Chapter 1
I sat impatiently waiting, staring down at the street below. Perched atop a four-story building, with a perfect view of the designated spot. I checked my clipboard again, and then my watch.
“He’s late,” I mumbled to myself.
The clipboard said Maxwell Carter, age 20, Death: Hit by a bus, time of death 10:45. It was now eleven, I had even come 15 minutes early, but yet this Maxwell wasn’t here. I was gonna be late to my next appointment at this rate. I stared at his bio again, 20 that’s about what my age would be if I was human.
I looked back down at the street, and saw the bright red X that marked my target. There was a girl walking next to him, they were talking, they must be friends, perhaps that’s why he was late. I pitied her for having to watch her friend die, this would probably scar her for life. But that didn’t matter to me, one day everyone here would end up on my list or another reaper’s list.
I watched as they made their way to the cross walk, but then I noticed something odd about the girl. She had a faint glow around her, I wondered for a second if perhaps she was an angel. But if that was the case, I would be able to see her wings and halo.
The scene played before me in slow motion, perks of reaper vision I guess, I get to see exactly what happens. Of course, I was required to record exactly what I saw for the records keeper though. I watched as Maxwell impatiently started to run across the street, and there was the bus that would soon bring his end. But then, in a sudden twist of fate, the girl that was with him saw the bus and ran out after him, and pushed him out of the way. She must have thought that she could push both of them out of the way.
I watched her, as she stared in horror at the oncoming bus. I expected the bio on the clipboard to change from his to hers, which is something that shouldn’t happen, but instead there was a glitching noise, and the page went blank. I looked back at the street again, and saw that she was no longer standing in front of the bus. Instead she lay next to Maxwell, as if what she had attempted hadn’t failed.
Shocked, I jumped down to make sure what I saw had actually happened. I floated down and landed on the ground with a soft thump, then ran over to the area. Maxwell no longer had the red X, yet he was still alive, but he was unconscious. The girl had injuries that weren’t there when she was originally in front of the bus, it was as if she had actually gotten both of them out of the way.
She was still conscious, but barely. Her eyes flitted around until they landed on me. I looked around sure she was looking at someone else, but I was the only one near her. She tried to reach her hand towards me, but her hand didn’t get very far before it fell back down to the ground.
“H-help p-p-please” she weakly whispered before she fell unconscious.
Shocked I staggered backwards, and the surrounding crowd passed through me, as they rushed towards the injured pair. How in the nine circles of hell had she seen me? No human should be able to see me unless I want them to, it’s impossible. And why hadn’t my target died? His death should have been firmly set in the fates. But yet, here he was still alive, way past the time he was supposed to have died. Who the hell was this girl, and was she the reason his fate had somehow changed?
I flew back up to my previous perch, and watched the paramedics load them into ambulances. Suddenly, I received a message from headquarters, saying that they requested my presence immediately. I gulped, this was not going to be good.
