Liam is standing guard at the first gate which is where Arianna veers. The same playful grin I remember from dinner plays across his lips as he sees me with her, but he quickly turns to Arianna.
“Did you bringme another soul, Ari? It’s always a pleasure to see you,” he flirts, throwing a wink her way. I can see Arianna’s pale skin tinge pink.
A flare of jealousy flows through me and I have to stop myself from glaring. I have no claim to him, yet my heart clearly didn’t get the memo. He’s clearly the flirty type but damn if it doesn’t bother me on so many levels I likely need therapy.
It strikes me even more odd that he doesn’t even acknowledge me past his initial smile. Arianna and Liam exchange a few more flirty words before he finally turns to Maria. I finally take my hand off of Maria’s arm and give her an encouraging smile.
“Thank you dear,” she says to me before turning to Liam.
“Welcome to the After ma’am. My friend here will show you where to go,” Liam says kindly, ushering her beyond the gates. Another reaper smiles at her and leads her away.At least here she’s treated with kindness and respect.
“That’s all for today, Luz. You can go now,” Arianna says with a small smile, before turning back to Liam. He doesn’t even attempt to say goodbye or anything so I push down my frustration and walk away.
I’m doing just fine on my own, I don’t need someone distracting me while I settle in anyway. I’m sure I can figure out portal travel and shop on my own. At least that’s the lie I try to tell myself to hide the fact that I really do care that he went from hot to cold on me. Even if nothing happened romantically, I thought we could be friends. I’m not a dirty little secret though, I refuse to be.
My thoughts spiral around as I make my way back to my room. Thankfully no one stops me, and if they were talking about me I’m too lost in my own head to notice.
When I get back to my room, a package is sitting on my bed. I’m lucky I even saw the white box on the all white bed. Inside is a phone and instructions on what is expected of me. Apparently the city is modern enough that instructions will hit my phone each morning. How the hell they managed service between the realms is beyond me. I don’t need to understand everything to use it.
Next to the phone is my very own reaper chain. I pick it up and test the weight in my palms. It seems custom made for my body type and strength and I feel even more confident in wielding it.
Putting it on the dresser for tomorrow I pick up the phone again, turning it around and studying it. It’s just like a normal cell and oddly enough that little sliver of familiar technology brings me a small amount of comfort. It’s the first thing I have here that keeps me anchored to who I was, even if it’s in an indirect way.
It’s odd to feel a connection to a piece of simple technology, but with my memories practically nonexistent now, anything familiar makes me feel real. Like my life actually happened and my former life mattered. I can remember life on Earth and basic bits of my time there, but anytime I try to remember a face, name, or personality of someone close to me, it’s just a blank wall. Like I’m a shell of a person who lived her days with no close friends or family. I have a feeling that it’s the reaper powers giving me a chance to thrive in this new realm, but to me I feel an odd hollowness where a life I should know, is missing.
The Luz who lived with purpose doesn’t deserve to be forgotten entirely.
Yet, could I cope with the knowledge of all that I lost?
The answer is an easy no. This is for the best, even if it means finding who I am all over again.
I have a purpose. That will have to be enough.
ChapterSix
Luz
My assignments send out an alert on my phone loud enough to wake me from my dreamless sleep. For once since arriving I don’t feel the same fear and worry under the surface, only excitement. It’s finally time to get out of training and figure out what reaping is actually like.
Anticipation bubbles in me at the sight of my assignments and I rush through my morning routine, only stopping for water and a granola bar and choking them down before pulling on my boots. I’m far too excited at attempting this alone to linger here.
At least the small supply store had a few basics for my room. It came in handy, especially on nights like last night when I was too angry to go to the diner. At the reminder of my interaction with Liam, my anger flares again. I try to push it back down and focus on my day instead.
He doesn’t matter.Even as I think it, I can feel the lie. But I won’t fight for someone who dismisses me, I’m worth more than that. Not to mention, I can’t let him distract me from my purpose here.
The first name on my list is a man from Orlando. I hold out my hand and say ‘porta’in the same tone that Arianna did, firm and clear. With the mention of the man’s name and location the air in front of me ripples and I can feel a static tingle flowing back and forth between the portal and my hand. When the tingle stops I step through the portal, chain held tightly in my hand.
I find myself in the middle of a warehouse. It’s dark and dingy, not exactly the place I would want to die. Footsteps rush away in the opposite direction and I groan, realizing my very first is already trying to escape. Without hesitation I start running after it. Darting through large shelves and shipping crates I come out in an open area. It stinks of gunfire and blood and I wrinkle my nose against it.
My stomach drops when I spot a middle aged man slumped awkwardly against the wall, a pool of blood below him. I walk up to the man in question. His soul is already separated from his body and looking around in confusion. He sees me approach and his eyes narrow maliciously. I bristle at the challenge in his eyes, this soul is definitely a runner. Before he can take off again my scythe forms without a second thought and I swing it through the air. Elias was right, it cuts through him, the chain taking hold without harming him. The moment we’re tethered together the chain shines a swirling silver and I can feel the man’s emotions. Right now he’s like a caged animal, ready for fight or flight, whichever gets him out of this mess.
“It’s time for judgment,” I say solemnly. It’s a bit ominous as far as taglines go, but if it gets the point across that’s all that matters.
His previously narrowed eyes widen at the realization that I’ll be taking him to the afterlife. The portal forms and I step through, yanking him along behind me. He fights it but the chain holds strong, forcing him to follow and comply.
The man starts to plead with me to release him, but I ignore his requests as we step onto the dais. I can tell already where this soul will be going, and it isn’t going to be pretty for him. We exit the portal right on the platform and I silently cheer for not fucking this up.
Now that I’m no longer being trained, the gatekeepers clearly don’t feel like putting on a show. They barely look at the soul before declaring he should be moved to the Hollows. From the tone of voice and murmurs, the soul quickly realizes his fate.