The ghostly figure materialized into a woman, her ethereal form shifting to appear more solid as she studied the young man in front of her. Tessa's eyes lingered on the flickering blue flames in James's hand, her expression a mix of caution and disbelief.
"You shouldn't be able to see me," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "Not unless you're dying."
James extinguished the flames with a flick of his wrist but kept his posture guarded. "I've been seeing ghosts and other… weird things for a while now," he replied. "Not sure why, but it's a thing."
Tessa crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing. "Even if you can see spirits, you shouldn't be able to see me. I'm not just a ghost—I'm a reaper."
James tilted his head, intrigued. "A reaper? Like the Grim Reaper?"
Tessa rolled her eyes slightly. "Not the Grim Reaper. We're more like… facilitators. We guide souls to where they're supposed to go when their time is up."
James studied her, his curiosity growing. "And you're here for someone next door?"
She hesitated, her gaze flicking toward the wall. "Yes. But that's none of your concern. Stay here, and don't interfere."
Without waiting for a response, Tessa walked through the wall, leaving James alone.
---
When she returned, her expression was guarded. James, now leaning casually against the bed frame, met her gaze with a faint smirk.
"All done?" he asked, his tone light but probing.
Tessa nodded but didn't reply. She stayed near the door, her arms crossed as though trying to decide whether to stay or leave.
"You look like you've got somewhere else to be," James said, his tone teasing. "But I've got questions, and I don't think you're in a hurry."
Tessa's jaw tightened. "Questions about what?"
"About you. About reapers. About how all this works," James replied. "You're not exactly the kind of thing I run into every day."
Tessa sighed, clearly reluctant. "I'm not supposed to share details with the living. It's… against the rules."
James raised an eyebrow. "Rules? You're already breaking them by talking to me. What's a little more rule-breaking?"
She frowned, clearly debating whether to answer. Finally, she relented with a sigh. "Fine. A few questions. But keep it simple."
"Deal," James said with a grin, sitting up straighter. "So, reapers. You guide souls. Is that all you do?"
Tessa hesitated again, then nodded. "It's the main part of the job. We ensure the balance of life and death stays intact. Souls need to move on, or things can get messy."
"Messy how?"
"They linger. Become ghosts. Or worse, they attract… things," she said, her voice lowering.
James leaned in. "Things like what?"
"Dark entities. Beings that feed on lost souls," Tessa replied, her tone grim. "Trust me, it's not something you'd want to deal with."
James nodded, filing the information away. "And the afterlife? What's that like?"
Tessa's expression hardened. "I can't answer that."
"Why not?"
"It's not for you to know," she said firmly. "What's waiting for people is personal. It's not something I can explain."
James frowned but didn't press the point. Instead, he shifted gears. "What about you? Were you always a reaper?"
Her hesitation was longer this time. Finally, she said, "No. None of us were. We were people once. We had lives."
"What changed?"
"We were offered a choice," Tessa said, her tone clipped. "Some take it. Some don't."
James leaned back, intrigued. "Why'd you take it?"
Tessa's lips pressed into a thin line. "That's personal."
"Fair enough," James said, sensing he'd hit a nerve. "What about the blue flames? You seemed… uneasy around them."
Tessa glanced at his hand, though the flames were gone. "They're not normal. They feel dangerous—like they could harm me. That's not something I encounter often."
James smirked. "Guess I'm special."
"Special isn't always a good thing," Tessa retorted. "You need to be careful with power like that. It draws attention."
"Attention from who?"
Tessa's expression darkened. "From things you don't want to meet. There are beings out there—older, stronger, and far more dangerous than anything you've seen. They don't like mortals playing with forces they don't understand."
James nodded slowly, his grin fading. "I'll keep that in mind."
Tessa glanced toward the door, her posture tense. "I should go. I've stayed longer than I should."
"Wait," James said, stopping her. "One more question. Where do you go when you're not here?"
She hesitated, then said, "Nowhere you'd understand."
"Try me," James pressed.
Tessa sighed, clearly frustrated but answering anyway. "Reapers exist in a space between worlds. It's not like Earth, and it's not like the afterlife. It's… liminal. Time works differently there."
"Sounds lonely," James said softly.
