The Reaper Trials

Chapter 2: Roommates Suck Just As Much As English Class.

I turn the key to my apartment and push the door open. I am hit with the smell of sage and basil. Oh my god, that smells horrible. I shut the door behind me and quickly cross the living room. I pull my sleeve up and cover my mouth and nose with it. It’s so strong. I pull open the window and move the box fan into the window, making it blow out of the room. I throw my bag onto the couch and pull open the door of the kitchen. On top of the stove sat two pots, one full of basil and the other sage. I hurriedly turned of the burners and moved the pots onto the other burners. This was Grimms doing, he always does this when I’m at school.

As I search the kitchen for extra jars and bottles, I mumble, “Gods damn it Grimm. This is not how exorcisms work. This is the third time you’ve tried to get rid of Cecilia and you still haven’t learned. Seriously, you’re a demon for crying out loud. You should know these things.”

A calm voice chimes in, “I’m only a half-demon, remember?” I turn to see Grimm standing in the doorway.

“You were trying to get rid of Cecilia again, weren’t you?” I ask, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

He stood, combining his midnight blue hair and pulling up his jeans. Grimm walked past me and pulled two large jars from the top of the fridge and set them by the stove. “She wouldn’t stop bugging me about my job so I thought I’d use that to scare her off for a while. I know it wouldn’t do much, your grandma use to do this to make her house smell nicer.” He started back out of the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway and glanced back, saying, “Oh, and we have company by the way.” I let out a frustrated sigh and push the jars to the back of the counter.

I exit the kitchen and stomp after Grimm. “May I ask whom our guest is?” I ask, throwing my beanie onto the couch.

He stops in front of his door and says, “Mabel’s in the craft room trying to sort your paint.”

“God damn. She knows it’s just going to get all messed up again,” I mumble. I pass him in the hall and open the door to the craft room. The short, blonde haired girl sat in the corner of the room, digging through a dresser. The paint covered dresser held a strange assortment of fabrics and ribbons.

Mabel pulls out a tangled clump of thin ribbon and mumbles to herself, “How does this even happen? It’s just ribbon?”

“It’s shitty ribbon, that’s what it is.”

Mabel sits up quickly in shock and turns, “Oh, Madd! You scared me.”

“Sorry.” I walk towards her and take the clump of ribbon from her. She smiles, a warm glow coming from her bright blue eyes, and opposite to her sisters brown ones.

She continues to go through the dresser while asking, “Grimm let me in, he was mumbling something about ghosts? Are you guys okay?”

I start undoing the knots and answer, “Yeah, we’re good. He’s just having trouble with Cecilia.”

“Oh, okay. I thought he meant there was another one. Where is she anyways?”

“Probably annoying Grimm, or planning on how to.” I pass her the undone ribbons.

She quietly chuckles and shuts the drawer. She moves to the main desk and picks up the stack of books that sat on top. In a quiet voice she asks, “How did you guys meet anyways, you and Grimm?”

“My grandmother involuntarily introduced us.”

“Your grandmother introduced you to a demon?” she asks skeptically.

“Involuntarily,” I quip, “and it was my great grandmother. She was a very reclusive witch. She only had one child.”

“Was that your grandma?” she asks.

“Yeah. She knew Grimm, but more as an imaginary friend. Grimm worked with my great-Gram alot. They made some sort of deal,” I explain.

She opens her mouth to respond but is cut off by loud banging coming from the kitchen.