Chapter 109 - At the Park

  Morrigan only had to slip out of the shadows twice on her way to the park to get her bearings. Since it was so hard to see anything from within the shadows, she had initially assumed that navigating through shadow stepping would be nearly impossible. However, it was proving easier than she had expected—at least in the quieter outskirts of the city where there were fewer lights and streets to contend with. She did know this town pretty well, after all, and her ability to navigate Codwell Oregon was only getting better thanks to how much traveling her part-time job required.

  She arrived at the park and made her way down the hiking trail, reflecting how she had to chase one of her clients down here. Another weird part of the job is how she was getting to the point that she couldn’t go anywhere without it having some kind of connection to her reaping duties. It kind of brought into perspective just how intertwined with death society actually was. Even if it didn’t normally feel that way, the truth was that death was ever-present—one of the few constants shared by every single human being.

  A morbid thought, maybe, but she was a reaper, after all. Being a little morbid was an unavoidable consequence. She imagined it’d be much the same for mortuary workers or paramedics, except they never get to have a little chat with the recently deceased.

  As Morrigan walked through the grass and approached the gazebo where the two witches were waiting, Emma spotted her first, waving excitedly before breaking into a jog toward Morrigan.

  “You made it!” Emma said, throwing her arms around Morrigan without hesitation.

  “Of course I did,” Morrigan replied, giving her a light hug back.

  Emma smiled as she took a step back but kept her hands on Morrigan’s arms. “You look tired. Hope you’re not overworking yourself.”

  "Well, the work isn’t too bad. Usually just takes three or four hours.” She yawned, half closing her eyes. “Just the time of night is a little tricky.”

  “Yeah, I bet,” Emma said, letting her grip slide down until she was holding Morrigan’s hand and walked her over to the gazebo. Morrigan flinched slightly as their hands intertwined, still acutely aware that only the thin fabric of her fingerless gloves kept her touch from stripping Emma’s soul from her body and ending her life.

  Hilda leaned casually against one of the posts, her signature smirk firmly in place. “Good to see you again, kid,” she called.

  “Hey Hilda. Emma mentioned you’ve been to see my mom. Thanks for that.”

  “Yeah, I figured she could use some company. She’s pretty cool, by the way. When she’s able to go back home, I invited her out for drinks.”

  “Uh… would that be a good idea?” Morrigan asked.

  “In my opinion, alcohol’s the best medication on the planet.” Hilda winked. “As long as you’ve got somebody who is fun to drink with, that is.”

  Sounds like the kind of self-help advice my mom wouldn’t mind subscribing to, Morrigan thought, then realized that’s probably better than nothing.

  “Anyway,” Hilda continued. “Did Emma mention that my lawyer says things are looking good? We can go ahead and file with the courts this week.”

  “Oh… right,” Morrigan put on a smile but felt a little bit off. “Yeah, Emma did mention that.”

  “It’s going to be so much easier to see each other,” Emma said as she and Morrigan took a seat.

  “So, how is my mom doing anyway?” Morrigan asked, changing the topic. She didn’t really want the fostering thing to happen, not yet anyway, but at the same time she didn’t know how to go about explaining that.

  “Ah, well, I’ve just been hanging out with her at the hospital a couple times a week. She’s a bit annoyed that they took so long to let her go, but I think she needed it.”

  Morrigan frowned. “And she likes the idea of you fostering me?”

  “Well, I think she knows it’ll be hard to get you back into her own house right now, everything considered, and she feels pretty bad about putting you through this.”

  “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. But isn’t this putting too much on you, Hilda?”

  Hilda grinned. “You’re not planning to be a troublemaker once you get into my place, are you? Heheh, really though, I just have an apartment, but it’s actually pretty roomy. Three bedrooms, nice big living room. It’s practically the size of a small house. Right in the center of town near my job, too. Oh, you’ll probably have to take a bus to school though.”

  Morrigan nodded, not sure how to say she wasn’t sure about this whole thing.

  Emma seemed to notice something before Hilda, though. “Morrigan, something wrong?” she asked.

  “Ah, no, not really, just spacing out.”

  Then she could feel Emma’s eyes on her; it seemed the younger witch wasn’t buying it so easily. “Are you sure?”

  Hilda raised an eyebrow. “Hmmm, come to think of it, you haven't really given much of an opinion on this whole thing yourself yet, Morrigan.”

  Morrigan sighed. “Um… well… I guess I’m just worried about my current roommate. I don’t really want to leave her behind, and I know I can’t expect you to take her in. I mean, of course I’m not asking that of you, you don’t even know her. Plus she’s a lot younger, so it’s not the same as committing to watching me for a year or two.”

  “Ah, so that’s what’s been bothering you,” Emma siad. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  Morrigan shrugged, glancing down at her gloved hands. “I guess I didn’t know how to bring it up. She doesn’t really have anyone else looking out for her. And if I leave, I feel like she’s just going to get swallowed up by that place.”

