Grim and Bear It

Rule #17: Interfering in human matters is dangerous and irresponsible. Reapers must stay separate and distant at all times until a soul is in their possession. -The Reaper Code of Ethics, official handbook.

Poppy

Hiding behind the kitchen counter, I felt like Edward in 'Twilight' when he was watching Bella sleep, except I was watching Jake, Eliza, and Daisy eat while the adults read whatever was on a laptop out loud. Daisy seemed uninterested, her attention focused on mutilating noodles, but still answered any questions sent her way. Eliza sagged in relief when she closed the computer, then focused back on her plate. She mouthed "thank you" to Jake, who nodded once in response. The moment she was relieved of the assignment, Daisy finished shoving food into her mouth and haphazardly wiped her face with a napkin. "Can I go watch TV?"

Eliza reached over with her own napkin and cleaned away some errant sauce on her daughter's cheek. "Half an hour. Then bath time."

"Okay.” She ran around me, all but threw her plate into the sink, and ran to the other room. Her hurried steps stopped, and she ran back. "Uncle Jake?" "Yeah, Munchkin?"

"Who's Poppy? Is it Mommy's Poppy?"

Eliza dropped her fork on a gasp. I took a step back. No, there was no way she could see me. Right? I looked between her and me, trying to figure out what was going on. "Daisy," Jake said in a serious voice. "Can you see Poppy?"

She looked at him like he'd asked her if she could see a unicorn. "No."

"Then why did you ask about Poppy?"

She shrugged. "She popped into my brain." With no concern for how completely in shock Eliza and Jake were, she spun back around and ran to the living room. Jake put his fork down and ran a hand over his face. "Shit."

Eliza's mouth opened and closed once before she managed to ask, "Why is my daughter asking about Poppy out of the blue?"

"Because...I know what happened to her." He said each word as if it were a separate sentence. Because. I. Know. What. Happened. To. Her.

"Jake." She grabbed his forearm. "It's not good news," she surmised. Her voice was barely loud enough for me to hear.

He shook his head. "She's a grim reaper."

Eliza stood so fast her chair nearly tipped backward. Jake reached out and caught it. "She's a... You saw..." "Yeah."

"When? Where? Jake are you?"

"Breathe." He pulled the chair back over to her and she sat down, heavy, then he handed her a glass of water. "She was at Blackburn House. She wasn't there for me." "How do you know?"

"Because she ran the moment I saw her."

"None of this makes sense."

I wanted to walk over and see her and touch her and hug her, but I knew it was a futile effort. Wasn't it? I didn't consciously decide to move, but I was somehow putting one foot in front of the other, rounding the end of the counter and standing behind the chair Daisy had vacated.

"Ah," Jake said. "You're still here."

Eliza grabbed Jake's shoulder and stared at the chair, but her eyes went through me. "Poppy?"

The emotion in her voice frayed the edges of my heart. "Hey, Eliza."

"She says 'hey, Eliza,"" Jake relayed.

"I can't see you," she sighed.

"You're not supposed to," I returned. Jake shot me a look but didn't translate. "I don't know why you can see me," I admitted.

"She doesn't know why I can see her," Jake explained.

Eliza looked at her brother, then back to the chair. "You're not here to take him from me?"

"No," I promised, even though it wasn't one I could make. Jake shared my response. "I just...wanted to see you."

She laughed. "There's so much to say, I don't know where to start."

"We'll catch up in several decades. I promise to be the one who'll come get you."

As Jake shared, Eliza smiled. "I could always write you a letter."

Jake and I said no simultaneously. "Don't you dare waste a year of your life on me," I warned. I couldn't live with myself if she did that. "You have a beautiful daughter." "She'd love you,” she admitted.

"I'd love her." I pulled my hand back. I moved my gaze to Jake's and his eyes bore into mine. Desperation, anxiety, and longing tore through me. I wanted to hold his face between my hands, press my lips to his, listen to his heartbeat echoing in his chest. "I need to go," I whispered, more to myself than him.

"Will I see you again?" Jake asked.

"I hope not for a very long time." For a moment, neither of us moved. We just stared into each other's eyes. "Good-bye."