The Living Death (Celestia Chronicles 5/ R.E.A.P. Arc Book 1)

Chapter 5: Tanya Efaz

As Jeffrey walked to his last class before lunch he saw the man from this morning waiting for him.

"Can I help you" Jeffrey asked.

"I need you to come with me" The man said.

"Ever hear of stranger danger" Jeffrey said as he tried to push past the man.

"I'm serious... Jeffrey" The man said. "I am Mr. Cona an old friend of your mother's and I need to get you somewhere safe."

"And how do I know I can trust you" Jeffrey asked.

"Hippo" The man said. "That's the secret codeword your mother and you agreed upon so you know if someone is trustworthy in an emergency where she can't be here in person."

"Can you at least tell me what this is about" Jeffrey asked.

The man pulled Jeffrey down an empty hallway. "You have special abilities that are about to awaken and I need to get you to a safe place before you are a target out here in the open. You Jeffrey Sayger are the next in the long line of the Resurrected Energy Assistant of Peacekeeping also known as the reaper and I need to get you to safety so you can learn about your power."

"You sound as crazy as Mr. Welk" Jeffrey said.

"Travis is wrong about a lot of things but the bigot is right about the existence of a world of magic" Mr. Cona said. "Grab my hand and I will prove it!"

Jeffrey grabbed the man's hand as he felt the world around him twist around until he saw that he was no longer in his school but in front of what looked like a college campus.

"Welcome to Zalkar's school of Magic" Mr. Cona said as the gates opened. "I need to follow up with your mother to see if she's alright" Mr. Cona guided Jeffrey into the buildings and down hallways as he continued to talk. "Once I know things are safe on her end I will be back to teach you the basics. For now have lunch and try to make some new friends."

He stopped outside a room where people could get lunch leading into a larger cafeteria.

"Wait" Jeffrey said, "Does any of this have to do with my father?"

Mr. Cona left without saying a single word. Jeffrey decided to go get something to eat after which he walked into the cafeteria with his tray and looked around. At almost every table were groups of people chatting together, playing card games, and at one table what appeared to be showing off various spells they learned. Jeffrey never felt so out of place in his life- not only being thrown into this bizarre world of magic but not even knowing where to sit or how to make friends.

He saw a girl with pointy ears sitting alone at one table reading a biology textbook. He walked over to the table and sat down across from her and began to eat his food.

"So did someone dare you to sit over here" she asked without even looking away from her book.

"No" Jeffrey said confused. "Why would someone do that?"

She put her book down and looked at Jeffrey like he was speaking gibberish. "You're kidding right?"

"What are you talking about" Jeffrey asked.

"Tell Penski that this was really funny but he can find more creative ways to bully me."

"Again- what are you talking about? What makes you think I'm here to mess with you?"

She looked over Jeffrey as if she was seeing him for the first time. "Do you know who I am?"

Jeffrey shrugged. "Nope- not really."