Chapter 2

Kellan

S he seems on edge today, like something transpired between her and that shitty boyfriend she spends her time with. I'm not entirely sure why she continues to put up with him. He doesn't benefit her in any way. It's a curious thing, really.

I've watched her closely from a distance for some time now. Distance is all I'm afforded because no matter how much I want her, I can't have her.

My job is simple, wait for the right time and lead them down their path. Do not intervene. I'd never been tempted to intervene until I laid eyes on this raven-haired beauty. She's such a strange, alluring creature.

The Angel of Death, Grim Reaper, Santa Muerte, and Azarel are just a few of the names I go by. I haven't had the luxury of someone calling me by my true name in a long time. If I had the choice, people would just call me Kellan. All of my aliases seem so... final.

In a way, everything I do is final. I spend the entirety of my existence ensuring those who cross my path end up on their correct one. Aside from the date, time of their death and name, I know nothing about them. I don't need to know anything else. I am only a neutral bystander who leads and watches while they carry out their purpose in my realm.

Not everyone ends up with me. Most find their way automatically to either Heaven or Hell based on how they live their human lives. The ones I am tasked to lead are those who either have unfinished business or need to be tested. These souls come to my realm to find their purpose.

I never introduce myself to them. When souls see me, they already know who I am—the personification of death. I'm not to make any sort of connection with those whose paths cross mine. That's not one of my tasks because it could potentially interfere with their purpose. That is the greatest rule: Do not interfere with a soul's purpose.

The only time I'm afforded glimpses of the souls I am to lead, outside my usual job, is if they evade me. Not everything is cut and dry when I am involved. Although nobody ever completely outruns death, sometimes they do not end up in my immediate grasp. The dates and times of their deaths change, usually due to the actions of others. They are temporarily saved from their walk with me. If this happens and I've revealed myself without claiming their soul, a tether forms between us. These tethers become invisible strings that link us together. I have full access to everything they do in their human lives until we ultimately meet again.

If I wanted to, I could watch them from the shadows of the human world until their true time of death arises. I've never wanted to. Human life is not something I particularly care about. My job is to worry about the souls in my realm. It's a purgatory of sorts. Each soul that enters my dominion has an allotted amount of time to prove themselves in one way or another. I don't decide the time it will take or how it is done. That's up to the Others.

Once they find their purpose, the angel or demon will appear to take them beyond. Where souls end up after they leave my realm is a direct result of their time spent here. I don't know where that is, nor do I care. I've never really cared what happens to these souls once they move on from me. I only watch as needed to ensure they stay on their path.

Humans have never meant anything to me; Lena became my exception. The moment my eyes landed on her, I knew she was going to be different than all of the others. I've seen so many throughout my existence, but none have piqued my interest in the way she does. There is pain in her shimmering brown eyes, but she is able to mask it with a blank facade that lesser beings would be oblivious to.

Time works differently for me. There is no start or finish. Two human years ago, I saw her for the first time, broken and bloody on her bathroom floor, and I was instantly enchanted. It only took one glance at her for the image of her high cheekbones and full lips to be ingrained in my memory for all of eternity. Aside from the few freckles sprinkled around her button nose, her porcelain skin is clear as day. She is a striking beauty.

On the outside, she may appear to be more of the girl next door type, but she is deeply tortured. She has mastered her fake smile for the rest of the world, but as I mentioned, I am privy to seeing things in people that mere humans are not.

The darkness in her soul speaks to me on a level that I don't understand, even after two years. She is broken, beautiful, and desperately trying to seek out something she will likely never find in her lifetime.

This one broken soul craves nothing except for the peace of the end. She has no clue that Death has been watching her. Today, she looks sadder than usual as she strolls from her apartment building to her old rundown car. It's almost as though she doesn't want anyone to see where she's going. Obviously, I'm going to follow her to find out what she's up to. My perfect little pet, who captivates all of my attention.

She won't see me. Nobody sees me in my true shadow form unless I will them to. I've considered revealing myself to her in my human form just so I can have some sort of interaction with her but keeping a distance will be too hard for me once I do.

When people think of the personification of death, they automatically assume I resemble what they read about in their books or what they see on their screens—a skeleton figure in a long black robe wielding a scythe. While I suppose my magic grants me the option to appear like that, the scythe is more of a hassle than it's worth to carry around. My true form is much more complex.

