The Reaper's Token

I Get Girl Problems

I lurched forward as she pulled me into the apartment and slammed my spine into the opposite wall, almost realigning it. She kicked the door closed with her foot and glowered at me.

"What are you doing here!?" I squawked, flattening myself against the wall.

"I live here." She said and raised her eyebrows as if to state the obvious.

"Wait!? Violet???" I asked. My tired brain tried to shift gears.

"Do I know you?" She asked flatly. She tilted her head to the side and eyed me doubtfully.

"You tried to kill me!" I said, alarm creeping into my voice.

"No," Violet said icily, "I tried to 'end you'!" She used her open hand to make quotation marks at me.

Damn! She was intimidating and cute at the same time! It was hard to look directly at her, but she kind of commanded attention! She had a dark smudge of what looked like soot across her left cheek, probably from the fire. I might have told her about it if I wasn't so terrified of her.

"What were you doing beating up homeless people?" I said, snapping out of her spell. "And destroying their... place?"

"Excellent question. More importantly, how do you know my name, and what were you doing there?" Violet snapped suspiciously.

I really didn't know what to say. I decided to go with the truth.

"I'm Dominic, and I'm newly dead." She actually rolled her eyes. "My mentor rage dumped me, and yours gave me her number."

She continued to stare at me as my shirt tightened in her fist.

"I needed a phone, so I could call Alice.... Then Max - I just met Max - he brought me to the building that you destroyed because he knew a man who could get me this...."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and waved it in her face. Words tumbled out of my mouth.

"Then there was this explosion!... It all happened really fast... I just needed a place to stay...."

An uncomfortable silence fell between us until Alice appeared in the doorway, and I let out a small sigh of relief. She was wrapped in a white towel. Her hair was dark and slick, like she had literally jumped out of the shower. I think she had, actually, just jumped out of the shower.

"Violet! Are you alright? I heard a scream, and..." Alice's frantic eyes found me as she ducked the rest of her body behind the door.

"Excuse me, Violet. I believe I told you about our new friend? This is Dominic, Keith's apprentice," Alice said as she gestured toward me and kept the other hand secured over her towel.

"You didn't mention it," Violet said in a threatening tone. Her eyes bore into mine, but she let go of my shirt.

I swallowed and readjusted my hoodie. My throat was sandpaper dry.

"Please, take care of our guest while I change, Violet," Alice chided, "I don't pay for the sass." Alice threw a hand up in exasperation before leaving the room.

"Certainly," Violet said through a clenched jaw. She put her finger in my face and gave me such a look! It put the very fear of Life in me! Alice popped her head back through the doorway again.

"Oh, and Dominic..." Alice said. She somehow seemed unaware that I was about to be incinerated by her apprentice.

"Yes?" I asked nervously. I didn't dare take my eyes completely off Violet.