Three : First Visit

I stood in front of the dead guy’s doorstep not knowing what I should do next.  Should I knock?  Or did that wonderful sister of his already know I was here?  I was contemplating on that for more than ten minutes already.  It was getting me nowhere to say the least.

I gotta do this, I told myself, remembering how the Keepers looked at me.  (Well, how I imagined them looked at me.  Either way was creepy.)

Slowly, I started knocking on the door.  I stared at the pale skin of what was supposed to be my hand as it made contact with the dark wood.  I especially requested a body that looked exactly like the image I have as Death.  We wouldn’t want her looking like a fool talking to a sort of invisible friend now would we?  In every way, this would be easier for both of us.  Besides, I could turn human and back to being Death anytime I wanted.

One.  Two.  Three seconds passed.  This had got to be the longest three seconds of my… existence!  Maybe she couldn’t hear.  Or maybe she wasn’t home.  A part of me hoped that would be the case.

I sighed.  Something was telling me the Keepers made sure she would be home when I come by.  Typical of those control freaks!

True enough, I heard a faint “Coming!” from the inside.  Here we go…

“Who is… it…”  She stared at me with those familiar gray eyes.  Although, they were more red and puffy than the last time I saw them.  Probably because she lost the one-and-only family she had left and of course she cried over him.  But that’s not my fault anymore…

“Uh… Hey there.”  I grinned.

“You.”  Her voice was menacing.  Anyone could tell that she was holding a grudge against me.  Ah, humans.

I grinned even wider.  “Yes, me.  You remember me right?”

She glared at me and then slammed the door at my face.

Great.  I sat down at the steps leading to her door.  I felt like one of those guys in those human-romance movies who had done something unforgivable against their girlfriends – doomed to wait, rain or shine, outside the doorsteps.

I sighed.

A clicking sound behind me made me turn my head.  I smiled when I saw her towering above me.  It was unexpected but I wouldn’t really complain.  It would save me the trouble of trying to talk some “sense” into her.

She sighed heavily before speaking.  “It wasn’t you who took Dan.”  It wasn’t a question but a statement.  “If it was, I would’ve seen you.”

My brows furrowed in confusion.  “Dan?”

“My brother.”  She walked back inside the house but left the door open behind her.  I only assumed that I was already welcomed so I followed her in.

She glanced my way before sitting on the long, green-colored couch that was practically behind the door.  It served as a sort of receiving area I presumed.

“Close the door behind you.”

I really didn’t imagine her to be the authoritative type.  I guess first impressions were really most of the time wrong.  I obeyed her anyway.

“Uh… So, how have you been doing?”  Wasn’t this supposed to be how humans talk?  All those years and I still haven’t gotten the hang of that courtesy-rule thing humans have.  It was a bit different for us Deaths.

She motioned for me to sit on one of the single couches and didn’t say a word.  Again, I did what she wanted me to do.

“I’m not really sure why you’re here.  But I think I have a fairly good guess.”  She looked at me in the eyes.  “So why don’t we cut to the chase?”  She smiled.  It was the first time I ever saw the kind of smile that was the mix of kindness, exhaustion, sadness, and a bit of mocking.  It was a one-of-a-kind smile.

It intrigued me what it was that could be possibly running through her head.  “I wanna hear what you had in mind first.”  I grinned.

She rolled her eyes at me, which I found to be pretty bold of her.  “Please don’t tell me you’re seriously curious.  I don’t have time to play around you know.  I have a life to live.  I have college and a job to attend to.  And now that Dan’s…. gone, I have to work extra hard to feed my own, grumbling stomach.”  Even though she tried to conceal it, the pain still showed through her voice.  I could tell that it was hard for her to regard the passing of her brother in such a casual way.

I chuckled.  “But I am.  C’mon.  This could get your mind off of things for a while.”

She sighed and then finally answered my question.  “I think you’re here because I am able to see you.”  She looked at me straight in the eyes again.  “I’m guessing this ability of mine is causing problems.  But honestly, I don’t know why I can see you either.”

The smile on my face faded.  Bull’s eye.   “You said earlier that you knew I wasn’t the one who escorted your brother…”  I hesitated.  “Away because you would’ve seen me if it had been me.”

I watched her nod.

