"Grace."

I flinched at my name. "Yes?"

May squinted over her sandwich, giving me a once-over. "You're awfully quiet today. Did something happen?"

You could say that. Actually, no, something definitely did happen. Something that I still can't comprehend. "No, I was just thinking. You have my full attention." I smiled.

"Well," she began, her gaze landing on my hands. "What's with the gloves? Aren't you hot?"

It was barely hitting 15°C. But my palms were sweaty, more from nervousness than the weather. "No, I'm not." My hands disappeared in a blur of white. They shook as they gripped my knees under the table. "Were you asking me something?"

May clicked her fingers. "That's right. I was wondering when you're free. I wanted us to go to the ice rink, along with a few others. It'd be fun," she said.

"A day out would be nice. I should be off work on Tuesday, so how about then?" I suggested.

She winced. "On Monday through Wednesday I have to leave town with my parents because of the bombing. I could do Thursday, though I mightn't be my happiest self because the trip is five hours and it'll be impossible to sleep," May sighed before someone caught her eye. She waved them over, but I barely acknowledged their presence.

"Wait. Did you say bombing?"

The person that May invited - who I recognised as Laura - gave me an incredulous look. "The bombing of the South. How haven't you heard of it? It was broadcasted last Thursday on the news."

"Why are they—why the South?" Both girls looked at me strangely, perhaps because of my hoarse voice or the fear that rang in it.

May shrugged and braided her ponytail. "I don't think anybody knows at this point. Maybe they are at war?"

"But why would the South be at war with us? We're all ruled over by the same people. And besides, even if they were at war with us how would they be able to finance weapons, not to mention gather soldiers?" I shouldn't have opened my mouth. Laura and May looked at each other in confusion. Was my reaction the wrong one?

"What's the big deal? My mother said there are reasons why people live in South. They've got nothing left to live for. They're scum, and the BoC probably wants to get rid of them," Laura input.

"My grandmother lives in the South," I said shortly, and we all fell silent.

Laura looked extremely awkward in her seat. Her eyes avoided mine and instead watched the trees sway with the wind. "I need to use the restroom. Excuse me." She took her bag with her and disappeared faster than she came.

Grandmother. Why was I only thinking about her now, when I knew she was in danger? Why hadn't I been thinking about her all these years? My memories of her were faded and clouded with doubt. But I knew she was my real guardian, one of the only people who had ever cared for me.

"When is the bombing?" I asked May.

"Nobody knows yet, but people think it's going to be next year." Why next year? It was as if she read my mind. "To celebrate 500 years of the Board of Creators being established."

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I was caught off guard when she touched my arm. Her hand withdrew quickly. "Grace, you're freezing! Are you sure you're not sick? Your skin is awfully pale, too."

A bird half the size of my fist flew onto May's shoulder. I froze. It flapped its maroon wings once, twice, while its tiny black eyes drilled into me. Staring me down. Judging me. It knows what happened, what I did.

I squeezed my eyes shut, digging my nails into my palms. It's a bird, how can it know? It barely knows the difference between left and right, how can it know the difference between right and wrong?

"Grace? I think we should go to the nurses office. Do you have a headache?" My glasses slid off my nose and I panicked.

"No. Can I have my glasses back? I need them." The world was still black. I couldn't open my eyes. The sight of three dead robins in my hands made my skin crawl.

"You need them? Since when did you start wearing glasses?" If my heart was beating, it would be racing with anxiety. "Hey, Grace look at me. Breathe for me."

If I look at you, I'll kill you. I covered my right eye and quickly slipped my glasses back on. May looked ready to call a professor. "May, I'm fine, really. The sun just got in my eyes for a second."

The bird on her shoulder was long gone. She didn't look convinced, "Really? You're being honest with me? I couldn't bear if you were sick." My smile quickly put her at ease. "Okay, then. Oh, that reminds me. I was supposed to give you an invitation . . . "

I zoned out. The sight of three dead robins greeted me every time I blinked. I stared at my hands, covered in silk. Without the silk I was a monster. Anything I touched would die. And the memory of Nathaniel kept pushing to the surface.

"You knew death was awaiting you, and yet you accepted it?" The man had laughed mockingly. "And what's even more fascinating is that your fear of death equals your acceptance of it. You're a strange little human."

The bullet hadn't done anything. He had aimed straight at my heart and fired the gun. The bullet bounced off my skin. "What do you want from me?"

"What makes you think I want something?" He sounded offended. My eyes stayed trained on his blazing red irises and the black that surrounded it. "Most people would kill to be in your position. See what I did there? Kill? That's hilarious," he cackled with glee.

I had no idea what he was talking about. Kill? Who was he in the first place? My eye continued to drip over the floor. The blood wasn't stopping - if anything, the flow increased with every word that came from his mouth.

"Here." He closed his fist and opened it, holding out a small bird. Its feathers caught the light of the moon outside. "Hold this."

The second the bird touched my fingers, it died. I stepped back in shock and hit my head by the fireplace. The stranger conjured two more robins and placed them in my palms. Three dead robins lay in my hands.

"I saved you from death, Grace." His eyes burned into mine. "You should be grateful."

I didn't realise I was crying until I tasted salt. "My hands kill animals," I choked. "How am I supposed to be grateful? Who the hell are you, and what have you done to me?"

"It's not just animals. It's any living thing," he chuckled again, unfazed. He clasped my hands in his and the birds disappeared. "I'll go by Nathaniel. I've always liked that name." Nathaniel stood before me. "Calm down and accept my existence."

My fear dissipated. I wasn't afraid of him. "Okay."

He grinned. "Good. Congratulations, you're in a state between being alive and being deceased. Is your eye still bleeding? Let me fix that for you."

His icy fingers brushed over my eye and the bleeding stopped. "As of now, I'm Nathaniel. I suppose you could call me a prince. I was meant to collect your soul when you died in that car accident, but I decided to be generous and spare your life. You possess the ability to take the life from people, animals, plants with a single touch. Not to mention your right eye can kill too. Amazing, isn't it?"

Spare my life? "But you just told me that I'm not alive."

Nathaniel sighed. "Humans are such suspicious creatures. You can't accept things for the way they are without proof, or some sort of assurance." He muttered under his breath before speaking loudly, "Your soul is still attached to your body, but your heart isn't beating. Can you breathe? I didn't think so. You're so exhausting. I've the right mind to kill you off right here and now."

In between the state of being alive and being dead, he had said. It was harder to believe that I was almost dead rather than I was given the power to kill any living organism with a single touch or glance.

I flinched back to reality when May tapped my shoulder. Her eyes, kind as always, were enough to put my nerves at rest. How would she react if I told her my heart was no longer beating?

"Don't worry so much about your grandmother, Grace. Things will sort themselves out in the end," she reassured me. My closest friend smiled and greeted a professor strolling by.

Grandmother. I couldn't sit and do nothing. But what could I do?