Reaper

Chapter 12

When we got to the Ravencroft clearing, Will and Aiden almost immediately ran up to us. Aiden's aura was murky red and his face was scrunched up in anger while Will was obviously worried but seemed more calm than our brother.

"Anna, where have you been?" Aiden demanded. "Will and I have been looking for you."

She looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, Aiden. I was looking for Morgana."

"Why on Earth were you looking for Morgana?" he asked. His voice lost some of its anger but it still sounded frustrated.

"I wanted to talk to her."

"Anna," Will said gently, "I've told you before that you can't just run off like that. You have to tell someone where you're going so we know where you are."

"I know but you and Aiden were busy and I couldn't find Mother or Father," Anna protested.

"What about Grandmother?"

"I couldn't find her," Anna mumbled.

"She's been in her library all day," Aiden grumbled. His arms were crossed over his chest and while he no longer seemed angry, he appeared tense. A thin, dark red line shone around him while a dull grey line surrounded Will. "She's always in her library."

"I don't like to go into the library," Anna protested.

"It's just a library, Anna. The scariest thing in there is Grandmother's old books," Aiden said.

"I don't like it in there."

Aiden sighed. "Anna-"

"Aiden, there's no point in arguing with her," Will muttered. He looked at Anna. "Now why were you looking for Morgana?" She didn't answer, choosing to stare down the ground instead. "Anna, just talk to us. Please?"

"She's worried," I blurted out. Aiden's eyebrow rose up and he opened his mouth to speak but I spoke before he could say anything. "She's worried about Thomas. Anna thinks that he doesn't seem like himself and-"

"Thomas isn't happy!" Anna cried. Will looked at her, surprised at her outburst. "He hasn't been happy since he argued with Morgana. I know it just happened yesterday, but he isn't happy."

"How do you know about that?" Will asked.

Anna sighed and looked up, her dark grey eyes looking back and forth at each of us. "I was eavesdropping on them."

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"I was eavesdropping," she repeated. "I heard that Will had gotten hurt and I wanted to help."

"You wouldn't have been able to help," Aiden said.

"I just wanted to see if he was okay, Aiden," Anna retorted. "Will's my brother too. I'm allowed to see if he's okay when he gets hurt." 

"Anna," Will said gently, "Did you follow Morgana when she came to check on me?" She nodded. "Why didn't you tell anyone where you were going?"

"I'm eight years old. I don't need to tell anyone where I'm going," she grumbled.

I knelt down. "You could have gotten hurt and no one would have known where you were." I tucked a piece of dark hair behind her ear. "Anna, you can't just disappear, even if you're following one of us."

"I just wanted to help," Anna said in a quiet voice.

"I know but you worry us when you disappear like that."

"You always find me though," she murmured. "Will and Thomas always find me. Thomas hasn't looked for me though because he's sad."

"He looked happy when he was here last night," Aiden said.

"He's faking. I can tell that he's not really happy."

Aiden and I looked at Will and he sighed. "She's right," he said. "I talked with him last night as well as this morning and he hasn't been in a very good mood." I stood as Will met my gaze. "He feels guilty for not telling you sooner."

"Wait, tell her what?" Aiden asked.

I felt my eyes widen a little. "Wait, did Thomas not tell you after I left?"

He shook his head. "No, he didn't. After you left, he followed after you. What exactly was he supposed to tell me?"

"He's  a sunbeam," Will explained. "They're like reapers but... opposite."

"What do you mean by opposite?" Anna's eyes were filled with a mix of curiosity and confusion. "What are reapers?" 

"Reapers are able to control shadows and see auras. Sunbeams are similar but instead of being able to control shadows, they're able to control sunlight."

"That's so cool!" Anna exclaimed. "Why didn't Thomas tell us?"

"He doesn't like people knowing about it," Will said.

"Why not? It sounds so cool to have-" she started to say.

"It's not as nice as it seems, Anna," I interrupted.

Will looked at Anna. "It's difficult to learn how to control, whether you're a reaper or a sunbeam. It can take years for someone to learn how to completely control their abilities."

"Are you one of them, Morgana?" Anna asked.

I hesitated. I wasn't sure if Anna needed to know that I was a reaper. Will and I shared a quick look and I finally looked at Anna.

"I'm a reaper," I said slowly.

"That's so cool," Anna breathed.

"It's dangerous sometimes; that's what it is," Aiden said, his eyes darkening. "Having abilities like this can be dangerous at times."

"What's so dangerous about it?" Anna asked, obviously frustrated. "You can do almost anything that you want."

"There are people that don't want us to have our abilities. They're hunters," Aiden retorted.

"Why don't they want you to have your abilities?"

"I don't know, Anna. They just don't." Both Anna and Aiden were getting more frustrated the longer that they argued but before I could say anything, Anna spoke again.

"Why won't you just tell me the truth?" Anna asked angrily. I watched as her aura turned a murky red, matching Aiden's. "Stop lying to me, Aiden!" She stomped her foot as she spoke and the ground started to shake. I looked at Will and he met my gaze, his eyes wide. He shook his head, letting me know that he wasn't the one causing it. I looked back at Anna, who was looking down at the ground, her eyes wide as well. Rocks started to burst out of the ground at her feet, but they were shiny and different colors.

"Anna's doing it," I breathed. It must be tied to her emotions. Her anger at Aiden is causing this. I knelt down next to her. "Anna, you need to calm down," The ground kept shaking, almost knocking me down, but I managed to keep my balance. "I know that you're angry at Aiden but he was doing it to protect you. Sometimes you have to lie to protect the people that you care about." The ground slowly stopped shaking and I continued, "I can't promise that we can tell you everything right away, but I can promise that we will eventually tell you everything." I watched her aura shift to a bright yellow as the ground finally stopped shaking and stood still again.

"I'm sorry," Anna said quietly before fainting, falling towards me. I caught her and looked at my brothers.

"I think we need to talk to Grandmother," Aiden said, looking at Anna.

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What do you guys think of Anna's strange abilities?

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