VI
Finally have her peace back she said. Rest her mentality she said. She spoke too fucking soon...
She really thought that when the reaper suddenly left, he wouldn't come back anymore. Yet here they are.
Nadia enduring the rage and irritation that is urging to explode, and the reaper triggering her on doing so.
The moment she woke up and left her room, the first thing that greeted her was the reaper. Sitting and sipping on a mug of coffee--her mug, her coffee--so comfortably as if he's on his own home.
What a way to greet her morning—with sheer, shameless audacity. It almost made her want to greet him back with a slap, but she was a civil woman. She didn’t stoop to violence over something so trivial.
She really thought that this day would be finally hers. Stupid of her to forgot that this reaper let out words of 'he'll keep his eyes on hers'. And true to his words, he really did.
And here they were again, locked in another heated banter. Neither would surrender, neither would yield—they were far too competitive for that. The moment the first mocking word was fired, peace had already left the table.
"Can't you just leave?!" Nadia asked frustratedly, glaring daggers at the reaper.
"Why would I?" The reaper answered coolly as he put both of his feet at the coffee table while his hands rested behind his head.
This asshole. He really made himself feel at home, isn't he even ashamed of the owner in front of him? Judging him?
She raised her brow and crossed her arms at her chest. Her gaze was sharp enough to cut steel. “Some certain reaper’s shamelessness knows no bounds.”
The corner of his lips tugged upward, smug. “And some certain anomaly’s hospitality is deeply questionable.”
Nadia only snarled silently and rolled her eyes, she stood up and started walking towards the couch as she thrown herself down and reached for the tv remote.
The moment she opened it, news about a massacre immediately greeted her. It was gruesome and horrifying, and the fact that it only occured this morning--the same time that she woke up really sends shivers on the watchers. But not Nadia, on her mind she only thought that it might be precedent event that bounds to happen. After all, death is everywhere. And it will bite you anytime.
She heard the reaper whistled lowly while standing as both of his hands are at his pant's pockets and his gaze fixated on the news.
"Looks like I'll be damn busy today too." He whispered to himself, but Nadia manage to hear it.
She turned her head to him as she cockily raised a brow at him. "Then what are you waiting for? Don't slack around anymore and just go do your job, who knows maybe you'll get a promotion by chance."
He faced her with a blank yet dark look on his face as menacing grin slowly crept to his lip. Nadia suddenly became alerted as he slowly walked towards her, she frowned while shooting glares at him.
"What the hell are you doing?" She asked, almost snarled.
But the reaper only chuckled darkly while his dark stares are still glued with hers. She leaned away when the reaper leaned down on her level, hands gripping the backrest and eyes staring right through her.
"You think I'm slacking? Please, you don't even know how I work. You think some mere massacre is enough to get me working proficiently? Then hurry up and die now so that I can stop 'slacking'. You're death is what I'm truly waiting for."
His words slithered down her spine like ice. For a second, she forgot how to breathe—but her glare only sharpened, because she refused to let him see fear.
He really thought that he can scare her with that, then he's terribly wrong. She already seen death ever since she was a child. He thought that death is what will shake her? No, if most, it is what she's even more eager to face. 
She had so many questions for it. So many that she already lose track.
He wanted her death? Then fine, he should wait because once she died she'll make sure that it will be him that will take her to the other side. And she'll make sure that she'll make the most absolute mess for him on the process.
And besides, he's a reaper not really death itself. Death is invincible and unknown, while reapers are its devoted entities that take and guide souls to it. Reapers can't kill, because once they did... it will be a huge mess on their part. Unless if it was permitted or a heavy need to restore balance.
Her glare turned sly as her lips curved into a smirk. She met his stare with the same burning intensity, like a storm colliding headlong with another storm.
"Oh, you want me dead?..."
She slowly stretched both of her arms open, inviting him on something as her stares urge him to do what he came for.
"...then kill me."
Silence reigned between them, their stares locked in unspoken battle. Then the reaper broke into a low chuckle—not light, not amused, but dark, malicious… murderous.
"Hah, you're quite bold, anomaly. You know that I can't do so since we're forbidden to do so, so you'll use it as a leverage against me. But then..."
He suddenly grabbed her chin and lifted it to level his sight as he slowly leaned his face close to hers, barely an inches gap remained between them. Nadia can feel his cold breathes colliding with her hot ones, their eyes met with each other, refusing to look away as if doing so would be a lose. The feeling of his cold fingers brushing through her skin gave her shivers, it was gentle yet disturbing.
The wind suddenly blew inside her house, it's cold and suffocating as if it was blended with pressure. The candles at her mother's altar suddenly flickered and burn more higher, even the tv that is on started to appear static and the voice doubling with a deep gibberish one.
"...that doesn't mean that I can't torment or mess with your 'normal' life, you really want to test how much my limits could length? Then I'll show you firsthand. I'll make sure that in the end you'll surrender to your fate."
