Ever slipped out of the ice cream shop at the end of the day while Taylor was on the phone to her uncle. She seemed to have forgotten about the bracelet - for now. Death hadn’t said anything about Ever’s offer to tell her about his ‘second job’. He probably disapproved of it, but then again, he was the one who told him to let Taylor read Jim’s postcard to set her mind racing in the first place.

  He rested in the park where he had arrived all those days ago, not lying on the grass but sitting on a bench. All he did was people-watch until streaks of twilight stretched across the sky.

  Someone came and sat down on the bench, groaning slightly. The world inverted itself, its colors also flipping to their opposite on the color wheel. Where the sky was darkening as the sun sunk, it was now unnerving shades of white and cream, while the sun was a sliver of dark fire. Ever didn’t feel the vertigo as much anymore when Chaos arrived.

  “Why didn’t you come into work today?” Ever asked.

  Chaos smiled. He was wearing a flat cap and smoking a pipe. He puffed at the pipe and cubes of pink smoke bubbled out. “It was my day off today. It looked like you could have used me there though.”

  “How did you know?”

  “There’s not much I don’t know - or see.”

  They watched a woman jog past, checking her fitness tracker.

  “What I don’t know is why you gave Taylor that gaudy bracelet.”

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  Taylor regarded the first being to exist. He was already looking at him, his eyes giving the impression of looking into an infinity mirror.

  “She likes it.”

  “You were looking for something else, then you got distracted and bought that.”

  Ever looked away from him and back at the upside down trees, their red leaves dancing gently.

  “Why did you tell her about my role as Death’s apprentice?”

  “All I mentioned was that you have a second job.” Chaos puffed on his pipe a bit more, now green triangular pyramids coming out. “I didn’t say anything about your role as Death’s apprentice, though apparently you want to tell her.”

  “Did Death ask you to police me?”

  Chaos laughed, a cacophonic, mirthless sound. The birds in the trees responded in unison, mimicking the primordial being, their white beady eyes surrounding the mystical beings. Chaos held up a hand and they were immediately silent.

  “Death does not tell me what to do.”

  “So you’re following me because you want to?”

  Chaos took a few more cursory puffs, rolled his wrist and the pipe was gone. “I said I wanted to be here to observe humans and their idiosyncrasies, didn't I?” He looked pointedly at him.

  A siren blared from behind them and they both looked. An ambulance sped past the ice cream shop and the various restaurants that were packed with people having dinner. Other people craned their neck, watching the emergency vehicle speed towards the city.

  Chaos’ eyes returned to normal, as did the world around them. He stood up and started walking away.

  Follow that ambulance Ever, Death commanded. That’s going to be tonight’s reaping.

  Ever started running in the same direction as the ambulance, slipping into the invisible reaper form amongst the trees. He looked back at Chaos, but he was nowhere to be seen.