Death has a Daughter (DHAD Series)

Death
has a
Daughter

Candice Burnett

Copyright © 2014 Candice Burnett

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without written permission from its publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are
fictitious.  Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

This book is dedicated to my entire family. 

First and foremost, I want to thank my husband, Benjamin, for actively listening to my ramblings.  You are the only person who completely gets me and has taught me what it is like to be truly happy.  Without you, none of this would have been possible.

To my parents, Deb and Bruce, who have taught me that being different is okay, and that I have to fight for what I want, even if it means going against the grain.
  Your encouragement has taught me that no matter what happened in my past, I have to keep fighting for a better future. 

To my sister, Samantha, who balances the dual role of best friend and supportive sister.  Your honesty and good nature help keep me grounded in reality.

To my brother, Michael, and sister-in-law, Katie, who have taught me that no matter how bad your circumstances are, true love can produce miracles.

To Linda, Phil, Lauren, and Andrew: Thank you for always making me feel like I was a part of the Burnett family, from the early age of fifteen to this very day.  You
’ve helped shape my soul-mate into the husband I have today, and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

To my critique partner, Shannon, who helped me piece together the final puzzle pieces.  To Luke, Linda, Deb, and Sam for getting out their red pens on short notice.  To my freelance editor, Christine, who was able to give it a professional polish.

To all the family members who took time to listen at our little book club in Grandma’s basement.

Last but not least, to all my Raupp, Ballard, and Burnett family members.  You
’ve all helped mold me into the insane, grateful, fearless ginger I am today, and for that I thank you!

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1
Distraction

Chapter 2
It's All About the A+

Chapter 3
The Reaping

Chapter 4
Drake The Snake

Chapter 5
The Real World

Chapter 6
First Days Are The Most Challenging

Chapter 7
A Few Guardians Too Many

Chapter 8
Six Months Gone By

Chapter 9
This Was Not In The Manual

Chapter 10
Double Agent

Chapter 11
Book Report

Chapter 12
Choo Choo

Chapter 13
Stockholm Syndrome

Chapter 14
The ICU

Chapter 15
Demon Syndrome

Chapter 16
Too Close

Chapter 17
Wakey Wakey

Chapter 18
Swim Lesson

Chapter 19
Large Burger But 86 The Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Blood Please

Chapter 20
The One

Chapter 21
Just A Little Arrangement

Chapter 22
New Path

Chapter 23
Chicken

Chapter 24
Packing My Bags

Chapter 25
What's One More Broken Rule?

Chapter 26
Back To Reality

Chapter 27
You Can Always Rely On A Demon To Ruin Your Night

Chapter 28
Purgatory Pleasantry

Chapter 29
Trial Of A Lifetime

Chapter 30
New Assignment

Ever had the feeling that someone was watching over your shoulder protecting you?  Or, perhaps, had a time that you sensed some invisible force was there to save your life?  A time when all the facts say you shouldn’t be alive, but, by some ‘miracle,’ you are still breathing?  Some call them acts of God, while others say they were rescued by their guardian angels.  They are partially correct. 

You see, there are many times in a human
’s life when they have these near-death experiences.  Sometimes people are aware of it, while, other times, it is there and gone in a blink of an eye, without them having a second thought.  We call these ‘vulnerable’ moments in a soul’s existence. 

During
these times, a battle rages on between two forces that are invisible to the human eye.  One force being those we call ‘Guardians.’  When Guardians win the battle, you hear these amazing stories of humans escaping death.  When ‘my kind’ wins, there is no story to tell.  Some call us ‘Angels of Death.’  I just prefer ‘Reaper,’ but if you really want to be technical, you can throw the word ‘Grim’ in front of my name. 

People call us evil, but there are two sides to every story, and considering I
’m history’s first female Grim Reaper, I can’t wait to begin mine.

