SOUL REAPERS

Rocky 1

Rocky was a superstar. Oh, yes, she was.

And as a superstar, she believed no one was bigger than her.

What was bigger than a superstar? It was super, after all.

At five feet of superstardom and the body of an adolescent child, Rocky insisted no one in the world was taller, stronger, faster, or more muscular than her. Because if such a person existed, it would mean they were better than her. And such a thing was a fallacy!

"Since I'm the superstar here, I won't fall for such a fallacy," Rocky said.

Bow crossed her arms. "I don't know what fallacy means, but you're short, and that's the truth."

Alone in the living room, the two had been teasing each other for the last half hour. Bow mocked Rocky's height. Rocky reminded Bow she lacked the qualities to be a superstar. Their childish bickering had no end.

Rocky started laughing while pointing at Bow. "Of course, you don't know what fallacy means. Only a superstar does." When she learned a new word, everyone in the world would know it. Even the revenants.

Bow's left eye twitched—a sign of Rocky getting on her nerves. "Is it an actual word? Or did you make it up, shorty?"

"Yes, it's a word. Read a dictionary. And my name's not shorty. It's Rocky. Superstar Rocky." She placed her hands on her waist. "And as a superstar, I'll cleanse all revenants from this world."

"You haven't killed even one revenant by yourself."

Rocky gasped. "Fallacy! I have killed many."

"How many?"

"A superstar like me doesn't bother with such fallacies. I'm busy answering fan mail."

"Liar." Bow pointed at her and laughed. "You always need my help."

Rocky gasped louder. "Fallacy! I'm a solo act."

"We fought a revenant together two days ago."

"Fallacy!"

"Stop saying that word!"

"Or what?" Rocky grinned.

Bow stood from the couch and went to Rocky, who stood in the middle of the room. "You really want to go there?"

"Yes." Rocky clenched her hand into a fist. "Bumba, the superstar needs you." A pearly-white scythe with a curved pole that had the shape of a muscular woman carrying a star-shaped blade over her head materialized from the birthmark on her left wrist. "Because I'm a superstar, I'll let you apologize for speaking nonsense. What would my fans think if they heard such lies?"

"You have no fans."

"And you're old."

"We're both teenagers!"

"Then why do you look forty?"

Bow's mouth hung ajar.

Rocky knew where to hit, and she always did it with a smile. Bow was scared of aging. She always complained about it on her birthdays. Most members didn't care—they had their own shit to deal with—but to Rocky, that was Bow's kryptonite in their cold war.

Bow moved closer to Rocky. At five feet eight, she looked down at her foe. She was everything Rocky claimed to be: taller, stronger, faster, and more muscular.

"Ogun," Bow said. A silver scythe appeared on each hand shaped like a saber sword and a black chain connected the two poles at their ends. "Are you ready to die?"

Rocky scoffed. "Death can't touch a superstar like me."

They stood in a fighting stance, their hands gripping their scythes, ready to destroy the living room for the nth time that week. Captain Tomboy had warned them about battling inside the house. They had to go outside or they'd be punished for continuous misbehavior. But the teenagers hated the outdoors. The compactness of the house prevented either from running away, helping them improve their close combat skills.

Captain Tomboy hadn't bought that excuse.

A spinning black portal opened beside them, sending chills down Rocky's spine while Bow gulped. The teenagers withdrew their weapons and ran away from each other. Bow sat back on the couch, grabbed her phone from the cushion beside her, and scrolled through it. Meanwhile, Rocky sat on the floor and stared at her fingers.

Ghost and Ransom stepped out of the portal before it closed behind them. The former's short dreadlocks, fingerless gloves, and sleeveless jacket made him look like a rockstar, while Ransom seemed like a rapstar with his buzz-cut hairstyle and thick beard.

Even though they looked cool, they weren't superstars like Rocky. It made her sad.

Ransom stopped walking and analyzed the room. The two girls followed his gaze, trying to see if there was anything that would let him know they had almost fought. "Did you disobey the captain's order?" he asked.

"No, sir!" Bow said.

He looked at Rocky. "Is she telling the truth?"

Rocky nodded, not looking at him. Ransom had a chilling presence that made her not want to be anywhere near him. She trembled. The fact that no one else sensed this scared her.

"Captain called for a meeting," Ransom said.

Bow stood from the couch, putting her phone in her pocket. "Why?"

"You'll find out."

Ransom left the living room, followed by Bow.

Rocky caught Ghost staring at her. Since joining the Smiling Jokers, he posed a threat to her superstardom. He had an aura you couldn't help but gravitate toward. Sadly, most soul reapers hated him because of his mother.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" Ghost asked.

Rocky shook her head before looking at the floor. Her face burned with embarrassment. How could a superstar like her blush carelessly? He should be the one blushing. Not her. He was in her presence.

Ghost stared at her for a few seconds before leaving the room.

Rocky placed her hand on her chest, feeling her racing heart. She found herself in a situation she had never imagined: fangirling over someone else.