The Collectors

Chosen

Some things are never taught in church, not that my family was a very religious one. We managed to attend the mandatory services for holidays although it was more for appearances then praying. For example they don't tell you about the Angels of Death. They don't tell you how you become one and they don't tell you the perks that come with the title. My kind evolved from Angels and seeing as they are celestial beings we inherited their wings and ability to fly although it was rarely our prefered method of transportation. Some people count immortality as a plus but I would disagree. You can be eternally youthful and never die except you already have and so did every person you have ever known. Lastly the powers that be were kind enough to grant us abilities that mortals don't usually get and if they say they do it's a scam.

Grace could see the future in her dreams but it was usually vague and she couldn't really control it. Luke was incredibly strong which in comparison to his rather slight frame was impressive. Birdy who flew mostly everywhere, hence the nickname, was empathic. It was almost like reading minds but just with emotions. It was why she stayed so quiet she sometimes couldn't control whose emotions she was picking up. She could go from crying to pure rage and then absolute melancholy in a matter of minutes but she figured if she stayed quiet she would have less of an opportunity to let loss the emotions she had been bottling up.

I wasn't sure of Levi's he said he didn't have one which I knew was absolute bull shit. Of course he had one, everyone had one but he refused to tell me or anyone else for that matter, The only one who knew was Kane and that was because he had made Levi into what he was, he chose the power for him as he did for all of us. I was "blessed" as Kane put it to have the power of healing. That was why I always checked to see if the heart was still beating when I went to collect a soul. If I could save one maybe this job, this life would be more bearable. So far I had not one survivor. I often wonder why Kane gave out powers the way he did, if it was random or some sort of pattern I couldn't see. Kane wasn't the only overseer there was plenty of them just as there were AODs. We were spread all over the world, but we all lived mainly the same lifestyle or at least that was what Kane had told us. Living in not quite squalor but just as poor as those living on the streets. There was no reward for this job just an immense amount of guilt and stress over things that were not in my control.

I stood outside Grace's room, the other had left to find something to eat for breakfast. Luke was still inside and I could hear him mumbling something to Grace. I could hear every other word or so. "You're....I'll....Kane...protect you." For a moment I was jealous, not of Grace's dreams my own were just as terrifying. I was jealous that there was someone there to coddle her. My own mother used to do that for me, I would wake in the middle of the night fearing that the Germans were invading and she would slip into my room quietly in her white nightgown holding a candle seeing as how blackout rules still applied and we couldn't risk turning on any lights. She would hold my hand and smooth my hair and promise that she would keep myself and Rosie safe. Now here I was so far from home with that same fear of some foreign invader threatening my existence, but mother wouldn't be coming with the warm light of a candle to banish any shadows lurking in the corner. I was alone. That's when Kane came bursting through the door with an expression that only read one way, absolute fear.