Only a hundred feet stood between me and what I deserved.  Drake, the current high
-scorer in the class and my sworn arch enemy, had fallen behind.  I was in the lead. I’d worked so hard and come so far—this prize was mine. I deserved that spot and the praise that came with it. No way would I let him take it from me.

Only fifty more feet.  My mouth watered as my legs went into full
-sprint mode.  I would taste the glory.  I was the first of my classmates to get past the three Guardians, rank my scroll—, and get through the “Hall of Guardians’ Light.”  I’d even made it through each obstacle without a single strike from a flying ray of Guardians’ light, which put me first in line to get to the human’s soul.  Well, this ‘fake soul.’  My lips almost let out a laugh.  This wasn’t going to taste as good as the real thing, but it would be the closest thing I could get, and I was going to revel in my pretend glory.  Ten more steps.

“
UGH,” I grunted out loud as I heard Eddie’s steps whipping through the valley grasses like a jockey in Kentucky.  He quickly gained some ground on me.  He hadn’t been the most talented Reaper, but he sure was a fast one.  Being a racing horse of a Reaper—with his extra-long, light bronze limbs—that made him quicker than most of my fellow Reapers.  His dense brown hair would whip me if he passed.  And, like so many times before, he’d turn to flash the people’s eyebrow with his chocolate eyes as he laughed.

I wouldn
’t allow Eddie to take this from me.  My pace quickened, though I could feel him inches behind me.  Eddie grabbed for my shirt, so I darted slightly to my left.  He missed but was able to gain more distance between us.  This made him way too close, as the soul stood only a dozen steps away.  I’d have to dive for it.  I thrust my body towards the soul.  I reached for it and felt my shirt being pulled.  Eddie had gotten ahold of me.  My jump fell inches short, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.  As I pushed myself up, I realized something far worse had happened when he had grabbed my shirt. Somehow, he had unsnapped my bra!  I grabbed for my chest as my boobs sprung free, knowing the collar of my shirt would hide nothing. So instead of reaching for the soul, I instead tempered my boobs’ claim to freedom, and he grabbed the soul.  My mouth let out a deep grunt while my body deflated to the floor, and the alarms started going off.  Freaking Fast Eddie beat me!  Heat slapped my cheeks, exposing to the outside world the embarrassment I felt inside.

“
That wasn’t fair!” I growled through my clenched jaw as I looked up at Eddie, who stood over me with the biggest grin.

“
All’s fair in love and war, Cendall.”  He laughed and reached out a hand to help me up.  My hand knocked it away while I stood up and crossed my arms underneath my chest, attempting to hide the fact that my bra strap was undone.

The pretend soul and Guardians that we had defeated, who were actually the head Reaper trainers, began rounding everyone up.  As my classmates came to the finish line
, the trainers instructed us to gather around so that the head trainer, Herald, could announce tomorrow’s schedule.  Drake approached the line and rolled his eyes at me. 
What’s up his butt?
  He almost looked mad, which made no sense.  If I had won today, his top rank would have been mine.  I rolled my eyes, hoping Drake caught it, as I dragged my feet to where Herald started to speak.

“
As you’re all aware, Eddie has won the challenge, advancing his rank of four to three, with only Cendall and Drake above him.  Only two tests are left, Reapers! The top spot is anyone’s game.”  Everyone let out a small cheer.  Thank Lucifer, we only had one week left.  I was ready to be out on my own.  Ready to obtain the scythe that would help me collect the human souls that were on my first list.  We had all been training since the age of six on the methods of collecting a soul.  The step-by-step checklist, narrated in Herald’s horrible monotone, was engrained in my brain.

“
Step one: Research the soul.  Two: Stalk the soul until it’s at a vulnerable moment. By ‘vulnerable,’ I mean a time the human soul may die via car accident, health issue, and so on.  Three: Scout out the Guardian.  Four: Wait until you can feel their soul calling to you.  If you’re unsure, look to your scythe, as it will glow. Five: Defeat any Guardian protecting the soul.  Six: Place your scythe’s tip into the heart of the soul. Seven: Once the soul is completely collected into your scythe’s stone, take it to the researchers who will process the soul to its final judgment. Eighth, and final, step: Check the name off the list.”  He always laughed when reciting the last step, as if he had some inside joke about it. 

