Seeing the Unseen

Reborn

Seeing the Unseen Chapter Five:

"Reborn"

I closed my textbook as I felt an oddly familiar presence, removing my glasses and looking up to see the reaper that I found myself acquainted with.

"Beatrice..." He sat down, leaning over to look me in the eye, only to shiver slightly. "They've gotten stronger I'm afraid. Your sight has improved which puts you at a greater risk and your soul has strengthened too, making you more appetizing to Negatives."

I brought my legs into myself, hugging them tightly. His words were jargonous, yet I still found myself with the ability to comprehend them.

"Can I give you a name?"

"What?" the reaper asked, confused by my antics. "Give me a name? Why? I do not need one."

He wore a mask of confusion due to my words. I smiled, looking back at him.

"A name. Can I give you one?"

"Why must you give me a name?" he asked. "What use is having one? As I told you, I no longer have a soul-"

"But you did," I interrupted before continuing. "You had one once, right? You used to be human like me, correct?"

"I don't know..." he replied honestly. "All I remember is being a reaper. That's beside the point though. I came here to check your progress. How did you know I was here?"

"I felt you."

"This is bad," he muttered. "This is really bad. You're probably going to die, Beatrice."

I hugged him, terrified. "I don't want to. It's not my time. I have to help take care of my brother and father. I can't just die."

He seemed unaccustomed to the contact as he stood in a petrified manner, unsure of how to react.

"I'll protect you."

"You will?" I looked up to him. "You promise?"

"Promise? What is a 'promise'? I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the term."

I laughed lightly. "It means you'll do it no matter what. Nothing will stop you if it's within the scope of your power."

"I guess I promise then," he answered, his words like feathers.

"Then I need to give you a name, something to call out if ever need be, something to address you by so that you'll automatically know that I'm referring to you," I explained.

He opened his mouth hesitantly. "I guess... if it's for that purpose... that it's fine."

"Mason." I smiled up at him, "I will call you Mason."

The brunet brought his eyebrows together, the name feeling weird on his tongue, alien almost. "Mason. My name is... Mason."

➣

"S-So I told her that my pop-pop threw away my homework," Carly groaned. "and she didn't b-believe me! I told the truth just to not be believed... What even is honesty to people anymore? I told her that I didn't do it and when I went to do it before I left for school, my grandpa told me he threw it away!"

I laughed at her ranting about her chemistry teacher and just life in general. Carly was a big ranter, but a funny one, not a depressing one. She was actually quite entertaining to listen to as she went on and on as if telling me about some type of sitcom.

"That really sucks," I replied, twirling my pencil in my hand as I lost myself in my thoughts, losing myself in the world that was my mind.

When school let out, I was careful to keep my glasses on, not wanting to bother Mason, though I did have questions for him and his existence. He was interesting to say the least as I had always thought of reapers to be just legends, myths, folklore, but Mason, he was real. I saw him, I felt him, and I conversed with him. Unless I was insane, Mason was very much real.