The otherworld hit me like a wall of sulfur and shadows. Suzette's soul flowed from my scythe towards the gatekeeper, three weeks of watching her, hoping to someone cheat fate, vanishing in an instant. I didn't even know her, not really, but she meant something to me.

My hand snapped up, driven by an instinct I didn't understand. My fingers reached out towards the green light, and I felt it—her soul. I made a fist, its warmth pulsing against my palms like a trapped firefly. The gatekeeper stood before me, his bony hand outstretched, waiting. But I couldn't let go. Not yet.

"I need to understand," I said, my voice barely a whisper in the oppressive silence.

The gatekeeper tilted his head, then nodded slowly. He pointed towards a stairway I had taken before, shrouded in mist, that led to that damn supernatural café.

I ascended the steps, Suzette's glowing soul held close to my chest. As we crossed the threshold into the mist, the world blurred, and I found myself back in the strange, sterile place that was feeling more like home than Kat’s apartment. Suzette's light slipped through my fingers like sand, twisting and forming into a being with arms and legs and a head. In a flash of light, Suzette stood beside me, her eyes wide with confusion.

The faceless barista was already there, standing behind the counter as if they'd been waiting for us all along.

"Wh—what happened?" Suzette's voice wavered, looking around the eerily calm café.

I froze, regret hitting me like a tidal wave. Why the hell didn't I just hand her over to the gatekeeper? I had no idea what I was doing, but there was no going back now.

"Let's get some coffee," I said, gesturing to an empty table. "And I'll try to explain."

We slid into one of the white faux-leather booths, the table between us spotless, yet oddly welcoming. I glanced at the Barista, hoping for guidance, but they remained silent, faceless, just like always, and simply handed us each a steamy mug.

"What is this place?" Suzette's brown eyes darted around nervously, taking in the surreal surroundings.

"I'm not sure, exactly. My best guess is that it's purgatory. A waiting room between worlds."

"Purgatory?" The word didn't scare her like it should. "You've been coming to Bean Town Coffee every day. Who are you? I mean, I know your name is Kal, since I write it on your cup. But you're more than a name, aren't you?"

My throat tightened, and I took a deep breath. The scent of coffee filled my nostrils, but it was off somehow, like a memory of coffee rather than the real thing. "I'm a reaper. I guide souls to... whatever comes next."

"Whatever comes next?" Suzette raised an eyebrow, her voice steady despite the impossible situation.

"Yeah, and don't ask me more than that, because I don't know." Damn, I was sounding as cryptic as the Faceless barista.

Her eyes widened even more, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of the table. "So, I'm dead?"

"As much as I don't know things, that I am certain of."

Silence settled over us, heavy and suffocating. I watched her, wondering what it must feel like to be told that your life was over by a stranger, in a place that didn't even feel real.

Suzette's gaze locked onto mine, her voice barely a whisper. "Is this it? Is this all there is after death?"

The weight of her question made my soul feel even heavier. I hesitated, then shook my head. "No... There's something more. I just don't know what it is. I've been doing this for such a short time, and I'm still figuring things out. And it seems nobody wants to tell anybody anything." That admission hit something deep inside me. Like how I never told my sister anything. Like how I wasn't opening up to Carter. "I'm sorry I'm not of more help."

Stolen story; please report.

Her expression softened, and she reached out, her hand abnormally cool against mine. "It's okay," she said softly. "I'm not sad. Maybe I should be, but this place... it brings my soul... peace. I should be fearful, miss my family, grieve for what I left behind, but there's something here that makes me feel like I finally belong somewhere." Suzette finally took a sip of her coffee. "Mmm. It's good."

I laughed, surprised by her reaction. "You're kidding, right?" And I tasted my mug—still was like nothing other than hot water.

"Seriously," she continued, completely sincere. "It's the best coffee ever, and I work at a coffee shop, I should know! If this is death, it's not so bad."

The faceless barista approached our table, their movements fluid and otherworldly. "I'm sorry," they said in their genderless voice, "but you're out of time. Suzette needs to move on."

I stood up, panic rising in my chest. "No, wait. We're not done."

"Just like death, your time is up. It's not something you can avoid. It's not something you can change," the barista said, their words cutting through the air like a knife.

I threw up my arms, feeling powerless and trapped. "Then why am I a reaper! What good does being able to cross worlds do for me? For anyone?"

The barista was silent as they helped Suzette to her feet.

Suzette turned towards me, her eyes now filled with a wisdom that seemed beyond her years. "Maybe your role has nothing to do with death, but helping souls on to their next phase. Maybe you just need to accept your role is that simple. I know you made me feel a lot better today."

Was it that simple? Had I been fighting my new nature? And is that only causing me frustration and unrest?

The Barista was already guiding Suzette towards the mist at the far end of the shop. I tried to follow, but my feet felt leaden.

"Wait!" I called out, getting up to follow her. "Suzette!"

She turned back, a peaceful smile on her face. "Thank you, Kal. For being there. For trying. You're a good person."

A good person?

I stopped in my tracks.

It was almost like the faceless barista read my mind. "You went against your nature to try to save someone. You might not be able to intervene, but just know, you still have an important role. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be happy with yourself." The barista continued to lead Suzette into the mist.

"Wait!" I called again. "I still have questions—"

But the moment I crossed into the mist behind them, everything shifted and I was just lost in a dense fog, but only for a moment. Then, darkness enveloped me, and I felt myself falling.

I gasped, my eyes flying open. I was back in the alley, the smell of blood and fear thick in the air. Only seconds seemed to have passed. Suzette's body lay beside me, her eyes vacant, accusing. I scrambled away from it, my heart pounding.

"Kal!" Kat's voice cut through the night. I turned to see her rushing towards me, her eyes wide and wild. "What happened? You just… disappeared!"

I blinked, disoriented, still feeling the loss of Suzette's soul like a physical wound. "I… I was too late," I whispered, my voice shaking.

Kat reached out, her hand gripping my arm, grounding me in the reality of the dark, cold alley. That's when she saw Suzette. She began to panic, but I stopped her.

"Kat, she's gone. There's nothing we can do." My own words made my body tense. "She's gone and I couldn't save her."

"That's not your job," Kat scolded, her voice surprisingly steady.

"Not my job?" The barista had basically said the same thing. "But you said that if you knew someone was going to die, you'd try to help."

"Yeah, I would. But…" She blew out a breath and her shoulders sagged. "I don't know, Kallie. I just almost lost you a month ago. I don't want to go through that again."

I nodded as a thought struck me. Maybe Kat was right. The faceless barista was right. Saving lives wasn't my job.

I was a reaper.

Kat was holding it together more than I expected. She was strong, I knew that, but this showed that she was stronger than anyone would predict. "Kal, you shouldn't have done that. It's too dark here. I couldn't see you. That…" And she started crying, pointing at Suzette, "She… could be you." Her phone was up to her ear, calling 911.

I stared at her, the weight of everything I'd been hiding crashing down on me. The guilt, the confusion, the constant struggle to figure out who I was supposed to be. It was too much, and I couldn't hold it in anymore. How easy it would have been to simply go on, keeping my secret, but it was time to admit that I couldn't do this all alone.

"Kat," I said, my voice shaking. "There's something I need to tell you."

The wail of approaching sirens filled the air. Time was running out. But as I looked into my sister's eyes, I felt a glimmer of hope. At that moment, sitting in a dirty alley beside a girl who died way too young, hugged by my sister, I realized there were a lot worse fates than mine.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop running from who I was.