  Hilda leaned against the gazebo post, arms crossed. “So this girl’s important to you, huh?”

  “She’s been through a lot, and she doesn’t seem very good at defending herself. I guess I just feel like I’d be abandoning her if I left.” There was also the fact she could see ghosts, and then there was the whole blackmailing situation with Jenna, which is another can of worms Morrigan didn’t quite know how to jump into.

  Hilda clapped her hands together, breaking the somber mood. “Alright, enough heavy stuff for now. Why don’t we put a pin in everything for now? I’ll slow my rolls on the whole fostering thing; tell my lawyer to wait a bit until your ready. Uh… lets see. Right!” Hilda reached down to the bag at her feet. “You’re here, we’re here, and it’s a beautiful night. Let’s enjoy it. I brought snacks!”

  “How are things with your parents, Emma?” Morrigan asked, as Hilda opened a bag of chips. “Still giving you grief about hanging out with Hilda?”

  Emma sighed, leaning back against the bench. “You could say that. Mom’s still convinced I’m going to summon demons or something just by being around her. She’s grounded me for eternity—or at least until I graduate—and now she’s started checking my room for witchy stuff. Like, what does she think she’s going to find? A bubbling cauldron under my bed?”

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  Hilda snorted. “At least you managed to hide your spell book.”

  Emma nodded. “I really would run away if she found that. It’s just frustrating, you know? She acts like everything I’m learning is dangerous or evil when it’s really about understanding myself and my heritage. I wish she’d at least try to see it from my perspective.”

  “Well, she’ll come around eventually,” Hilda said, tossing a couple chips into her mouth. She crunched them as she shrugged and said, “Or not. But I guess just lay low until your eighteen, then it won’t matter anymore, and you can do whatever you want.”

  Emma smirked. “Does sneaking out in the middle of the night count as laying low?”

  “Only if you don’t get caught!” Hilda winked.

  Morrigan chuckled. “And you want to be my foster mom.”

  “Woah, woah, just say guardian; mom makes me sound old. I’m only twenty-three, you know.”

  “I’m surprised your lawyer is so confident about it working out.”

  “Well, your age helps a lot. If you were younger, it’d probably be way harder, but I’ve got a place for you to live and a stable income, so all’s good.”

  “And a criminal record,” Emma added.

  “A soon-to-be-expunged criminal record,” Hilda scowled at Emma. “Geeze, whats with you guys tonight! It’s like you’re ganging up on me.”

  They all shared a laugh as Morrigan reached for one of the snacks.

  “So, what’s your roommate like?” Emma asked. “You said her name’s Pepper?”

  Morrigan nodded. “Well, she’s small, kind of quiet. She’s kinda… uh… oblivious sometimes, but in a cute way. Oh yeah, and she can see ghosts.” Morrigan threw that part in so casually just to see their reactions, and it did not disappoint.

  Hilda choked on a chip, and Emma’s eyes widened. “She can see ghosts? You’re joking, right?”

  “Nope. Apparently she had better supernatural vision than even reapers. Turns out Noir is even uglier than we thought.”

  That got a laugh out of Hilda once she cleared her windpipes. “No, Noir looks as cute as any cat. It’s just his personality that ruins it.”

  Morrigan grinned. “Anyway, Death says she’s what's called a Gazer.”

  That put a more contemplative expression on Hilda’s face. “Gazer, huh?”

  “Have you heard that term before?” Emma asked.

  Hilda nodded. “Pretty sure my mom wrote about a Gazer in one of her journals. I can’t really remember what it said. I haven't exactly properly read most of those things, but that did stand out when I was skimming through one.”

  “Any idea where she met them?” Morrigan asked. “Death says Gazers are extremely rare.”

  “Do you think you can find that journal again?” Emma asked.

  “Hmmmm… well, I can definitely try, but it might take some time. My mom’s records weren’t exactly uh… lets say, linear. She wasn’t exactly trying to create research papers or anything like that. She’d just kind of jot things down as she observes them, and I’m guessing in just whatever random notebook was closest. She didn’t even both to date most of her entries.” Hilda chuckled. “Her collections are pretty much the same way. Its all packed up back at her house, but good luck making any sense of it. It’s like the magical storage garage from hell over there.”

  “Her… house?” Morrigan asked.

  Hilda nodded. “Technically mine now, but I don’t go there too often. I just go back once in a while to check the seals on the storage rooms.”

  Morrigan glanced at Emma who had a deep frown come across her face as she took in her cousin's words. Morrigan had heard the story of how a changeling took control of her dad and then ended up killing her mom. It was to Morrigan’s understanding that all happened at her childhood home. Morrigan guessed it wouldn’t be easy to go back to the place where your parents died.

