“Why do I have to eat, anyway?” I ask as I pick up my spoon and start to dig in. “If I don’t have a body anymore, doesn’t that mean I don’t need to eat?”
Maxon smirks. “If you were a normal human soul, yes,” he says. “But reapers require a steady diet of spiritual energy in order to survive. The food and drink we eat is conjured from the spiritual energy siphoned from the millions of souls that reside here in the city.”
I frown, staring at my soup. “So…you’re saying this isn’t really soup? That it’s like an illusion or something?”
Maxon shrugs. “Sort of. I’ve never really thought of it like that.”
“Why even bother to make it into food?” I ask, genuinely intrigued. “Why not just consume the energy directly, or drink it like some kind of energy drink?”
“Energy drink?”
“Er, special beverages that humans drink when they’re tired and need a boost.”
“Ah.” Maxon nods. “Well, from what I understand, we used to do that way back in the beginning, but when humans began to refine their palates and were suddenly making all kinds of dishes all over the world, the reapers back then started to get jealous. Someone figured out how to convert the spiritual energy into food so that we can enjoy the same pleasures.”
Weird. Shaking my head, I slurp a spoonful of the stew. You’d think the flavors would be off or something, since reapers don’t eat real food, but this stuff tastes amazing. And in the back of my head, I’m kinda grateful I still get to do normal things like eat and sleep. It’ll make the adjustment way easier.
“So…these houses we’re sorted into,” I say, trying to change the subject.
“What about them?”
“Are we rivals?” I dip my bread into the soup and steal a glance at his handsome face.
“Technically no, but when it comes to points or winning the Soul Cup and Captura, then yes.”
“What’s that?” Hadn’t the headmistress mentioned the Soul Cup, too?
“I’ll explain that later. For now, eat. The sooner we eat the sooner we can go to bed. I’m dead tired.”
The chill I was trying to repress runs down my spine, causing me to shiver.
“Are you cold?” Maxon asks.
“Yeah. I have been since I got here. I think part of it is shock or something.”
“Here.” He stands up and undoes the top clasp of his cloak. He slowly pulls it off and comes around the table, draping it over my shoulders. It’s warm from his body, and smells faintly like the homemade soap I got at the Bristol Renaissance Faire over the summer.
“Thank you.” Once again, I’m bemused by his kindness, followed so closely on the heels of his rude behavior. I almost wish he’d make up his damn mind already. The back and forth is exhausting already.
“It gets chilly in the mess hall once the fires have gone out. The academy is old and drafty.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to notice that.” I go back to my soup, eating the rest in silence. Maxon clears our dishes, helps me carry my stuff, and starts leading me to the dormitories.
We’ve just stepped out of the mess hall when someone calls my name.
“Addy!”
I whirl around, tearing my eyes away from the large painting of a cloaked horseman riding across a field that’s hanging in the hallway. I know that voice, and it can only belong to one person.
“Cass!”
Ponytail bobbing behind her, Cass comes running down the hall and throws her arms around me. I expect her to pass right through me, but I’m greeted by her embrace. She’s cold to the touch, but she’s corporeal.
“Oh my God,” I mutter. “You’re…you’re…”
“A real boy?” She laughs, referencing Pinocchio, one of her favorite movies.
“Yeah. How?”
“Things are different here. It takes a lot of energy to manifest a physical body, and I can’t do it all the time. But they kept saying you’d be coming here, and I’ve wanted to hug my best friend for so long.” She takes my hands in hers and another shiver works its way through me. “Should I offer my condolences? You’re dead.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “Way to be blunt, Cass. And honestly…” I look at Maxon, who’s watching us curiously. “I don’t know. I don’t feel dead.”
“You don’t look dead either.” She loops her arm through mine. Her body feels like ice but I don’t have the heart to tell her she’s making me cold again when I just fought off a chill. “Where are you off to?”
“Um, the dorms.”
“Ohhh, did they place you in a house yet?” She looks from me to Max and bats her lashes.
“Yeah. I’m a Proeliator, which I guess means I’m good at fighting.”
“I’m not surprised.” Cass beams again. “You always have been badass.”
“Excuse me,” Maxon says, looking annoyed once more. “I’m sorry to interrupt this reunion, but it’s late and Addison needs to rest. Passing through a portal for the first time takes a lot out of you.”
“Right.” Cass offers a big smile. She doesn’t seem at all fazed by the stick up Maxon’s ass. “So let’s go.”
Maxon doesn’t budge. “No offense, but I don’t want a ghost watching me sleep.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Why would she watch you sleep if she’s with me?”
“The extra bed…it’s in my room.”
“Oh.” I blink, a blush heating my cheeks as I look from Maxon to Cass and back again. “So that’s what the headmistress meant.”
“Yeah. It’s only for the night.” Maxon looks almost as uncomfortable as I feel.
“Fine,” Cassandra huffs. “There are other ghosts that haunt the city not far from here. I’ll hang out with them. I’ll see you in the morning, Addy.” She gives me another hug, and the chill from her body makes gooseflesh ripple across my arms.
“Night, Cass.” I try not to shiver as I follow Maxon to the dorms, wondering what exactly lies ahead.
5
“Can I ask you one more thing?” I heft my load of supplies back up on my hip. We just went up two flights of stairs, but for some reason, I’m not winded.
“You’re going to anyway, aren’t you?” Maxon keeps walking, holding my bundle of supplies and clothing as if they weigh nothing.
“If you’re a reaper and saving souls or whatever is your job, why did you get in trouble?”
He hesitates for a second. “Because students aren’t supposed to go to the human realm on their own.”
“Why did you?”
“I thought I could do it,” he admits ruefully. “I thought I could kill the demon and impress everyone. I’d earn our house more points and would be noticed by the Head of the Council as well as the high-ranking officers in the Reaper Army.”
“I’m sure they’ve noticed, all right,” I mumble, and Maxon gives me a glare. “Sorry. Too soon.”
“I think the better question is, why were you trying to save a lost soul?”