Unedited

Chapter 2: Time Doesn't Stop

I peeked an eye through the keyhole to see my target getting prepared to give a private show. My trained eyes search the room for anything that I could use to my advantage. With a mental marker I cross off all items that won't be of use to me in a matter of seconds before I see it.

"Bingo." I whisper under my breath as a smirk slips across my lips. I bring my ring to my lips and my disguise of an older man turns into my shadow cloak as I become one with the darkness. I already determined there was no other way into the room other than the door and window. I close my eyes and allow my body to become particles of the air and slow in through the key hole.

Bet you didn't know I could do that, huh?

Once I'm inside my body heads towards the candles, snuffing them out and plunging my victims into total darkness, save for the inkling of moonlight coming in through the maroon curtains. As I regain my physical form, I feel sluggish and fatigued though it only lasts for a few moments. Abilities such as becoming air takes a tole on my body, so I try and not do it for very long because if I grow weak while in form, I could get stuck in a key hole.

"What the hell?" The man grunts as he rises from his chair and crosses over to the candle. My mark just sighs as she reaches to the end table beside the chair and start puffing on the pipe.

Oh sweetie, you would have died anyway from the drugs.

Within the seconds of the man's back being turned and her lack of attention on me, I take the chance to jump up to the chandelier and sever the chain holding up the metal of crystals; sharp crystals.

There's a crash, a faint cry that only lasts a millisecond before silence. By the time the man has the candle lit, he turns to find his performer severed and crushed to death in an unfortunate accident. Me? I'm already casually walking down the street with the full moon reflecting off of only my ring as I remain cloaked.

I can see the Death Collectors flying over my head to go and retrieve my kill. "All in a days work." A say to myself as I find a nice looking spot to open my portal and dive right in. The familiar chill soothes me as I twist and turn, knowing it could be a while before I get bac-

I plop down onto my bed before I can even finish my thought. "Oh, I'm here." I shrug at least thankful that it didn't take long and I might actually get some sleep before school.

I can't even explain how long it's been since I've gotten to sleep in my bed. For the past couple weeks or maybe even months -I would not doubt it- I've been sleeping between realm jumps. It's not the most comfortable thing and sometimes it's too cold to remain asleep, but I have to make due with what I've been given.

I glance over to my alarm and see it's 3:14. I have about three hours to sleep until I have to get up for school. "Now if they can just not bother me, that would be fantabulous." I whisper under my breath as I roll over and kick my shoe and socks off, getting all nice and comfy.

I sleep for probably an hour before my guardian is pounding on my door. By "guardian" I really mean landlord. Being a Realm Jumper with no parents of similar abilities meant that I had to get a guardian who would just make sure I had my basic needs met between jobs. I chose to have mine in this plain mortal world where my needs were pretty much within walking distance. It just so happens that my "guardian" is a complete dick.

"Edge! Wake up! You haven't been paying your weekly bills!" He pounds his fist on the door to where I'm almost certain he's going to break it.

Another thing, guardians are immune to death marks, so in other words, I'm not allowed to kill him without repercussions I'd rather not deal with.

I groan and throw my legs over the side of the bed and groggily open the door to stare up at my 7 foot guardian. "You know, most normal people pay rent monthly, not weekly." The much taller man just glares down at me. I throw my hands up in surrender and walk over to my backpack and find about twenty bucks. "Just take this for now, when I get a conversion for all my kills this week, I'll pay the rest." I toss the bundle of ones and fives over to the eager man. All he cares about is having cash in his hands, so he leaves counting his loot.

I roll my eyes and walk over to the open door. "You're welcome!" I slam the door shut and run my fingers through my hair, sighing. "Why the hell is 4 am the time to ask for money?" I grumble to myself as I lay back down.

To my dismay, I lay there awake until 6:30 where I have to get up for school.

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"Dude, you look awful." Luke comments as we get our trays and take our usual seats. "You really know how to flatter a woman." I grumble back, stabbing my french fries with a fork and tipping them into ketchup. Luke rolls his eyes at my grumpy butt attitude, "All I meant was you look beat. When was the last time you got any sleep?"

I shrug, not looking up to meet his eyes, "I slept this morning." I don't offer any details and Luke takes the hint and drops the subject and his eyes.

"Treating you bad?" He asks without looking up. I further believe in my theory that Luke things I'm a prostitute under a pimp. "Somethin' like that." I shrug again and we finish eating our lunches in silence.

"Edward Charles to the principals office." A voice on the intercom calls. I groan and nods at Luke as I get up to throw away my tray. A couple of eyes watch me with knowing looks like "ooohh you're in trouble" or something stupid like that. I can particularly feel Vincent's eyes on me which may prove Luke's other theory of him liking me.

Or wanting to pound my face in for all my remarks on how his biceps are bigger than his peanut sized head.

I don't know what's worse. Getting called for a mission, or being called to some stupid mortal's office.

I take my time walking there, just taking in my surroundings as practice for missions. Something that catches my eye is the clock above the school's massive trophy case. It's not moving. I take my phone out and flip it open to see that the digital clock is in fact moving. I chuckle to myself about me being stupid.

"Time doesn't stop here." I continue smiling about my stupid first reaction when I realize I'm at the front office's door much quicker than I would have liked.

I fill my cheeks with air and slowly release it before opening the door and zombie walking towards the principal's office.

I knock on the door and wait for him to wave me in through the clear window cut out from the door. When I have clearance I walk in and lazily throw myself down onto the chair and prop my feet up onto his desk. "You summoned me?" I ask as he stares at my untied hair with distaste. He furrows his mustache for a moment and scratches his balled head as he sighs hopelessly.