The best way to describe my most authentic self is a firm cloud of smoke. A conundrum, I know, but as free as the smoke flows, it also has the ability to be solid. I can bend the shadows at my will, as they are extensions of myself. The dark tendrils often dance at my feet. When in my natural state, I keep myself cloaked in a long, hooded robe. I guess humans have at least that description of me correct.

My human form is what most consider to be attractive. I have short black hair and a strong jawline. A range of different tattoos cover most of my upper body. My arms house different designs, such as black roses and smoky tendrils. I'm fit but not overly muscular. My green hooded eyes are my most striking feature. I never miss the way the humans stare into them, wishing they could see further into my being to learn more about who I am. Humans have always been curious creatures, looking to find deeper connections in one another.

My attention falls back to my pet as she starts her car and pulls off in the opposite direction. I already know where she's going. It's where she always goes when she's upset, but even if she doesn't go there, I will always find her. We have been connected since the first time we saw one another.

I pop over to the cemetery and wait for her to arrive. There is a bench that she likes to sit on, so I hide in the tree line near it. She enjoys coming here to look out on the one thing she craves the most: death.

She's addicted to finding the release of the end. I wonder if that's why she feels the need to harm herself. Maybe the closer to death she is, the more calm she feels .

Sometimes, she tries talking to the dead as if they can hear her. These people have all moved on to the great beyond. The only thing out here that hears her is me.

Her car finally comes into view, and she parks it in her usual spot. She steps out, and the light hits her hair in the most perfect way, causing it to shine as it blows in the faint breeze. She is wearing a pair of black leggings and a long-sleeve crew-neck sweater today. The fall weather compliments her well.

She strides over to her bench and sits down, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her cheek on them. After a few minutes, she sighs loudly and lifts her head to look at the graves in front of her. The empty look in her eyes tells me something major happened.

"How the hell am I supposed to show my face in class tomorrow after the entire campus saw me getting fucked by my boyfriend?" she confesses to the quiet space around her.

He did what? A strange feeling courses through me. Is this anger? No, surely not. I've never felt angry before.

"So many text messages from people on campus. They saw everything," she whispers, defeated.

Yes. This must be anger. Knowing so many people saw her in such a vulnerable position unwillingly causes fury to consume me. I clench my fists, and my shadow tendrils fill the air next to me. My body morphs into a mixture of my human and shadow form as I struggle to control my emotions.

"I really thought I had something decent going here. People were friendly enough. Sure, I've dealt with a few things, but overall, it wasn't anything extreme. I was able to resist the call of the blades." She sighs again, shaking her head as tears well up in her gorgeous eyes. I want to be there to wipe them away for her.

"It's all going to change now. The bullying is going to start again. I don't know if I'm strong enough to handle it. I've been trying so hard to pretend I'm okay. Nobody will even see it coming this time, but I know it's inevitable. They're going to push me too hard, and I'm going to end up bloody on the bathroom floor again." She wipes her tears with her sleeve.

A tendril reaches out from me as if my very being aches to comfort her before I remember I'm not supposed to show myself to her. If I do, I might change things, and I don't want to risk that. I take a step backward into the shadows, trying my best to keep my anger at bay. I force myself to calm down and morph back into my human form. I'm not used to feeling emotions, but my pet always has a way of surprising me.

She continues confessing everything to the dead. "He said something about some other girl being the one to send it out to campus. I don't even know why he had that kind of video of the two of us. Add in the fact that some girl had access to his phone. It's all just one fucked up mess. Story of my life. I guess that's why I would rather be like you. It's so peaceful. I crave that."

I know you do, my pet. You can't give in and succumb to the peace just yet. That would mean our time together would end. I think to myself. We've been on a ticking clock since the moment I first laid eyes on her. If it were up to me, I would keep her forever. I' ve never wanted to keep a soul as much as I want to keep hers. That's just not realistic.

"I would have cut myself again if he didn't come home when he did. I was so close to grabbing the razor and just letting the relief wash over me. I'm trapped with all of those feelings, and tomorrow, they are going to be so much worse. I should go back to the apartment and give myself the relief I crave. I can't, though. If I go there, Carson will probably be up my ass trying to apologize," she cries out in frustration.

I watch for a while longer before I find myself being pulled away to complete a task. I don't want to leave her here like this. I want to be able to comfort her or, at the very least, watch to make sure she's okay, but there are souls that need tending to. I have a job to do. I take one last glance at her teary eyes and reluctantly vanish to perform my duties.