Sometimes in life, or death, we were graced with the presence of a person so attractive that the encounter made us question everything about our orientations, desires, and perceptions of beauty until that point. The red-headed woman leaning against the door frame was just such a person. Her legs were endlessly long, and her hair was sleek, straight, and hung to her waist like a perfect strawberry waterfall. Even in flat shoes, she seemed impossibly tall and narrow, a willowy person with the sort of body that worked well with a skin-tight black dress like the one she sported. The long slit up to her thigh revealed a garter to which she'd attached her scythe. It was compact and folded down, ready to be used in an emergency much like Leon's. The woman smiled radiantly with her red, glossed lips, and her pointed green eyes were alight with amusement.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Leon asked irritably. "You have souls to pick up."

"Yes, I know. In fact, I have a damn sight more than I should have, thanks to someone."

"Jane was the one to reallocate them," he said dismissively.

"And you were the one to pick up a girl with no paperwork," Anna countered. "A rookie mistake, wouldn't you agree?"

"Then blame her." Leon gestured at me. "I'm stuck on babysitting duty because of her cock up."

Anna flicked her gaze over to meet mine. In a few strides, she crossed the room and brought me against her body in a warm, comforting hug. I was afraid of creasing her dress and felt my muscles stiffen in her embrace. Anna didn't notice. Like me, she was probably preoccupied with Leon's unfair claim that I was the one who'd screwed up. It wasn't like I'd asked the ambulance to hit me. I didn't want to die when I did. Also, how was I meant to have lost my paperwork when I'd never set foot in the afterlife before Leon had hurled me through the barrier?

In a soft tone, she cooed, "As if I would blame this poor little kitten for dying." Her voice snapped back to being cold and accusatory for Leon. "Why didn't you consult with Jack before you decided?"

"Jack's gone," Leon said without ceremony or feeling.

Anna made a noise of despair. "Another one? Really? And Death paired this poor girl with you in his stead?"

"You make it sound like she's the one getting the worst end of this deal."

"I am." My voice was muffled against Anna's dress.

"She is," she echoed. "If anything happens to her—"

"Save it. The boss has already said his piece. Where's Lola?"

The way they so easily dismissed the demise of Jack made me shudder. Anna at least seemed concerned that I was about to be paired with Leon when it seemed he had a habit of letting his colleagues die in the field, but I noticed she didn't intervene in our arrangement. Nor did either of them seem sad that Jack was gone. Either he was about as popular as Leon, or Reapers were just completely immune to grief thanks to their jobs.

"Getting the new list. I wanted to see what Jane was talking about when she said you were having a tough day. Personally, I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. The little kitten will probably be good for you. I just hope you can be the same for her."

"My name's Mackenzie," I offered, unsure about the nickname Anna had chosen. "You can call me Mack if you want?"

Anna held me at arm's length to take a good, long look at me. "I like Mack! And you're so cute! I'd keep you myself, but I already have Lola."

"Someone mention me?" Lola asked. Anna turned, and I peered around her at the vibrant girl who'd bounded into the room. She was petite with a blue pixie cut, wearing skinny-fit black jeans and a black crop top. Almost every inch of her was covered in tattoos and her face was dotted with piercings. She made a high-pitched squeaking noise when she saw me. "Omigod! Blonde! I haven't been blonde in for-ever!"

"What?" I asked.

Lola clicked her fingers and a beautiful golden blonde swept through her hair from the roots, washing over the blue until it had completely replaced the colour. She ruffled it with her fingers and asked, "How does it look?"

"Perfect," Anna said.

"Like you're wasting time," Leon muttered behind us.

Lola groaned, "Is he still here? Where's Jack?"

"He bit it." Anna pushed me towards her partner. "This is Mack. Cute, right?"

"So cute! And young. Twenty?" Lola asked.

"Twenty-three," I corrected.

"Harsh. I only got to twenty-five, but, you know, war and all that. Sooooo... You're Leon's new partner?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. That's even worse. Sorry, kid."

Anna hugged me against her side. "If you ever need anything, you come find us, okay? We can be like your cool aunts or something."

"Sisters," Lola corrected. "I'm not old enough to be an aunt."

"You're old enough to be a great-grandmother," Leon said.

"No one asked you," Lola retorted.

He rounded on the women. "Can you two go? I need to get her to sign the register to make this official."

"Not while she's wearing that, we can't," Lola observed.

I hadn't given much thought to my outfit. Clothes were clothes, after all. Then again, I wasn't especially happy with the white cotton dress. It was hardly flattering, and I missed having shoes. The waking world might have felt like a misty veil to walk on, but the cold floors of the afterlife were incredibly real. Anna stepped back to allow Lola to circle me, scrutinising every inch of my frame before she stopped. With a snap of her fingers, I felt the cling of fresh fabric around my body.

There were no mirrors, which made it difficult to get an idea of how the outfit looked as a whole. Lola and Anna seemed impressed with the choice. Leon glanced up, pressed his mouth into a thin line, and then became incredibly interested in the register once more. The black jeans flared out a little around the ankles over the low-platform, chunky black trainers. I guessed heels would be difficult to run around in if another Hell Hound confronted us. That, and I wasn't particularly coordinated in anything that required concentration and balance. The black camisole top was simple, but it worked with the black leather jacket. It was a punk style, with straps decorating the large cuffs, perfectly distressed to be fashionable but not scruffy. There were silver stud earrings in my ears. I touched my fingers to them, feeling the shape of skulls. A matching pendant hung about my neck, and my nails were matte black. I pressed my lips together, feeling the slick kiss of lipstick on them, and my lashes were heavy with mascara and eyeliner.

Not my usual style, but I appreciated the change all the same.

"It's a little Goth, don't you think?" Anna commented.

"What about being dead isn't?" Lola asked.

"True. And it looks good with the blonde."

"All right!" Leon snapped at last. "If you two are done playing dress up, how about you get back to work?"

"Who died and made you boss?" Lola retorted.

"I am your boss," Leon reminded her. "Go and collect on those souls. And tell Jane I'll be back with Mackenzie soon enough."

"You're going to take her out in the field already?" Anna asked.

"I don't remember asking for your opinion on my training methods," he replied. "Go. Now."

Lola waved before she skipped from the room, a source of relentless energy and vibrancy. Anna leaned in to kiss my cheek, patted my backside, and then sauntered out with such a roll to her hips that I was mesmerised by her exiting rear.

Leon cleared his throat. I snapped my mind back to the task at hand, becoming a full-fledged Reaper. I returned to him and took the quill from his fingers. There was no ink, and indeed, no need to write anything myself. The pen took control, dragging my arm down until the nib was on the page where it scribbled out my details in an elegant, calligraphic script.

"Wow." I admired the shimmer of the fast-drying black ink before it dulled. "Do all the pens here do that?"

Leon snorted softly with laughter. "I wish. I wouldn't have to do so much damn paperwork if they did."

"So, why did–"

"Prevents deception. Can't record any lies in the registries. Not if you're going to be trusted with something as valuable as a human soul."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense."

"Good. Ready to go?"

"Wait!" I grabbed his arm as he made to leave. "Don't I get a scythe? Death said I could have a scythe."

"You haven't earned it yet. Besides, it's not like you'd know what to do with it."

"Swing the pointy bit into dead people?"

"And thus, my point is proven."