Meanwhile

  I peered at the transparent body above the bed, nothing remaining in my heart… as usual.

  “Ugh… I-I should’ve died… what g-good have I ever done?”

  “I-I’ve lied to the only p-person who’s a-always cared about me for y-years… I’ve helped put my f-father turn into an u-unstoppable conquerer… everybody hates me except for S-Steve. E-Even my own mother hasn’t t-talked to or even looked at me for y-years…”

  You can still make up for some mistakes you’ve made… starting with this one, Raen said.

  “W-What does it matter? I-I’ve tried. I don’t know enough about m-magic to control my o-own powers, and e-even then… it’s filled with c-conditions. I-I might… make t-things worse…”

  Bap. Bap. Bap.

  Oh shit… someone’s there. Please don’t let it be Steve. Anybody but him…

  I hesitantly stood up, took a step forward to open it, but then remembered.

  “Y-You can come in.”

  The door flew open, and Rose stood in the doorway.

  “H-Hello…”

  “Hey, uh… I’m throwing a party at the bar to… celebrate our victory. You coming?”

  “I-I h-hate to be a d-dissapointment, b-but… I don’t think any of us a-are in t-the mood for a p-party.”

  Rose walked over, wrapped her arm around my elbow, and tugged, saying “That’s exactly why we need a party! To lift our spirits!”

  I ripped my arm away, dropped my butt onto the bed, and crossed my arms like the whiny bitch I am.

  “Oh, c’mon! What else are you gonna do? Pout yourself to sleep?”

  “…Probably.”

  Rose bent down, and sat on her legs.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Did you know I’m a therapist, at least technically?”

  “N-No.”

  “Well… I can tell you’re hurting. Hurting because of your love… for Steve.”

  I perked up.

  “Y-Yeah… W-Wait. How do you…”

  “But he’s in denial about his feelings. You know it too… which means he’ll need help to be set straight.”

  “B-But… I thought y-you had a crush on him…”

  “I crush on everybody. I’ve done it with Isabelle and Luke too,” she said with a wink.

  “And besides… I’ve already felt the feeling of someone’s lips. You haven’t. It’s only fair you get him, and not me.”

  “T-That… feels kinda s-selfish.”

  “It’s okay to be selfish sometimes. It’s part of what makes us human.”

  “B-But I’m not human… not r-really.”

  Rose sighed, and sat down next to me.

  “Can you keep a secret,” she whispered into my ear.

  “I-I guess… all I seem t-to be good f-for is hiding.”

  After a bit of silence, she inevitably said “There are more Grim Reapers in this universe than you think.”

  …

  “You’re a G-Grim Reaper?!”

  “Shh. I told you it’s a secret!”

  “S-Still… w-why didn’t you tell me e-earlier?”

  “Because the entire reason I’m here involves me being as unseen as possible.”

  “S-So… you liking S-Steve… that was all a l-lie?”

  “I love everybody. That’s my thing.” She pulled down the left side of her buttoned-up shirt, revealing a red rose birthmark on her shoulder, stretching out just barely onto her neck.

  Red rose… does she control love?

  “A-Are… y-you a reincarnation too?”

  “Think so…” Rose grabbed my shoulders, looking dead in my eyes, “look, you gotta promise not to tell anyone. Not even that I exist. Not your father, not Steve, and especially not *******”

  “I-I’m sorry, what was that l-last one?” I asked, unclogging my ears by digging out wax with my index fingers.

  “Dammit… at least spend some time grieving me…” Rose mumbled to herself.

  “I… w-wha?”

  Rose groaned, closed her eyes, and let her head hang low for several minutes.

  When the silence started getting unbearably awkward, I shook her, but nothing happened.

  “R-Rose…? You… okay?”

  About another minute later, her head jerked up, accidentally hitting my jaw.

  “Shit! You okay?”

  “Y-Yeah… w-what… were you doing?”

  Her eyes changed color, still green, but a little lighter.

  “Alright… look. We have 2 hours, at best. We need to throw the party I mentioned earlier, now.”

  “W-Why? W-What’s happening?” I asked, my heart racing.

  “As cliche as this is, I have no time to explain. Just make sure Steve goes. That’s all that matters right now.”

  Rose stood up to walk away, but I sprung up and asked loudly “W-What’s going on?!”

  Rose stopped, turned her head to see me, and her legs started shaking.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “I-I…”

  “Do. You. Trust. Me.”

  Remembering time was of the essence, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and remembered something Steve told me, long ago.

  “The only ones deserving our trust are those willing to make risks for us.”

  I slowly opened my eyes, seeing Rose’s pleading expression, and nodded.

  With a relieved smile, Rose ran out of the room. I took another deep breath, walked to the doorframe… and started walking to Steve’s room.

  One thing I love about being a writer. Even a simple change can completely shift your plans for the overall story.