out.”
Jayza gigged. “I’m glad I’m not you.”
I sighed and dropped my hands to my sides. “This is just great. It’s not like I don’t have enough to deal with.”
“This will give you less free time. What are you going to do about Shilah?”
“I might have to tell him the truth.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Well…” I told Jayza about meeting Granna.
“Wow. Another reaper-seer. Fine, go ahead and tell Shilah if you want. But when are you going to talk to our superiors about him?”
I clenched my teeth. “Maybe never.” I was still fuming over the fact that they’d given me a grim-in-training.
“But Xia–”
“Anyway, Granna thinks it’s okay to see Shilah, and she’s older than our superiors. She knows more about reapers than they do. I trust her opinion.”
Jayza threw up her hands. “I give up. You never do what you’re supposed to. That’s how you got Ziri in the first place. Maybe I should go tell our superiors myself.”
“You won’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re my best friend and I’m going to beg you not to. Please don’t tell them?” I grabbed Jayza’s hand and gave her my best pleading expression.
Jayza narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips. After a moment, she sighed. “I’m going to regret this. I just know it.”
“Yay!” I threw my arms around her.
Jayza stood stiffly. “Uh, Xia, what are you doing?”
“This is called a hug,” I told her, still squeezing her around her neck.
“I know that, but…reapers don’t hug.”
I pulled away from her. “Well, I think we should start. I like hugging.”
Jayza crossed her arms. “Shilah taught you that, didn’t he?”
“Maybe…”
“If you start going around acting human, our superiors will be suspicious.”
I grimaced. “Oh. I didn’t think about that.”
“You never think. That’s what you have me for.” She grinned and winked, teleporting out of view before I could give a smart reply back.
I hated when she did that.
* * *
Ziri and I leaned against opposite walls, eyeing each other as we waited in the staircase of an office building. I loved working alone, and having her here was a nuisance. At least she wasn’t giving me attitude like earlier. Yet.
“Do you always come to these things early?” Ziri asked, gazing up the stairs.
“We are required to,” I answered.
“But you’ve broken our code before.”
“Yeah, and look where that got me. I try to take as few chances as possible.”
“Hm. Since you’re a troublemaker like me, I guess that doesn’t make you as lame as I thought you were.”
I rolled my eyes. Ziri had a way with compliments.
She cocked her head, scrutinizing me. “I like your hair. But what race are you? You almost look white, but your skin has a sort of golden tone…you aren’t black like me, are you?”
“How should I know? I’m probably mixed. But I’m a reaper, so race doesn’t matter. We’re all children of Death.”
“Yeah, but don’t you ever wonder who our human mothers were? For all we know, we could’ve been in the womb of a celebrity before we died.”
“I never think about those things.” Or I didn’t until I met Shilah. “Why do you?”
“I don’t think about it all the time, but sometimes I see how much fun humans have. They don’t have to be available for work 24/7. They don’t have to see death their whole life. They get to go to parties and swim in the ocean and have sex–”
I held up a hand. “Whoa. I don’t want to even know how you found out about sex. So you don’t like being a reaper?”
“Of course I do! I wouldn’t want to be human even if I could. They get injured and sometimes have disgusting deaths. They even have to pay to get clothes and shoes and get their hair done. That must suck for them.”
Oh, brother. I glanced up the stairs. I was so ready to get this death over with so I wouldn’t have to hear Ziri’s chatter.
“I’ve tried doing human things in
Jayza gigged. “I’m glad I’m not you.”
I sighed and dropped my hands to my sides. “This is just great. It’s not like I don’t have enough to deal with.”
“This will give you less free time. What are you going to do about Shilah?”
“I might have to tell him the truth.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Well…” I told Jayza about meeting Granna.
“Wow. Another reaper-seer. Fine, go ahead and tell Shilah if you want. But when are you going to talk to our superiors about him?”
I clenched my teeth. “Maybe never.” I was still fuming over the fact that they’d given me a grim-in-training.
“But Xia–”
“Anyway, Granna thinks it’s okay to see Shilah, and she’s older than our superiors. She knows more about reapers than they do. I trust her opinion.”
Jayza threw up her hands. “I give up. You never do what you’re supposed to. That’s how you got Ziri in the first place. Maybe I should go tell our superiors myself.”
“You won’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re my best friend and I’m going to beg you not to. Please don’t tell them?” I grabbed Jayza’s hand and gave her my best pleading expression.
Jayza narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips. After a moment, she sighed. “I’m going to regret this. I just know it.”
“Yay!” I threw my arms around her.
Jayza stood stiffly. “Uh, Xia, what are you doing?”
“This is called a hug,” I told her, still squeezing her around her neck.
“I know that, but…reapers don’t hug.”
I pulled away from her. “Well, I think we should start. I like hugging.”
Jayza crossed her arms. “Shilah taught you that, didn’t he?”
“Maybe…”
“If you start going around acting human, our superiors will be suspicious.”
I grimaced. “Oh. I didn’t think about that.”
“You never think. That’s what you have me for.” She grinned and winked, teleporting out of view before I could give a smart reply back.
I hated when she did that.
* * *
Ziri and I leaned against opposite walls, eyeing each other as we waited in the staircase of an office building. I loved working alone, and having her here was a nuisance. At least she wasn’t giving me attitude like earlier. Yet.
“Do you always come to these things early?” Ziri asked, gazing up the stairs.
“We are required to,” I answered.
“But you’ve broken our code before.”
“Yeah, and look where that got me. I try to take as few chances as possible.”
“Hm. Since you’re a troublemaker like me, I guess that doesn’t make you as lame as I thought you were.”
I rolled my eyes. Ziri had a way with compliments.
She cocked her head, scrutinizing me. “I like your hair. But what race are you? You almost look white, but your skin has a sort of golden tone…you aren’t black like me, are you?”
“How should I know? I’m probably mixed. But I’m a reaper, so race doesn’t matter. We’re all children of Death.”
“Yeah, but don’t you ever wonder who our human mothers were? For all we know, we could’ve been in the womb of a celebrity before we died.”
“I never think about those things.” Or I didn’t until I met Shilah. “Why do you?”
“I don’t think about it all the time, but sometimes I see how much fun humans have. They don’t have to be available for work 24/7. They don’t have to see death their whole life. They get to go to parties and swim in the ocean and have sex–”
I held up a hand. “Whoa. I don’t want to even know how you found out about sex. So you don’t like being a reaper?”
“Of course I do! I wouldn’t want to be human even if I could. They get injured and sometimes have disgusting deaths. They even have to pay to get clothes and shoes and get their hair done. That must suck for them.”
Oh, brother. I glanced up the stairs. I was so ready to get this death over with so I wouldn’t have to hear Ziri’s chatter.
“I’ve tried doing human things in
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