After Ever had revealed to Taylor that he was Death’s apprentice, the rest of the week had passed pretty uneventfully. She had come in on Tuesday, the day after witnessing the reaping. She had said it was ‘pretty cool, I guess’, but then missed the rest of the week. It was getting to the ‘pointy end’ of the exam period and she really had to ‘lock in’ were her words.

  Chaos ended up calling in sick for the rest of the week too. He didn’t sound very well at all when he spoke to Ever telepathically. Ever found himself feeling sorry for the primordial entity, even though he probably didn’t need it and most definitely didn’t want it. While silently acknowledging the win that he was right about Chaos being allergic to routine, he actually did want to see him again to thank him in person for essentially locking him and Taylor in a room to force the big reveal to happen. Could it have been that he actually did it to help Ever? It was a laughable theory and one Ever was sure Chaos would vehemently deny.

  Ever was walking to work again, a noticeable spring in his step.

  You’re a happy chappy, Death chirped.

  *I guess I am.*

  Still pleased about how last week went?

  *Yes, Mentor.* Ever stopped for a moment, laced his fingers and stretched up. He closed his eyes, basking in the sun’s rays.

  Why was Taylor’s belief so important to you?

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  He took his chance waiting at the pedestrian crossing to ponder his mentor’s question.

  *I didn’t want her to be afraid of me.*

  Millions of people feared me when I showed up. They still do.

  *Do you want to be feared, Mentor?*

  It’s not about what I want. If humans believe that us reapers are frightening, it doesn’t change our role.

  *I don’t want to be feared.* Ever said. The little, green man light appeared and he started crossing the road. *I want to be understood. And I’m here on Earth to understand people, so it’s only natural that I seek to be understood as well, right?*

  Hm, spoken like a true philosopher. Don’t forget to return Meditations, otherwise the library will come after you! With that, his mentor disappeared.

  He rounded the corner; Pagoto’s was in the distance. Taylor hadn’t specifically said that all her exams were last week, only that she was busy. She’d also mentioned almost every week how much she hated Mondays. He wouldn’t get his hopes up too much if she wasn’t there. Then it would be just him and Chaos. Ever was no expert in wellness, especially for primordial beings, but one week should have been enough for him to feel better. Still, if he was allergic to routine, would this mean that he would need to regularly take time off work?

  Ever fished the keys out of his pocket, placing his hand on the door handle only to realize that it was already unlocked. Ah, Taylor’s here!

  Ding! Ding!

  “Good Morning,” he said as he pushed the door in.

  “Morning,” a deeper, male voice answered.