"Edward, you've been counted absent from seventy class periods. You'll show up to some classes and skip others or sometimes you don't come at all. Why is that?"

I'm surprised he didn't go into yelling mode. "Well, you know I have a job-"

"Right." He gets up looking a bit more frustrated, "This 'job'" he air quotes "is more important than your education." I noted the sarcasm as he kept his coffee stained eyes on me as he circles back and forth from his desk. "Edward, you're such an intelligent young man with a real future ahead of him, yet he's letting some shifty job prevent that from happening."

This is the part where I try and not roll my eyes because I know the man is trying here.

"Look, Principal Morris, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but my grades are exceptional. I might even be the highest rank in my class, so if that's the case then why does it matter if I'm not here to listen to old crows drone on about Algebra?" A vein starts to throb on his sweaty forehead as he takes off his glasses to shine with his button up.

"Mr. Charles I know you don't truly mean that about the educators who take the time out of their day to teach you and you don't even show up. While it may certainly be the case that you are the highest rank in your class, it won't matter if you're kicked out for lack of attendance and general bad behavior."

It was my turn to look annoyed as him and I have a stare down. "How about you tell them not to mark me absent, I continue to make perfect grades and I take this school's ranking higher and we forget this conversation?" I stare at him and he shakes his head, not letting my mind games work on him; not this time.

"Either you show up everyday for these last four months, or I'll have to expel you." We continue staring at each other for another few moments before I'm the one to break it off. "We'll see." I grumble as I pick up my backpack and feel his eyes watching me as I open the door to leave.

"You really are a smart young man, Edward. I see a bright future for you." My lips form a smirk as I turn to glance back at the older man.

"What if my future is dark?" I leave him with that small statement and close his door. I'm about to head to French when a tug pulls at my stomach. "I guess my perfect attendance isn't starting today." Lucky for me, French is the one class I've completed and don't even have to attend. I usually just do it for Luke's sake because he's helpless in foreign language, but he's on his own today.

I make my way towards the nearest custodian's closet and kiss my ring, and wait for it to find my location. It's funny standing in a completely dark room. It's almost like being away from home for so long and finally returning to the familiar comfort and welcome; almost like you've never left.

As I wait for my ring to find my location, I do a funny little dance that no one, not even myself, can see in this closet. It's just a way to get out all the sleepy jitters, so I don't make a stupid mistake on a mission from exhaustion.

One time I did that and almost blew up a pre-school instead of the high school where a Physics teacher stayed waaayy too long preparing lesson plans. I saved those kids lives from that Homework Nazi.

My ring finds my target and much to my annoyance it's in one of the further realms, so I'll be traveling for quite a while. Luckily, I've been there before, so I should know the area well. I fall into my portal belly flop style and feel my heavy eyelids finally close even with the cold realmlessness.

When I'm finally conscious again I'm about 97% of the way through the void and approaching my target. I kiss my ring again and my shadow covers my body.

I just want to get in and out.

I'm dropped a couple of feet from the ground in The Land of Aros. Well I call it that because it's the land of royal ass holes. It's basically like a medieval kingdom on steroids and kinda modern, but not really. It's hard to explain, but basically it's like they can have a royal meeting with a giant projection of the high king instead of him having to actual travel.

Though they do wear dresses and puffy sleeves and stuff, so they aren't very fashion forward.

My eyes flick around until I spot a decent sized mansion that could house my pray. I smile under my shadow and jump up high into the air, allowing my body to morph into a crow. This ability is much easier on me than my air, but I can't stay this way forever.

I soar high above the land as small cottages and farms pass me by. I follow my gut towards the mansion; the closer I get, the more sure I am that they're inside.

I land on a tree branch and peer inside as I see a man and a woman, probably just married, smiling and dancing around in their night clothes. They're both fairly decent looking, the woman has long auburn colored hair and fair skin while the gentleman has slicked back brown hair that curls at the nape of his neck. They're both laughing and having a swell time together when a mark appears on her.

It can't be helped, death is inevitable, blah blah moral speech on how I'm not that bad of a guy blah.

A job is a job and as long there's no evidence of her being a malicious monster, I'll make it as quick and painless as I possible can. I spot a chimney with no smoke coming out of the house, connecting to the room next to theirs.I take my chance, I swoop down and as soon as I'm inside a dark room, I change back. I cough into my arm as a bunch of ash and soot come with me, coating the floor around me.

"How the hell do I dry clean a shadow cloak?" I mutter to myself as I pat away whatever ash still clung to me somehow.

I get my head back in the game and swoop towards the door and peek through, making sure no one is coming down the hall before stepping out and waving off all the candles until the hallway is plunged into my element.

Even from out here I can hear the laughter and music of the young couple. I peek in through the key hole and see them just as he dips her and places a tender kiss to her lips, making her giggle. As he pulls her back up he whispers something I can't hear, making her giggle even more.

They pull apart and head towards a bed that I can barely see with a dresser blocking most of my view. I wait until I see the light turn off, and then wait until I'm sure they're for the most part asleep. With a gentle turn of the knob and a brief second where I turn to air and slip through, just in case the door is a squeaker, I enter the room and crouch down a couple inches from the bottom of the bed.

"Edward! You're finally here!" The man says as he flicks on the light with the female I'm supposed to kill sitting beside him with a giant ass smile on her face. They both look so damn happy as they smile down at me like a child accomplishing something minuscule.

My heart slams in my chest once and my brows knit together in confusion, "What?-" All I hear is the sound of heavy footsteps, the door being thrown open, something metal clanging and then pain explodes in the back of my head. The last thing I hear is something that sounds like, "we ger hmm."