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RULE FOUR
Never directly or indirectly harm another reaper or interfere with their duties without written permission from their designated supervisor.
RULE FIVE
Never interfere with human affairs in a way that would drastically alter the course of their lives.
By supposedly mixing up the two souls, Aiden reaped someone who wasn't supposed to die, and broke Rule One. Thus, he did not collect the correct souls on time, breaking the second rule. By collecting the wrong soul, he unintentionally saved a human life that was supposed to be collected, breaking Rule Three.
“What punishment are you requesting?” Judge Hobbs asks.
“We are asking for Mr. Aiden Kim to be stripped from his role as a reaper permanently, and be sentenced to one hundred years in Hell with no possibility of being reincarnated until his sentence is completed,” Chris states.
My eyes widen from pure shock. In the living world, this would be like asking for a life sentence with no chance of parole. I expected the possibility of him requesting some time in Hell, but stripping Aiden of his role completely? This is way worse than I thought.
There are audible gasps from the gallery. I feel a weight on my arm. I look down to see Aiden’s hand clutching me tightly. I look at his face, and realize he may not even realize he’s doing it, so I do not stop him. But he looks down, realizing he is holding onto me and let's go.
The judge bangs the gravel against his bench. “Keep sound effects to a minimum in my courtroom,” he warns. Then he brings his attention back to the opposing counsel and says, “Counsel, please state your rationale for such a harsh punishment.”
Chris explains, “Mr. Kim’s actions show a blatant disregard for human life, and for the rules on which Eden is built upon. As a result, a human who may have lived well into old age, lost her life before her time. Mr. Kim should face the harshest punishment possible.”
I turn to glare at him. “It sounds more like you are trying to make an example of Mr. Kim, rather than focusing on the facts of the case. This could have happened to any reaper.”
“But it wasn’t any other reaper. The fact is, Ms. Parker, that Mr. Kim is directly and solely responsible for—” There’s a loud bang and we both turn towards the judge to see his gravel in his hand.
“Both of you need to wait until trial to argue your cases. Not here. Trial is set to begin two weeks from now.” The judge turns to address Aiden, “While your case is active, you are to no longer assign deaths or collect souls.”
He hits his gravel and stands.
“Please rise for the honorable Judge Hobbs,” the bailiff announces as we all stand and wait for the judge to leave the room. Everything feels like déjà vu in a sense, except for the fact that Aiden hasn’t panicked.
Once the judge exits, I glance at Aiden. His face is passive as he stares at the table.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
He looks at me and arches an eyebrow. “Peachy.”
I give him a look. “I’m serious, Aiden. That was a lot.” I would be crying right now if I was him. Snot running down my nose, full on ugly crying.
He sighs and crosses his arms. “I don’t know what to feel. I’ve lost all control over my existence. My future is literally in your hands,” he admits.
I look at my hands then wiggle my fingers teasingly at him. “They are fantastic hands though.”
His lip twitches a little bit. “They are alright.”
My face gets serious, and I assure him, “I’m going to make sure you aren’t stripped of your reaper position and sent to Hell. Do you trust me?”
He hesitates before he answers me. “I’m not sure yet. Maybe like, sixty percent.”
I chuckle. “I’ll take it.”
He stands, stretches his arms out, and grabs my stack of folders. “Let’s go get you back to the office, so you can work.”
I blink in surprise. “You are holding all my stuff for me? Wow.”
“What? You look surprised, as if I’m not a decent person.”
I snort. “You walk in front of me, and call me annoying at least once an hour. If you aren’t calling me annoying, you’re looking at me as if I’m the most annoying person in the world.”
