Chain

Charlie stood on top of the log she had previously laid on and paced back and forth. "What, what, what am I going to do? I can't, won't be a part of someones death, let alone... let alone...." Charlie stopped pacing and looked up at the canopy of trees. "How many souls did he want me to bring him, anyway?"

Charlie sighed. He didn't even give me a quota.

She began pacing again, back and forth. Back and forth. "Ugh!" she shouted, gripping a handful of her hair in each fist. She crouched into a ball. "I don't know! It's so frustrating!"

She rolled of the log, hitting the moss covered ground with a thud. "How can I take someone's life? How can I be responsible? And how can he, that bastard Rei, actually be okay with it? God, how many people has his stupid email killed?"

Should I fight it? she thought to herself. Should I be the one to put a stop to it? Sacrifice my spirit for as long as it takes? Refuse to bring him the souls if I do end up killing them? Should I stay like this for eternity?

"No!" Charlie shouted at herself. "No, there's got to be a way to end it without being stuck this way forever. There has got to be a way to stop it."

She stood and began to pace again, though this time it was on the ground rather than the log. She had worn a decent track by the time she finally stopped. "Is it really so hopeless?"

She stood, jumping on top of the log. She extended her finger, pointing to the sky. "NO! I, Charlene Marie Matherson, dead though I may be, will never give in to someone as evil as Master Rei."

She crouched down, dissolving into giggles. "Who am I kidding? It is hopeless."

She shook her head, her copper tresses flying to and fro. It's foolish, isn't it? she thought. Trying to fight this, I mean. It's hopeless. Heowns me. There's nothing I can do.

"Fine, he at least owes me a quota!." Charlie stood again and looked towards the sky. Rei, Rei, Rei. Stupid, good for nothing, hateful, murderous, crazy, evil, sniveling, cowardice, Rei!"

"My, my. You certainly have high opinions of me, don't you Marioneta."

Charlie gasped and spun around, opening her eyes. During her rant she hadn't even noticed herself getting summoned. "I do, though. I could think worse, considering the situation I am in."

Rei sighed, running a long-fingered hand through thick black locks. "What do you want, Marioneta? You can't possibly have a soul so soon."

Charlie cocked her head, confused. Why does he sound so... Tired? Just a moment ago he was fine. "A quota. I believe you owe me a quota."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "Did I not give you one, my Marioneta?"

"No, you did not, Master Rei." Charlie stomped her foot childishly. "I want one, damn it! I don't want to be mindlessly collecting souls until you remember me!"

He chuckled, a smile touching his lips. "Okay, I'll give you a quota, then." He tapped his teeth with his fingernail. "Hmmm, how many souls should I make my dear Marioneta bring me. I don't want to loose her too fast, she's far to interesting for that. But I don't want her to be stuck here too long, or she'll get boring. Hmmm...."

Rei stuck the finger that had been previously been tapping his teeth in the air, and "Ah-ha!" look donning his face. "900 souls. That should keep you hear a good couple years. If I get bored of you, I suppose I could always cut down the quota. It wouldn't be the first time it's been done."

Charlie's jaw dropped. "900?!" she shrieked. "You're going to make me take 900 souls?! That's... That's... That's crazy!"

He shrugged, "Crazy is as crazy does, my dear. Didn't you already say that I was crazy?"

She stomped a foot again, making him break out in laughter. It only made her more indignant. "Yes, I said that, but... Wait, is this a punishment for calling you crazy?! Are you that petty?!"

He just continued laughing. "Take it as you will, Marioneta. Take it as you will. Now, if you would leave me, I have some business to get done."

Charlie harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest and wondering why she was acting like such a child. She expected something like this, didn't she? "I'm going no where."

Rei just shook his head, waving his hand at her. "Very well then, I'll be sending you off."

"Wuh-wait!" Charlie cried, extending a hand towards him. She covered her mouth with that hand, shocked by her outburst.

He looked at her in shock, both eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. "Yes?"

"Um, why are you doing this? And who did it before you? You can't be older than twenty five, if even. "

"I'm freshly twenty, thank you. And I'm doing this for the previous master, who was like my father. The previous master retired after Maureen. He's too old for this. He'll die before you are even a ninth of the way into your souls. If he hadn't passed his enterprise over to me it all would have ended with his death. He raised me after he found me abandoned and trained me to become the new master, knowing I would still be young. My death is still a long ways off, giving me plenty of time to find and train a young apprentice. If I don't find one by then, everything will end. The enterprise relies on a living master to bind the souls. As soon as the master dies, the souls will be freed if they have not been passed on."

Charlie frowned. What kind of messed up life was this guy raised in? Is that why he's so weird.

And then, the last part of his short monologue registered in her mind. She gave a small gasp, shocked. Charlie looked at him, wide-eyed. "If you die, it all ends?"

Rei's cold gray eyes widened to match Charlie's pale green ones. It seemed he hadn't realized everything he told her. Charlie looked at him, a frown over coming her face. "I see."

"You really must leave now," Rei whispered, sending her back to the clearing.

How, she wondered, am I going to use this?