My mother sat, stunned, for several long minutes after I finished explaining all that I could remember of the past few days. I watched her face anxiously, not sure if she were angry, or sad, or even scared. Her face was twisted in deep thought as if she were still processing what I’d shared.

“So, yeah,” I finished lamely. “That’s how I got the money.”

“Reapers,” she said, slowly. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“Err, what?” I asked, surprised by her non-committal reaction. “Why should it sound familiar?”

“I’m not sure,” she said, frowning slightly. “Does it have something to do with your father?”

My father? I knew almost nothing about him, of course, as he’d died when I was young when mom had been pregnant with my sister Lilly. He had died in a car crash that had also given mother a serious case of amnesia, so she couldn’t remember much of the event or even much of her late husband. Wait…. The thought struck me suddenly, and I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. My suspicion rising rapidly, I shoved my hand into my pocket and hurriedly pulled out the business card Meredith had given me.

“Good evening, Apprentice Silas,” she greeted me in her usual tone. “How may I help you?”

“Hi Meredith, I said quickly, forgetting my manner as I rushed for the answer I sought. “Was there ever a Reaper by the name of Thomas Miridis?”

There was a long pause. She was apparently searching for a while, and her voice occasionally came back. “Ah, yes. I vaguely remember him. He passed away shortly after I joined the company. Rose to the rank of fourth-tier Master. Quite impressive. Did you know him?”

I felt my aura flare a little from the shock of the news. “Yes. He was my father.”

“Oh!” She exclaimed, sounding oddly excited. “That makes you a legacy! That is very interesting.”

“If you say so,” I said distractedly. “Why can’t my mother remember him?”

“Well, Master Ikari passed away due to a spirit attack that caused him to crash his car. His wife and children, which would obviously include you, survived, but the trauma threatened to overwhelm his wife, so we stepped in and erased her memories of the Reaper Clan in order to ease her suffering.”

“Well, the cat’s out of the bag now,” I explained. “I just told her I’m a Reaper, and she’s got some vague memories back. At least enough to associate the word Reaper with my father.”

“That is interesting,” she mused quietly. “Does she seem distressed?”

I spared a glance at my mother who was staring at me with obvious confusion. Clearly, the sight of me talking to thin air was a little disturbing. “No. More confused than anything.”

“Well, that’s only to be expected,” Meredith said. “From her perspective, this is the first time she’s interacted with the Reaper Clan.”

“This won’t cause any problems, will it?”

“That’s hard to say,” Meredith answered slowly. “And in any event, it’s not my call to make.”

“Who will make that call, then?”

“That would be Master Mikel. Speak to him tomorrow, when you report in for training. In the meantime, if she appears to panic or hyperventilates, please reach out at once, and I will dispatch emergency assistance.”

“Okay,” I said, relieved that at least the option to get answers was near. “Thank you, Meredith.”

“My pleasure as always, Apprentice Silas,” She chimed in. “Have a good night.”

I put the business card back into my pocket and looked at my mother. She had an obvious questioning look on her face as she looked to the spot where the card laid but didn’t seem to be upset.

“So,” I began hesitantly. “What I’ve told you don’t, you know, frighten you at all?”

To tell the truth, I hadn’t shared all the details with her. I’d told her that I’d been hired by Gray Bank International, and would undergo training for a security team nicknamed the “Reapers”. She’d seemed to buy the entire story until I mentioned the last word, which had created this confusion.

“Well, I can’t pretend I’m not surprised,” She said slowly. “It sounds like it might be a dangerous job, but at least it’s a job. Still, I’ve never heard of a job paying so much at entry-level.”

“I think it was because I knew Mr. Jensen,” I replied, swallowing nervously. That aspect would always be hard to explain. “And my supervisor seemed impressed in my wrestling. Mr. Mikel said I had a lot of potential for security.”

“Hmm,” She said pensively. “Well, as long as you stay safe, and don’t mess it up, that should be fine.”

I heaved a deep breath, feeling both relieved at her acceptance, and guilty at the deception I’d offered her. Trying to change the subject so I didn’t feel as bad, I moved over to the heap of bags Seamus and I had brought in. I pulled the gift card I’d bought for her out first, and handed it over.

“But, as I said,” I continued in a forced cheery tone. “It comes with its perks. I got this for you, so you can buy some nice clothing for yourself. There’s one for Lily too, so she can have better clothes for school.”

My mother, supporting us on her own, didn’t have much money to her name. Between rent, feeding us, and paying for school supplies, we were in particularly dire straits at the moment. So it went without saying that our clothes were all pretty plain. Mother owned a single dress, which had fallen out of fashion some fifty years ago, and Lily’s clothes were second-hand.

She seemed to perk up at the gift cards. “Oh, dear, that is perfect! Lily could use some new clothes! And you’ve grown so much over the last year too.”

“I’ve got clothes of my own already, Mom,” I said with a shake of my head. “Use those for Lily and yourself. I mean it, Mom, buy some new clothes for yourself. There’s six hundred for both of you, so don’t use it all on Lily.”

She seemed to hesitate on the edge of refusal for a moment, then, with a slight smile, she capitulated. “Alright, dear. If you insist, I’ll buy myself some clothes. What else do you have in those bags?”

I grinned at her, then started moving several of the bags to the kitchen. I pulled out a griddle I’d bought, along with several expensive cuts of meat, and some asparagus. The griddle made a satisfying thunk as it hit the stove, and I turned to face her, my face still split with a wide grin. The expression was genuine this time.

“Dinner,” I said with a happy little bounce. “And before you ask, I’m cooking.”