Free Naomi Grim (The Silver Scythe Chronicles) Part 1 by Tiffany Nicole Smith Page A

us. Don't even get me started on the parties and
balls.”
    "Is that so?" Keira asked, sounding completely
uninterested.
    "I can't believe you guys. You should be
ecstatic, and you're acting like you don't even care."
    "We care," I replied. "What do you want us to
do, turn cartwheels?"
    "I'm sure Bram is happy," Sable said slyly.
Every girl I knew had to work Bram into the
conversation.
    "Why are you worried about Bram?" Keira
asked.
    Why was she worried about Sable being worried
about Bram?
    Sable sighed. "I can see you guys are in bad
moods, so I'll leave you alone. You'll come crawling to me once
you're in the Upper Estates and you need someone to show you the
ropes."
    She and her friends left without ordering
anything. Clearly, she had only come to offer us her expertise on
the Upper Estates.

Chapter 10
    One day left. Everyone was present for our last
and final lesson—Father and Dunningham included.
    Doyle placed five black velvet boxes on the
coffee table.
    "What are those?" Josh asked.
    Doyle stood in front of us and picked up one of
the boxes. "You can't walk around a school with your scythes, but
you can't collect lives without them." He opened the box and held
the contents out for us to see. It was a silver chain with a tiny
silver scythe charm on it. "So we had these made for you. When
you're wearing them, they will possess the same powers as your
scythe. You must never take them off. They are just as sacred as
your scythes."
    Dunningham's assistant handed us each a box. I
removed my necklace, letting my fingers run over the cold metal. I
loved jewelry. I wished we could wear these all the time instead of
walking around with the heavy scythe that could sometimes be a
nuisance.
    Dunningham stood and took mine from me. "Here,
let me." I turned a little so he could fasten it around my neck. My
body shivered from his ice-cold touch, and I wanted him to move
away. "There," he said and thankfully went back to sit in Father's
chair.
    Doyle sat also. "Now this is the most important
part. You must return to the residence each night. None of the
humans can know where you live. You cannot bring them
there."
    The residence. It was going to be weird with
just us kids living together. I was used to being away from home
for long periods of time when on assignment, but I was always
alone—just me and the human I was following. A smile spread across
Bram's face. I knew he was already thinking it was party
time.
    "Now, Bram," Doyle continued, "I will be
dropping in from time to time, but when I'm not there, you're in
charge."
    Had Doyle never met my brother? What kind of
idiot would leave him in charge?
    "You will be in charge of making sure everyone
is home by their curfew each night. Make sure they are following
the Covenant. Keep the humans out of the home. Get as close to the
humans as you can without blowing your cover. Is that
understood?"
    Bram nodded. "Yes, sir. Don't worry. I'll keep
these kids out of trouble."
    I tried really hard not to roll my eyes. Who
was going to keep him out of trouble?
    Mr. Dunningham stood, hopefully to leave.
"Young Grims, I have entrusted you with a prestigious task—a task I
would only offer to the best of the best. Govern yourselves
accordingly."
    That night, Father gave us a long lecture
before we went to bed about how our future in Nowhere was riding on
this. How this assignment was going to open so many doors for us.
In other words, we couldn’t mess up. We turned in early to get a
good night's sleep, although I never fell asleep. I was anxious
about being a high school student among the humans, and I wasn't
sure if I could pull it off. What if everyone hated me? What if I
fell prey to a bully? Then I reminded myself that I wouldn't be
alone. My brothers and best friend would be there. Everything would
be fine.
    The following morning, Father made us a hearty
breakfast. This was unusual because he hardly ever cooked. We
munched on scrambled eggs, sausages, potato cakes, toast, and
melon.