The next day, I headed straight for Burgess. As much as I hated to admit it, I was still worried about Jack, and I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from checking on him. Humans were particularly weak, and after a near-death experience like his, it was entirely possible that he wasn't recovering well, or at all.

I just…I had to be sure he was alright.

I alighted on a tree branch near Jack's home, jumping from it to the frosted ground. A few people were walking around the village, chatting with others and tending to daily chores. Amidst them, I saw neither Jack, nor his family, and so I moved closer to their home, peering into one of the windows.

What I saw, however, made my heart ache much more than I had expected.

It seemed his parents had confined him to a bed, presumably to allow him time to rest. His sister sat at his bedside, looking worriedly at him. I listened through the window as he talked to her, sitting up straight and moving excitedly despite the deep, dark circles under his eyes. I wondered if he'd slept much at all in the time I had been gone.

"You should've seen her, Emma…the picture of beauty, with dark hair and these bright, bright eyes, and the sweetest smile…kind of like yours, really." He paused to glance over at her, grinning widely, and she gave a small, hesitant smile in return. "I swear she must've flown to get me home as fast as she did. I can't think of anything else that would've worked." He fell back, then, his head hitting the pillows with a soft 'fwump' sound. "She had to be an angel. Not the typical sort, of course, the ones they talk about in church…but she saved me. She must've been my angel."

He finally quieted, and Emma opened her mouth to speak, then seeming to think better of it and closing it again. This happened twice more before she found actual words to speak, and I found myself wishing that I had warned him not to talk about me, warned him not to say a word to the other villagers…

"Jack…are you certain you didn't imagine her…?" She asked, her voice slow and her tone cautious. It sounded like she'd tried to suggest this to him before, and judging by the way he furiously shook his head, he still had no intention of agreeing to the notion. "You were out in the cold for hours, Jack…ma thinks-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a look appeared on Jack's face that seemed to silence her instantly. He seemed hurt, and I could only imagine what had been said to him every other time he'd tried to talk about me. Humans, you see…they didn't take kindly to new ideas, least of all those about the supernatural. So for Jackson to talk about me, his so-called 'angel'…I doubted he had received any support at all.

A few minutes of silence passed, and then Emma stood, smiling sadly at her brother. "…maybe you should sleep, Jack. I'll bring you some food later." He said nothing in response, and so she headed for the door, head bowed.

"She is real, you know." He said, as her hand touched the doorknob. I watched a pitying look cross her face, and she nodded, not turning to face him.

"Of course she is, Jack." With that said, she left the room, closing the door behind her. I watched Jack for a few minutes longer, seeing him roll over on his side, facing the wall and sighing heavily into his pillow. I desperately wished I could do something, say something…just find something that would make him feel better. I wanted to make him understand what he'd seen, and I wished I could do the same for his family, and the other villagers. Maybe…maybe then…he wouldn't have to feel this way.

I spent most of the next few days in Burgess, keeping watch over Jackson as he recovered from his ordeal. With each day that passed, he spoke of me less and less, and it seemed the other villagers were starting to forget he'd talked about me at all. He was back to his old self in no time flat, his prankster spirit seeming more vibrant than ever. Sometimes, though, when he was alone, I would catch him look up, often directly at me, even though I knew he couldn't see me. He would stay like that for a few moments, no more than that, and then he would sigh and continue his day.

I wondered if he missed me.

I couldn't even begin to imagine why, if that was even true. He'd hardly talked to me, and if he knew who I was, what I was, there was no way he'd ever want to see me. Death is something to fear, not something to miss.

I don't think this boy will ever stop baffling me.

Another week passed in this fashion, and as far as the other villagers could see, Jack had recovered perfectly. He was just as playful and kind as he'd been before his little mishap, and no one seemed to think he still believed in the strange girl who'd saved him. I was sort of glad for that, since it meant he wouldn't be shunned because of me, but at the same time…

The thing about Reapers is that we are not meant to be seen. Newborns will see us when we bring their souls into this world, and those who are about to die will see us when we arrive to move their souls on. No one remembers us. No one cares. I mean, most Reapers don't even care. We're not here to make friends or anything; we're just here to make sure time flows smoothly.

Jackson was the first person to see me and not die. He was the only human who consciously knew of my existence. The thought that the other villagers had already forgotten his words lead me to the idea that…that maybe Jack had forgotten me, and…it was the strangest thing, really. I was honestly scared of Jack forgetting about me, and I couldn't even begin to imagine why, much less explain it.

For the first time in over three-hundred years of my existence, I felt…lonely.

I stayed away from home during the time I spent in Burgess, as I was afraid of what Garrett would say if he found out I was still spending so much time around Jackson. I hated how legitimate his worries were, and I hated my inability to just listen to him, to stay away and be who I was supposed to be. A Reaper. A shadow.

Anything but this.

The first indication I received that Jack still remembered me came on a chilly Tuesday night, when the moon was almost full and the wind was little more than a whistling through the treetops. I often sat in trees near the Overland house during the night, keeping watch over the family while they slept. During one of these nights, a certain mischievous brunette slipped out of the house, sneaking away to god only knows where.

