Page 26 of Grim

“Oh, congratulations!” Fate snipes. “Does the dog want a treat for good behavior? Shut up and listen.”

“They try to rewrite it. I am an excellent writer, Kane. And I don’t like anyone fucking with my stories!”

“So, change her timeline,” I offer. “Make a new painting or weave some new thread—whatever. Just mix it up, and she won’t know.”

Fate and Time stare at each other for a moment before they both turn back toward me, saying at the same time, “No.”

“Why not?”

Fate shrugs. “Because.”

“Because what? What kind of answer is because?”

Time flashes me a smile that sends shivers down my spine. “Because we can.”

“Because we feel like it,” Fate adds.

“She’s your problem now, Kane,” Big D adds with annoying finality.

“But Time is the one who messed with the story,” I protest. “Why can’t she fix it?”

“She’s family. You’re nobody. Family first, Kane,” Fate says.

“Thanks, sis,” Time chirps with too much enthusiasm.

“Don’t start, you meddlesome brat.”

“You don’t mean that, baby sister,” Time coos at her sister.

“You know I do. I never say what I don’t mean.”

“That is true,” D confirms before whispering to me, “She’ll calm down. Eventually. It just takes …”

“Time—yeah, I got it,” I cut D off, feeling all-around fucked.

“You are a quick study, Kane.” Time slaps my shoulder.

“You’re gonna do great.” Fate pinches my cheek before slapping it.

“We believe in you,” they sing in unison.

The Sisters rattle off in quick succession. I take a moment to collect my thoughts, knowing that one false word could bring a swift end to any comfort I’ve enjoyed in my position in the hierarchy of the AfterLife Processing machine.

Cautiously, I remind the entities in this room of one glaring problem. “I have a full caseload. Souls to shepherd. Spirits to cross over. I cannot babysit some mortal for days on end.”

“You can,” says Fate.

“And you will,” finishes Time.

“Big D can be very flexible …” Fate leaves the last word hanging as she glances lasciviously toward Big D.

He glowers in her direction, his eyes lighting with barely suppressed rage.

Time finishes her sister’s thought, but not before the innuendo has been given plenty of room to breathe. “With your schedule.”

Big D clears his throat, then speaks. “Yes. You’ve been taken down to your core workload, key reaps only, and in the interim, you will be tasked with soul supervision of one ‘Rue Chamberlain’ until such time as her slated crossover commences.”

“There you are.” Fate smiles.