“Today is April thirty-first, you know what that means.” Nile elbowed Ed. “Huh? Huh?”
Ed rolled her eyes. “God, you’re annoying. And yes, it’s your day off. Did you invite me up here just to rub it in?”
“Whoo-hoo. Bet your ass,” Nile threw her arms up, then flopped onto her back. “And no, I miss my friend.” She said as she stuck her tongue out at Ed.
“Whatever.”
“Hey, sourpuss, you’re the one who took the office job and decided to work on this glorious holiday.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t think it’d be so boring.” She lay down beside Nile, staring up at the blue sky. “Besides, I’ve got the backlog down to a decade.”
“Big whoop. Who cares?” Nile propped herself up on her elbows. “Why don’t you come back out to the field? I miss my partner. I hardly see you anymore.”
Ed sighed. “I’ve put in every year for the past hundred years. Same answer: Too valuable where you are. Blah, blah, blah.” She frowned. “It sucks.”
She sat up, looking out over the rolling hills of endless green. She closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the sun sink in, the cool breeze brushing through her hair.
Then she gave Nile a light pat on the shoulder. “Enjoy your day. I’ll be in my office… paperwork. Yay me.”
The only day that doesn’t exist for humanity.
The one day we get to chill.
And I’m spending it on paperwork.
Ed made her way toward the massive black tower stretching upward into nothingness, planted in the middle of the sea of grass. Each step felt heavier than the last.
She took a breath… then hit the down button.
A line of light traced a double doorway before it slid open.
She stepped into a faded wood-paneled elevator. Low, tinny music droned through the air.
She dug into her coat pocket, pulled out a set of keys, and unlocked the cover over a button labeled OTP (Office Tower, Purgatory). With a sigh, she pressed it.
The elevator jerked as it began its descent.
Ed leaned back against the cool wood paneling. “Fuck my life.”
Her shoulders sagged as she watched the floors tick by on yellowed indicators—half of them dead.
No more dealing with humans, they said.
Corner office. Great views. Low stress. Plenty of room to move up.
My ass.
A dull chime sounded as the elevator lurched to a stop.
The doors slid open.
There it was, the worst part of this place.
Right outside the elevator, perfectly framed against egg-white walls, hung a poster of a kitten dangling from a string.
Hang in there. Her stomach turned.
Ed walked into the quiet hall, past rows of identical cubicles, and into her office.
She crossed to the large window overlooking the slums of Purgatory.
“Yeah,” she muttered. “Grand view of shit.”
Ed dropped into her chair and stared at the mountain on her desk. Only ten years.
With a sigh, she grabbed a folder from the top of the stack.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Don’t come in.”
The door creaked open anyway.
“Hey, love!”
Ed looked up. “Uriel?”
“The one and only.” Uriel vaulted over the desk, sending papers flying as she landed in Ed's lap and wrapped her arms around Ed. “Missed me?”
Ed groaned. “No, and get the fuck off me.” She shoved Uriel away and started gathering the scattered pages. “Why are you here? You hate this place.”
“Can’t a girl come down and spend time with one of her favorite reapers?”
Ed shot her a look. “Ex-reaper. And I seriously doubt you came all the way to Purgatory just to say hi.”
Uriel smiled, then pulled a vanilla envelope from her pocket and handed it over.
“What is this?”
“Just read.”
Ed opened it, scanned the contents, then shrugged. “Okay… and?”
“I need your help with her.” The playfulness drained from Uriel’s voice.
“Why?” Ed glanced back at the letter. “She’s already here.” She frowned. “Murdered.” She handed it back.
“You need to read the back.”
Ed flipped it over and read.
Her expression hardened. She looked up, disgusted. “Holy shit. They did that to her?”
Uriel nodded. “I want justice for her.”
Ed blinked. “What? Why? Their time will come.”
“She was my friend. A good one.” Uriel’s voice tightened. “She loved life. And those fuckers took that from her.”
Ed watched her jaw clench, a flash of rage beneath the playfulness. “Then why don’t you handle it? Or ask Nile?”
“I would love to. Trust me.” She leaned in. “But I have… obligations. And Nile told me to come to you.”
Ed raised an eyebrow. “Obligations? You’re a stripper.”
