Ever.

  The apprentice reaper stilled. *Yes, Mentor?*

  You’re going to need something for tonight. He waited for Death to continue. A cigarette.

  *A cigarette? Like what Logan smokes?*

  Precisely. You need to bum a cigarette from him.

  *Bum?*

  Ugh! Like, ask him to just give it to you. I really need to go out for drinks with Taylor sometime and bitch about you. He grumbled, before severing the telepathic connection.

  “Logan?”

  “Mm?” He was counting notes, as usual. Ever waited until he was done. “Yep, what’s up?”

  “Can I…” Ever opened and closed his mouth a couple times, “...bum a cigarette from you?”

  Logan raised an eyebrow. “You want…” he grabbed the packet from his breast pocket. “You want to smoke?”

  “Yes.” Ever surreptitiously wiped his hands on his actual bum, even though they hadn’t started becoming moist - yet.

  “Sure,” he deftly flicked one out, offering it to Ever. “Do you need a light?”

  Not yet, Death said in his mind.

  “Not yet,” Ever echoed.

  “O…K.”

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Ever daintily slid it out of the box, putting it in his pocket. He slid past his boss and opened the door.

  “Ever.”

  “Yes?”

  “Thanks for letting Taylor off the hook.”

  Ever nodded, giving a warm smile before closing the door.

  *Why do I need this cigarette, Mentor?*

  Because, you need to know what a cigarette tastes and smells like for the reaping tonight.

  Ever raised the thinly wrapped drug to his nose, sniffing it and making a face. Logan made sure that whenever he finished smoking, he used minty mouth spray. Even so, when he spoke with Ever in close proximity, he could still smell it on his breath.

  OK, let’s get this one done first. I know you have a dog to get home to. This one isn’t too far, you can walk.

  He followed his mentor’s directions, winding away from Lygon street, towards Clementine’s park, before walking parallel to the tram line. Eventually, they arrived at the university.

  Death stayed silent as Ever walked into the campus grounds. Even in the darkness, there seemed to be plenty of students out and about. A few wore scarves that licked the breeze, trying to catch falling maple leaves.

  Not much further to go. Just ahead, turn left through the gates.

  Ever obeyed, but found that the gates were locked shut.

  You know what to do.

  Ever looked left and right, quickly turning into reaper form, slipping through the gates before turning human again.

  Your prey is here, in this courtyard.

  Ever looked around. Sure enough, he could see the silvery outline of a woman standing under one of the lamps. She was crouched down, inspecting something on the ground.

  That’s her, her name’s Harmony.

  Ever walked up to Harmony. She glanced slightly sideways, through her ghostly strands of hair turning her attention back towards the ground. She must think that I can’t see her. He sat on the bench, looking up. Bugs flew figure eights haphazardly as close as they could to the light in the lamp. Death gave him the lines to say.

  “Harmony,” Ever said. She gasped, looking at Ever, eyes wide open. Her long hair flowed in place, as if underwater. He pulled the cigarette out of his pocket. “Got a lighter?”