Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

“It’s not always like this,” Hugo said, voice hushed. “I could tell you I’m
firm in my beliefs, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. It’s … like this place.
The tea shop. It’s sturdy, the foundation’s set, but I don’t think it’d take much
to see it all come toppling down. A tremor. An earthquake. The walls would
crumble, the floor would crack, and all that would be left is rubble and dust.”
“You’ve had an earthquake,” Wallace said.
“I have. Two, in fact.”
He didn’t want to know. He wanted to change the subject, to talk about
anything else so Hugo wouldn’t look as miserable as he did. But in the end,
he said nothing at all. He didn’t know which was more cowardly.
Hugo said, “Cameron was … troubled, when he came to me. I could see
that the moment he walked through the door, trailing after my Reaper.”
“Not Mei.”
He shook his head. “No. This was before her.” He scowled. “This Reaper
wasn’t … like her. We worked together, but we clashed more often than not.
But I thought he knew what he was doing. He’d been a Reaper for far longer
than I’d been a ferryman, and I told myself he knew more than I ever could,
especially seeing as how I was new at all of this. I didn’t want to cause
trouble, and as long as I kept my head down, I figured we could make it
work.
“He brought Cameron. He didn’t want to be here. He refused to believe he
was dead. He was angry, so angry that I could almost taste it. It’s to be
expected, of course. It’s hard to accept a new reality when the only life
you’ve known is gone forever. He didn’t want to hear anything I had to say.
He told me this place was nothing but a prison, that he was trapped here, and
I was nothing but his captor.”
There was the guilt Wallace had been trying to avoid. It clawed at his
chest. “I didn’t…”
“I know,” Hugo said. “It’s not … you’re not like him. You never were. I
knew all I had to do was give you time, and you’d see. Even if you didn’t
agree, even if you didn’t like it, you’d understand. And I don’t think you’re
quite there yet, but you will be.”
“How?” Wallace asked. “How did you know that?”
“Peppermint tea,” Hugo said. “It was so strong, stronger than almost any
tea I’ve made for someone like you before. You weren’t angry. You were
scared and acting angry. There’s a difference.”