Chapter 7

Kisara nervously entered SK's office. In the front pocket of her cut off dungarees she had a small pile of letters, which, after a moment of nervously bouncing on her heels, she got out. SK still hadn't looked at her and she was starting to wonder whether or not he even knew she was there. Pressing her lips tightly together for a moment she was about to launch into a random babbling, when SK's eyes rose to meet hers.

'How did it go?'

'Oh um…' she shuffled the letters nervously between her hands, 'well…'

'Did anyone see you?'

'Um…' taking a deep breath, she allowed her own honest nature to take over. 'Oh gee, I hate to tell you this, but I got caught out by this kid called Lus Moto. He said he wouldn't tell you, but… Well, if there's one thing I know how to do it's make a good impression for myself. And if it were to come out later that I'd not told you about it when I should have… Well that wouldn't look too good for me then would it?'

'No, it wouldn't.'

'I'm sorry, I know I've let you down, but I think this just proves that I'm not right for this position. So maybe you could take on False instead; his grades were almost as good as mine and I'm sure he'll make…'

'You're doing fine Kisara,' he cut her off. 'Now I assume all those letters you have there are addressed to Taylor, correct?'

'Um… err…' she quickly shuffled through them. 'Yeah, they all are.'

'Okay, then I want you to give them to him.'

'Um… okay…'

'He was the lad who first brought you to see me,' SK rolled his eyes as his tongue skated lightly across his lips.

'Oh, right,' she gave a nervous laugh.

'And after you've done that I want you to go and see Dayena's people,' he continued quickly, 'ask her for the file SK is after, they'll know what you mean. From her I want you to go to Arrena's lot and ask for the box SK requested, again they'll know what that's about.'

'Yes Mr Khoral,' she nodded, trying to remember if it was the box or the file she was supposed to ask for first.

'After you have both the box and the file, I want you to come back here. Straight back here. You have half an hour.'

'Yes Mr Khoral.'

'Oh and one more thing Kisara,' he licked his lips again, holding her gaze as she did, 'for god sake call me SK, I'm not some fifty year old school master.'

'Okay,' a nervous smile flickered across her face.

'You may go now.'

Taking a deep breath, she turned sharply round and headed out of the room she was in. She then made her way along the white corridors, hoping Taylor would be easily found. Fortunately for her he was lurking nearby and instantly held out his hands for the letters she was holding. She guessed he'd been waiting for them and a genuine smile replaced the nervous one she'd been wearing.

'Here you go,' she handed the letters over.

For a few moments her eyes briefly studied him. He was dressed in a well-fitting pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, with an open short sleeve black shirt over the top of it. He looked surprisingly tidy and well dressed for a boy of his age and his neat chocolate brown hair just seemed to emphasize this point. His brown flicked blue eyes scanned over the handwriting on each of the envelopes, sorting through them until one caught his attention. Excitement seemed to light up in his eyes, as he tore the envelope open.

'I guess you've been waiting for that one in particular, huh?' Kisara laughed lightly, more than aware of the fact she should have started heading for Dayena's offices by now.

He glanced up at her in confusion for a moment, as though he'd forgotten she was there. Then a warm smile filled his face, making his otherwise hard features appear even more roguishly handsome than they already were and, as the warmth of the smile reached his eyes, he nodded.

'I guess you must miss your friends up here, huh? I mean, I'm assuming the whole mail thing is to do with the fact you can't currently be down there and it's not practical for them to come up here and see you.'

His expression subdued slightly and he nodded again.

'You know I get the feeling I'm probably going to be sticking around for a while, so if you like we can hang out. Well at least try to,' she laughed. 'I mean, by the looks of things that SK guy is going to have me hopping around like some skivvy. I really don't see why I've been brought here to do this.'

Taylor shrugged as his face filled with a warm but uncertain look.

'Yeah, well I'm sure I'll find out eventually. I just hope it's before…' she hesitated, suddenly remembering she was on a time limit. 'Oh gee, he said I had half an hour; I've got to shoot.'

Nodding, Taylor held up a hand to her and gave a slight wave. She did the same, before taking off in the direction of Dayena's offices. It had been a few months since she'd last seen the Lady of Death and a part of her was almost excited at the thought she might see her again. But the rest of her lurched slightly in fear; she was pretty certain Dayena would not like the idea of her current situation.

'Look, Dee,' she began rehearsing what she was going to say under her breath, 'I didn't ask for this placement and no matter how hard I try I can't seem to get myself unplaced from it.'

She stopped for a moment. She didn't like lying, but what she was planning to say wasn't wholly true. She hadn't exactly been trying very hard to get out of it. And she could have refused point blank when she was first told to go. Okay, so maybe she had been too overwhelmed to begin with to say anything, but the second her head had cleared she should have…

'Oh gee, Dee's going to kill me I know it,' shaking her head, she gave a slight laugh. 'I guess I should be grateful I'm already dead then.'

Taking a deep breath, she started forward again. Within a few moments she arrived outside the old oak doors which lead into Dayena's offices. The brown of the oak looked strangely out of place against the surrounding white, but there was something so homely familiar about it Kisara couldn't help but feel like the five year old girl who'd first stood before these doors ten years ago…

Pushing them open, she stepped into the bustle which lay beyond. The reception offices were always bursting with new arrivals, checking into their afterlife before getting sent off to Giya or wherever it was they were destined to live. There was something so exciting about it all and Kisara had always preferred this area to the library and smaller offices which lay beyond. Fortunately for her Dayena rarely frequented these areas, but unfortunately for her the people who dealt with the files where held up in the back where her chances of encountering the Lady of Death increased tenfold. Swallowing her nerves and without allowing herself a chance to spy on the recently dead, Kisara made her way into the back, praying she could get in and out without being seen.

'Kissy,' the sound of the all too familiar voice made her half jump out of her skin, 'well I am being honoured today.'

Nervously Kisara glanced towards Dayena. The Higher Being was grinning at her with all the inane excitement of a school girl.

'You know I had your mother in here earlier.'

'Really?'

'Yes,' she nodded, pulling Kisara into the kind of hug which had always made her feel so loved as a child, but now made her feel like a huge fraud. 'She was so proud to hear how well you've done for yourself. She's missed you… but then I guess that's always the way.'

Mutedly Kisara nodded as Dayena pulled herself away in order to study her.

'Why are you here Kissy, shouldn't you be celebrating your graduation?'

'About that…' she gave a nervous cough and squirmed, 'I've been recruited.'

'What?' Her gaze instantly became hard. 'I thought you were going to stay on at the TA Academy, like…'

'I was recruited by SK,' she adverted her gaze, 'he wants the file he's requested.'

'Oh I see,' Dayena's expression relaxed slightly, 'at least now I understand why he wants it. But before I give it to you though I want you to promise me one thing,' gently she placed her hand on Kisara's cheeks and met her gaze, 'don't tell anybody.'

'Don't worry,' she promised, 'I won't.'