“So you can only see me.”  I thought about it for a moment.  “You can’t see other Deaths?”

“Uh…  Clearly.”  She let out an exasperated sigh.  “If you came here to bug me like this, please, just go away.”

She stood up and was about to walk away but I held on to her wrist to stop her.  The same feeling that I felt the first time her skin touched mine rushed through my body.  It was really like being grounded.  I jerked my hand away in shock.

Her brows furrowed.  “What?”  I didn’t know if she was asking about the reason I stopped her or why I suddenly pulled my hand away.  Either way, I really didn’t wanna talk about the latter.

“I can’t leave.  My bosses – well, sort of – will kill me if I go back without answers.”  I stood up as well and she looked up to keep my gaze.  I never thought it would be this fun being a human and being taller than most of them.  Of course, I especially requested this convenience – to keep my real height.  Our species were naturally taller than humans.  Even Lian would be looking down at most of the girls here.

“Besides, aren’t you curious?”

She sighed.  “Not really.  Curiosity killed the cat you know.”

“What cat?”  I honestly had no idea what she was talking about.

She sighed again.  “Never mind.”  She sat back down and I followed the gesture.  “What do you propose to do then?  I don’t have the answers either.”

I grinned.  Funny.  I guess this assignment wouldn’t really be as bad as I thought.  “I kinda expected that finding out wouldn’t be as easy as just asking you.”

She looked at me with a confused expression – which was kind of cute.

I extended a hand towards her.  I remember the gesture as what they refer to as a ‘hand shake’.  “Let’s start from the beginning.  I’m Gregory Drone, Death at your service.  You are?”

She took my hand quite reluctantly.  “Heather McWayne.  Uh… student and cashier?”

I just had to laugh at her.

She took her hand back and shook her head.  “This is so not going to work.”

“You don’t know that.  You just have to put up with me for the time being ‘cause I really, really can’t go back empty handed.”  I shuddered at the thought of facing the Keepers with no more knowledge that what I had before I left.  “Besides, I think you might need a little help around the house.”  I grimaced at the sight of what I assumed was only part of the mess in the kitchen.

Heather looked taken aback.  “Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Back up a little there.  Help around the house?  You can’t possibly mean that you’re going to stay here!”

I nodded innocently.  What was the problem with that?

She shook her head and waved her hands frantically.  “No, no, no, no!  You can’t stay here!  What if people see you?  They’d think I’m a s**t! – Which I am so not!”

Well, she did have a point. 

I thought about it for a moment.  “They can’t see me in Death form.  I’ll just change back whenever.  It’s no problem.”

“Well they…”  She let it hang and stared at me.  “What?  You mean you’re human?  As in, right now?”  She started poking my arm and shoulders which sent shivers through me – much like a lighter version of the shocks I feel whenever I touch her.

“Stop.”  I held my hand in the air.  “I am.  Okay?  What can you prove by poking me?  You can touch me even in Death form.”

Heather seemed to consider it for a moment.  “You’re right.”  She sighed.  “But still, I don’t think I’d be comfortable living with a guy like you.”  She looked at me from top to bottom.  It was funny how we seemed instantly at ease with each other.  “I mean, have you seen yourself?”

Wait.  I stood up and walked over the mirror hanging by the opposite wall.  I was a little shocked to see how I looked like – bright blue eyes, dark, messy hair, pale, smooth complexion, and a long, foreign looking face.  Wow.  I think I’ve earn the right to be narcissistic.

I was taken back to reality by a low, fake cough.  I turned to see Heather scowling at me.

“Are you going to gawk at yourself in a weird way all day?  ‘Cause I still have to clean the house.”

“Sorry.”  I sat back down and grinned sheepishly.  “Still, I don’t see how it is a problem that I’m good looking.”

She looked down in a rather shy way.  I wasn’t sure if it was a blush I saw creeping through her cheeks before she managed to hide it.

She looked back up, a-hundred-percent composed again.  “You wouldn’t understand.”  I knew the topic was already dismissed.  “In any way, you can’t live here.”

I shrugged and went to the kitchen.  Did she really think I would listen to her?  I guess she was funny that way.

“Where are you going?”  I heard her call after me.  Of course, I ignored her.  I decided to bug her existence until I figure out how she could see me and that’s that.  She just had to live with it.

Author's Note

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