(Grim Reaper's POV)

Sitting there at the booth, I tilted the chair back and relaxed my eyes with my feet up on the table with the black table-cloth. I wore black converse, black pants, a white button up, purple suspenders, a black jacket, a finger-less leather glove on my left hand and a top-hat with the top ripped open like an opened can. Working at the carnival wasn't a bad job but it was the only kind I could do where I could use my powers in public.

The make-up on my face was supposed to look like an x-ray of the front of my skull. I had blonde hair and blue eyes that stood out but I always died my hair black for more effect.

A blonde woman walked up to the booth with her boyfriend, "So, what does the 'Grim-reaper' do?" she asked, reading the sign beside me.

Startled, the chair fell back and I hit my head on the ground, my hat rolling away. Still disoriented, I grabbed the black hat by the purple ribbon fashioned around it and pulled it back onto my head. Lifting the chair back onto its legs, I planted my butt back down.

"Predict your death for ten dollars or speak to someone dead for fifteen, your pick" I said with my deep voice, leaning forward and tossing away dead grass stuck on my arm.

"Okay then, predict my death" she giggled and handed me ten bucks.

She sat on the other side of the table as I accepted the money, putting it in the tin bow with a latch. I held out my hands so I could hold hers.

"Hmm, soft hands" a smile tugged at my lips as her boyfriend let out a low growl.

"Thanks" she smiled but it faded when my blue eyes went totally black as night.

In an almost demonic voice, I said "November 17, 2068: You will die from heart failure next to your husband." I could feel my heart ache and slow down until I pulled my hands away.

My eyes went pack to normal, seeing the slight fear on her face, "So pretty much, you'll die of old age, good for you" I smiled with my voice back to normal.

"But how do you know if that's my real future? I mean, how-" I interrupted her.

"There are no ifs in my predictions, when I see it, it will happen" I hated hearing that same question over and over.

"Anything for the guy?" I raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

"I'm fine" he was a little freaked out.

"Are you sure? You could die tomorrow in a car accident or even by a sudden disease. Don't you want a little tip from fate?" I knew I said that line over and over before. "Or you may speak to the deceased through me?"

He was tempted to do it until an old man walked up to the booth, "Excuse me, may I speak to the Reaper?" he asked.

"Oh, sure, we were just leaving" the boyfriend grabbed his girlfriend's hand and led her away.

"Hello, sir, how may I serve you tonight?" I asked, noticing all of the military badges on his green coat.

"Hello, Shultz" I frowned at the sound of my last name. "Listen, my name is William Stryker and I had an opportunity for you."

I leaned back, scanning him with my eyes, "What kind?"

"I'm offering you to join a team" he started. "If you join, you'll be trained harshly how to fight like a warrior and have to quit your job at this carnival. But, you'll be serving you country in the best way you can."

I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest, "Oh, you're one of them" I scowled. "Listen, you just slither back into which ever crack in the floorboards and leave me alone. I'm never joining The Fangs ever so screw off!" anger burned up in my mind like a raging fire.

He gave me a confused look, "What are you talking about? I was asking you to join Team X."

The make-up on my face hid the redness of my face, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! It's just that some other people kept bothering me at every carnival I worked at. At first, I thought they were a good team from the way their leader explained it but they had several health issues. Anorexia, drugs, disease, they think a shower means showing their own scars to each other and freaking prostitutes everywhere!"

"Oh, well, that's not the team I was talking about. In addition to serve you country, you will be paid very handsomely" he smiled.

My grip tightened on my knee, thinking over my decision. Leave for a team I never met and a lot of money or leave the people that treated me like family, the ones that comforted me in the time of need and gave me this job purely out of good-will? The taste of blood flooded my mouth when I realized how hard I was biting my lip.

"I figured you'd greatly hesitate so I'll give you time to-" he got up and smoothed down his jacket.

It was almost like I couldn't control my body, "Wait!" I reached out. "I'll join but can I back out at any time?"

He smiled, "Yes, at any time you feel is right."

I returned with a smile, "Then, you've got a deal" I reached out to shake his hand but I regretted it.

My eyes suddenly filled with black and immediately, I saw an old, chubby man chained to cold metal in the winter by a face-less man. I sucked in air through my teeth with a wince and yanked my hand back, frost biting into the flesh. I closed my hand in an attempt to conceal heat and melt the frost.

Stryker gave me a strange look, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine just a…hand cramp" I lied.

Why I was always lying to people, I didn't exactly know. It just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time. Before leaving the Carnival, I gave all the money I earned to Mimi. She was the little mutant girl that was bone-skinny and was the daughter of a man that worked at a dart-throwing booth. Following him to a jet, I noticed another man inside. He smiled kindly at me and said his name was Chris.

"Grim Reaper, nice to meet you" I smiled a little, shaking his thick gloved hand.

I sat across from him with my back against the wall and watched him closing his eyes. I tilted my head slightly, intrigued as the jet lifted off the ground. He opened his eyes again, seeing the curiosity on my face.

"I'm a techno-path, I can control tech" he said. "What can you do?"

"When I touch someone's hand, I can see their death but I can't control it and I always slightly experience it until it quickly heals up. What I can control is talking to the dead" I replied.

"So that's where the 'Grim Reaper' name comes from?" he asked.

I nodded, "Just wondering, can you tell me what the others are like?"

He shut his mouth for a minute, "They're a little fierce but there are at least three nice guys" he lowered his gaze.

I thought for a minute until I reached out to the young man, tilting his head to look back up at me.

I smiled warmly at him, "Well, now there's four…just because of my name and power collide with death doesn't mean I'm an evil person."

He smiled back at me, the lights growing brighter, "Thanks, Grim, that's nice to know."

My smile faded when I ripped off my leather glove on my left hand, scratching my hand, "Damn, this thing itches!"

He chuckled but stopped, noticing something on my hand.

"What?" I asked, curious again.

"You-you're married?" he pointed out the gold wedding band on my ring finger.

"Huh? Oh, I was but we had a divorce, I just wear this to ward off the pricks" I explained.

The smile returned as a grin, "You like men?"

"Yeah, actually, I'm bi" I set the glove down next to me and sighed in relief, "It's great to finally meat someone that doesn't just want to speak to me because of my mutations."

Soon, we landed at a school that's been shut down due to the budget. Chris led me inside and into what looked like the cafeteria of the small school. I looked at the other five people…or should I say 'men'! They all turned to me, some raising eyebrows at me.

"Where's Wade?" Chris asked, another man?

"Whoa, I didn't know Marilyn Manson was here" I heard a voice that made me bite my aching lip again.

I whirled around fast enough for my hat to fly off, "Wade?" I widened my blue eyes.

I knew it was him; the handsome man dropped the mug of coffee. The sound of breaking glass started a long silence until he spoke.

"Rachel, is that you?" he asked, eyes still wide.

"You're a girl?" Chris' jaw dropped to the floor. "You-you're not a man?"

"How do you two know each other?" The black man of the group asked.

"He's my ex-husband!" I screeched.

"She was my wife!" Wade called, looking like he was about to pass out.

(Ha-ha, a BIG twist! Grim is a woman named Rachel Shultz and she's Wade's ex-wife! Do you guys think I should continue? I was planning to have Fred recognize Rachel/Grim as a Carney-buddy but this sounded way better to me!)