Chapter 1 ENCOUNTER WITH HIM

EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO

The shrieking sound of tires skidding across the pavement jolted the girl awake, her earphones falling to the car floor as she sat up.

"Aria, are you okay?" Her mother's voice was tinged with concern, as she turned in her seat to check on her daughter.

"I'm fine, Mom," Aria replied, still slightly disoriented from the impact.

Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires filled the air, followed by the violent sound of metal colliding with metal. Aria's mother screamed, and the car began to spin, flipping over multiple times. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The world turned upside down, and then all went black.

When Aria opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the side of the road, blood trickling down her forehead. Her ears were ringing, and she felt numb all over. The car was a mangled wreck, and she could see her mother and father lying motionless in the front seats.

Her eyes widened as she took in the hooded figure before her, who seemed to have been formed of the shadows that now blanketed the wreckage of the car. Her heart beat rapidly as she asked in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"

The figure smiled, revealing a set of perfectly straight, white teeth. "I am a grim reaper," he said, his tone formal and even. "I have come to take your parents to the afterlife."

Aria's eyes welled up with tears as she took in the grim reaper's words. "They're... they're... dead?" she managed to ask.

"I'm afraid so," the grim reaper replied, his voice softening slightly. "I am sorry for your loss."

"But I can't... they can't be... We can't be left alone..." Aria cried, her tears spilling down her cheeks.

The grim reaper's face remained impassive, but there was a hint of compassion in his voice as he spoke again. "It is not your time yet. There is still much that you must do before you can join them in the afterlife."

She shook her head, her eyes wide with fear and disbelief. "No... no...,"

The hooded figure extended his hand toward the girl, and a single finger touched the side of her head. "It's not your time yet," he said softly. "You shall forget this encounter, and resume your life as it was before."

As the words left his lips, the girl's eyes grew heavy and she felt herself falling into a deep slumber.

In the darkness, she could feel her body relaxing, her thoughts drifting away from the scene before her. All she could remember was a sense of peace and calm as if she was floating in a sea of nothingness.

PRESENT DAY

The TV in the living room was blaring, the sound piercing the silence. With a toothbrush in her mouth and her dark long hair a tousled mess, Aria rushed out of her room to find the source of the noise. As she stood in front of the TV, a journalist's voice came through the speakers.

"The Helping Hands Foundation, founded by Chairman Gabriel, has now been established and has extended its hands to fund the scholarships of 20 students at X High School Academy", the anchor said. But just as Aria was about to hear the rest of the report, a male voice cut in,

"You're up early, sis,"

She glanced up from the TV to see her younger brother standing in the doorway, holding a tray of food. The delicious smell wafted towards her, making her stomach growl.

"Huh, yes, I am awake, Ian," she said. "That smells delicious."

"Go get ready for work already," Ian said, gently pushing her head away from the tray. "I don't know why you're up so early. You usually sleep in until the last minute."

Aria's brow furrowed as she turned to face Ian. "Don't you remember what today is?" she asked, a frown crossing her face.

"Huh?" Ian shrugged, shaking his head. "Isn't it just my regular boring school day?" He turned his attention back to the TV.

Aria sighed in disappointment. She couldn't believe her younger brother didn't remember the significance of the day. Ian was not only her younger brother, but also her only family besides their grandmother. He was a senior in high school and could be annoyingly oblivious at times.

"Don't worry," Aria said to him with a slight frown. She had been hoping that they both had been kept awake the night before by anxiety over today's big announcement. Her news company was set to announce the recipients of a promotion, and she was on the wait-list.

Ian continued staring at the TV, where they were now discussing his school. "Are you going to wash up first or are we eating now?" he asked, finally turning his attention to her.

"Eat without me," Aria answered. "I'm going to freshen up first." With that, she went to her room, leaving Ian in the living room.

Once she was in her room, her phone started to ring. She picked it up and saw that it was Oprah, her close friend and coworker. She answered the call with a smile.

"Hello!" she said. "Thanks for the wake-up call, but I'm already up." She could hear Oprah's laughter through the phone.

"Wow, you're that nervous? Breaking your usual rules about sleep? It's 6:00 AM, girl!" Oprah said.

Aria chuckled. "Yes, well, it's a nerve-wracking day! I can't help it."

"Guess what!" Oprah said, her voice practically vibrating with excitement.

"Spill the beans, Oprah, you know I hate guessing games," Aria sighed, her nervousness mounting as her heart raced. She really needed that promotion, and she thought she was one of the best candidates for the job.

"Eddy told me that you're on the shortlist for the promotion!" Oprah said. Edward, or Eddy as Oprah called him, worked in HR at JK's News Media Company, while Oprah and Aria were both reporters there.

"What!" Aria nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement, and she heard Ian from the next room mutter, "It's still early in the morning, you know!"

"What!?" Aria exclaimed again.

"Calm down, honey," Oprah said with a chuckle. "It's just that Edward told me this morning, even though it's a secret."

Aria could almost hear the blush in Oprah's voice. She and Edward had been dating for a year, and only Aria knew about their office romance.

"You should get ready, choose your best office outfit and rock it!" Oprah continued.

Aria grinned. "Aye aye, Captain!" she said, feeling the thrill of the news course through her.

"See you at work!" Oprah said, and the call ended.

Aria exhaled, trying to get her excitement under control. She knew she'd have to hurry if she wanted to make it to work on time. Rushing into the bathroom, she hopped into the shower.

By the time she was out and dressed, she was already running late for work despite waking up early. She had spent too much time choosing her outfit. As she stepped outside, she saw Ian standing on the porch with his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked.

"No, I'm too excited," she answered, hurrying down the street.

Ian looked puzzled as he stared at her, "What's going on today? And why is she all dressed up?" he muttered to himself.

As Aria got to the bus stop, she looked at her phone to check the time. The next bus was not due for a few minutes. She looked at the coffee shop across from the bus station. On a normal day, she couldn't resist a hot cup of latte, but she knew she had to make a compromise today.

She chewed her lip, torn between getting a coffee and waiting for the bus that would arrive in a minute.

As she looked down the road, she saw the bus was already approaching.

Just then, her eyes fell upon a little boy standing in the middle of the road, in the path of the oncoming bus. She gasped and took a step forward, wanting to run into the street and get the boy to safety. But her feet felt rooted to the ground as if they were made of lead. She tried to move, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch in horror as the bus approached the boy.

Aria's heart pounded in her chest as the bus got closer and closer to the boy. She wanted to do something, anything, to save him, but her body wouldn't cooperate. It was as if she were frozen in place.

Then, just as the bus was about to collide with the boy, she heard the sound of brakes screeching. Had the bus driver seen the boy, too? Or was it just a coincidence that he was stopping? She wondered.

Then, she felt someone tap her shoulder. She blinked her eyes open, unsure of what to expect. To her surprise, the bus and the little boy were nowhere to be seen. Everything looked normal - people were going about their business as usual, completely unaware of what Aria had just experienced. She looked down the road, and the bus she'd been waiting for was still approaching the bus stop.

Aria was more than a little freaked out. What had just happened? Had she imagined it all?