He's not joking, not a single once of his words meant a joke. He's deadly serious about it, and Nadia knows that she just triggered something within that reaper. Well she'll be damned, seems like she just tugged a wrong nerve on him.
But oh well, it's no use crying over spilled milk now. What was done is already done, she already triggered him it's already too late for her to run now.
She fiercely glared at him with her lip still stretched in a playful grin.
"...bring it on, reaper."
The reaper repaid her boldness and fierceness with a challenging grin. This just mark that the feud and silent challenge between them had already been taken to another level. And only one can be hailed as a victor.
After the heated challenge and banter between them, the reaper left without even speaking a word. But Nadia only let him, not that she'll hold on to him anyway. The moment she left, just like the yesterday, her house was engulfed in total silence and loneliness. 
But… she’s getting a hang of it now, somehow. Or maybe, she was just getting used to the chaos he left behind.
Yet either way, it would take root in her—whether she liked it or not.
Her attention was quickly driven when her landline telephone suddenly rang. She slowly approached it and took it unhesitantly, though she's quite confuse and wondering on who could be calling her using the landline.
"Nadia Agresté speaking..."
"Good day Ms. Agresté, it's me, Emmanuel Lopez. The lawyer of your grandmother, I have called you to inform you that the Rosenhöhle Herrenhaus property and ownership is now successfully transferred under your name." Mr. Lopez said.
"Oh, I appreciate your hardwork Mr. Lopez."
"It's not a big thing Ms. Agresté, after all, it is part of my job as the old madam's lawyer to secure and take care of her last wishes."
It really is great to think that her grandma still has at least one reliable person beside her--except for her, one that she can trust even in death. She may not know this man thoroughly more than her grandma do, but guess it wasn't really a bad idea to put a little faith on his hardwork and loyalty. Even for a little.
"And also Ms. Agresté, all of the businesses and properties and even the money that the old madam had also left you are now being processed to be transferred on your name too. If I calculated it right, it would take two days. And once everything had been finalized, I will call you to give you all the documents and papers of entitlement." He added.
"Thank you Mr. Lopez, don't worry, I'll make sure to take care of what was left by my grandma. So rest assured, I won't let your hardwork won't go in vain." She sincerely stated.
"Well then, that's all Ms. Agresté. Have a great day." No, she can't anymore.
"Yes, you too Mr. Lopez." But at least this old man can.
They both hung up after the short call. Silence settled again, until her eyes caught the calendar hanging on the wall.
Damn. Tomorrow marked the continuation of her hellish routine again. School.
She annoyingly bit her lip and thrown herself on the couch as she childishly wiggled and stomped her feet. She lowly wailed in frustration just by the thought of coming back at school again, spending hours sitting and listening to unbearable and brain wreaking topics. Just by the thought of it already drains her energy for tomorrow.
But then, at least she already had a reason to not see that reaper around her.
But still! It's school! No one wants to linger in that hellish place for so long.
Yet as ironic as it sound, despite her endless complaints about school, she can never deny the fact that ever since then she's always been a consistent dean lister and top of her class. 
Was it talent? No. Skills? Not really. Inborn intellect? Nope. Perfect intelligence? Absolutely not.
Hardwork, it's hardwork. All of those she achieve with her own hardwork. All the sleepless and constant nosebleeds and headache that she endured were all paid off. She wasn't naturally smart, she only became one because of her own consistency and boundary breaking patience.
That's what shaped her now, and that's why if that reaper think that she'll be an easy target, then unfortunately for him... she wasn't. And will never be.
Small grin suddenly crept up to her lip as she tried to cover it subtly with her hand, her eyes sparked with mischievous emotions. Just thinking of how she'll play his games already made her feel challenged.
Sure, she knows that it won't be an easy one either. There will be an instances that she might lose her cool and temper at the process, but that doesn't mean she'll call surrendering on him with that.
It's too damn bad, she's just a stubborn and prideful 'anomaly'. Her pride wouldn't take it lightly if she yield so measly.
He might be a dangerous, menacing reaper—something far beyond her reach, far beyond the limits of her mundane understanding. But if he insists on calling her an ‘anomaly,’ then she’ll damn well make the title worth it. An anomaly? So be it. She would be one.
Her head hung low as low chuckles slipped from her chest, rising until the silence warped with her laughter. To anyone else, she’d look mad—a girl laughing to herself, out of nowhere. But she didn’t care. Everything was too ironic, too damn ridiculous not to laugh at.
Right now all she can say is... fuck everything. Life really know how to find ways of how it could fuck her up so much. But sure, carry on... because even if how much troubles life and that damned reaper will give her, all she'll do is to extend her arm, close her fist and raise her middle finger.
But they shouldn't forget, this very finger is not just for life and the reaper. It is for everything, including death and fate. 
Her grin widened as her glares turned dangerous and unspeakably challenging.
"Give it your best shot, and I'll make sure to greet it with a grin."