Death Angel (Death Angel Series Book 1) (12 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Gabrielle was trying her best not to freak out. She had to get Mr. Black a gift. What in the world would she get for him? She didn’t even know where she could go to shop for a gift. She knew he was wealthy, so there wasn’t much that she could afford to buy him that he couldn’t buy himself. He also seemed to be the kind that could make do with very little, so any gift that she did buy him probably wouldn’t be needed. She couldn’t ask her coworkers their opinions; she knew they wouldn’t be much help to her. She had made the mistake of trusting Kaia once before, and though it led to her meeting Matthew, it could have ended much worse. She had tried to send a message to Matthew, asking his advice. Maybe he didn’t know Mr. Black personally, but perhaps he could point her in the direction of a generalized gift that would be acceptable.

She paced around her living room while she waited for Matthew to respond to her. Her quarters were far too big for just her and it often made her feel lonely on the nights she was home after work. Luckily, there wasn’t much downtime now that she had Matthew to keep her company for most of the time that she was off.

She wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving her house and exploring on her own, but she decided that she would simply have to. She knew an area not far from her that had some shopping areas. She hadn’t yet explored them to see what they sold, but she had passed by them on her way to get food. Perhaps one of the shopkeepers could help her with some ideas. Mr. Black was certainly well known enough that she could find someone to help her get him a gift.

Gabrielle hopped into the shower, got dressed in one of the many black pieces of clothing that she was forced to wear everywhere, and headed out the door. She tried to remain optimistic as she made her way to the place she hoped would have a gift for her boss. She had gotten her first paycheck just before the start of the holiday, and though she didn’t know if it was a lot of money or not, judging by the way the woman at the Death Society Bank looked at her, it was probably a lot. She had the majority of it in her pocket. She didn’t know what she would find, but she wanted to make sure that if she found something Mr. Black would like, she could buy it. She knew there wasn’t much time left before she would be going to his home for the celebration. The thought made her stomach do back flips. She thought about the day before, when he had found her in the office, when his hand had brushed against hers. She thought about when he walked her home, when he had looked so oddly at her. She felt like he was trying to tell her something, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

As Gabrielle walked the hallways, she realized they were even more quiet than usual. It was a holiday, so she supposed it was to be expected. But when she turned the final corner to the shopping area, her heart sank down to her knees. There wasn’t a soul there. The stores all had glass front windows that showed into the store. They were all dark and shuttered up. It dawned on her right then and there that of course they would be closed. It was, after all, a holiday. Now she had no idea what to do. There wasn’t anyone around, and she had no idea where any other place to shop was. There also wasn’t enough time for her to go wandering about, hoping to find a place that was open and she could buy a gift for her boss.

This was just wonderful, she thought. She knew that in all likelihood, Mr. Black wouldn’t care one way or the other whether she got him a gift. Even if it was expected of her, she just didn’t see him being angry with her. He had been so understanding about everything else, surely he would be understanding of this too.

Gabrielle made her way slowly back home, her heart a little heavy. She assumed that everyone else that would be at Mr. Black’s home tonight would have a gift for him, and she would be the only one that didn’t. And even though he would surely understand, she knew that no one else here seemed to have any amount of tolerance for her. There had to be something she could do.

When she got back to her quarters, she began to rummage through every drawer, shelf, and cabinet in the place. By the time she was finished, her new home was a disaster area and all she had come up with was an old book that looked interesting, some close to rotting fruit, and an unopened bar of soap that smelled really good. She looked at the vase that sat empty on her living room table, as if to say it was waiting for some flowers to be placed inside of it. She picked it up, examining it. It was a nice looking crystal vase. She remembered that Mr. Black had a huge indoor garden. Perhaps he could find use for it.

She sighed and set the vase back on the table. None of this would do. The idea of the gift was to show her appreciation for her boss, to honor him with her sincere pleasure at being able to serve under him. None of these things said that. She needed something that would express her gratitude to him. She truly was honored to have him as a boss. She knew that. He was the first person, the only person until she met Matthew, that had been truly kind to her. He had given her an opportunity that she didn’t even understand at the time. But now she knew how truly fortunate she was to be able to serve under him. An idea flashed across her mind and she perked up. Perhaps there was something she could give him that would express how much she truly did appreciate him as a boss.

Gabrielle rushed around her place, gathering up the few things that she needed for his gift. There was only a little time left until the evening would begin and she would be expected at Mr. Black’s home. It was strange, but Gabrielle had come to a realization about how the people here always seemed to be on time without using a watch or clock of any kind. Oddly enough, she had learned to sense the time. And even Matthew had told her that as she stayed here longer, she would learn that sensing the time became second nature. Right now, she could sense that she had just enough time to put together her present to Mr. Black.

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Gabrielle nervously adjusted her top. She had no idea what she should wear to this event, so she settled on her nicest outfit. She figured she would rather be over dressed than under. The only problem was the top was a bit tighter fitting than she was comfortable with, and a bit low cut. All her clothes had been in the home when she came here, and she hadn’t yet found time to go do her own shopping. She was just happy that most of the clothes fit her perfectly. Her heels clicked on the floor as she made her way to Mr. Black’s home. She had tried a new hairstyle that she wasn’t feeling as confident about as she had when she left the house. She had curled it and tied it halfway behind her head, letting a few loose curls tangle around her face.

Mr. Black’s doorway came into view and her anxiety flew through the roof. She suddenly became very aware of the envelope that she held in her hand. It was her gift to Mr. Black, and though she had thought at the time that it would be a good gift, now she wasn’t feeling terribly comfortable about it at all. She shifted her shirt one last time before she reached out to knock on the door. Before her hand contacted with the door it opened and Edgar was standing there, dressed in full color as he stepped to the side, eyeing her curiously.

