THE JOURNEY OF SHEIRA HART

30 | What Could Go Wrong?

In all honesty, I don’t know what to expect on the third stop. What I had learned, what I just discovered was already too much for me. I don’t know what else I should know. And I don’t get why flashbacks of me and my boyfriend have anything to do with how I died. I looked at Mikhael and saw him looking at the view outside. He has been silent ever since we got on the train. 

I don’t know what he’s thinking about and I was too afraid to ask. So I decided not to ask. I also couldn’t get my mind off what I just saw earlier. They were flashes. And too fast for me to comprehend. Is it somehow related to me? 

I was about to close my eyes when the cabin door opened and there stood an attendant. She disrupted Mikhael’s concentration as he looked at her too. 

“My apologies but –“ she wasn’t able to finish what she was about to say when someone appeared beside her. 

No. It’s not just someone. 

“Mr. Grim?” Mikhael and I both exclaimed as we saw Mr. Grim beside the attendant. She gasped as she saw who’s beside her and immediately lowered her head. I couldn’t help but raise a brow at that. Mr. Grim just gave her a small smile before she scuttled away. 

Mr. Grim looked at us and smiled. That very kind and innocent smile he always has. Unlike his brother from the underworld. 

“May I come in?” he said. 

“Ask that before you actually come in,” Mikhael said as he looked at Mr. Grim who is actually now inside the cabin. But Mr. Grim paid him no attention and sat beside me. His long silvery hair flowed and I think it glowed even more than how it did in the Silver City. 

“I hear you’ve met my dear brother?”  He flicked his wrist and a teapot appeared along with a small cup. He poured tea on his cup and sipped on it. He sighed. As if very satisfied with how it tasted.

I stared at him as he enjoyed his tea. As far as I know, he doesn’t come down and only stays in the Silver City. What is he doing here now? Did we do something to make him come here personally? Since Mr. Thanos Grim takes people to the Underworld, is Mr. Grim here going to take us back to the Silver City? 

I was about to open my mouth to ask when Mikhael decided to beat me to it as he asked, “What is it?” 

Mr. Grim took his time to place the cup gently on the table before he said, “I need your help. The two of you.”  

I blinked several times as I looked at him. I looked at Mikhael and I could see he wasn’t expecting it too. But Mr. Grim went on, “I need to find someone and I am not allowed to wander in the living world. I need you to find her for me.” 

This time, I raised my brows. “Her?” 

Mr. Grim lowered his eyes as if recalling a memory. “She’s a soul that has just arrived in the Silver City but she is missing at the moment,” he said and I could tell he isn’t inclined to give more information as to who this girl really is. 

“Wait a damn second,” Mikhael said, raising his arm. He looked at Mr. Grim. “We,” he gestured towards me, “have a mission to do, in case you forgot. We are currently in the middle of finding out about her past so we could go back to the city on time.” 

“I’ll stop your time,” Mr. Grim said causing us to look at him questioningly. 

“I will stop it for the meantime as you look for her. But I can only stop for a short while.” 

Mikhael narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. “What if we don’t find her during that short while?” 

“Then you go back to your mission but I hope you would find her before the time ends.” 

I looked at Mikhael as he was staring intently at Mr. Grim. 

“Your time in this mission won’t be affected. I assure you that,” Mr. Grim said and stared back at Mikhael. I looked at both of them and cleared my throat. 

“Is this soul perhaps someone dear to you?” I asked causing Mr. Grim to look at me. And I could have sworn something passed in his face though it disappeared quickly. But I clearly saw it. 

He was flustered. 

Flustered as in red-faced. I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing. And tit just confirmed what I was thinking. That soul, the one I saw in his arms the last time was probably the one missing and is someone dear to him. I wonder who could she be. Specifically in Mr. Grim’s life. 

“My mission time will be stopped for a moment?” I asked to which Mr. Grim nodded. I looked at Mikhael who was also looking at me. As if waiting for my decision. Somehow, I understand him. So I nodded to him and said, “We’ll do it.” I could have sworn Mikhael groaned at that but he didn’t say anything. 

Mr. Grim gave me a small smile and was about to stand. But I am not letting him go that easily. 

“On two conditions, Mr. Grim,” I said and I saw him lift a brow. I could feel Mikhael’s curious stare at me through my periphery. Mr. Grim crossed his arms and looked at me. 

“Do tell.” 

“What’s your name?” I asked and I could tell he wasn’t expecting that question at all. 

But he decided to face me and said, “Thorien. My name is Thorien Grim.” 

I nodded. Thorien Grim. At least I won’t have to call him Mr. Grim all the time. 

“Is that the first condition?” he asked. 

I eyed the seat before I looked at him. “No. That was too easy. Do you think I will waste an opportunity like this? You might want to sit down first because you are going to tell me who this girl is.” 

He stared at me, clearly not in favor of it but then I said, “It is necessary. If you want us to find her, we want all the information we need to find her. Isn’t that what you want?” 

