“IF THAT Jonathan thinks he can escape from me, he’s wrong…”

She was upset with that guy. He made her believe that he will help her, but he ran away in the end. What’s wrong with lending his body to her for a while? She was just trying to see if she could last inside it. If it did not work out, she could find another!

She had been pacing inside the campus where he was studying, but it’s been hours, and she could not cite him. Was he hiding from her intentionally? Of course, he’d definitely avoid her. It would be easy for Jonathan since he could sense her presence.

She was about to leave when she heard voices coming from the men’s restroom.

 “I beg you, Jonathan. Please!” said a man’s voice.

“Will you stop bothering me, Anthony?” It was Jonathan. “I told you I couldn’t help you. I don’t know how to exorcise.”

“Really? `Bet you’re just a coward,” the man he called ‘Anthony’ said.

She could not contain her curiosity anymore, so she peeked from the window. She finally saw what she was looking for. There was Jonathan, looking annoyed at his companion.

“Admit it. You’re a coward. That’s why you can’t do me a favor, Jonathan. You’re scared of ghosts!”

 “So, what if I’m scared of ghosts?” Jonathan said. “Does that make me less of a man? Huh?”

She did not know if she would laugh or pity him. So, that was why he treated her that way. He was actually scared of ghosts. But she was not a ghost, at least not at that stage yet.

For now…

And she did not want to become a ghost or an evil spirit. She did not want to be trapped in the living realm forever. She wanted to be free to cross the afterlife. It was not easy to co-exist with humans.

“Is that your new hobby now? Playing Peeking Tom?”

For a moment, she was distracted by hearing Grimmy’s voice, the angel of death. She turned to him.

“Instead of wasting your energy floating and peeking, why don’t you find a way to cross to the afterlife?”

“I’m not peeking!” she said in an irritated tone. “Inside that men’s restroom is someone who can help me!” she said proudly.

“Really?” Grimmy uttered. He floated and peeked from the window. “Who?”

“It’s Jonathan!”

He got down on the ground abruptly. She suddenly felt cold as he turned his gaze at her. She could not understand what his reaction meant, but she had a bad feeling about it.

“W-why?” she asked the grim reaper cautiously.

Instead of giving her a response, he started walking away. She only shrugged it away. He was always giving her that kind of treatment. She had gotten used to it. What else was new? He would poke fun at her to pass the time most of the time.

But something hit her, so she decided to catch up with him.

“Grimmy! Wait!”

She teleported in front of the grim reaper.

 “What were you doing here at the campus? You don’t usually show up in a place if it’s not about work.” She stared at him sternly.

“Why ask when you already know?” he said and left.

“Is it Jonathan or his friend?” she asked.

The grim reaper snapped his fingers, a card appeared in his hand. She checked the name written on it and saw Jonathan’s.

He was dying soon…

“This is so unfair!” she snarled at him.

“I can’t do anything about it. I’m just doing my job, nothing personal.” The card eventually disappeared.

 “Jonathan is my only hope. Please… just this once…” she implored. She really had this strong feeling that Jonathan was the answer to her problems.

But there was not a slight sign of remorse in the grim reaper’s face. It must be the reason why he got that kind of job. He was a heartless being.

 “The only thing you can do is use the remaining time he had left,” he said before disappearing into thin air.

Of where he went, she did not know.

She passed through the wall of the restroom and found no one. So she went out hurriedly and searched for Jonathan.

Not far from the building, she spotted him. He was sitting on his favorite bench at the university’s park, already lost in reading. She approached him slowly, but since he had a strong sense, he noticed her right away.

“What is it this time?” he said in a cold tone.

“Have you seen Grim—the angel of death?” she asked.

His forehead formed a crease. “There’s no reason for us to meet.”

So, Jonathan could not see the grim reaper?

She had this feeling that Grimmy would have a hard time taking Jonathan’s soul away. He could not see the grim reaper who would take him to the afterlife once that day. It must be sudden death.

 “Jonathan,” she said after a few moments. “I don’t have any bad intentions using your body. The truth is… I am not sure if I would succeed in possessing it, either,” she told him. Maybe her story would eventually touch his heart. “I’ve been wandering in the living realm for five years. I don’t have memories of my past life. I would throw myself to every grim reaper every time, but they just wouldn’t take me—”

“Stop. Leave me alone.” Jonathan closed the book abruptly and put it inside his bag. He stood up and started walking away.

She was upset with his treatment toward her once again, but she could not blame him. Who was she, anyway? She was just a wandering soul, pestering him every time. But she could not just give up just like that.

She followed him until he exited the campus. He went to the headquarters just like the last time. Though it was covered with protection against ghosts and spirits, she was able to enter again, which remained a mystery to her. But why would she bother herself about it? It was supposedly her advantage because she could follow him everywhere.

She was floating inside the headquarters, watching Jonathan’s every move.

“Kuya, you’re here,” said another guy who had just arrived.

“Yeah,” Jonathan replied. “Where are the rest?”

“`Coming already. Others still have classes, though. Do you want coffee? I’ll buy.”

“Sure.”

The man left the headquarters. Which means it was the two of them again.

“I have no idea why the talismans aren’t working on you, but I’m telling you. If Agatha sees you here, she will show no mercy,” he said in a threatening tone. “She’d exorcise you.”

“You know I would never be this persistent if you had just done me a favor,” she whined.

And just like before, he walked out on her again. She ran after him because she could not just let him escape and ruin her plan.

“Jonathan!” she called as he was crossing the street.

 “I said I don’t want to, and that’s final,” he said firmly without looking back. “What would I get from doing you a favor? What if you had fun and never leave my body after that? What will happen to me? What will happen to my life?”

If you only knew that your days are numbered…

She did not utter another word and just followed him wherever he went.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop following me around?” he snarled when he felt her presence.

“Kuya!”

They both turned in the direction of the voice.

“Oreo! You said you’re buying coffee. What’s taking you so long?” he said.

Jonathan shifted his attention away from her and approached the man he called ‘Oreo.’

 “He really is playing hard to get. You’re just wasting your time negotiating with him. Why don’t you just possess him right away? He could not do anything when you’re already inside his body, anyway.”

She suddenly turned in the direction of the voice. The grim reaper was already beside her, watching Jonathan. She had no idea how long he had been standing there.

“Do you think I can?” she asked. She had tried to possess a lot of bodies, and she never succeeded even once.

“Well, if you have the same frequency with Jonathan, there’s no reason for you to fail.” Grimmy gave her a side-way glance.

Somehow, the grim reaper’s words fueled her fading determination.

“It’s a miracle,” she remarked after a moment.

 “Hmm?” The grim reaper turned to face her.

“You’re not snubbing me today.”

“I got bored today. That’s all.” The grim reaper disappeared like a bubble.

Just like the old times…

Laughing to herself, she reverted her gaze to the coffee shop where Jonathan entered. If she could not have him from diplomacy, she would just have to use violence. Grimmy had a point. What can Jonathan really do if she possesses his body? All she had to do was to be careful.