“Ah, miss Gabrielle,” he said, looking her up and down and making her feel even more self-conscience. His gaze was concerned but still kind. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Gabrielle stepped inside and she immediately regretted all of her decisions for tonight. The first people she saw were her coworkers. They were openly snickering as they looked her up and down. There were probably a hundred people gathered in the entry garden of Mr. Black’s home and every one of them was dressed in bright cheerful colors. Not a single piece of black clothing in the place, except of course on her. The garden was decorated beautifully, and Gabrielle had to admit that she had been looking forward to being in it again. It was the closest thing to outside that she had experienced since she had come to the Death Angel Society. There were twinkly little lights that were strategically placed throughout the shrubs and plants that covered the area. There were many beautiful floral plants that were in full bloom. They not only made the area beautiful but they also softly perfumed the air with the most delicately floral scent. In short, the place was stunning, and had she not been mortified by her appearance, she would have thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then her eyes landed on Mr. Black. He was standing towards the back of the room dressed in an emerald green shirt with a pair of khaki pants and a dark green tie. His eyes were fixed on her, though he was clearly in a conversation with some other people. She had seen most of the people here at some point over the last couple weeks that she had been here, though she didn’t know most of their names.

The people in attendance had formed a line in the garden from the door to Mr. Black and they were slowly milling towards him. Gabrielle was halfway through the line when she finally realized what was going on. She had been too far in her own head, regretting her wardrobe decision and trying to ignore the whispers going on about her to realize until now. They were one by one passing by Mr. Black, saying a few words and then handing him something. That was when she took a closer look and realized that each and every one of them was giving him the same thing. Gabrielle wanted to disappear into the plants that surrounded them. Suddenly, the envelope in her hand needed to disappear, and fast. Every other person had a simple white candle in their hands that they were handing to Mr. Black.

She was almost to Mr. Black, dreading each step she had to take when she noticed that after each and every person that passed by him, his eyes would turn on her. They would linger until the next person handed him a candle. He would thank them then hand the candle off to Edgar, who was standing just beside him.

Finally, Gabrielle came face to face with Mr. Black. His face was an emotionless mask, and his eyes lacked the strange gleam that she was becoming accustomed to. There was nothing comforting in them as he looked down at her.

“Miss Gabrielle,” he said, his voice as even and emotionless as his face. “I see you preferred to wear black. Perhaps I should have informed you, we dress up for festivals.”

“I…yeah,” Gabrielle wanted to adjust her clothes again but she fought against the urge. She couldn’t think of anything to say, though she desperately wanted to because she knew it was time for her to hand over her gift.

“Do you have something to give me?” he said, after a long pause that left people behind her whispering, probably about how inappropriate she was. She so badly wanted to say no. She so badly wanted to hide the envelope that was suddenly so obvious in her hand. She took a heavy sigh and looked up at him, shoving the envelope towards him. She had been embarrassed and humiliated at almost every turn since she had gotten here, so why should now be any different.

“I…I didn’t know what to get you,” she said, forcing her voice not to sound too pathetic, “and there wasn’t anything open to buy you a gift today, which I’m sure you know. So…I…well, I wrote you a letter.”

“A letter?” he said, taking the envelope and looking at it curiously. Gabrielle heard the crowd of people behind her burst into barely concealed snickers.

“I just…I…you said I had to get something to show my appreciation for you,” she said with a heavy sigh as she tried to explain herself. “I couldn’t get anything, and so I thought that the next best thing would just be to tell you. So I wrote a letter explaining how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me….It’s…its stupid, I know…I’m sor—“

“Thank you,” he said, cutting into her words. His words were plain and short and Gabrielle couldn’t tell if he was upset, amused, or simply didn’t care one way or the other. He tucked the envelope into his pocket, then his eyes moved on to the person behind her. Gabrielle sheepishly slunk past him and into the rest of his home. She was sure that had to be the most humiliating moment of her short afterlife, but then she realized that he hadn’t read the letter yet. That would surely be the most embarrassing moment, though thankfully she wouldn’t be present for it. Maybe he didn’t care and he wouldn’t read it. Gabrielle could only hope. She looked around at the other people as they milled about and socialized in Mr. Black’s home. It was decorated as nicely as the garden was and servants were wandering around the crowd handing out drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Gabrielle had never felt so alone in all her afterlife. It was clear that none of them wanted to talk to her. She could only hope that this evening would be over quickly.

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Sebastian enjoyed the Death Festival every year. It was a time for everyone to spend some much needed time off, and despite what some may think, he enjoyed having a home full of people he worked with everyday, out of their typical work clothes and enjoying themselves. For the first time since he became a General, he couldn’t wait for the opening ceremony to be over with. He graciously accepted the candles from each of the guests. They symbolized the light that his position was, guiding them all through the darkness and unknown that often lay before them. It also symbolized the fact that, though each of them they may exist for years reaching into centuries, they all had a time limit, and like the candle their time would eventually burn out. He hadn’t actually expected Gabrielle to get him any gift. He had genuinely forgot to tell her that she could wear whatever color she wished for this one night of the year. He wished that his mind hadn’t been so preoccupied, she looked rather uncomfortable and that was certainly the last thing he wanted her to feel in his home.

He could feel the envelope sitting in his pocket. He couldn’t actually feel it, though his mind was so focused on it that he might as well feel it. All he wanted to do was go into his private rooms and tear it open to see what she had written. He hadn’t read it, though the thought of it was probably the most touching gift he had ever received. He wished he could tell her that, but he realized that now more than ever he had to restrain his feelings for her. She was happy with Kasen. He could see that. And he respected Kasen and knew that he was a good man. He could not interfere with that. But he would certainly cherish this gift and find a way to express to Gabrielle what it meant to him.