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She makes her way over to the bed and plops down on it. She pulls the lid off the top of the ice cream and holds a spoon out to me.
I join her, taking it and digging it into the ice cream. I take a spoonful and let it melt in my mouth.
"Mmm, that is good," I admit. "Is it cookie dough?"
"It is," she agrees. "None of the other flavours compare."
"It is one of my favourites," I admit.
"Good. Then I guessed right." She smiles. "But I didn't just come with ice cream..."
"I guessed."
"Mathias said something rattled you today."
I raise an eyebrow. "He did?"
"It's what he's supposed to do if something affects one of us when we're out doing our jobs. We work with death all the time, it's important we all keep an eye on one another. Was it something you saw at the house? I know murder accusations can be a bit jarring, but it's normally something we can get through."
"No, it wasn't that." I bite my lip, wondering whether or not I can trust her with the information in the letter.
I reach over and pick it up, still unsure that this is the right thing to do, but needing to talk to someone about it. Locking myself up in my bedroom and not telling anyone isn't the right thing for me, or for my reaper team. They're relying on me to help them solve Denise's case, even if they're also using it to teach me.
"I got this today. It was left for me at the library." I hand her the scrunched up letter and wait for her to read it.
A horrible feeling of dread creeps over me. It feels wrong to be sharing something about the Association with an outsider. And even worse to know for sure that my worlds are colliding. Perhaps naively, I thought I might be able to keep the two worlds separate, especially with turning my back on the Association completely.
"The Shadow Association?" she asks.
"Yes."
"You're a member?"
"I guess? I'm not really sure. It's just where I grew up. I don't know much about it," I admit. "I always wanted to leave, even if I didn't understand it. Or maybe because I didn't understand it. I don't like being left in the dark." Which is one of the reasons I like it here. Every time I ask a question, I'm told the answer. This whole place is built on education. It's so at odds with the way the Association is run.
"What's the Shadow Oath?" she asks.
"I have no idea. They've never told me. Before I came here, I knew they'd planned to do mine. I presume because I turned eighteen. I left before I could learn any more about it."
"Understandable." She digs her spoon into the ice cream tub and takes another bite.
I raise an eyebrow. "You know about the Shadow Association?"
"Everyone does. Though for most people it's of them, not about them."
"You probably know more than me," I mutter. "I don't even know what the Association is other than the name. Is it as bad as it sounds?"
"It's kind of akin to a cult," she admits.
My mouth falls open. "I'm a member of a cult?" How can that be true if I didn't know it? "But I spent my childhood at a normal school."
"Maybe it's more like you're a pre member of a cult?"
I sigh heavily. "Great. What happens when people find that out?" I grab an extra-large spoonful of ice cream. It's needed right now.
"Nothing," Juliet assures me. "No one is going to tell anyone and we'll figure this out. Though we should go talk to Tobias and Mathias about this."
"We should?" I don't like the idea of more people finding out, even if I am growing to trust them.
