"How was detention?" Normani asked Lauren.
Lauren allowed her body to collapse on her bed. Her arms extended on her sides. "Same shit."
Normai raised an eyebrow. "Same shit?"
Lauren chuckled. "Ok, no. Detention here is like a little kitty compared to detention in our Academy."
"Grey Academy has the worst Detention," Normani agreed, recalling how she got Detention because the three of them were caught outside in the middle of the night. And that's not a good memory.
Lauren, sensing Normani's discomfort, asked, "Where's Ally?"
"Dinah's room," Normani said. "How's your rib?"
Lauren pushed herself into sitting position and lifted her shirt. There was still a weird color on her rib but not as weird as last night. "Better," she answered Normani.
Normani sat on her own bed. "I still don't understand why Master Grey send us here," she said.
Lauren nodded, understanding, the same thoughts bothering her. "Yeah."
"Why wouldn't he just tell us?" Mani whined.
Lauren pursed her lips. She hates the feeling when she doesn't know the answer. She shook her head. "I don't know, Mani. I wish I knew."
"You know, for me this is the hardest quest, at least we know what we were doing last time."
Lauren looked seriously at Normani. "Are you scared, Normani?" she asked though she knows the answer. And she doesn't want it.
Normani bit her lip. "I know I shouldn't be, Laur. But-"
"You are a Reaper, Normani. Being afraid is normal, but being afraid of death is not normal for Reapers. We play with Death."
"I know," Normani said nodding. "I wish I am brave as you are," she whispered.
"Hey, don't say that," Lauren said standing up and sitting beside Normani. "You are brave, Normani. You've faced countless of nasty gangsters, yet you're still here."
"I barely survived. If you weren't there, Laur, I'm maybe a worm food now."
"We all barely survived, but the point is we survived." Lauren saved Normani's life before, that was their second quest, she took a poisonous hunter knife for Normani. Go figure.
"But Lauren, this quest frightens me," Normani admitted, looking at her fingers. "I don't know what to do, I can't help thinking one day I would be found lifeless--"
"As much as I love playing with Death, Normani," Lauren said seriously. "I wouldn't want you and Ally talking about lifeless."
"Lauren--"
"I will repeat. You are a Reaper," Lauren said sternly. "You must not afraid to die." She wrapped her arm around Normani, "but as long as I'm here, I'll fcking bargain with Death just to keep you and Ally alive."
Normani chewed her lip. "That's sweet, Lauren. But I won't let you do the stupidity of saving my life again."
I chuckled. "You can't stop me."
Normani pushed Lauren's shoudler. "I can!"
Lauren grinned. "Is that a challenge?"
"You two, stop flirting!" Ally scolded, she stands in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe.
"Someone's jealous," Normani said winking at Ally. She rolled her eyes at Normani.
"Oh, babe, We know you're jealous," Lauren teased Ally. "Come here."
