DWTD Chapter 12
Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or any of it's characters.
Maka POV
It has been about a month since the incident in the math room, and I haven't seen those girls come to class once between then and now. I don't even remember their names, I barely remember what they look like, now that I think about it. That night when I awoke, it was in my apartment, with a drunk Papa on the couch. He has been all over me everyday this past month and it's really starting to piss me off.
Besides Papa, everything has been going pretty good! I have been enjoying most of my classes, I visit the library very frequently and I am at the top of my class in nearly every subject (I'm going to change that 'nearly' very soon I hope). I haven't had any terrible encounters so far, besides those girls who drugged me and the occasional asshole in the hallway. Life seemed to be going good for me, I was finally starting to get a good routine going.
I am currently sitting alone in the library, waiting for my biology partner to come and help me with our latest project. Thanks to her, I have been acing this course (not that I'm not acing every course, but she is making it a lot easier), every project, every test, every essay just seems so easy when it is done with her. I never really got along with any of the other students in my classes, they are mostly jocks and preppy bimbos that care only for partying, sex and booze. Not all of my classmates were like that, but a vast majority were, and they usually hired someone smart in the class to do their work for them. I wasn't sinking that low, it took everything I had just to keep my grades at the level they were currently at, let alone do all the work for someone else as well! This made me a lot of enemies at school, all but one person seemed to hate me and I was okay with this. At least I had one friend.
I looked at my watch and sighed, she was already thirty minutes late. Maybe I should just get started on my own. Just as I was about to get up and look for some books I might need, my bio partner comes running in carrying at least half a dozen books. She nearly trips, but I manage to catch her and the many texts in her arms.
"Thanks Maka, I thought for sure I wasn't going to make it there!" the tall girl smiled at me as I took some of the load from her and brought them over to the table, "Sorry for being so late, I had to grab some stuff from my dorm! I thought these might come in handy!"
"No problem Tsubaki! I haven't been waiting that long anyway," I picked up one of the books and examined it as she took off her jacket. It always amazes me that Tsubaki chose to hang out with me, she was far prettier than I was and well known around the school. She had beautiful long, black hair, an hour glass figure and flawless, white skin. Tsubaki was friendly to everyone she met; she would help pay for a person's lunch if they were short, she volunteered with many after school charity events and offered advice to anyone that asked. I had no idea how she managed to keep such high grades and do so many things for the school, just thinking about it made my head spin. She looked down at the book I was holding and smiled, "That one might not have exactly what we are looking for, but I'm sure we'll find some interesting references from it!"
I looked down at the book again and I finally registered what I was looking at; it was an old copy of Charles Darwin's 'Origin of Species', "I thought we were looking into human anatomy, how will this help us?"
"Well, I thought we might be able to use other, more primitive, animals to better compare the rapid growth that us humans have gone through over the years. I know it's not exactly what Professor Stein asked for, but it might answer some of the questions he left for us on our assignment sheet," she happily replied while pulling out her laptop and biology text book. This is the reason I love this girl, she was always thinking outside the box, and that's usually what the Professor liked about our work.
"Alright, you look into this book and I'll find some of our key points in our bio texts. You are much better at finding the hidden information then I am," I hand her 'Origin of Species' and grab my text from the table as well as a couple of books that look fairly similar. It didn't take long before we were hard at work, our fingers moving rapidly over the keyboard of our computers as we sighted passages from books and wrote down the needed references.
It was three hours later, around nine o'clock by the time the librarian came around to tell us to leave. We were both exhausted, but agreed to go get coffee and a bite to eat before heading our separate ways. We drove for a little while and finally decided to stop in a small, privately owned cafe just a few blocks away from the school, it was small but very cozy. It had a small bar in the middle and a couple flowered booths lining the windows, we sat at one of them and ordered a small coffee each to start.
"I thought we would have a harder time finding the answers to Professor Stein's assignment questions, we really got a lot of our research done tonight!" Tsubaki said cheerfully as she sipped her coffee and looked at the menu.
"I know! Thanks to all those books you brought! I don't know how you always manage to pick the exact books we need," I said in awe, she had incredible taste in books and an even better eye for uncommon information that impressed Stein.
"It's just luck!" she smiled from behind her cup. Her cell phone rang just as the waitress came to take our order, her face dropped as she read the message on her phone. She told the waitress what she wanted and sighed as she put her cell back into her purse, her face seemed to be getting paler. I watched her expression for a while, whatever the message said, it must have been really troubling.
"Tsubaki, are you all right? You're not looking well," I watched her face turn to look at me and waited for a response. I only got a sigh at first and a sad look, but after a couple minutes she finally spoke.
"Maka, there is something important I have to talk to you about," she looked down at the table, her expression was grim, "I really don't want you to hate me for what I'm about to tell you though..."
"Why would I hate you? I mean, you have been a great partner and have done so much for me this last month!" I was confused, I couldn't understand what she was talking about.
"I have a job outside of school and it's a little unorthodox... My boss has given me an assignment that I'm afraid to do. I mean, I really don't think that I'm the right person to do it..."
"Then you don't have to!" my voice was steadily rising and my brows furrowed, "They can't make you do anything that you don't feel comfortable doing!"
