The Medium Kid

Chapter 65

For those of you who wonder why all of my characters have surnames named after wood, my answer:

No two trees are the same, and every root takes a different path.

- Sian

Morlen saw himself in the reflection of the window, catching his eyebrows as they raised high into his forehead. He spun around and his brows plunged into his eyes with alarm. "Excuse me?" he said loudly.

Miss Pecan connected their gaze. The vulnerability was well hidden on her face, but it leaked from her voice like she was ready to explode with emotion. "I'm your mother," she said again, this time with less confidence.

Morlen, for the second time, caught himself listening to the sound of the clock ticking to itself on the wall. He stared until the art teacher looked mildly concerned.

"Are you and your little blind friend working together to confuse me until I'll believe anything you say?" Morlen asked.

"I'm not lying. You are my son."

Morlen's eyes traced the old woman standing before him. If he were to pass her on the street, he would never think she was the Grim Reaper or his mother. They looked nothing alike. Her eyes were bright green, his were a dull hazel, her face was round and plump, Morlen had a jaw that could cut through wood. Her hair was streaky blonde, Morlen's was the colour of a standard brown in a paint set. Though, Morlen had never met his birth mother, so why would he know what she looked like?

"Is this another one of your cruel games? You know, like when you made Connor lie about not knowing who sent the flowers to our home?" Morlen's fists were clenching.

"Do you think I would lie about something so personal?" Miss Pecan raised a brow when Morlen scoffed. "Right, I'm Death, of course."

"Get out of my house," Morlen growled. She was hitting a nerve when all he wanted to do was get stupidly drunk, so he would stop feeling so heartbroken. "You are not my mother."

"Just like you're not Connor's medium? You can deny it all you want, but the facts won't change."

Connor entered the room when blood raced around Morlen's body. Morlen was angry, and sad, and tired. His actions overtook his rational thoughts and he stormed up to Connor, grabbed the mugs from his hands and threw them across the room. The mugs smashed and the tea splashed all over the walls.

Connor almost tripped when hands pushed his chest and he backed out of the room. "I just saw my wife's body lying on a slab, and now you're throwing all of this stuff in the air like I haven't just lived my worst nightmare?" Morlen yelled and shoved Connor out of the front door.

Connor fell on the step and scuffed his knee on the drive. Morlen was too furious to care and turned back to the living room. Nikki Pecan was gone. When he turned back towards Connor, Pecan was suddenly standing beside the medium, helping him to his feet.

"You're right, we should have given you time, but you shouldn't be alone right now-" Morlen slammed the door shut, silencing the Reaper of souls.

* * * * *

Two hours past and Koda shook Alfie awake to make sure he was okay. Alfie grumbled a response and lifted his head from Koda's shoulder.

"You okay?" Koda asked. He had spent the past few hours staring around Alfie's room and thinking about what happened at the college. Time went by surprisingly fast when he had a lot to think about.