Death's Lullaby

Chapter 20

"Rise and shine Cain! We both overslept and the bus is going to be here in five minutes!" Joe yelled from the hall. When Death heard this he thought nothing of it at first. He thought he was dreaming, until reality sunk in. Death's eyes popped open and he jumped out of bed. He threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt. He put on his gloves and thanked the weather for getting colder. Death ran to his door and then looked at the drawer where he had stashed the List? Should he take it with him? No, it wasn't necessary. They'd believe him when he took off his gloves.

"Grab something for breakfast," Joe stated. Death retrieved an apple from the bowl on the counter and began to munch on it.

"We need to talk when you get home from school today Cain," Joe said.

"About what?"

"I heard you come in late last night, and I know your a teenager and everything but you can't be coming in during the late hours of the night when you have school the next day,"

Death heard the bus getting closer to the house. He looked out the window and saw it was close to his drive. He looked back at Joe.

"I'll explain everything when I get home. I promise," Death stated. Joe looked at him skeptically but nodded anyways. Death grabbed his bag and sprinted to the end of the drive.

"I wouldn't have left you. I saw you coming down the drive," the bus driver told him. Death nodded and made his way to the back seat and sat next to Adrian.

"Morning," Adrian said behind his book.

"Morning," Death said a little out of breath.

"Got your gloves on again?"

"When Dante gets on I need to tell you two something and it has to do with why I'm wearing these gloves,"

Adrian looked at him oddly. A few minutes later the bus rolled to a stop and Dante boarded the bus. Both boys noticed he had a knit cap on his head covering his hair. Adrian raised his brow at him and Death was torn between not asking about the hat and ripping it off his head. Dante looked at the two of them and took his hat off. Death did everything in his power to not laugh. Adrian on the other hand laughed so loud that a few people looked behind them to stare at the three boys.
"Dude what happened to your hair?" Death asked.

"My sister and her friend. That's what happened," Dante grumbled. Dante's usual brown hair was now a variety of colors with glitter in a few spots. He could see green, purple, blond, red, pink, blue, and some of his natural brown color left.

"You can stop laughing now. It's not funny anymore," Dante said to Adrian. He eventually stopped laughing and stared out the window so he didn't have to look at Dante's hair anymore.

"Gloves. Again?" Dante asked. Death took a deep breath and looked at his two friends.

"Yea, and there's a reason behind why I wear these gloves, and it's not because it's getting cold outside," Death said looking at Dante for the last part. He shut his mouth and looked at Death, waiting for the rest of his explanation.

"My name isn't Cain. My real name is Death,"

Dante and Adrian looked at him oddly. He waited for one of them to say something.

"Well no wonder you changed your name. I wouldn't want to be known as Death," Dante stated. Death sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No. That's not what I meant. I am Death. You know the thing that collects people's souls and sends them to their final resting place? That's me,"

Dante and Adrian still looked very confused. Dante got out his phone and typed something in. He then showed the other two a picture of a grim reaper.