I remained still for a few moments, watching him walk through the village, chuckling to myself when he bumped into a stray cauldron, and hopping off the branch I'd been sitting on, following him in the air. As he passed into the outskirts of the village, I flew a bit lower, floating alongside him as he walked. I didn't know where he was going, and I didn't know why he seemed to think it was appropriate to go walking around in the middle of the night without even a lantern to guide his way, but I wasn't going to let him go out alone.

He walked for a while, completely silent the whole way, before finally coming to a stop on the banks of a small pond. Roughly half of it was still frozen over, but spring was fast approaching, and patches of crystal clear water were now outnumbering the patches of ice. Jack pushed one of the floating ice floes with the staff he constantly carried, watching it glide across the water until it knocked into a second floe and came to a stop. The entire time he watched it, he smiled, and I recalled quite a few days where I'd watched him play in the snow and ice, laughing and smiling the whole time. I wanted to ask if winter was his favorite season, and as I floated at his side, I opened my mouth to do so, briefly forgetting that he didn't know I was there. I caught myself before the words actually left me, but I still felt…ridiculous.

How could this boy, this stupid human, make me act like such an idiot? It was absolutely infuriating, and yet I continued to stay close to him…try to get to know him. What was wrong with me?

"I wish I could see you again." For a moment, I thought he was talking to me, but as I whipped around to face him, I saw his eyes directed at the sky, focused on the moon. I took another few moments to look around, trying to see if there was anyone else his words could be directed at, but…we were alone. Really, as far as he knew, I wasn't even here.

"Everyone thinks I made you up, even though I keep telling them how you saved me." I continued to watch him, now, letting my feet touch down in the small patches of snow left on the ground. His gaze never wavered from the moon as he continued to talk. "I wish I could show them that you're real, and I would love to make old man Patterson stop saying you must've been some kind of demon…" He paused a moment, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I never should've said anything about the scythe. I mean, I kind of wonder why you had one, but…" His eyes opened again, and a wide smile spread across his face. "I think it kind of added to your charm, your…your mystery." He laughed, and the sound startled me, making me jump back a couple paces.

"Listen to me, Jay. I sound like an idiot, don't I?" He kept laughing, laughing at himself, and I couldn't help the twitch of my lips as I tried not to join him. "It's just…" The laughter faded away, but his smile remained strong. "…I don't know anything about you. Just your name, and what I saw of you that day. I want to know more." The smile started to slip, and his hand tightened around his staff. "I…I think I miss you, Jay. You brought some intrigue into my life, some fun…and now, no one even believes you exist. They think I'm crazy for believing." His gaze dropped, and I watched him close his eyes, sighing heavily.

"I just wish you'd come back to see me again."

He stood there in silence for a few moments, and I couldn't help but reach out to him, trying to touch him and reassure him that I was here. My fingertips were hardly a hair's breadth away, and this completely irrational hope flooded through me. I hoped that I'd be able to just…set my hand on his shoulder, to tell him he wasn't crazy and I did exist, but just as I thought my hope might become reality, my hand moved straight through his shoulder, becoming a strange wispy substance as it did. As I pulled it back, startled, my hand reformed into the pale digits I was accustomed to.

I had never tried to touch a human who wasn't just being born or just about to die. I had never even cared about my invisibility. In that moment, though, seeing Jack's utter lack of reaction and feeling uncontrollable frustration with being unable to console him, I cared. I cared, and I felt helpless, and I hated every single second of it.

All I had wanted was to make him feel better. He might've been just a silly human, but he didn't deserve these bad feelings. He didn't deserve sadness, loneliness, or ridicule. Why was it so much to ask for him to be happy? Why was it so impossible to let him feel that way again?

"I'm sorry, Jackson. I'm so sorry!" I don't know when I started yelling. I was panicked and upset, and I felt my body shaking with foreign emotions that I didn't want. "I didn't mean to do this to you, I didn't mean to make others look at you like they are…I just…I d-didn't want you to die!" I felt a spot of dampness on my cheek, and as I reached up to touch it, I found a single teardrop on my fingertip. I…I was crying. Why was I crying?

Jack turned away from the lake, holding his head high and keeping his face blank. It was like he was trying not to show any of the emotions I had just seen in him. It was like…he was trying to hide them, even from himself. He started to walk, and I instinctively reached out a second time, trying to grab his cloak and hold him back. My hand passed through him again, and he continued to walk, heading back towards his village.

This time, I didn't follow him. I stayed at the edge of the pond, watching him disappear, and remaining there long after he was gone from my sight. Finally, I turned back to the pond, lifting my gaze to the moon as he had, feeling tears still rolling down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ohmygodlongchapterislong. But! Thank you guys so much for the support! ;w; It's so great to hear other people being interested in my nonsense. Makes all the work I put into developing Jay and her story worth it. w

Review response time!

Pen - Good to hear it! Hope you like this one! : D

Fortune - Bbypleasedon'tmakemesob. ;w; I don't think you'd ever let me stop writing it, even if I didn't post it anymore. But here, have some angst. |D