“Yes, obligations.”
“Like what?”
“It’s complicated.”
“Uriel…”
Uriel sighed, then gave a small, crooked smile. “Lucy’s family drama. Long story. I’ve got to be there for my girl.” She nodded toward the letter. “Which is why I need you to handle this.”
Ed studied her, the quiver in her lip, the grief just under the surface—then sighed and held out her hand. “Give it.”
Uriel launched over the desk again, sending papers everywhere, and grabbed Ed’s face, peppering it with kisses. “Oh my God, I love you, love you, love you—you’re the best.”
“Stop, stop, fucking stop! Jesus, you’re worse than Nile!”
Uriel stepped back, beaming.
Then she lunged again, wrapping Ed in a crushing hug. “You’re the best.”
“I know.” Ed shoved her off. “Now get the fuck out of my office.”
Uriel bounced on her toes, all smiles, before heading out.
As she stepped into the hall, Nile was already leaning against the doorway.
“Hey.”
Uriel smiled and pulled Nile into a tight hug. “God, I miss you, girls.” She leaned in, her voice dropping. “We have to get her out of here. I miss the old Ed.”
Nile nodded. “Working on it.” She turned to Ed with a grin.
“You two suck,” Ed said. “You know how much work I have.”
Nile shrugged. “What’s one day? Two, max?” Nile gestured to the mountain of paperwork on Ed’s desk. “Compared to… that?”
Ed exhaled. “I don’t know. It’s been a hundred years.”
Nile slipped the letter from Ed’s hand and read it. She flipped it over.
“Holy shit… those fucks.” She looked up at Ed. “You have to take this. It’s right up your alley. These assholes deserve the Ed touch.”
Ed took the letter back. “Brandon, Henry, Timothy… and Joseph.” She glanced at Nile. “You really think I can take on four?”
“You’ve taken on twenty.”
Ed shifted, fidgeting with the edge of the paper. “It would be fun… I just, don’t know. It’s been so long.”
Nile stepped closer and pulled her into a hug. “I want the old Ed back. I want to see you smile again, actually enjoy yourself.”
She pulled away, gesturing around the office. “This? This isn’t you. If not for me… then do it for yourself.”
Ed sighed. “Can I think about it?”
Nile sighed. “I guess. But don’t take all day, okay?”
Ed nodded.
Nile pulled her in for one last hug. “Love ya.” Then she slipped out.
Ed walked back to her desk and stared up at the ceiling.
I really hate both of you.
A soft knock at the door.
“Um… excuse me, ma’am.” The voice was timid and fragile. “Miss, um, Miss Nile said you wanted to see me.”
Ed lowered her gaze to the young woman standing in the doorway, practically shrinking into herself.
“Who are you?” Ed asked.
“Um, um, Caroline. Caroline Williams, ma’am.”
Ed exhaled. “Of course you are. Uriel’s friend.”
“Who?”
Ed grunted. “Glitter’s friend.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am. She’s my friend,” Caroline brightened.
Ed shook her head. “Goddamn it, Nile,” she muttered under her breath.
“ma’am?”
“Nothing,” Ed gestured to the chair. “Please sit. We were just talking about you.”
“We? Ma’am?”
“Yes. Uriel and me.”
Caroline stiffened. Her eyes welled. “Miss Gli…miss…did they get to her too?”
Ed reached out and took her hand. “No. They didn’t get to her. Uriel… I mean, Glitter.”
She hesitated, then sighed. “Fuck it. You’re already dead.” She met Caroline’s eyes. “Your friend, Glitter. Is not what you think she is.”
Caroline's shoulders relaxed. “Um, what do you mean?”
Ed leaned back slightly. “All you need to know is she very much enjoys the company of humans.” Ed shook her head, “among other things.”
“She’s not human? What um what is she?”
Ed chuckled. “She’s… well, she’s one of a kind.” Ed smiled. “She’s an archangel… fallen archangel.”
Caroline said nothing. She just sat there, stunned.
“I know it’s a lot,” Ed said, softer now. “But you can take some comfort in this: Glitter loves you. And she has asked me to be your retribution.” A faint, cold smile touched Ed’s lips. “Your retribution will be terrifying… and absolute.”