The Reaper's Touch

30. You're Out Of Your Godforsaken Mind .

"Old man."

Cupcake and I made our way in behind Ezra, then flanked each one of his sides.

"Azrael, my boy."

Even I had cringed, knowing Ezra was sensitive to his old human name. I knew better than to use it.

I bet my soul to the devil that he knew that as well.

"You've messed up my transport. Why?" As brief as always, was my Ezra.

The Scribe seemed to hesitate a bit. "Well, I have news that your whereabouts have been rather.. questionable lately." The Scribe was holding out.

Though Ezra chimed onto that rather quickly. "You're questioning me, Scribe?" Ezra challenged, but kept his tone leveled, even.

"Not at all, son. I'm concerned about you, is all it is."

Why do I feel like he's patronizing him?

This was all so confusing. To me now, the Scribe seemed so.. different. Like a man in a lab coat, poking and prodding at his experiment.

But Ezra was not his.

"I'm more than a grown man, Scribe. I've lived, died, and will always live in death. I'm sure I can handle what you really want to say. Out with it."

The Scribe adjusted himself in his seat. "Well put, Azrael, as always. How can I say this without.. upsetting you?" He stroked his long, snowy beard.

"Done that already." Cupcake whispered to me, "Is it just me, or do people like taunting him?"

I knew it wasn't just me.

Cupcake caught on to the condescending tone that the Scribe was giving off towards Ezra as well.

And she didn't like it either.

Before I knew Ezra, the way I thought the Scribe talked to him was lovingly and truly like a father to a son. But now, now I only felt like he was an old, manipulative, piece of holy sh-

"You've brought us an angel?" The Scribe's familiar chuckle bellowed through the air. "Once again, I see. Come closer, child."

"This is Em Jane." I told him, trying my hardest to keep from clenching my teeth. "And no. She's not one of yours." I added very short and curt-like, gaining a curious look from not only the Scribe, but Ezra as well.

It only fueled my flame.

Enticing, demanding blue eyes nearly lit up when I charged the air, releasing a thickness you wouldn't have been able to push a machete through.

"Emberly, little one, I see your power has greatly exceeded your stature." The Scribe joked.

Oh, ha ha. Fat man made a funny.

"Would you like to know something that not she, nor even my dearest mentor Ezra knows about me? Hm Scribe?"

"You've surpassed the Reaper in strength?" He chuckled. "I feel it in the air. Have you forgotten? I'm older than your teacher."

"Mm," I closed my eyes, a slight sway back and forth emphasized my satiation in what I was about to reveal.

"Ember?" I heard Cupcake whisper. Fear tinted her tone of voice, and a part of me enjoyed the sound of her quivering vocal chords.

"I've surpassed every.. reaper.. ever.. made."

As if it were possible, the Scribe turned a deathly, ghost white. Matching every hair on his face, his long silvery-white gray beard included.

Cupcake's small gasp made me open my eyes, but Ezra's stance is what unsettled me most. He seemed.. afraid.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. His voice not even half as harsh as I'd expected for it to be.

"I've seen through their eyes. The light. It was them. Showing me their purest moments, even in their darkest of times. That is my strength, what was there's. I am their strength."

The Scribe whispered, his usually loud, overbearing voice was barely audible now. "You-you are the light."

"And you are the man with my answers, are you not?"

He seemed to bypass my question, or answer it, I wasn't sure. "You are ready."

"I was going to let Ezra flip this place upside down if you would've told me otherwise, Scribe. And for that, I.. I'm not sorry."

"I told you from the beginning, child." He smiled, "You two would work together well."

"Ezra first, please." I said, gesturing over to him. After all, the Scribe summoned him here, not Cupcake and me.

"His duty is to his work, not to you. You have interfered with his work and therefore will be transferred. And now that you've confirmed your unfathomable abilities, you are able to stand on your own and I can release you from your bind of being Death's companion."

"Your tif isn't with me, not yet at least, so pick whatever it is you have with Ezra strictly with him and keep me out of it. With all due respect of course, Scribe." I said, trying to keep from gritting my teeth together further, though I realized after a while, I was failing.

"I'm choosing to separate him from you, Emberly."

"You-you can't do that-"

"Ember." Ezra spoke for the first time in a while. But I was afraid to hear what he was going to say, so I kept on blabbering.

"No, no. You can't- he can't, you don't control me." I was disgusted on so many levels. "This was not apart of the deal. This wasn't apart of anything anyone said to me before!"

Ezra walked over to me, placing both hands on the side of my face and forcing me to make consistent eye contact with him.

Our blue eyes never left each other's.

"You're out of your Godforsaken mind if you think that for one second I'd allow that without raising any hell." His words were better than an I love you in that moment.

"Bet your pale ass." Cupcake consigned, putting a defiant hand to her hip and giving the Scribe a look that could cut clean through him.

I bet she was screaming hell, hell, hell in her head the entire time. I could hear it now.

'He can go to hell! What the hell does he know? What the hell do we care about what he thinks? Oh, hell no! What the hell?!'

I laughed inwardly, then turned to face the Scribe.

"Keep your answers." My white mist burst from me, engulfing Ezra and Cupcake, and taking in everything but the Scribe and the air around us. "I'll keep my Reaper."

And with that, I hoped I showed him what Cupcake would've said best.

That he could go straight to hell.