Absolutely, Positively, 100% Normal

Chapter Eight

Shay let me cry for what felt like hours. He didn't try to tell me it was okay or spew useless nonsense in an attempt to comfort me. He just silently offered the comfort of his presence and I loved him even more in that moment for it. When I eventually calmed down, Shay left the closet briefly, returning with a box of tissues. I cleaned up my face and took a deep, steadying breath.

"I see things", I announced into the darkness.

"I know." I had told him before, when we'd both younger, about the strange things I'd seen around the neighborhood. We'd met a couple of months after it first started. I realised eventually that not no one else saw what I saw, and that not everyone was as accepting as my best friend and my parents.

"I've never told you what I'd learned about what I saw, did I?"

"No, you haven't." I shifted to a more comfortable position in the closet, tuning slightly towards where he sat.

"Well, I see...life, i guess you could say? Places where many people gather or lived that have been standing for a while have spirits made from dreams and emotions that humans give out. The older the building, the stronger its spirit. And they know I can see them. Some of them talk to me."

"So you see the spirits of buildings?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Isn't it strange that buildings - supposedly inanimate objects - have them to begin with?"

"Not really", Shay replied thoughtfully. "After all, it's people that give a place its atmosphere."

"Some walls really do talk", I murmured. There was another moment of silence."I see death marks too. That's how I got into this mess. I see the mark of death on a person and can't leave that person to just die, so I do what I can to prevent their death." I reached out ti find and hold onto Shay's hand.

"Like I did for you when you almost got crushed by those beams." I shuddered at the memory.

"And the Reapers realized you were the one going around doing this, so they tracked you down", Shay finished thoughtfully. "Yeah." I sighed. "I came face first with a dying person today. I watched her die and freaked out. She killed herself, Shay. I couldn't do anything. I ran away." I leaned my head against the back of my closet. Shay squeezed my hand briefly.

"Maybe I'm not cut out to be a reaper. Maybe they'll realize that and let me quit." I figured this was unlikely, but that didn't stop me from hoping.

"It's okay Raina. You're allowed to break down sometimes. You may see things, but you're just as human as the rest of us."

"I'm not a normal human." Shay's hand slipped out of mine and he wrapped his arm around my waist, bringing me closer to him. He kissed the top of my head.

"You wouldn't be the Raina I know and love if you were." I smiled, feeling warmth fill my heart at his affectionate words and actions.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Shay." I honestly had no idea.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think I'm exactly normal either."

"No, you're not. You're a Shay." I teased him. He laughed.

"Besides that. I remember places I've never been too. The memories hit me at the most strangest times, and I just get lost in them, like daydreams."

"Is that what happens when you space out?"

"Yeah. I remember like a strange place, no buildings, just plants...almost like a forest but more surreal. And there's pathways going through the trees and meadows and stuff, and strange animals..." Shay slid his arm from around my waist to run his hand through his blonde curls. "It doesn't seem real, but I strongly believe that place actually exists.I just don't know where."

"Are you sure you've never been there before?"

"I don't think I have. I don't remember." Despite the mystery of what he saw, I was pleased that Shay had finally explained where his mind went when it wandered. We sat in a comfortable silence, our minds preoccupied, until Shay's stomach let out a monstrous growl. I let out a surprised snort of laughter.

"Let's get out of here. I'll get us some lunch." I pushed my closet door open and stood up, offering a hand to help him up. Shay took it, but stood up on his own anyway. I rolled my eyes at him.

"You should be used to that by now", he replied with a shrug. We made our way down to the kitchen, where I warmed up some leftovers for us to eat. As we ate, I wondered out loud when Gray would be showing up to drag me back to work.

"What will you do when he comes back?" asked my best friend. We both knew he would, no 'if's about it.

"I don't know yet. I can't exactly back out. I think the contract I signed was binding. And, since it's a supernatural, that contract is probably even more so."

"What did it say?"

"Nothing. I had to write it myself. I said I agreed to become a Reaper, be Gray's partner and remain a part of the organization until I am no longer needed. I signed with my right thumbprint in my own blood."

"In blood?" Shay seemed impressed. 

"Pretty dramatic, right?" I said with a small laugh. Shay continued to shovel food into his mouth as he contemplated everything I had just told him. I, too, returned my attention back to my food.

"You don't have to do it." Shay suddenly blurted into the silence. I looked up from my plate questioningly.

"Do what?"

"You don't have to reap. Your self-written agreement never says that you will, but it was accepted, so it's not your fault they left that loophole available to you. You can use it to get out of reaping." Shay was right! Why hadn't I considered looking for a loophole before?

"Shay, you're a genius!" I exclaimed. With this knowledge, I could finally begin bringing some normalcy back into my life.