  “Anyway, I’ll see if I can find it again, but no promises. Hmmm, from what I remember, though… I think the Gazer thing was tied to an entry she wrote about an old coven she visited in Europe. It said something about the Gazer being able to see both worlds.”

  Emma perked up. “Both worlds meaning the living and the dead?”

  Hilda shrugged. “I guess so. Hey cat, you around? Care to chime in?”

  All three girls looked around, but he didn’t answer. Morrigan figured he either didn’t care to answer or just decided to head back to the cabin, or whatever else he does in his free time. Her reaping was over for the night, after all, so it was probably time for him to take a break.

  After a moment, Emma glanced at Hilda, then back at Morrigan. “Hey,” she said, breaking the silence. "Morrigan, you want to walk around the park with me for a bit? We haven’t really had much time to talk, just the two of us.”

  Hilda grinned mischievously. “Oh, go ahead, lovebirds,” she teased, waving them off with a dramatic gesture. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll just be here, enjoying my chips in lonely solitude.”

  Morrigan rolled her eyes, though she felt a faint flush in her cheeks that probably wasn’t visible due to her underwordly complection. “W-we’re not…”

  Emma giggled, grabbing Morrigan’s hand and tugging her gently. “Come on, let’s leave her to her chips.”

  The two walked side by side down the dimly lit trail. The park was quiet, save for the distant chirping of crickets and the rustling of leaves in the night breeze.

  “So, what’s on your mind?” Emma asked, her tone light but her gaze sharp.

  Morrigan hesitated. “I don’t know, nothing big… Just stuff.”

  “Uh-huh.” Emma raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that ‘stuff’ usually means you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. So spill.”

  Morrigan sighed, glancing up at the canopy of stars above them. She didn’t want to bother Emma with the Jenna thing, and besides, that wasn’t even the heaviest thing weighing on her right now. “I don’t know…” she glanced over to Emma who was giving her that exaggerated, narrow-eyed expression. Morrigan sighed. After talking to the old lady who’d lost her daughter, Morrigan figured she knew why the changeling was acting up so much more lately. It was the simple fact that she knew Morrigan Livingston was living on borrowed time, and sooner or later she’d have to plan for how to go about having her own funeral and fully embrace Reaper Morrigan.

  “Your mom?” Emma asked.

  “That’s a big part of it, I guess.”

  Emma gave her a soft smile as she led her over to a bench that looked out over a pond. The moon was reflecting off the lightly rippling water. “Well, its tough, but you know, mental health issues aren't all that uncommon. I’ve kind of picked up she wasn’t in the best place even before your disappearance, and now she’s getting help. So that’s good.”

  Morrigan nodded. That was part of it, but it wasn’t all of it. None of this could last. Morrigan knew that, but she didn’t think Emma understood, and she didn’t want to try to make her understand either. “Lets talk about something else.”

  Emma tilted her head, studying Morrigan for a moment before nodding. “Alright, something else.” She scooted closer to Morrigan on the bench, then let her head rest against her shoulder. “Can’t wait for us to be able to get together under normal circumstances again, but… this is kind of nice too.” She chuckled. “Sneaking out to see my girlfriend.”

  Morrigan felt Emma leaning against her, making her feel warm. The presence of another person, someone who genuinely cared for her, pressing into her side. It was grounding, comforting, and terrifying all at once. Morrigan hadn’t realized just how much she’d been missing something like this in her life.

  But as much as she wanted to lose herself in the moment, the weight of reality lingered in the back of her mind. This couldn’t last. None of it. It was all fleeting. The changeling seemed to agree, as it bubbled softly under her shoulderblades.

  “The water’s really pretty,” Emma said softly.

  “Yeah, it’s nice.”

  Emma adjusted herself, slipping an arm around Morrigan’s back as the breeze picked up slightly, and Emma shivered. “Ugh, it’s colder than I thought it’d be tonight.”

  Morrigan glanced at her, pulling her hood up a little tighter. “It’s not too bad. You want my hoodie?”

  Emma shook her head, grinning mischievously. “Nah, I’ve got a better idea.” She slid her hand into the pocket of Morrigan’s hoodie. The action made Morrigan’s heart flutter, but then Emma turned with a raised eyebrow as she pulled something out. She pulled back slightly and held up the pack of cigarettes.

  “Morrigan?” Emma asked, her tone caught between amusement and confusion.

  Morrigan blinked, caught completely off guard. “Oh, um…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “It’s not what it looks like.”

  Emma raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching as if she were trying not to laugh. “Really? Because it looks like you’ve been hiding a rebellious streak I didn’t know about.”

  Morrigan winced. “Seriously, they’re not for me.”

  Emma’s amusement gave way to a slightly more interrogative expression. “Okay, so who are they for? Don’t tell me Noir picked up a bad habit. Death doesn’t even have lungs.”

  Morrigan exhaled, frustrated as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, no idea where to pull the thread on explaining this one.

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