The Scythe-Bearer

Chapter 9: Death averted, Consequences determined

I sat in Lucas’ office for the first time without being hung upside down or being threatened with floating knives. In fact it kind of shook me to see how serious he is. Lucas sat behind his overbearing desk, not saying a word just silently staring at me over his folded palms. The silence was deafening before he finally broke it, clearly pissed off.

“Well? Do you mind explaining to me why, in Hades’ name, you decided to save Sarah Lockwell from her predetermined death?”

I didn’t answer and Lucas didn’t wait for one. He got up and walked over to me, he stood towering over me. A menacing shadow cursing my puny existence, I felt his burning eyes examine every single inch of my body for a sign of weakness, I wanted to disappear into the folds of the chair but I held myself high and stared right back at him, “I won’t let him intimidate me because this is going to end very badly for me if I do. Lucas hates weak people, no, that is an understatement, he absolutely loathes weak people.”

“I want an answer, Sy!” He banged his fist against the desk, sending splinters of wood outwards and I switched to a bored tone clearly playing with fire but I can’t help myself, “Fine! I will play your game but it won’t be by your rules.”

“I am interested in her case and I wanted to try an experiment. Isn’t that what you told me to do? To have a little fun? To live a little?”

For a millisecond he looked almost shocked at my bluntness, “He definitely didn’t expect my answer to be that.”

His jaw clenched in frustration and he moved in closer until his face was in front to mine, demonic red eyes in line with my cold blue ones, he grabbed my jaw with his rough hand. His strength was undeniable, my jaw felt like it was being crushed but I didn’t struggle or give him any sign of pain.

“Don’t think that I am stupid enough to believe that, Sy. You have given me a whole world of grief with that action of yours; do you know how much I hate it when I have to apologize to the angels for the misconduct of souls?! Don’t get so full of yourself! You might be the only Scythe-Bearer, at the moment, to be able to pass judgment onto human souls but there are plenty I can replace you with!”

His grip intensified and the pain impulses increased throughout my skull, he lifted me out of the chair until I was hanging in mid air. A hoot signaled throughout the room and Lucas threw me across the room like a ragdoll. I hit the wall with a sickening thud imprinting a dent in it, “Ugh! Hell! The guy really doesn’t pull punches!”

I sat against the wall, stars indented my vision, and I looked up to where Lucas stood with Saku upon his shoulder, “Stupid bird…”

“Be glad you still exist because I would love to crush that stupid head of yours in my grasp, it might not kill you but it would surely make you wish it could. Saku just saved you from being my personal torture doll but I have a special gift for you. You are going to complete that assignment I gave you but I am having Angel Michael Auras accompany you to make sure you finish it because I know how much you like doing jobs with him.”

“Great I got a guard dog in the shape of egoistic airhead…this is going to be difficult.”

I got up slowly to leave through the portal that Lucas opened when he grabbed my arm bruising the muscle and fracturing the bone, I sucked in a breath, “Damn, this guy has no mercy with his strength…”

His voice dropped a couple of decibels and if I didn’t know better I would have thought that he was a demon growling right beside me.

“Don’t make me summon you again because next time I will not only bring you pain but I will have a little fun with your pastime hobby, you catch my drift?”

“Fine…”

He released my arm and I escaped through the portal which spat me out in front of the high school in time for the morning bell, I looked at the building with a sense of weariness overcoming my body. “Well that went better than expected, I thought I was going to get worse than a broken arm and a couple of cracked ribs, now to catch that smokie to get Lucas off my back and out of my hair.”

I walked into the school building and made to the register class in record time, I managed to settle into my usual desk without much hassle but something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on it but something was bugging me much like an annoying cockroach that won’t die. The teacher came in to quiet down the class before making an announcement.

“Morning class, today we have a new transfer from overseas. Please welcome him with open arms, Michael Auras come in and take a seat.”

Michael’s bright aura hit me like a brick wall as he strode into the class with an eye shattering smile. “And there is the cockroach…”

Like the egoistical moron he is, Michael had the entire class’ girls in the palm of his hand but before he sat completely down he sent me a death stare that would have killed an entire country. “Awesome, just awesome…I love all these distractions.”

The first few periods went by and before I knew it Lunch had started, I got nervous all of a sudden, “Would she even want to see me after I left without saying goodbye? What should I do when I see her? Do we hug? Ugh! This is so confusing and hard to understand…”

My questions were answered when I reached the tree; Lee-Anne and Jason were sitting at the base and Sarah standing with her back towards me, her hair shined gold in the sun and changed shades every time she moved. When I walked a bit closer Lee-Anne and Jason looked up towards me, ready to fire questions about Michael because it seems like he is the hottest thing since Swiss cheese apparently.

“Look who decided to finally show up, want to explain why that new guy is throwing dagger looks towards you?”

“Yeah, did you piss off someone again?”

Their questions were cut off by Sarah who turned and rushed to embrace me in a tight hug, this time I didn’t hesitate to hug her back. I inhaled a flowery sweet scent that radiated from her in waves, it mixed with her prominent pink aura this told me that she was relieved.

“I was so scared that something happened to you when I saw that you were gone and there was soil on the floor where…”

She trailed off, not wanting to relive that moment neither of us wanted to. I release her so I could look her in the eyes, “How could she possibly like someone like me?”

“I had to take care of something, I will tell you about it later like I promised, there will be no more secrets between us.”

She nodded and smiled that warming smile that bit by bit melts the ice around my numb heart and I can’t help to smile with her. She grabbed my hand to drag me to where the others were watching with gaping mouths and saucer eyes. I glanced down to where our hands met, intertwined, connected, “I never want to let go even if I have to fight the whole SRC and the angels combined, I am going to be selfish just this once.”

I smiled, “Yeah, I won’t bow anymore from now on my head is facing straight forward.”