One more week and I would never have to hear that checklist again.
  Why we had to train for so long was beyond me.  I swear I had been ready for over two years, but Reaper Law stated that men must be the age of sixteen and have finished training before they can venture out alone.  I tried to argue with Dad that the rule shouldn’t apply to me, since I was a female and had turned sixteen six months ago, but he only laughed.

“
You don’t need to bring light to the fact that you are a female any more than you already do, Cendall.  Just finish training and you’ll be free,” he had said.

Snapping out of my daydreaming, I looked back up at Herald. He was still speaking; hopefully, I had missed no news of tomorrow
’s schedule.

“
So, tell us, Eddie, how did you come about this feat?  From where I had been lying, pretending to be a good soul, it looked as if Cendall was leading the way.”

“
Correct, but I distracted her and got to you first,” Eddie said with a big, sneaky, weasel-like smile.  At least he hadn’t told them how.  That attention I didn’t need at the moment.

“
Really?”  Herald asked, looking way too interested.

“
Cendall, distracted?  She’s usually so focused. How did you distract her?” 

“
He just did,” I blurted out through my tight jaw before Eddie could tell them.

“
I know he did, Cendall.  That’s what he just informed us, but I’m interested in the ‘how.’  I can’t believe you had let him distract you at all.  You were so close, and you know this would have brought you to rank one if you had won today over Drake,” Herald scolded.

“
Yes, I know.” My eyes glanced over to rank ‘number one’ himself.  Drake looked pissed at the mention of me taking his rank.  The day I took that title from him was one that I’d waited for way too long.  To be able to tell all six-foot-four of that perfectly toned, sun-kissed, muscular body that this
‘female Reaper’
had taken his title, would have been glorious.  Laughter would have surely left my lips while I watched his dark-blue eyes roll back in frustration, and his head, with its long, straight, jet-black hair, fall to stare at the ground in shame.

“
It is never good to become distracted so easily!”  Herald lectured me.  “This is only training.  If you can get distracted here, where we are merely role playing, how will you be ready for the real distractions that will come flying at you in the human realm?”  Herald asked me.

“
I won’t let them distract me again. It was different. It won’t happen again,” I tried to explain, but I could tell Herald wanted to push the issue.

“
What happens here can happen just as easily in the field.  If they distracted you in training, what makes you think it won’t happen in the field?”  Herald asked.

“
It just won’t.”

“
Your logic makes no sense. Truly, if you can’t handle it here in training, you are not ready to be a...”

“
I DON’T THINK THAT A FREAKING GUARDIAN WILL TRY TO DISTRACT ME BY UNDOING MY BRA IN THE FIELD!”  I screamed, interrupting Herald and immediately wishing I hadn’t just revealed that bit of information.  As I watched, everyone’s eyes—Drake’s included—focused on my chest, pushing my already heated face to volcano mode.

“
You’re correct.  On to the schedule then…” Herald stumbled over his words, probably wishing he hadn’t pressed the issue.  If he hadn’t pressed the issue, I might have felt sorry for him.  Herald had been the trainer here for as long as I could remember, and I’m sure this was a first for him. 

He had actually been on missions with my father, which I found odd.  Herald just seemed more like a planner, not a fighter.  He looked to be in his early
-forties, with light-green eyes and shady, gray hair styled like a marine—minus the size, as Herald wasn’t tall or stocky by any means. 

I wondered how
my bra episode would play in his rule book.  “Rule number 25,000,” since he had so many of them, “no unsnapping a bra in training.  It makes me not know what to say—for once in my life.”  Ha-ha, I wish he would say that.

