The Reaper that loves me

Chapter 11 - Elise's sadness

*Her*

Elise flew in through her bedroom window her pink cloud squueling when it bumped into the wall. 

Elise collapsed on her bed. She didn't know weather to cry or go to sleep so she did both. She quietly let the tears roll as she lay face down in her pillow, falling asleep out of pure exhaustion from the day. She had sunk into a nightmare where the events from the bus replayed before her eyes. 

Her screaming in her nightmare frightened her mother, who immediately burst into her bedroom and shook her awake.

"Oh mum it was horrible..." She sniffled as her mother hugged her tighter. "Tell me all about it hun." She looked at her mother as more tears flowed. "I caused an accident, in which two people died and many were injured." Her mum hmmed. "Let it out..." Her mother gently gave her a rub on the back. "Deep breaths honey and start from the start." Elise nodded and wiped her tears away with her hands. "I was on my second assignment when I..." She closed her eyes as she recalled the next part. 

"I was supposed to put a passenger on a bus to sleep but instead I put accidentally put the bus driver to sleep and caused the bus to nose dive..." She started sobbing again. "Off a cliff....oh mum it was horrible..." Her mum sighed. "These things happen. I'll just have a talk with your father in the morning. Elise, you'll have to go back to the magic council. They will have to do an investigation. Your father and I will support you, so don't worry about a thing ok? Just go to sleep, go to university tomorrow spend some time with your friends." 

Elise nodded as sheay back down in bed again as her mum tucked her in. "night honey." Elise drifted back to sleep again this time she dreamt about Ayden. She saw a softer side to him, in the way he saved her life, then helped her finish her tasks, all the while being gentle and patient with her. It was remarkable and she found herself smiling in her sleep despite her sadness and guilt. 

She was awoken again by her alarm. She groggily sat up, her hair a mess. She didn't even change out of her work uniform. It was torn in places. 

She sighed as she slid out of bed and hauled herself to the bathroom. She did her business before taking off her uniform and getting into the shower. He shoulders hurt and the dirt that was all over her washed down the drain. She dressed herself in a simple blue cotton dress and pulled her still wet hair into a ponytail and quietly went downstairs. Her mum had made her some oatmeal and tried to perk her daughter up by drawing a funny face on-top of it with honey. "Thanks for trying mum." Her mother smiled weakly and Elise slowly picked away at the oatmeal, before a honk of car horn signalled that Melinda was waiting out front. 

Elise kissed both her parents before running out to Melinda. As she got in the car Melinda glanced at her friend. "What's with the frown? You look like someone just tortured a puppy?" Melinda started the car and the sombre tune 'Nothing else matters' by Metallica was playing loud. Elise was used to Melinda's dark music but this one made her feel sad given her situation. All the way to uni Melinda was rapping away to the tune before it changed onto 'the unforgiven' and tears began to fall out of Elise's eyes. Melinda pulled up to the parking lot and just noticed her friend. 

"Hey, what gives women?" Elise sucked in a breath and wiped away her tears again. "I...I accidentally put a bus driver to sleep and two people were killed from a bus accident caused by me." Melindas shoulders sagged. "Well s**t El." She put her hand on Elise's shoulder and patted it. Elise nodded, Melinda sighed. "I'm here if you want to talk, you know." Elise sadly smiled at her friend. "Thanks Mel." They each gathered their backpacks and books from the car and made their way to class. 

Elise was lost in her own thoughts for the day and scribbled in her notebooks instead of taking notes. At the end of the day, Melinda quietly handed her, her notebook and as she dropped Elise back off at home she gave her friend a hug. As Melinda drove off she screamed out the window. "Text me if you ever do want to talk...about...you know anything!" 

Elise waved her friend off and went back inside. 

She was not prepared to see the person who was sitting in the living room with her father. They both turned when they seen her. 

Her father stood up to greet her. "hi sweetheart, our guest, is here to see you..." Elise bowed. "Your honour...." The Arch Mage waved her off. "Good evening Elise....I am here....on council business. Please sit with us.." his regal figure again sat down facing her father, who was quietly sipping a cup of tea. Elise noticed that her mother had already brought out a tray of cream biscuits and the good tea pot. Elise nervously sat down on the long couch next to her father and picked up one of the biscuits. Her mother entered and nodded in recognition to the Arch Mage. He smiled and spine once again. 

"Good to see you Elizabeth. The Heralds department is pleased with your work..." The Arch Mage picked up his own tea cup and took a sip.

As he put his cup back onto its plate it clinked and the sound made Elise jump, and then the Arch Mage looked at her squarely. "Miss Pendal....it has come to mine and the council's attention....that certain events happened in the evening prior..." Elise gulped. "Yes your honour." 

His slow graceful movements as he picked up a biscuit made his robes rustle in the sombre room. 

He as he put his biscuit onto the plate next to his tea cup, he spoke again. "Tell me what happened my dear.." Elise gripped the hem of her dress hard as she fumbled. "Ah....well...you see...I ha..had my parchment out and....I looked at who I was supposed to be putting to sleep...and we'll...I used magic to....teleport into the bus...and we'll...I startled the bus driver...and then my magic sleep dust went everywhere and then the driver went to sleep and then the bus started to head towards a cliff and then I was thrown off the bus into midair..." 

She stopped herself as she remembered it was Ayden who caught her before she passed out but she wasn't too sure if she should share that with her parents that a reaper had saved her. She gulped again. "Next thing I knew I awoke not far from the crash site, saw and bruised but ok. Those poor people though..." She was fighting back the tears for the third time in twenty four hours. 

The Arch Mage bit into his biscuit and he hmmed to her story. After he swallowed the biscuit he took a sip of tea to wash it down before he addressed her. 

"Very well." He cleared his throat before he clicked his fingers and a scroll appeared in front of him. He unfurled it and tentively began reading it aloud. 

"Elise Pendal, you have been found guilty of reckless endangerment towards humans. As per punishment decided by the magic council, you will serve three months probation at the association for sleep in the land of nod."