Valeria Brinstrone had just reaped her second soul, a 40 years old woman named Jane McLean who had cancer. She had rushed out the moment the machines started beeping and the nurses and doctors came in to check.
Just as she was walking out, Jane McLean's family rushed in. Jane McLean had asked her for a favour to tell her family that she loves them and that she hid her will under the bible. Now, she stood outside the room, listening to Jane McLean's family crying inside after the doctor pronounced her time of death.
Ari, who was waiting for her outside the room, came up to her.
"Well, don't just stand there, we need to get the soul delivered," he told her.
She turned to him.
"What about Jane McLean's dying wish? She asked me to tell her family that she loved them and that she hid her will under her bible," she asked.
"Last I checked, you had to be my substitute reaper and not a wish-fulfilling meddling busybody," Ari replied sarcastically.
"But, she asked me to pass on the message and I agreed!" Valeria insisted.
"Please check memory input, I never, I repeat, NEVER EVER, do such things, I am a reaper, NOT an errand boy and NOT a messenger," Ari pointed out.
Valeria crossed her arms on her chest. He may not have any empathy for the souls he reaped but she does. Poor Jane McLean is the same age as her. It could be her on that bed.
"Dream on, we won't let you die until you finish reaping the 100 souls on my behalf," Ari replied to her thoughts.
"Hey Mister Demon mind reader, can you please stop invading my private thoughts?" Valeria asked, annoyed. It is annoying to have some annoying smart aleck demon thing reading her every thought.
"I am NOT a demon, you know I am a reaper, why do you insist on calling me a demon?" Ari protested.
"Well, you behave like one so I think you are one, simple as that," she retorted.
While they were bantering, Jane McLean's teenage children, two boys, wandered outside. Both of them stared at her as if she has lost her mind. She realised Ari must be invisible to humans so it would look like she was talking to herself.
"Er, hello, you must be Jane's sons, she talked about you so much," she pasted a friendly smile on her face.
"You know mom?" the older and taller boy asked.
"Yes, I was just with her when…when…" Valeria pretended to wipe tears in her eyes. "Well, she told me that she loved you both and your father a lot," she said sadly. "Also, her will is under the bible," she added.
"What? But mom doesn't have a bible," the other boy said, sounding puzzled.
Oh great. Why did Jane McLean ask her to pass on the message when her family doesn't even know about the bible?
"I told you, you don't have to convey the message, you are a substitute reaper, not a soul last dying wish messenger, honestly," Ari said, annoyed.
"Anyway, just tell your dad, maybe he knows, I better be off," she said. She quickly turned and walked away before Jane McLean's husband come out and ask her more questions. She wouldn't be able to reply any questions about Jane at all. She can just imagine the scenario.
"How did you meet Jane?" he would ask.
"Oh, I met her on her last dying breath before I took her soul to deliver her to the after life," she would reply. And then he would either murder her or have her committed to the asylum, both options that she doesn't relish.
So, nope. Not a good idea at all. She didn't bother to wait for Ari this time. Let him limp his way out. She headed to her car and got in. It took Ari another few minutes before he reached the car. He got in on the front passenger seat.
"Do you have to speed walk out of there as if you stole something and are making a run for it?" Ari grumbled.
"Stop complaining, let's go deliver this soul," she said. She pealed out of the hospital carpark and headed to the Zen Soul Headquarters.
"It is not called the Zen Soul Headquarters for the umpteenth time!" Ari told her but she ignored him.
It was a rather short drive. The hospital is nearby and no wonder. The hospital is probably the most popular place for reaping activities so it makes sense to have the Zen Soul Headquarters near it.
"I am curious though, so what if a human tries to enter the headquarters, what then?" she asked.
"It's a yoga centre for humans, if you must know, so not all that you see in there are reapers, some are real humans who thought they are practicing yoga in an exclusive yoga centre," Ari told her.
"What? A yoga centre? What, you reapers need to moonlight as yoga teachers while off duty to earn some human money?" she asked, trying to stifle a laugh. What a nice ice breaker for conversations though. So, what do you do? I am a reaper but I also teach yoga.
"We tried sealing the building, casting a cover on it to make it look abandoned, we did a few other tricks but somehow or other, humans tend to stumble upon it and one or two gifted ones will be able to see it and enter too," he replied.
She bit her lips to stop herself from laughing. The thousands of years of reaper magical powers and yet they couldn't do a simple thing as protecting their headquarters from accidental invasion by humans. More to the power of human inquisitiveness, she thought. So, curiosity doesn't kill the cat, it gets you entry to the reapers' headquarters. She stifled another laugh at her own joke.
Ari rolled his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest. "Yes, laugh, laugh at powerful reapers, haha, SO funny," he said, miffed.
She ignored his sulking. She needs to deliver the damn soul and then head back to start preparing for morning tea break and then lunch. She got down from the car.
"Why don't you just leave that abusive household? They have such ugly souls," Ari, who had also gotten down from the car, said.
She ignored him. Who is he to tell her how to live her life?
"I am no one to you but unfortunately, you are my substitute reaper and I need your blood to heal," Ari replied.
She whipped around to glare at him. "Look, just shut up already, you are so annoying," she said.
Then she hurried inside. There was a couple yoga lessons in session on two of the platforms. Since she is still adjusting to her new reaper powers, she finds it hard to distinguish a reaper from a human. All of them looked like regular humans to her now. No glittering eyes. Not that it mattered. She already has an annoying reaper stuck to her, she doesn't need to know more of them. They might prove to be more annoying than her reaper.
"I am not yours, so I am not YOUR reaper, please, you are MY substitute reaper though," Ari replied.
Ack. Annoying demon mind reader, shut up, she thought.
"That's right, you are annoying demon blood sucking thing that refuses to shut up," she retorted.
They headed to Ari's station where there was no sign of A, the supervisor. It doesn't matter. She only needed to drop the soul into the cubbyhole. She went to the one labelled Ari and dropped her scarf, that is glowing a peachy glow from Jane McLean's gentle soul, into the cubbyhole. It disappeared and a new one again appeared in her hand.
After that, she rushed out again. It is getting late. She really needed to get back before 11am. She is still bruised and sore from the kick-fest last night. She would prefer not to get hit or attacked again this morning.
As she was getting into her car, she saw Mark, her husband, walking down the street. That is strange. Mark's office is on the other side of the city. He appeared preoccupied as he swiped on his phone and walked in a hurried pace. All thoughts of rushing back to prepare morning break and lunch are forgotten. She is curious about where her husband is heading, so she followed him from behind, careful not to be too close to attract his attention.
"I thought you are in a hurry to go back," Ari asked as he too followed her. She ignored him. She will not converse with an invisible annoying demon while following her husband.
"It's obvious he's heading out to meet his girlfriend, do you really want to see that?" Ari said drily.
She ignored him. Although she has suspected that Mark is cheating on her, it was just a suspicion that was never proven. She doesn't believe that Mark would do that to her.
Mark turned a corner and she hurried to catch up. Ari followed closely behind. Then Mark suddenly stopped in front of a posh restaurant called The Terrace. She has always wanted to try it and asked Mark if he wanted to eat there but he always told her that he was busy. Mark did not enter the restaurant but stood there for a while, then he walked towards the side alleyway next to the restaurant.
That is weird. The alleyway usually leads to the back doors of the establishments. She went closer to stand behind a wall and peek into the alleyway. Mark is walking towards the back door of the restaurant. Then he stood leaning against the wall there. What is he doing? It looked like he was waiting for someone.
The door flung open and a petite pretty blonde young woman came out. She giggled at the sight of Mark before flinging herself against him. He hugged her close to him and then they kissed passionately.