Nine Lives

Chapter Seven

WHAT, DID YOU THINK YOU WERE SPECIAL OR SOMETHING; DON’T BE SO VAIN. Death’s voice emitted the air. YOU WERE ON MY LIST, LEXA.. YOU STILL ARE BUT WHEN A HUMAN ‘CHEATS’ DEATH, WELL, THEN HE GETS PISSED OFF BECAUSE THEN HE HAS TO REWRITE THE ENTIRE DAMN THING AND THAT IS SUCH A PAIN

I nodded slowly before holding my arm out to the being, “perhaps you could tell me what this lines are?”

I WILL, FOR A SMALL PRICE… Death said, his voice crackled with amusement

“What kind of price are we talking about?”

I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THOSE SCARS ON YOUR ARM FOR ONE RUBIX CUBE PUZZLE

“A Rubik cube?” why would Death want a Rubik cube for? It was a mystery to me.

Death let out a great sigh, THE ONE THING THAT IS MISSING IN THE UNDERWORLD IS PUZZLES. I DO ENJOY A GOOD BRAINWRECHING PUZZLE BUT THEY WERE ALL DESTROYED IN THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

“There was a war between the human world and yours?”

NO CHILD, NOT YOUR WORLD. BETWEEN MY WORLD AND THE WORLD BEYOND THIS ONE. I THINK YOU HUMANS REFER TO IT AS HEAVEN.

“But why?”

BECAUSE I WAS YOUNG AND NAÏVE AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THE DAUGHTER OF THE RULER OF HEAVEN

“God?” I asked nervously, I wasn’t sure whether it was my place to pry

IF THAT IS WHAT YOU HUMANS CALL HIM, HER NAME WAS LIFE. I GUESS YOU COULD SAY HER FATHER DIDN’T APPROVE OF ME

“So you could say it was a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ romance?”

YES, WE WERE MUCH IN LOVE BUT OUR LOVE WAS WHAT CAUSED THE WAR BETWEEN HEAVEN AND MY FATHERS KINGDOM, BUT THAT IS IRREVANT. BACK TO THE MATTER AT HAND, A RUBIK CUBE

“I have an old Rubik cube key ring that I carry around with me on my bag, will that do?”

YES, GIVE IT TO ME!

“And what if I don’t?” I asked as I tried to keep his attention for as long as possible

Death shrugged before reaching out his long, boney fingers towards me, YOU’LL NEVER FIND OUT ABOUT THOSE SCARS ON YOUR ARM IF YOU DON’T HAND IT OVER

I thought about it, Death in a way had already proven himself by being here and telling me this much. I nodded before I turned to walk back into the bedroom to grab my little Rubik cube from my bag and returned to Death.

YES, GIVE, Death growled in anticipation, his hands were held out ready to welcome the small object

I paused, my thoughts ran away with me “If I give you my Rubik cube you’ll tell me everything?”

WELL, NOT EVERYTHING…

I grimaced “then I’ll just have to keep it”

YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, I CAN’T TELL YOU EVERYTHING BECAUSE EVEN DEATH DOESN’T KNOW EVERYTHING.

“You know exactly what I meant” I spoke as I gave him an unimpressed side look

Death let out a hoarse chuckle, VERY WELL, YES I WILL TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THEM IN EXCHANGE before muttering to himself HUMANS ARE SO INTERESTING

“What was that?”

N-NOTHING

“Hmm… Alright, you can have it” I decided after much thought, there wasn’t much point in keeping them because I could never get my head around them yet they had found their way into my life and buried themselves in my cupboard. Plus they were Hayden’s anyway, so I wanted to be rid of them. I carefully dropped it into his out stretched hands. 

AHAHA….. THANK YOU, YOU HAVE MADE ME A HAPPY MAN AGAIN

“So does this mean I’m off your list?” I enquired

DON’T TRY YOUR LUCK, Death said      

He glanced at my arm, silent for the first time since he had appeared while he turned it gently in his stone cold grip, THE MARK OF KATARA….

“Katara?”

YES, LEGEND HAS IT; KATARA IS A BEING LIKE MYSELF WHO IS NOT OF THE HUMAN WORLD. SHE IS THE GODDESS OF THE FELINES, EVERY HUNDRED OF YEARS SHE GIFTS ONE HUMAN A TOTAL OF NINE LIVES, THE SAME AS A CAT WOULD HAVE IT WOULD SEEM AND SHE APPARENTLY HAS CHOSEN YOU

“I was accused of cutting myself by my previous partner when he saw them…”

YES… THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE… Death mused, thoughtfully rubbing his smooth chin with his sharp fingers

“What makes sense?” Death was making no sense and he was being cynical, probably deliberately no doubt

He chuckled again, THE MARK THAT KATARA LEAVES ON HER CHOSEN RESEMBLES A NUMBER BY THAT PERSON AND PALE SCARS TO OTHERS, TO PROTECT HERSELF FROM PEOPLE WHO DON’T NEED TO KNOW OF HER EXISTENCE. OF COURSE THESE SCARS ARENT REALLY NOTICEABLE UNLESS YOU ARE LOOKING RIGHT AT THEM

Of course, that’s why Hayden hadn’t noticed them…   

“Why are you telling me all this? Are you neither good nor evil?” I raised my eyebrow at the mystical creature

I’M ONLY INFORMING YOU BECAUSE I’M ON THE VERGE OF RETIREMENT AS GOD OF DEATH, SO THE HEIR WOULD BE MY SON. AND HE IS LESS UNDERSTANDING THAN I AM

“Your son will be Death?” this worried me, if the original Death was willing to let me catch my breath after a few months of him chasing me I wouldn’t have liked to say how far Death jr would be prepared to go to put me in my so called ‘rightful’ place on the shelf.

YES, MY SON IS VERY TEMPERMENTAL, CHILDISH AND UNWILLING TO LOSE AT ANYTHING. SO BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU APPROCH HIM

“Why would I go looking for someone who wants me gone?”

I DON’T KNOW, SOME HUMANS GO LOOKING FOR DEATH BUT THOSE WHO DO ARE LOOKING FOR TROUBLE. KAHN WONT TOLERATE TROUBLE MAKERS.. HE WAS EXPELLED FROM HIS LAST SCHOOL FOR CURSING ONE OF THE TEACHERS

“Kahn? Is that your son?” I asked “It’s not a very gothic name, one you would expect from the son of Death”

HIS MOTHER CHOSE IT..