Skeleton Keys (on hold)

Chapter Twelve

I stepped into the small bathroom, locked the door and closed my eyes before resting my head against it. I was sore and tired, and that was only the tip of the iceberg. Emotions tumbled through me, and I had to force myself to just stand still for a moment. My Key was my grandfather’s soul. Dad actually talking, but still hiding things from me. Hypnos and the whole dreaming thing. And to top it all off, I was crushing on a demon. 

This needed to stop. All I wanted was a moment of peace, and for things to just go back to the way they were for two seconds. I stepped up to the sink and twisted the tap on before bending over to splash cool water on my face. After I dried off, I pulled my Key out and looped the long chain around my neck. I could do this, and I would. For my grandfather. 

When I returned to the front of the shop after washing up, Dad was nowhere in sight. Apollo was behind the counter, flipping through the same book Dad had been looking at before. 

I was almost to afraid to ask, knowing that I wouldn’t like the answer. “Where’s Dad?” 

Apollo looked up at me, then nodded to the end of the counter, where Dad’s car keys sat atop a slip of paper. “He had to leave. He left you a note, though.” 

Picking up the keys, I ignored the note. I didn’t want to read more of his excuses. I stashed the keys behind the counter. “I should probably think about moving my stuff up from Florida,” I mumbled to myself as I straightened. “At least then I’d have my own car.”

Apollo shrugged. “It’s not like you’ll need it there, now, right?” 

I gave him a sidelong look before turning to the large, leather bound book he had out. “What’s all this?” 

“This is the paperwork; the only real downside to the job, I guess you could say.” He motioned me closer and pointed to the lines of information that were carefully handwritten in neat black letters. “Each one of these names belong to a person who has died within our district. When the reaper, your father greets them at death, the book records their name, dates of birth and death, as well as cause of death and religion.”

 At the bottom of the page, I could see a name being added to the list. A few names at the top of the page had a red line through them and their information, and as I watched, a red line drew itself across one of the names.

“What’s this mean?” I asked, leaning in closer. 

“That means that they’ve checked into a portal station, like ours.” Apollo gestured to the store, before walking over to a sturdy farmhouse door and frame that was leaning against the back wall.  “Portals aren’t easy to come by. They are, for the most part, natural occurrences that the Reapers have taken advantage of.” He swung the door open and stepped aside, allowing me to see past him and into the expansive nothingness that lay beyond the door. It was dark, like staring up at the night sky except there were no stars to brighten it. 

Apollo glanced back at me and smirked. “You know, that’s almost the same expression your dad had when he first it.” 

I slammed my jaw shut, and turned back to the book. 

“Anyway,” he continued, coming back to lean on the other side of the counter. “The districts are arranged around the portals, leaving one per district. The souls come here after they’ve met with your dad, and it’s your job to cross them off in the book.” He pointed to a new red line that had begun to creep across the page. “This soul from our district just checked into another Station because our shop is closed. The temp reaper, and now your dad, have been diverting souls while we’ve been getting things settled.”

“So, all I have to do is cross off their names, then?” I asked, pulling the book closer to look at the names. 

“No, you also have to guide them to the Afterlife.” 

My head snapped up. “I have to what?” 

Apollo had pushed off the bar. He glanced over his shoulder as he walked toward the front door. “You know, ferry the dead to the next world? Really, all you have to do is walk them through the portal to the matching one on the other plane.”

I could feel my eyes growing wider with each word as he spoke. I stared at him as he flipped the sign on the front door from closed to open. “Wait, what are you doing?” 

“Don’t worry, all the humans will walk past the store. They won’t come in.”

“Then why flip the sign?”

“To let your dad and the souls know that we’ve opened the portal here,” Apollo said, and started to head back to the office. 

“But! I’m not ready,” I cried, rushing after him. “I don’t know the first thing about going through the portal, or-” 

He turned around and I had to stop short to keep from running into him. “Look, the whole process is boringly simple, and the trip through the portal is nothing. I promise.” 

I glanced away, not wanting him to see the fear in my eyes. The whole theory about different planes of existence and whatnot seemed like an awesome idea - in the abstract. No one had mentioned that I would be required to travel another world.

Apollo must have sensed my hesitation, because he said, “I’ll go with you a few times, until you are more comfortable with it. Better?” 

Relief flooded me, but I fought to keep the emotion off my face. 

“Thanks,” I said. 

The bell on the front door chimed and we both turned towards it. A young man stood there, pale and slightly see through. He hesitated just inside the door, looking around the shop with a doubtful gaze. 

“I don’t think I’m in the right place…” he mumbled, and turned to leave. 

“I’m pretty sure you are,” Apollo called and stepped behind the counter. “Don’t just stand there, little reaper girl, your first soul is here.” 

The soul in question looked about as confused as I was. I stood next to Apollo and he walked me through the process of checking Harry the soul in. By the time we’d finished, there were two more waiting in the cramped space of the shop. I went over their details just as I had with Harry, except I didn’t have Apollo’s help. 

He was right. This part was simple, and after doing the first few, I felt comfortable enough working on my own as Apollo stepped back into the office for another cup of coffee. 

We worked steadily until mid-afternoon, and by then I was starving. The shop was standing room only when Apollo appeared in a puff of smoke to flip the sign on the door, then vanished before reappearing by the old farm house door. 

“If everyone will gather, we’ll get this party moving,” Apollo called out over the quiet chatter that filled the room. He pulled the door to the portal open again, and looked over to me. “Ready?” 

I stared at the darkness that lay beyond the wooden doorway, and gulped. 

“Just like taking a walk on a moonless night. Don’t worry about it, it’s not as scary as it seems.” Apollo stood next to me, and gave me a soft smile as I looked up at him. “Now would be a good time to pull your Key out, though.”

I freed my Key from the folds of my shirt, and tried to rein in my focus like there weren’t twenty odd souls standing around watching me. 

“Alright everyone, line up,” Apollo said with a clap of his hands. Everyone’s attention shifted to him, and he started directing souls through the portal. “Follow us once your ready.” 

I nodded at him and resisted the urge to hug him. He turned, stepping through the portal after the last soul. 

I called my Scythe, spinning it lightly in my hand as my muscles protested a little from the morning training. I could do this, I thought, staring at the portal with a tight grip on my Key. I could and I would. 

I followed Apollo into portal.