"

"You are connected to both groups. By the way, do you ever hear voices inside your head? Namely, voices that call themselves Hope and Fear?"

"Y-yeah."

"I thought so. Those voices are connected to the two groups of people: Hope to the pure flowers and Fear to the impure flowers."

"S-so... you hear F-Fear inside your h-head?"

"No, not anymore. My connection is too strong for me to hear Fear."

"W-what is that c-connection, exactly? A-and how come your connection is t-too strong for y-you to hear y-your voice?"

"That's also something I can't tell you yet. They're both the same reason, but... again, I can't say what that reason is. You aren't ready."

"O-oh. I... guess t-that makes sense."

"Now, before you go... I have something to ask of you," he informed as he turned to me, looking into my eyes.

"Continue to meet with Steve. Get to know him. Get him to trust you. Can you do that?"

"S-sure," I said as enthusiastically as I could before running inside the house.

Robert waited a couple minutes to make sure I was out of listening range, then, he turned back to the crater and chuckled to himself.

"Human kids. Even when they're half-Grim Reaper, they're still incredibly easy to manipulate, even when you're telling them the truth."

"Hell, now that I think about it, human adults are still pretty easy to manipulate. And then there's those two... sure, they're Knumans, but even Knumans aren't as smart as Grim Reapers."

God, I love this villain. Anyways... Stuffs face full of popcorn.