Tessa gave him a faint smile. "It can be. But it's what I signed up for."
James watched Tessa carefully as she stood, looking ready to leave. The silence between them was heavy. "Wait," James said, his voice curious but cautious. "Why are you so annoyed with me? I mean, I know I'm not the easiest guy to deal with, but you seem… so frustrated.... Why?"
Tessa froze, her hand touching her chin. She turned back slowly, her expression thoughtful. "I… don't know," she said, her voice quieter than before. "This isn't like me. I've talked to lots of people—stubborn, angry, upset people—and I've never felt this… restless. But with you—"
She stopped, shaking her head as if the words wouldn't come. Crossing her arms, she looked at him closely, like she was trying to figure something out. "It's not just you," she said finally, almost like she was talking to herself. "It's… something else."
James leaned back, raising an eyebrow. "Something else? Like what?"
Tessa didn't answer right away. Her eyes went to his hand, where the blue flames had been earlier. Her expression changed—part wary, part thoughtful. "Do you still have that fire ready in your hand?" she asked suddenly.
James blinked, caught off guard. He had made it look like the flames were gone, but they were still there, just invisible. "How do you know that?" he asked, keeping his tone calm.
Tessa sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I think that fire of yours is part of the reason I feel so restless. It's… not natural. It feels dangerous. Even when I can't see it, I can sense it. And if you want me to answer your questions, you need to turn it off."
James hesitated, narrowing his eyes. He didn't like being told what to do, especially by someone he barely knew, but her words seemed honest. After a moment, he glanced at his hand and clenched it into a fist. The invisible flames went out with a faint flicker of energy only he could feel.
"Fine," he said, his voice sharp. "It's gone."
Tessa let out a quiet breath, relaxing a little. "Good. That's… better." She moved to sit on a nearby chair, her movements calmer now. "All right, what do you want to know?"
James thought for a moment before asking, "Why does the fire bother you so much? I get that it's not normal, but you're a reaper. Haven't you seen weirder things?"
"It's not just that it's strange," Tessa said. "It's how it feels. That fire doesn't belong here. It's like it's out of sync with this world. For someone like me, who exists between realms, it's unsettling. It's like standing near something that doesn't follow the same rules as everything else."
Tessa paused before continuing. "I think it could hurt me—or worse. That's why I was so on edge. I wasn't sure if you even knew what you were holding."
James glanced at his now-empty hand before saying,"Would you mind if I ask you a few more questions?"
Tessa just nodded her head and spoke,"Shoot."
James paused for a moment, clearly struggling with his next question. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, almost hesitant. "Do you know what happened to my mom? Is she alive?
Tessa's usual tough expression softened just a little as she looked at him. For a brief moment, she seemed more sympathetic. "Your mom…" she began, her voice quieter than normal. "I can't really give you a simple answer. It's complicated."
James frowned, confusion crossing his face. "Complicated how? You're a reaper—you handle souls. If she's… gone, you'd know, right?"
Tessa sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Not always. Reapers don't deal with every single death. Sometimes souls slip through, or other things get in the way. There are forces, both here and in other worlds, that can mess with how things are supposed to happen."
"So my mom's still alive, right?" James asked.
"It's a possibility," Tessa said slowly. "But I can't say for sure without more details. Reapers don't know everything. We have rules we have to follow, and there are things we just can't see. Furthermore I don't where she is, even if she's alive."
James sighed as this was the next question he was about to ask... information on where his mother might be.
Tessa stood up and walked over to sit beside James. She saw the frustration and confusion on his face and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard," she said softly. "I wish I could give you more answers, but there are things even I can't know and control."
Her voice was calm and comforting, like she truly understood what he was going through.
They sat quietly for a while, both lost in their thoughts. Tessa kept her hand on James's shoulder, offering some comfort without saying much. After a moment, she stood up and moved toward the door. "It's time for me to go," she said softly, glancing back at James as if she wanted to say more but couldn't.
Just as she was about to leave, James spoke up, his voice unsure but honest. "Hey, uh… would you like to grab a cup of coffee sometime?"
Tessa stopped and turned to face him, her eyes wide in surprise. "Huh?" she said, sounding confused.
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