Papillon

Millie
My world ended long before 2012 began. For years, I’ve been trapped inside a glass jar. I have scars beyond repair, demons I don’t know how to silence. Grief that won’t heal.
I’ve straddled the line between life and death since I was fifteen. And for the last six months, I’ve prayed for the apocalypse to end me. It never came. So, tonight, I’m taking matters into my own hands for the last time.
But then I meet him.
A beautiful stranger.
Part of me is angry that he’s imposed on my plans, but the other part? The other part thinks that maybe I should allow myself some fun for a few days, and at the very least, I might leave this place a little more peaceful.

Zain
Death has one rule: never fall in love with a mortal.
I’ve never been in danger of that happening. My job is to nurture and prepare lost souls for rebirth.
But then I meet her.
A strange beauty.
I’ve watched her for nine years. From the first time she tried to take her own life at the tender age of fifteen and through every failed attempt since.
I’ve watched her grow from an ordinary, colourless girl to a rare creature of delicate, exquisite beauty.
This summer solstice, I plan to make her my pet, before I can finally guide her soul to its rightful place—the underworld..