Death surrounded Andrea.

By the age of 19, she started interning at the local vet clinic. She took care of the animals; feeding, cleaning, and occasional transport. By the end of that year, she couldn’t count the amount of deaths she witnessed. Every one would tie her stomach in a knot and leave an empty ache in her chest.

And yet… with every death came a boy. He wore a hoodie and baggy black cargo pants and didnt look a day over 20. No one else seemed to mind his presence, so Andrea didn’t either.

“So, do you work here or..?” Andrea asked one day, startling the boy as he was writing something in his notebook he always brought with.

The boy stared at her slack-jawed, pale, sunken skin barely seen behind his face mask and hood. “I- you- what?!”

“Sorry,” Andrea mumbled, raising her hands placatingly. “I thought you knew I was in the room the whole time. Anyway, do you?”

Silence settled between them and Andrea felt sweat beading on her forehead. Looking up at the boy again, he continued to stare with his mouth open.

“You’re gonna catch flies like that,” Andrea joked, trying to ease the awkward tension.

The boy waved a hand in front of Andrea’s face and she flinched at the action. “Oh my Death, you can see me…”

“Uh, yeah..?” Andrea took a step back. Maybe this guy wasn’t in his right mind. Of course she decided to start a conversation with a guy like that.

“Andrea!”

Turning in her chair, Andrea watched one of the vet techs enter from the back room. The tech paused, looking around confused and then back to Andrea. “Who were you talking to?”

It was Andrea’s turn to be confused. She pointed a thumb at the boy next to her. “Uh, him–“

“No one’s ever seen me before…” The boy reached a hand out and tapped Andrea’s hand. He jumped when he made contact and Andrea shivered as a wave of _cold_ washed over her.

The tech raised an eyebrow at Andrea. “Oookay… You have fun with you’re imaginary friends. Lunch is almost over.” Then he turned and continued to the back room.

Andrea looked back to the boy. “This is a dumb prank. Who are you anyway? You’re always here and no one’s ever talked to you.”

“Well, no one is *supposed* to talk to me. Unless they die. But that’s not really my jurisdiction either… I’m only allowed to guide smaller souls.”

“…” Andrea blinked at the boy with growing annoyance. “What are you even _talking_ about?”

The boy flinched back, gripping his notebook tightly. “Uh, I’m death. N-not _the_ Death, more like an apprentice or- or an _intern_! Like what you do. I think.”

As Andrea let the words settle in her mind, confusion lacing every pacing thought, the boy—Death?—touched her hand again. Cold wrapped around her, thick and suffocating.

She quickly snatched her hand away, scoffing at the boy in front of her. “What do you think you’re doing? Who are you really? Your name?”

He raised his hands placatingly, looking equally distressed as her. “I’m death. And, uh, you can call me Death?”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“So your name is your job?” Andrea asked, crossing her arms and quirking a brow. “Honestly, this is ridiculous. How could-…”

There, on the floor batting at the stylus Death Boy had dropped was the cat that Andrea had watched the doctor put down. But not exactly…

It looked the same, but the colors were tinted with blue and a strange mist shrouded the cat. He purred, rolling around and batting the stylus once more.

“Oh my god… Whiskey?” The cat meowed, tilting his head toward Andrea for a split second and then returning to the stylus.

Death Boy startled at Andrea’s words, following her gaze to the cat. “YOU CAN SEE THE CAT TOO?!”