Page 14

He explained yesterday that during my time at Eden, we will share office space. He further explained it is more ‘efficient’ that way. I am not too excited about that since his office is all black and dull. I doubt I can thrive in that environment.

As we walk, I am turning my head around like a child at an amusement park.

Eden is huge.

I didn’t get a chance to explore yesterday because I was so exhausted from my interactions with Aiden and, of course, my experience in Hell. I am unsure of where the building starts and where it ends. I also don’t think there’s an outside, which makes sense because we aren’t on Earth. At least, I don’t think we’re on Earth. You know what…I don’t fully understand the logistics of everything yet.

But I do know everyone lives and works here. I figured this out yesterday when Aiden and I left his office so he could show me where I would be staying. We took an elevator up to one of the residency floors—there’s a lot of them—and he showed me to my apartment. He told me if I needed anything that he was next door.

I must say, Eden is beautiful. It has a modern feel with white walls, cream furniture, marble floors and gold decor. There are also so many reapers here. I immediately take notice of the fact that the reapers wear different colored suits. I’m assuming it’s because different colors represent different departments. Later, I will need to look up what each suit color means. I also notice some people scanning into their department’s office with their wrist. When I take a closer look, I see tattoos of numbers on their wrists.

“How is it possible that everything and everyone is in this one building? Do you ever have too many reapers?” I ask Aiden’s back.

Without missing a step or looking back at me, he replies, “How is anything possible?”

“Why is it called Eden?”

“Why is your name Joyce?” he fires back, obviously not wanting to entertain my questions.

“Because I didn’t have a choice,” I joke, letting out a chuckle. “Why is—” He suddenly stops, causing me to bump into his back. I back up a couple of steps as he turns around to face me.

He glares down at me and says in an aggravated tone, “I have yet to have coffee. Your questions can wait until I have taken my first sip. So could you—I don’t know—stop talking?” He stresses the last two words.

“Wait, there’s coff—” His glare intensifies, and I snap my mouth shut. For now.

We stop by the fully stocked kitchen to make coffee. Afterwards, we walk into his office with our drinks in hand. Well, I have coffee in one hand and a mimosa in the other.

So far, this job has great perks. Way better than when I was alive. Aiden tried to take the mimosa away from me, claiming that I can’t work while intoxicated. I politely informed him that one mimosa will not do anything to me. It takes a minimum of five for me to feel something. Plus, there’s no lawyer association here that will charge me with an ethical violation and, last time I checked, Eden did not have a handbook for lawyers. Therefore, who’s going to check me?

Walking into the office, I immediately notice the room looks a little smaller. On the opposite side of the room, there is a black desk and chair that was not there before. I walk over to it. Resting on the desk is a black and gold nameplate that reads, “Joyce Parker, Esq.” I run my fingers against it.

Nice.

Aiden points to my side of the room as he walks up to his desk and says, “That is where you will work for the next three months, or less. Hopefully, less. It should be stocked with supplies, my case file, and the rules and procedures for Eden and the Reaper’s Court. Please familiarize yourself with everything.”

He pauses, then continues, “You also have a phone that can be used anywhere in Eden and in the Living World. There are restrictions, though. Like social media. You are blocked from posting on any platform. For the obvious reason, being that you are dead. You’ll find there are specific apps created for Eden that will help you navigate around and answer questions you may have. I programmed my number in it.”

I open my mouth to ask another question, but he beats me to it.

“Before you ask, I do not know how we have phones, or how they work. You would need to consult with the IT department.”

I snap my mouth shut and nod. I’ll table that thought for later. I head towards my desk and sit in the chair. It’s quite comfy. I place my drinks on coasters, then examine the contents on the desk. There are files on my desk, neatly labeled and organized. The modern, sleek phone has a purple case and a note attached to it with my login credentials. There’s only one thing missing.

I raise my hand to get his attention. He looks up and sighs. “Yes?”

I pinch my fingers together. “Can I please request a little bit of color in the room?”

“No.”

“But I—”

He pinches the bridge of his nose and cuts me off. “Absolutely not. Your suit is colorful enough.”

He says that as if wearing colors is a sin. It’s stylish. I am wearing a pastel pink suit with white heels and gold jewelry. In other words, I look fantastic.

My apartment came fully furnished and stocked with all the clothes I could ever need. It was designed exactly how I would like it to be. When I asked him how it was possible, he said one of the departments, also known as Reaper’s Resources, provided my apartment and everything in it. If I needed anything else for my apartment, I could call them. Eden provides the basic food and necessities you could need. But for specific items, reapers have to go to the Living World. Since I cannot teleport, Aiden will have to take me. I can already predict that this will be aggravating.

While I am wearing a fabulous suit, Aiden, of course, is yet again wearing a plain black suit with silver jewelry. It looks exactly like his outfit yesterday. I wonder if he showered. Do reapers have to shower? I guess they do, since reapers have to eat and drink. Apparently, they have to do this to remain human-like to ensure they do not become too cold and unfeeling in the job.