All the awkwardness would soon be over.  Training was almost over, and there hadn
’t been any more female Reapers born.  It would go back to all male Reapers picking on each other instead.  Actually, I missed the days when they all just used to be mean and pick on me.  Ever since I had grown these ‘things’ last year, everyone (well, except for Drake) had stopped picking on me and instead began trying to pick me up.  At first I was pissed about it. I didn’t want that type of attention.  The only attention I wanted was for being the best Reaper in training, not because I had big knockers.  Eventually, I got over it when I looked at it from their perspective.  If I had been surrounded by chicks all day, and a male came into my class, we would probably all hit on him.

It wasn
’t their fault that I had to be the one and only female ever born to a Grim Reaper.  Up until me, they had only had males.  They still had no idea how I even came about.  My dad said a miracle created me, but the realm used several different words.  “Death having a daughter...it doesn’t even sound right,” they had said.  They secretly blamed my mother.  Occasionally, I overheard talks about how I must have come about because she had been cursed or diseased—surely my father’s strong, proud line couldn’t have done this.  They would never say that to his face though, because it is just wrong to speak ill of the dead.  My mother died during childbirth and no other Reaper had actually met her.  Father was in the midst of convincing her to come to our realm when she died.  He said she was quite stubborn, which he loved, but by the time he’d had her convinced, I had arrived six weeks early.  Instead of being born in ‘limbo,’ my current realm, I had been born in the human realm, which was probably why she died—child labor was hard for someone having a baby by a Grim Reaper.  If only my father had convinced her sooner, she probably would still be alive, because I would have been born in this realm.

Either way, it made the wives and me the only females in our realm.  So all they had to look at of the opposite sex were each other
’s moms and me.  This would all stop soon though.  Thankfully, they were all reaching the age of sixteen, and we were a week away from finishing training, which would allow us to finally leave the realm and be allowed to port to any place on earth that we desired.  They would finally get to see other females, which would probably give me some relief, even though they wouldn’t be allowed to mate with them until the age of eighteen. At that point, I would just be an afterthought.

Why our realm had to have these stupid laws about
mating age, I had no idea.  It seemed so old school, but it had been explained to us that at the age of eighteen, we are more mature, and it would give us two years in the field to be able to find the ‘mate’ that we wanted to reveal ourselves to.  Humans couldn’t see us unless we revealed ourselves to them or if they were near death.  The closer a human comes to death, the more their sight is enhanced.  That is why some humans that come near to death, claim to have seen a bright light.  What they are seeing is the Guardian and the Reapers fighting to obtain their soul.  The bright light is the electric current that leaves Guardians’ hands, which is a light-blue color.  The light is used by the Guardians to defend against us.  The fact that humans can’t see us makes sense.  If they were able to see us, they would probably try and fight us, which would make our job even more difficult.

It
’s different once Reapers find their mates.  Then they have the ability to reveal themselves, date, and try to convince a human to come back here to live, once they know what we are.  This had to be explained carefully, because just saying, “So, yeah, I love you...want to come back and live in hell with me?” typically wasn’t a good strategy.  That was why you really had to make sure the person was “the one,” because if they were, they would at least hear you out long enough for you to tell them that we live in limbo, which is only the first level of hell.  In limbo, it’s actually quite peaceful.

The whole place was surrounded by large
, green valleys and fresh, rolling, endless meadows.  We even, unlike a couple of the other realms in hell, had light.  Not like the bright sun that humans have in their realm, but it gave us night and day and kept our realm at a constant ninety degrees.  That kept my pale, not able to tan, skin full of freckles.  The dull, yellow haze of light that arrived each morning did help break up the fog that constantly clouded our realm.  It wasn’t that bad near where we resided, but the farther you went away from the town, the thicker it became, until it came to a point where you couldn’t see two feet in front of you.  We had our own town, which was surrounded by a large, stone castle wall that acted as a barrier, separating us from the lost human souls that ended up in limbo.