Thorien was silent for a moment. Mikhael leaned on his seat and grinned at Thorien as if he is enjoying the turn of events. I looked at the Grim Reaper. My first impression of him was that he’s someone very mysterious. As he should be. He gives me the impression that he isn’t someone who is fond of talking to people. He is the Grim Reaper. Though the world perceived him to be someone ruthless and unkind, which wasn’t true at all, they also perceived him to be someone who doesn’t have an identity. Someone unknown. And the world isn’t right about it either. People have a lot to learn. 

I heard him sigh and sat back down on the padded seat of the train. “I am going to tell you what you needed to know so this means you are accepting the mission,” he said but then before we could even say something, the surrounding started to warp and everything became a blur. It wasn’t like the usual warping experience we’ve had so far. It was a lot different because one, we didn’t feel nauseated and two, we didn’t fall face-first on the ground. The warping was quick and we found ourselves several feet above the ground. 

“Holy cheese!” I muttered and I heard Mikhael laughed in delight the moment he realized where we are. I know we can fly now that we’re ghosts but I couldn’t help but squeak as I felt the air gently touching my face. I hitched my breath as I realized we were sitting on some kind of invisible chair. It was as if we were still sitting on the train but it’s invisible. 

“She’s a soul that I knew from the moment she was born,” Thorien started and I looked at him. He was looking far below as if it helps him recall a distant memory. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down and Mikhael must have noticed it that awkwardly tapped my shoulder. 

“Before I became the Grim Reaper, I was a human.” He looked at us as if watching our reaction but I was too shocked to even process it or maybe I was already expecting him to be someone before he became what he is today. After all, we all come from somewhere. 

So I didn’t say anything and waited for him to continue. Mikhael also was miraculously silent when I was expecting him to throw comments but I guess sometimes he could be considerate and could read the atmosphere. 

“I was born human and lived a good life. And I met her.” There was a hint of sorrow in Thorien’s eyes. Whether he was suppressing it or not, he’s surely doing a great job at it. “Her name’s Sara. And she has been my friend while I lived as a boy.” 

The more I looked into his eyes, the more I could see that expression I saw that time I saw him carrying that girl’s soul in his arms. She must be someone special. But then a question popped into my mind. 

“She looked young,” I said and Thorien nodded. 

“Her soul is the opposite. She has been rebirthed many times I couldn’t count and I watched her grow and die and I fetch her soul. The cycle continues.” 

I furrowed my brows. “Wait a second, rebirthed?” 

Thorien nodded.

“When exactly did you meet her?” 

Thorien just let out a small smile before he said. “Several decades ago.” 

“Decades ago?” I looked at Mikhael and strange enough, he was looking down below but I know he was listening. “Wait— how did you become the Grim Reaper?” 

Thorien chuckled. “The deal was just to tell you about her. Not about me.” He ran his hand through his hair before he went on, “Her name’s Sara and she has no recollection of her past life. She has no recollection of me. She got rebirthed into the body of a young woman this time and she might have been…in denial of her death.” I heard him sigh and looked at me. “She must have gone through the other side on her own.”

I know what happened to souls who wander in the mortal world alone. I’ve been told. I’ve heard stories. In all honesty, I could somehow understand how that girl felt. She must have felt lost and confused. Because that’s how I felt the moment I realized I was dead. I couldn’t feel anything. I was unconsciously denying it. And it was also the thing that pushed me to go to the other side and find out how I died. 

That girl must have felt the same. 

It must be the very same thing that drove her to go to the other side. 

I looked at Thorien. I don’t know his story. I don’t know his history with the girl exactly but I could tell from the very beginning that he cares for her and that’s she’s someone dear to him. And I couldn’t explain it but I could feel something in me that seems familiar but isn’t. It was as if I have felt it before but couldn’t remember when and how. So I looked at Thorien. 

“We’re going to find her. You still owe me one.” I said and I didn’t know where the assurance and the confidence came from but for some reason, something drives me to do it. And I will do it. 

Thorien gave me a grateful smile before he said, “I know I could trust the two of you.” 

“Thank us if we found her,” Mikhael said finally after being silent for a long time. “So where do we start?” he asked and Thorien gave us both a smile. 

“Right here,” he said and before I could even ask what he meant by that, the invisible chair we were sitting on suddenly vanished and the next thing I know, we’re free-falling. We’re several hundred meters high and we’re falling. But then I remembered I could fly. We could fly. I looked around but I couldn’t see Thorien. A silent curse filled my mind as we continued to fall. I tried spreading my arms, attempting to fly just like how I did before but then it didn’t work. I don’t know if it was just me that I forgot how to do it but then when I looked at Mikhael, he was struggling with flying too. And realizing that, I panicked and I could feel the strong slap of the wind against my face. 

“f**k you, Mr. Grim!” 

I remembered screaming before everything went black.

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