I figured since I had met my quota for the day, Max would let me have the rest of the night off. But unfortunately, he had other plans. That's how i wound up sitting across from him in his office on the leather chair, a file of paper's On Celine Carruthers sitting between us on his desk. What he was wanting me to do would quite possibly be the hottest topic in Hollywood for the next month or two.
You see... I'm a Grim Reaper. I deliver the souls of those who are scheduled to die to either the angels or the demons. I'm a neutral party between the two and unseen by the mortal world until it is someones time to die. And Max, my boss, is one of the oldest, Second only to THE Grim Reaper.
And at the moment Max is telling me that the reaping of the soul of the biggest star in Hollywood would be my job. Hurray. Right Now Celine is walking down the red carpet at some Hollywood event. And in front of the paparazzi, fans, and her fiancee Patrick McBeth. Sometimes death has really crappy timing.
I picked up her file and leafed through it, as i did Max spoke.
"Celine has a very bad case of anorexia nervosa and an addiction to cocaine, both of which are going to cause her heart to go 'Pop'." He had a comical voice, not ment to scare since most of the Grims started out very young, but the way he described Celine's death was just creepy. His robes where on and a thick sheet of black mist covered his face, i could just see the outline of him in the dark office, his death scythe shining by his side.
"What idiot binges on cocain when they're about to walk out on the red carpet?"
Max shrugged," I need you to do this for me and then you can go back to your dorm. 'k?"
"Ok Max, If the supervisor gives me detention for being late, I'm holding you responsible."
Max chuckled at my joke, finding irony in the fact i was threatening death. I stood and snapped my fingers. My Reaper's cloak appeared around me, a deep gray with many folds and mist rolling off of it. My scythe appeared too, as tall as me with a long sickled blade that glittered with an unnatural appeal. I pulled the hood over my long blonde hair and waved goodbye to Max. He waved back, snapped his fingers, and i was gone.
I was standing somewhere in Los Angeles, red carpet under my Chuck Taylors that hid under my robes, Celebrities of every sort filed pass me on the way to where ever they were going as I tried to Find Celine. When i finally found her, i groaned.
The girl was about as big around as my pinky, bones sticking out and all, with bleached blonde hair she called her 'natural color' though her brunette roots were obvious. Not too mention she looked completely strung out. Did no one see that she was a walking train wreck? Her just as famous fiancee looked like he could care less about the emaciated girl he had planned to spend his life with.
I checked my pocket watch. It was 9:27pm Pacific Time and she was scheduled to die at 9:29, and would be pronounced officially dead at 9:45. I stood behind her, scythe ready, as she smiled weirdly at the leeching paparazzi. 3...2...1 She stopped cold and pressed a bony hand to her chest with a pinched expression. People gasped as she collapsed right there on the red carpet, her eyes fixed on me.
When you are dying, I, or any other Grim reaper, are the first thing you see. Her panicked expression dimmed and her eyes when blank. I then ran her through with my scythe. It didn't harm her physically (no blood, guts, or gore), but it pulled out her soul.
Some souls are beautiful, like the times i had to unfortunately deliver the soul of a still born baby or a child and glowed brightly. And some where... less than beautiful. What i was looking at was not the glamorous version of Celine Carruthers everyone knew, i was looking at a mean, ugly, beaten up true version of her, the version that stepped on the backs of others to get to the top, who sold her body to stay there, who managed to continue to ruin others lives as she remained numero uno.
She shivered and i helped her stand up. At a loss for words she could only continue shivering as i snapped my fingers and sent us to Limbo.
Limbo was that place between Heaven and Hell where there was nothing. Nothing but thick, foggy gray that rolled on for eternity. I looked around at a few lost souls around us that were stuck here, then lowered my hood and turned to Celine.
Apparently she was expecting some skeleton like male creature to be underneath that hood or an evil monster waiting to devour her because she was shocked at my young pretty features.
"Celine Carruthers," I started, "Right now you are in Limbo, the eternal place between Heaven and Hell. This is no dream. Tonight you died of Heart failure due to a cocaine addiction and a problem with Anorexia." She started sobbing.
"I'm dead!? I can't be dead!" She was gripping her now brunette and half falling out hair, "Listen Kid," She stared up at me. Oh no. Here comes the begging. or the bribing. "I can make you real famous. All you have to do is give me one more chance and put me back in my body; I'll change, I swear."
I remained completely indifferent in appearance and tone as i spoke, "Celine, I was not given the authority to put you back in your body. You are dead. Period. And according to your track record, every time you say that, you never do." Her face went bright red and she sobbed. I continued, "As we speak as decision in powers far beyond us are deciding who gets you."
"Who gets me? What do you mean?"
"Whether you go to Heaven or Hell," I stated and she trembled.
"Wait." She said. "Your a girl just like me. You know how sometimes you have to make a few decisions. You gotta do what you gotta do in this world if your a female. You get that right?" I wanted to tell her that what she just said made zero sense to me, but i had to stick to an outlined script.
"I'm not the one you should be telling this to." I said, still indifferent. She fell on her knees crying. This was one of the hardest parts of being a Grim, because sometimes the person really didn't deserve to die, and they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. She was one of the more mild souls I've had, considering I had one who threatened to beat and rape me, and one who attempted to strangle me, but his hands passed right through me. Needless to say they were delivered to the demons.
Speaking of demons.... A man appeared in front of me in a pinstripe business suit with a Malevolent smile. His eyes glowed a soulless hellfire red.
"Ahh... Reaper. You know why I'm here." I nodded and gestured to Celine who was cowering behind me, holding my robes with a death grip. His smile got wider.
"Celine Carruthurs. This is the Demon that has come to deliver your soul unto Hell. Your Journey with me has now ended."
"NO! NO PLEASE!" She screamed as the demon carted her away.
"Pleasure doing business with you Reaper," He said to me, still smiling. I nodded once more and pulled my hood back up and snapped my fingers again.
I was outside Max's office and knocked tentatively on the door.
"Come in, Come in," He told me.
I just poked my head so he could see me.
"I trust the mission went as planned? Seeing as It's all over the news"
I nodded and he smiled. "Thank you Alex, I knew i could trust you with this. And i spoke to the Dorm Supervisor for you, she understands you walking in past curfew."
"Thanks Max," He nodded.
"Goodnight," He said as i shut the door behind me and headed back to my dorm.
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To the left is a picture of Elle Fanning a.k.a. Alex ----->
