Chapter One
CHAPTER ONE
The end of the world doesn't always begin with chaos and panic; sometimes, it begins with a cat.
I had just gotten home from work when I saw a black cat sitting outside of the front door in the rain. She was soaking wet and missing an ear. The poor thing looked like she'd really been through a lot. I immediately knelt down and offered her my hand to sniff, hoping to earn her trust.
She took a quick whiff before meowing at me again. I scooped her into my arms. She wasn't happy about it and clawed me, but I held on tight, determined to get her out of the rain.
"I just want to help you," I said in a soothing tone. She hissed and bit my hand. I struggled not to cry out in pain as I used my free hand to open the door. This wasn't working very well, but I knew I needed to be patient. She was cold, abandoned, and terrified. In her place, I wouldn't have trusted me either.
I set her down once we were inside before heading to find a can of tuna. As soon as I opened it, she became my new best friend, rubbing up against my legs as I put it in front of her. I let her devour the tuna as I turned on the heat, hoping to warm both of us up.
I found my softest, warmest blanket and placed it on the floor, giving her space to rest as she finished eating. She eagerly took over the blanket, making herself comfortable as soon as she finished eating.
"You can stay as long as you like," I promised her. I sat on the couch a few feet away from her and started to read, warming up while she adjusted to her new surroundings.
About twenty minutes later, I felt something jump onto my blanket. The cat made herself at home in my lap. I smiled to myself, setting the book aside and gently petting her. She allowed it.
"I guess we're friends now," I said. She purred in agreement.
For a few minutes, my life was perfect. All anyone really needs in this world is a good book, a cat, and a comfy blanket, right? I didn't care that she only had one ear and had clawed my arms up. She was my precious baby now and I would love her for as long as she allowed it. The Cat Distribution System had spoken, and who was I to question it?
The storm stopped, and the cat jumped out of my lap just as I was wondering what I should call her. She ran toward the door and began pawing at it.
Oh, I thought. She's leaving me already. Just like my ex-girlfriend...
I swear I'm not completely pathetic, but it had only been two weeks, three days, four hours, and six minutes since Heavynn walked out of that same door, leaving me behind like a doll she no longer wanted to play with. It takes time to heal that kind of wound. Then again, maybe I should have known better than to trust a girl named for a misspelled holy place.
I accepted that I was being abandoned again and opened the door sadly. The cat marched through it and started to walk away, but she paused as she realized I wasn't behind her. She meowed at me in annoyance.
"Wait," I said. "Do you want me to follow you?"
She meowed again as if this should have been obvious. Joy returned to my heart as I locked my door and followed her down the street to the local park. Just beyond the playground was a wooded area. Naturally, that's where the cat headed.
I almost didn't follow her, but she might be leading me to a wounded kitten or something. I couldn't just ignore her when she had chosen me.
We were pretty deep in the woods when we stumbled across a clearing. In the center of it was a fancy hour glass. I was drawn to it immediately. I've always loved hour glasses, and this one was undeniably beautiful. I wondered what it was doing there.
The cat rubbed against the hour glass. Confused, I picked it up and studied the elaborate details. It was framed by thin brown support rods that reminded me of tree branches. The top plate had a pentagram carved onto it that matched the necklace I always wore perfectly. As I flipped it over, I saw that the bottom plate bore the same symbol.
I couldn't focus on that as electricity filled the air. The hour glass began to glow in my hands. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at it. The cat purred as she rubbed against my legs again.
"What's happening?" I asked.
"You have accepted the Sacred Hour Glass!" A booming voice announced. The woods shook as the words echoed through them.
"The what?" I asked.
"The Sacred Hour Glass!" They repeated in the same overdramatic tone. The woods shook again. "Welcome to your destiny!"
"What destiny?" I demanded. "Who are you? And actually, where are you?"
"I am the Almighty Grim Reaper!"
I might have retorted that the voice's owner was insane, but a seven-foot tall figure in a black cloak and hood suddenly appeared out of thin air. Their face and hands were skeletal.
"Holy shit!" I cried in shock.
"That depends on your definition of holy," they replied. Then, to my great surprise, they started laughing. Suddenly, the giant skeleton vanished. In their place stood a shorter person with Korean features. Their short turquoise hair was styled in a side-swept undercut, and their eyes were a startling shade of blue. They wore black sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt with something very rude written on it.
Their voice was no longer booming or terrifyingly deep as they said, "Hi! Did I break you? Sometimes, the living break."
"What the hell is happening?" I asked.
"You have accepted..." Their voice shifted back to booming as they said, "the Sacred Hour Glass!" It went back to normal as they added, "Congratulations! You're my assistant. I'm Stormy."
I stared at them for a moment, convinced someone was playing a prank on me. The cat rubbed her head against my legs again and meowed encouragingly. Somehow, that convinced me this was very real.
"Um... No thank you," I said. "I'm just gonna go."
"But you accepted-" they took a deep breath and shifted back to booming, "the Sacred Hour Glass!"
"I didn't know what it was when I picked it up," I protested.
"Too bad, no returns!" Stormy declared. "You're stuck with me, Assistant."
"Don't call me that."
"Well, you didn't give me a name, Assistant."
"It's Jane, but I'm not your assistant."
"Shadow says you are." They motioned toward the cat.
"Is that her name?" I asked.
"She's on her ninth life. I told her I'll make her immortal if she finds me a worthy assistant... I only get one, you see, so I have to choose wisely."
"But-" I tried to protest.
"This economy sucks, and we've had some major budget cuts."
"Wait... Are you saying this is an actual paid position?" I asked.
"Not exactly, but do you think- Sacred Hour Glasses- come cheap? Because they don't. These things cost a fortune to make!"
"Okay, seriously, I'm out of here," I said.
"Wait! Don't go..." They made sad baby eyes at me. Shadow did the same. I sighed, eternally a sucker.
"What, exactly, do you need me to do?" I asked.
"Not much... You'll handle my paperwork because I hate paperwork... You'll keep track of my appointments, make sure I get to them on time, help me stop a catastrophic event that might end all life on earth, make me tea when I need it-"
"Excuse me, what was that?"
"Tea. You know, the drink? I'm a big fan."
"Before that."
"Make sure I get places on time? I can be a tad distractible."
"After that!"
"Oh, stopping the end of the world? Yeah, it's no big deal. Reapers do it all the time." They smiled at me before adding, "Relax, Jane. It'll be fine. Trust me, this is going to be a blast! Let's get started."
Something told me I didn't actually have a choice.
