My mission became more urgent, and I started flying down the halls above heads, dodging light fixtures. I swooped into a room to see a young girl, maybe about five years old, and I quickly twisted my large ring, glowing slightly, then reverting to my original outfit. It was a handy trick I had discovered. I walked up to the edge of her bed and sat down next to her, not worried about people seeing me, since only people on the verge of death could see me.

"Hello sweetie," I said softly.

"Hello," she replied vaguely. "Who're you?"

"My name is Lavender. What's your name?"

"My mommy says I shouldn't talk to strangers."

"But I'm no stranger. I'm a friend. I promise, I'm here to make it so it doesn't hurt anymore. I know how bad it is." I almost laid my hand over hers, but caught myself.

"You are?" She looked hopeful. "My name is Sophia. I like your name."

"It isn't as pretty as it sounds. But I'm not here to talk about me. I'll make sure it doesn't hurt anymore." I checked her charts, and she had tuberculosis. Ouch. And so young, too.

She looked up at me with her huge green eyes, then coughed, getting a small amount of blood on her chin and in her golden hair. I carefully wiped away the blood with a cloth from the bedside table. "Do you promise?"

"Huh?"

"Do you promise it won't hurt?"

"Positive. I do this a lot, to people of all ages, who are sick, all over the world. When it's over, it doesn't hurt anymore." I felt so bad, telling her it would be all better, but I needed her to trust me. I couldn't take her soul and ease her pain if she didn't trust me.

"Okay. Can I tell my brother?"

"Where is he?" I looked around anxiously.

"He's in the waiting room with his friends. So you want me to get him? James!" She called, yelling weakly for her brother.

"No, it's fine."

"I want to introduce him to my new friend." She was firm.

"Listen to me Sophia." I slipped my hands into gloves and gripped her small hands tightly. "He won't be able to see me. Only very sick people can see me."

"So that why I can see you? I'm very sick? My mommy said I just had a bad cough."

"Sophia, I'm sorry," I whispered, tears of inky blackness like squid ink dripping from my eyes. "I didn't want to tell you like this, but you're dying. I'm so so sorry. The only thing I can do is ease the pain and make it peaceful."

"So you're here to kill me?" Her lip wobbled.

"Oh, Sophia, baby, I don't want to, but it's my job, and it hurts much less than if I left you alone. You would still go, but it would hurt more," I whispered, my voice hoarse and my hands holding hers as I sat on the edge of her bed.

"Can I say goodbye to my brother?"

I nodded reluctantly. "Do you want to walk?" Sophia nodded, and I carefully helped her stand, walking her over and out into the waiting room, keeping her steady.

A boy, about thirteen and surrounded by friends jumped up. "Sophia! I was worried when I heard you say my name-"

"Goodbye James," she said, tears running down her face.

James went to give her a hug, but I pulled her back gently. "No, Sophia, you'll be fine, you're just a little sick-"

"No, I'm not! I have tub- tuberc- tube-"

"Tuberculosis," I prompted gently.

"-Tuberculosis," she finished. "I'm dying! I'll never get better! Why did you lie to me?" she started crying and I pulled her into a gentle embrace, and it didn't kill her since she was already dying.

James reached out a hand, to touch her shoulder, but his hand went through me and I gasped in horror as he immediately folded in half and started coughing in the ground. I picked Sophia up and slipped a glove on my hand, carrying James to the E.R., filling out a form saying he had tuberculosis, which was the sickness I had accidentally given him.

I went back to Sophia's room and laid her down. "Listen Soph, I can't reverse death. To cure someone, I have to give the disease to someone else, and I swore I would never do that. I can make you one of my helpers, immortal, but that wouldn't be right. I can try to make you well, but it might not work. What do you want to try? Because then I have to go help your brother."

She didn't think for long. "Try to keep me alive, and make me a worker as a lest resort."

I nodded. "Okay. Just don't freak out." I cautiously spread my black wings and brought out my scythe. I wrapped my wings around her and stroked her forehead, pushing her hair back, then touching her forehead with the tip of my scythe, leaving a tiny red pinprick. She glowed, and white stuff started leaking out of her, but then she inhaled, all the white mist sucked back into her body, and she opened her eyes wide.

I set her back down in a chair so she didn't get sick again from the blankets, then flew back to the emergency room. I did the same for James, who protested loudly, but the doctors thought he was having fever hallucinations.

James made it too, and I brought them back out into the waiting room, my hands covered and back into my newer outfit.

"Goodbye James, goodbye Sophia. I hope I never see you again."

"Goodbye Lavender!" Sophia called as I hopped on my skateboard and flapped my wings for speed, darting in between people like a bullet, never touching anyone. I finally sped out of the revolving doors and ripped off my leather gloves, stuffing them into my back pocket before soaring away on my raven wings, heading back home.