Cooper, another Guard, came up behind Aaron and clapped a hand on his back, turning his gray eyes on me. The Guard and Soul Collectors rarely made any contact in the field, but I had learned as much as I could about each of them since I intended on becoming a part of their group.
“Hey there,” Cooper said, raking a hand through his dirty blond hair. Where Aaron’s outfit tugged at his not so flattering figure, left over by his gluttonous human life, Cooper’s gear fit him as if it had been tailored to every inch of his body.
“Maggie, right?” Cooper extended his hand.
I nodded, tearing my gaze away from Cooper’s body. I absently shook his hand.
“What do you think of Aaron’s promotion to the Guard? He has you to thank for that.”
Excuse me?
“Soul Collecting wasn’t my gig,” Aaron said with a wicked smirk. “Felix promoted me this morning.”
The noise in the office trickled down to a dull roar. I felt others turn their attention to us. It wasn’t a secret that I wanted the job, and now Felix’s decision had been made. The wrong one.
“She doesn’t say much, huh?” Cooper said to Aaron.
“This is rare. I think I surprised all the snark from her; she’s a tough cookie,” Aaron smirked.
Tough cookie? Who says that?
I found my voice. “How is this possible? You’re incapable of handling a True Soul, never mind a human one. And how were you even in the running? That was my position! Not meant for an—an—imbecile like you!”
“Hey—” Aaron said.
“You—” my finger was close to touching his nose, but I didn’t dare soil my soul with his grime “—were the worst to train; who in their right mind would promote you instead of sending your ass to Recycling?”
“I did,” Felix’s booming voice rattled my soul.
Dammit.
Cooper and Aaron clapped their arms at their sides, standing at attention.
I pivoted on my heel to face my boss, the dark, hulking Caeleste looking down at me. His golden eyes sparkled but I felt the heat behind them. His skin appeared darker today against his unblemished white suit.
“Him?” I said. “Seriously?”
I’d been the oldest Soul Collector on Felix’s service. Most of them couldn’t handle the death after so many years and opted to be Recycled. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with returning to the Living, hence our familiar tone.
The other Caelestium continued on with their work but the other Collectors and Guard paused whatever they were doing and stared at the confrontation. I scanned the room and, with each soul I claimed in my gaze, they scrambled either out of the room or down to their desks, pretending to do work.
“Let’s speak in my office,” he said.
Aaron’s grin made my hands itch. I stepped closer to him; his body swayed.
“Now,” Felix said.
I glared at Aaron. “This isn’t over.” I followed Felix to his office.
Felix closed the door behind me, tuning out all sounds from the main office. He walked to the opposite end of the office and stood at the open space where in the Living Realm a window might be. In the After, the temperature remained clement and unchanging. And even though we were high off the ground, there wasn’t a need to have a fear of falling, especially for us souls. It’s not like we could die twice.
“Aaron?” I spat. “Out of everyone.” Including me. “You chose him? Dylan or half of the other trainees would have been a better choice. How was he even in the running? I thought you were going to Recycle him.”
“I considered your request but this position fits him well.”
“How?” I charged to his side and stared up at him. “He couldn’t even take one life successfully; how can you trust him to do anything for the Guard?”
“You are finished.”
I flailed my arms up, slapping them at my side. “Hardly!”
Felix’s eyes darkened. “I’m not asking. I’m telling.”
I pressed my lips together. We stood in silence, staring into the sprawling After. Bright pinks and purples streaked across the endless sky. Collectors and Guards wandered the streets below.
“Not every soul is made for this life,” Felix said suddenly. “But every soul is given a choice. Aaron’s lack of Collecting abilities didn’t make him not meant for life here. His compassion for humans and their well-being are a few of the essentials that all the Guard possess.”
“Yet his skills at doing a simple Collection didn’t disqualify him? He couldn’t even transition to G7 properly; how is he supposed to be in charge of a human life?”
“His unwillingness to take life is a strength of his.” Felix turned the full force of his gaze on me.
“So my willingness to take life is a weakness? You need Collectors!”
“The role of Soul Collector is extremely important, and you do it with efficiency and grace. But the Guard works differently. Most of the time they work as a team.”
“I can work as a team,” I said. “I work as a team every day training the new recruits.”
“And you are a great trainer but when you are finished do you make time to interact with them outside of a mission?”
I crossed my arms. “When I’m done training I have my own cases.”
“Because you requested to have more,” he said. “Maggie, I’m not putting anyone’s job at a higher level than the other. All are cut from different cloth. Just as Aaron wasn’t meant for Soul Collecting, you…”
“That job was mine,” I said through gritted teeth. “My record is perfect and I deserved that job; you’d said so yourself.”
“Things change,” he said, his golden gaze trained on mine.
No way was this conversation over. The most recent Guard that underwent the Recycling process, Ani, had said I was a shoo in for the job. I thought his recommendation had meant something.
“What changed in the week from Ani’s Recycling? You’d said I could have the position if I kept my record—”
“Your record is far from perfect,” Felix snapped.
I clenched my jaw. “I think you should reconsider counting the trainees’ record against mine. It’s not my fault that they don’t listen. It’s not fair. Not for this position. I deserve it.”
“Please enlighten me,” Felix said.
I straightened and ticked the reasons off my fingers. “I am a hard worker. I get the job done quickly and efficiently. I take on more cases than half the team. And besides the blemishes that you insist on counting against me, I do have a perfect record.”
“Those are all great qualities for a Soul Collector, but not one for a Guard.” Felix moved away from me toward his desk. “Aaron is more suited to the position. And maybe if you show me something different, when the next spot opens up I might consider you.”
I balked. “When will that be? In my hundred years under your service there hasn’t been a single promotion.”
Felix said nothing.
“So that’s it?” I said.
“I’ve made my decision,” he said.
Conversation