Reap What You Sow (Reap #1)

PROLOGUE

Reapers have a history that goes back before any real recordings, ledgers and even some species that no one currently living ever knew exists, well, existed. They—the reapers—each have a job, an important one that keeps order to the hidden plain and helps to prevent over population on the planet.

Just as with all, animals, humans, plants. There are good and bad in reapers. None are raised in either way. Their path is their own—their choice. Those that choose the wrong path are dealt with by a justice system long ago formed to keep fairness and right among the reapers. A justice system that implements the necessary punishments to see justice is properly served to all as fairly as possible.

Not many know this, but there’s also in-depth training and a memory wash each generation of reaper’s must go through before holding their scythe and wearing their robes.

The training is to help the reaper to no longer experience emotions—to not feel. They must become strong willed and…emotionless for their tasks. There’s no more love, friendship, family, hate, anger…nothing. The reason behind it is because of how important it is for them to not cave to the pleas of the souls they’re collecting. The souls must be collected at their time without fail. The memory washing is so the reapers don’t remember their past and those from it. It must be done so they don’t try to get out of their work and go to be with loved ones or for any other reasons they might think up. It’s a way to strengthen the reapers and guarantee a virtually flawless success rate.

The above mentioned tests and tasks came to be after much trial and error—success and failure throughout the ages. After all, perfection takes time. Now, all generations of reapers, do what they must. Collect the souls of those that pass and escort them to their destined path, so they can rest in peace…

CHAPTER ONE

***Melanie***

I was once fearless. Well, virtually fearless. Nothing and no one could scare me, ever. I’m serious. There was this one day, during my senior year of high school I was asked to write a paper on my biggest fear and because I truly had none, I asked my brother what his fear was and wrote my paper based on the information I grabbed from picking at his mind and I used it as my own.

His fear was of spiders. He didn’t like the fact they spin webs, could lay eggs in the count of hundreds, some thousands. Then, there’s the fact they torture their meals by encasing them in their silky webs and then drain them dry, when they’re ready. I saw his point, still do, but I’m bigger than them and actually appreciate their placement in the food chain, so I would never be afraid of them. If it were not for spiders, there’d be many more mosquitoes and other pesky bugs than there are now. All human life might be sucked dry of their lifeblood from those little vampires! We wouldn’t want that now, would we?

Thinking of that very paper brings me back to remember a time further back, when I was nine years old and my cousin Mikey tried to scare me with his pet snake, a huge boa constrictor named Jedi. What a joke! If only he knew…

You see. I love animals, from reptiles to little furry critters, even the huge ones, all of them. They love me too, well so far they do, and I haven’t experienced any hatred from them. Not one single animal has shown me aggression or dislike. They’ve each became a special friend that I’ve learned from. Even Mikey’s snake, Jedi.

Seeing my cousin Mikey’s facial expression at the time was priceless! When he walked into the living room of my Aunt Stephanie’s house looking all smug and saw me sitting there petting and chatting up a storm with his twelve foot long boa, Jedi, the very snake that was looking up at me adoringly. All while sharing some of his life’s adventures along with some of my cousin’s antics with me.

Well, let’s just say his was a bit in shock, at first. The comical sort of shock where the person’s eyes go all unnaturally wide and their jaws drop with a silent thud that can still be heard. Then, out of nowhere, he got all pissy when he realized his plan to scare me didn’t work. Oh, well!

No one knew what was really going on, really going on with me or at that particular time. Well, no one besides me, Jedi and my brother Felix.

Three out of the four of us were laughing while Mikey stood there looking lost. He thinks every girl in the world should become a blubbering mess of fear and screams when a snake is involved. I believe he learned better from that day forward. He actually still allows me to ‘borrow’ Jedi once and awhile. He’s really fun to talk to; if he were human he’d be a comedian. He’s truly great company for a snake.

Why am I telling you all of this? Well, you see, I have a secret. A secret no one human, except for me and my twin brother Felix, knows about. If you haven’t figured it out yourself yet, I’ll tell you.

I can communicate with animals of various classes with my mind. In some cases, even some insects, those of the larger variety that is. I can also read the thoughts of and communicate with most sea creatures and in some cases, even some humans. All right, well humans not so much, they’d have to have some freak gene, or something as the only one I can communicate with to date has. I don’t know of any other out there who has whatever it is that it takes in order for me to feel and mentally speak with them the way I do with animals. I don’t even know of anyone who can do what I can at all for that matter.

To be honest, I’ve only been able to communicate with Felix, my brother in this manner and no other human. I’ve not done it often since it freaks him out and we must be very close to one another in order for it to work. I’m assuming it’s possible only because he’s my blood, as close to blood as we can get since we are twins. So, I’ve come to believe that it’s what makes our connection stronger than any other. I still try it out, to mentally communicate with other people when I’m comfortable with the person and if I actually remember to attempt it. It’s all only to see if it’s at all possible with another human being, testing the waters so to speak. I’ve not had even a slight bout of success, but I’ll continue trying until I tire of it, or I find another who can speak with me without using their lips.

I’ve had this…skill—talent or whatever you want to call it pretty much since birth; at least I think I did. I don’t remember much of my life before the age of four. However, I also don’t remember a day that’s gone by that I haven’t been able to converse with wildlife.

All I know for sure is that my twenty eighth birthday is coming soon, so that’ll make twenty eight years of having kept this secret close to me. Believe it or not, not even my parents know of it. They’ve always been very close minded, and sadly, judgmental people. Always kept themselves distant from my brother and me, as most highly religious people tend to do who fear anything…different or unwanted. My brother and I have speculated many things when it comes to our parents. One thing we learned ‘accidently’ from overhearing a conversation between my parents and my father’s parents is that their marriage was arranged. Set up for them when they were very young, love be damned for those two. Then the fact we were unknowingly conceived on the evening they consummated their marriage. Along with how they spoke about our birth, how they hadn’t known my mother was carrying twins and how she freaked out, calling us devil spawn. Well, it sort of hurt, but luckily my mother’s parents were a bit…nicer, not all freaked out and judgmental as my mother, father and his parents are.

We learned about love and family through them—my mother’s parents—which are something two young children need desperately to thrive. Felix and I eventually came to the conclusion that our parents just never really wanted children. They just had no choice but to deal with the cards dealt to them. So, they just went through with the motions of feeding, clothing, sheltering us and that was that. Once again, love be damned. We were never bad kids, so they never had to visit a teacher or the principal to hear how horrible their children were. Nor did they ever have to punish either of us for any mischief around the house. I’m glad for that. I don’t think that would have turned out well at all if we so much as made a mess in the house, broke something or broke one of their hundreds of rules.

I honestly hate keeping it from them because they are my family and I do love them, but it’s a choice I had to make and luckily was able to make since these powers didn’t show themselves until I was in my pre-teens. I’m very happy I’ve continued to keep it throughout the years and as long