Five hundred souls. I carried them in my fingers, like suitcases. Or I'd throw them over my shoulder. It was only the the children I carried in my arms.

I'd been in love with her for years. I never left this suburban town. I didn't go to university. I went to Audrey.

As always, one of her books was next to her.

A SMALL PIECE OF TRUTH I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold. And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance. You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.

You're far from this. This story is just another few hundred pages of your mind.

She kept watching the words.

Even enemies were an inch away from friendship.