Chapter one: It Began with Death

Moonlight illuminated the gravel path that cut through the forest. Night creatures sturred, waking from their sleep. Bull frogs could be heard from a near by pond, singing their deep love songs to each other. A gentle breeze stroked the leaves on the foliage causing them to shiver in pleasure. Then through the night's lullaby came a noise that wasn't natural. The distinctive sound of footfalls could be heard traveling down the narrow pathway. They weren't rushed even though most would feel the need to hasten their step at this unseemly hour of night. The forest continued it's melody as a young girl stepped into view of the moon's light. Though she couldn't have been pass the age of seventeen she had an air around her that suggested that she was older then her looks portrayed.

Her steps had sounded true, for she was in no rush. Rather her steps were slow and deliberate. She adjusted the large headphones that covered her ears even though no music played through them.They were merely a cover up to what she was really listening for. Subconsciously she began to play with a strand of her long, black hair and pulled her purse strap tighter.

Why is it...

Suddenly, to her right, came the sound of branches snapping as a large dark shadow of a man appeared on the pathway. He staggered slightly as he attempted to regain his balance. His loud entranced had silenced the forest and it remained that way as if waiting to see what would happen next. The girl hadn't moved from her position in the centre of the path. She loudly cleared her throat which attracted the man's attention toward her.

In his attempt to locate the sound he nearly lost his balance again. At first all he saw was a blurring smudge in his vision so he rubbed his blood shot eyes a few times to try to get the shape into focus. Finally he realized it was a young girl that stood before him. "Well well," he said with a slurred, cocky voice. "What have we here?" He took a few shaky steps towards the girl who still hadn't moved. "Are you lost?" He asked her as he moved forward again. She remained silent though her hands was slowly moving towards her headphones. "What's the matter with you!" He was shouting now, clearly losing patience with the situation. The man was close enough for her to smell the pungent alcohol that lingered on his breath.

That humans waste...

The drunk, who was now furious with the lack of emotions the girl was showing, quickly closed the remaining few feet between them. He brought his face down towards hers. "We'll just see how quiet you are when I'm done with you!" He spat venomously. Even though he was clearly beyond being wasted his grip on her arm was strong. By this point the teen's hands had reached the hot pink headphones. As the man turned away from her and tried to pull her towards the edge of the trail she slid the protective headphones away from her ears causing them to ring. She allowed herself to smirk which was quickly noticed by the man. "What the," he began but the rest of the sentence was lost as he looked back at the girl.

The moon slid behind a cloud as the young girl's body began to convulse. The sound of her bones breaking then being rearranged echoed through the night. Her flesh spasmed and tore only to seal up again leaving long scars. Skeletal like wings that were covered in what appeared to be spiderwebs protruded from her back as the transformation began to subside. Pushing the hair out of her now glowing red eyes, she turned her attention back towards her would be attacker who had fallen to the ground out of shock. Her smirk widened.

Their lives away...

"Today," she stated in her now raspy voice, "your time has run out. You have caused nothing but misery and suffering where you've walked. Now, is judgement day where what you have given is what you will receive." Pausing to take a glossy black notebook out of her purse. "Prepare yourself," she continued, "James Dwightfor I can assure you that nothing pleasant awaits you in the afterlife." She began to scribble something down in the notebook.

Suddenly the man's face contorted in pain. "What are you?" he asked through gritted teeth.The left side of his body hurt didn't actually hurt but something was wrong. He clutched his left arm as he waited for the thing in front of him to reply.

Only to find...

The once human looking girl thought for a moment before answering. "I am neither human nor shinigami, rather a grey area between the two," she began. "I am alive yet also dead. I breathe but possess no heartbeat. I feel sadness but am unable to cry. So if you do not know what I am then neither do I." The man's already wide eyes somehow became larger as this knowledge sunk in.

"Now though," the girl stated, "you should be more worried about your own health then what I am." The man realized that the monster was right. The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable. With every passing moment his fear increased which caused his heart to beat faster making the heart attack work only quicker. In mere minutes since the girl first wrote his name in the deadly notebook, the man lay on the gravel path with his eyes glazed over. On that night James Dwight, an alcoholic, thief, and forgotten father of four paid for his sins with his life.

That death's so close?

She returned the headphones that sealed her powers to their original position making sure that her pointed ears were completely covered. Once she had become human in her appearance again she placed the notebook back in her purse and adjusted the strap once more. She glanced at the body one last time to make sure someone could easily find it and then continued on down the path. The night finally let go of the breath that it was holding and the music of the forest played on once more.