Tsubaki smiled a little and looked back at me, "Thank you Maka, but I kinda understand why he asked me... Though I'm sure I could list off at least half a dozen others that could explain things better than me. It actually has to do with you."
"Me?" I pointed at myself stupidly, a befuddled look was reflected back at me from the window, "Why would your job involve me?"
"It's a long story, I don't know all the little details but I have to try to fill you in as much as I can before midnight," she looked at her watch and nearly screamed, "Shit! He is really cutting this close! Listen Maka, I don't have a lot of time to explain things, so I need your undivided attention at all times, do you understand me?" She looked at me with a serious face, she was obviously nervous about something.
"Yes, but-"
"There isn't anytime for 'buts' Maka!" Tsubaki interrupted franticly, " They're going to be here in twenty minutes! I just need you to listen to me, no questions or interruptions please! I'm going to say some things that sound crazy and impossible, but you just have to trust me! All I want is what's best for you!"
"Okay, go ahead," I was terribly confused and even more nervous. What could she have to say that is so controversial?
"In less then twenty minutes, someone will come in here to take you to a test. It's not optional, you complete it or die-"
"WHAT?!" I spit out the coffee I had just sipped.
"Lower your voice!" She looked around the cafe and back at me, she had tears in her eyes, "Please, listen! You have been chosen by my boss as a candidate for our test, if you pass then you will have power and fortune. If you fail, it's death..."
"Why don't I have a say? Can't he find someone else?" I whisper quickly, I was starting to panic. I didn't want power, and I can make my own fortune after I graduated from college...
"This test will pit you against strong opponents," Tsubaki continued without hesitation, " I don't know the details of the test, the Lord usually explains everything just before it starts. You will be paired up with the person who nominated you, however you are a special case, it would be a huge advantage for you to be paired up with such an immense power. I believe your father agreed to be your helper, but even then you are still blessed with a great advantage over the others."
My head was spinning, I had so many questions that I couldn't manage to pick just one to start. What did my father have to do with this? What is this test for? How do I have an advantage over the others and who are they?
"Okay, so here is where things are going to get crazy, this will explain a lot for you, I hope... Maka, you are going to be competing in the Reaper Games," her eyes were focused and her body was alert, it was as if she was expecting me to do something really violent. "You have been chosen by the Lord Grim Reaper, ruler over life and death in North America. This game is by invitation only and cannot be turned down once given. Although your father contested your nomination, you are in a situation that requires you to have power. You were handed picked because you are in grave danger and you show the potential of becoming a great asset to our team..."
"Our team? You mean-"
"Yes, I am a reaper. I take the lives of those who need to pass on," all warmth and kindness that was once there is gone now, she is serious and terrifying.
"You kill people?" the volume of my voice went up a bit, and a sudden glare from Tsubaki brought it right back down, "How can you get away with this? You are a murderer!"
"No, I am a reaper. Everyone must die and it is my job to help them get to the other side. If people don't die when they are supposed to, their bodies start to decompose, their soul becomes dark and it transforms into something a lot more sinister. I'm not human, Maka and technically, neither are you."
"I-I... whaa?" my jaw dropped. What the hell is she trying to tell me?
"This is one of the parts that I'm kinda unsure about myself," she looked down at her watch and cursed, her face was full of fear and nervousness again, "Your father is a reaper too, he is actually a special kind of reaper but I really can't get into too much detail right now. You died once when you were a young girl and he severed his soul and put it in you. Because you have part of his soul, you also received some of his powers, though you have never consciously used them before. You have to power to be one of us, you can still do what ever you want in life, you will just have some extra duties now and then..."
"Like killing people, is that right?" my voice was bitter, I was pissed.
"It's not like tha-"
"Oh no? You still kill people! What do you do, just walk up to someone and say 'oh hi there, you have to die now, so if you could please follow me so I can stuff this knife in your chest, that would be great'...or do you just smother them with pillows and shit?" I interrupted her. I didn't want to hear anymore, I just wanted to go home.
"No!" her voice echoed through the nearly empty cafe, "You have no goddamn idea what you're talking about! Please, let's just go and see your father, he can probably explain things better than I can," she looked tired and upset, her hand was covering half of her face and the other was around her waist.
"I can't, I'm sorry but I would rather die then have to kill a living being..."
The door to the cafe opened up and three cloaked figures came in, they looked around before making their way to our table. I was about to stand up when I felt a painfully familiar pinch in the side if my neck, my eyes dart forward and see Tsubaki leaning across the table with a syringe in her hand. My vision was starting to go blurry.
"I'm really sorry, Maka. I hate having to do this to you," the cloaked figures arrived at our table, one of them scooped me up in their arms, Tsubaki stood up and joined them, "You left me with no other options. This test is not a choice, please forgive me," her teary eyes were the last thing I saw.
Updating a little late in the day! But at least it's out on time!
Thanks for the feed back guys! I always love hearing it!
Next chapter will go over rules and chapter 14 will be the start to the awesome goriness that I'm sure you have all been waiting for! I'm sure by now, Maka is damn sick of people jabbing needles in her neck! poor girl!
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Thank you for reading Dancing With The Devil! See ya next time!