Grim Love - A Novella by Grae Lily Page B

so he’d have some idea of whether or
not death had changed her.
    In life, Evangeline lived on the edge. Never
being one to follow any set rules or standards, she'd often be
found engaging in questionable behavior with equally questionable
companions. Deeming herself a free spirit and throwing caution to
the wind paled in comparison to most of the activities she allowed
herself to partake in while amongst the living.
    Reapers of legend were rare. Lucius wondered
if it could be possible for her to be one of the legendary. Reaping
souls wasn't for the faint of heart. It required patience and a
certain discipline to accomplish. While the existence of Grim
Reapers made for fascinating myths and mystery, the true calling is
far less sinister.
    Lucius had his doubts as to whether or not
Evangeline could tone down her self-indulgent inclinations in order
to act as a spirit guide. He wondered how she'd separate the myths
from the reality of her new position. Given her rather minimal life
experience, he considered the inevitable and waited for her
reaction to what would now remain hidden under a red cloak. In his
experience, the newly dead always had difficulty recognizing
themselves, but reapers often had more trouble identifying with
their shadowed existences. When he'd been chosen, his predecessor
warned him of the marginal numbers of the living that, for reasons
unknown to them, did have the ability to see the reapers in a
life-like form. He'd not yet encountered one and had no definitive
plan to explain any such occurrences if that were to happen.
    For now, he'd wait and hope that when the
former reigning beauty queen of Blue Grove City did see her
reflection, she wouldn't let it distract her from her mission.
Lucius knew how taken aback others had been and he had hope that
some of Evangeline's infamous feisty nature had followed her into
the afterlife, considering how angry she’d been at her own
death.
    Realizing all the years she'd never have,
devastated her. No one believes their lives will come to a complete
stop at the age of nineteen. Everyone lives with the delusion that
time will never cease. Procrastination had become a way of life for
the living. Lucius spent days on end watching the pitiful souls on
Earth rest on their laurels, waiting for a gentle push from the
universe before moving forward to take the next step.
    She thought she had her whole life ahead of
her when her final moment as a member of the living came. Lucius
wondered if her last fateful decision would cause her to be someone
who tried to save those destined to die? That wasn't unusual, but
he always grappled with how to set firm boundaries for those not
well-suited for this role. Through the centuries there had been
occasions when others would be called to action, especially in
times of famine and clashes between the peoples and countries.
Those called to serve would have difficulty allowing certain souls
to pass.
    Knowing people as he did, Lucius believed the
young reaper would fit right into that obscure category. As he'd
stared into her eyes, he’d seen the compassion she didn’t realize
had been a part of her. Had she lived longer, she might have seen
it herself and wouldn't have been one of the chosen. A life lived
to extremes clouded much of the good that Evangeline possessed.
    Even though Lucius always told himself not to
have favorites, he couldn’t help it sometimes. When he compared the
rambunctious Evangeline with Kane and Brick, he knew she'd be the
one. He believed her to be the special one who came along once in
an infinite number of lifetimes. Something told him she would turn
his eternal life upside down before moving on to the next step in
her journey.
    His eternity had been determined long ago.
He'd reached the last leg of his journey. He’d been created for one
job, long before the population of the Earth had exploded, and
until life on Earth came to an end, he was expected to remain in
that position. With so much change in the