"What do 你 mean 你 sold my soul to the grim reaper!" Courtney shouted at her parents. She was on a complete rampage, "How could 你 do this to me! Why not Hillary? Kyle? 或者 the twins?" she screamed and kicked her brother for no reason. Kyle bent over in pain and wobbled away, Courtney turned to her mother, "How come 你 never told me?"

Mrs. Marinez was crying into her husband's shoulders, she wiped some of her mascara away, "I was going to wait until tomorrow but Duncan showed up unexpected, like he does most of the time". She turned to glare a bit at the Duncan who was browsing through their CD collection. He shrugged, "It's my job. Oh and tell the drama 皇后乐队 to calm down" he 说 motining to Courtney.

Courtney growled at him, "Mother what happened?" she asked is utter exsparation. Her mother sat down on the couch, "Well it wasn't exactly what we did it's what the family did. About fifty years 以前 one of your relatives sold a daughter's soul to Duncan's great, great, great, great,great, woah that's a lot of greats, grandpa. The deal was that some girl in the family on her sixteenth birthday will have to take on the family's burden and serve the reaper in anyway".

"But why did I get chosen?" Courtney asked. Her mother shrugged, "Everyone else got around it 或者 they lied".

Courtney burst iut laughing and crying, "So what I was the 下一个 best thing! And what if I were to decline?"

Courtney felt slight breath on the back of her neck and she turned around slowly to Duncan's smirking face. "If 你 were to 'decline' then 你 and your entire family will be cursed for always and eternity. Oh and 你 will have to spend eternity in the 黑夜传说 with me, forever". Courtney rolled her eyes and pushed him away from her 或者 so she tried.

Her hands were stuck inside his chest and when she tried to pull away her hands wouldn't move. "Oh my Gosh! So nasty, let me go 你 disgusting, no living, red death!" she screeched. Duncan laughed and took her arms and pushed her backwards. Courtney had black goup covering her whole arm. "Ew, what is that?"

"Just my body" he 说 smiling. "Or whats left of it"

Courtney gasped and backed away from him a little, "So what this is my choice?" she asked her parents. They nodded and grandma Perkins whispered in Courtney's ear, "You do whatever your heart's decide Court. Don't let the family business ruin your life". Courtney glared at her grandmother and hissed back at her, "I don't have a real choice do I? If I say no then I go to hell! If I say yes then I still have to go with the red death over there".

"Courtney just take one for the fam" Kyle yelled from across the room where he had still rubbing his leg. Everyone was looking for her answer, Courtney sighed and rolled her eyes, "Alright alright, I'll take on my family's burden" she mumbled. Duncan laughed darkly and the whole room froze and the other weren't moving, everything was cold.

Courtney waved a hand in front of her mother's face and she didn't respond. "What did 你 do to them!" she cried.

"Nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you" Duncan used his scythe to create a portal we grabbed Courtney's arm and pulled her in. She squirmed agaisn't him, "Put me down 你 pervert! Where are 你 taking me!"

Duncan was tired of this girl complaining and whining over everything so he used some of his powers to knock her out for a while. He looked down at her limp body, for the first time that 日 he never really got a good look at her. He had to admit she was pretty, she was even hotter when she was knocked out it a deep sleep.

Duncan shifted her weight on his back so he could glide through the depths of the Earth until he was 首页 at the place where death comes true. He checked the death-o-meter which now read Over a 1,456,986 Served Today. "Hmm the numbers really low for today, but 嘿 it's early" he 说 walking through the gates. He checked to see if everything was in order, "People moaning? Check. Scuffy fed? Check. The fates are here? check. Wait woah wait a second. The fates are here!"

He ducked down behind a large carcass and looked to where the fates were drinking from the River of Souls. "Dammit!" he cursed and looked around for his little slaves. Courtney was starting to groan and wake up from his back, "Oh great, now the princess is about to wake up 更多 to deal with. If those little asses aren't here in like five 秒 I'm going to seriously 显示 them what angry is".

His two little slaves, Death Mask and Trouble were making a fool of themselves 由 shooting off souls into the air and watching them float back down. "Death Mask! Trouble! if 你 I don't see your pointed little butts in five 秒 I'll tear off your horns and feed them to Scuffy" Duncan growled from his hiding spot. Courtney was opening her eyes slightly and starting to come around. Duncan threw her towards Death Mask and Trouble. "Take her to the dungeon and keep her quite, while I deal with the fates".

"Right away boss" Death Mask 说 as he pulled Courtney's legs and Trouble got her arms. "Hey I can see down her shirt!" he called out as they pulled her down the hall. Duncan straighten out his 披风, 斗篷 he pulled back his 兜帽, 罩, 发动机罩 at fixed his mohawk, before walking over to the chambers. The three fates were pulling out each others maggots and eating them. "Ladies!" Duncan exclaimed.

The short one with the third eye hissed her snake like tongue at him, "You're late Duncan. But we already knew 你 would be late". Duncan laughed nervously, "Yeah yeah I had to make a little pit stop and-"

"We know!" the two eyed one said. "You were at the Marinez house picking up their uh small payment". The eyeless one said, "Was she wearing the necklace?"

Duncan thought back a 秒 and remembered that he was looking a her boobs as she ranted. "Yeah she was wearing it and it was red. But 嘿 I thought 你 knew everything" he 说 smirking. The eyeless one 偷了 the third ones eye and popped it in to hers, "We can only see the events of the past, present, and future. Not details".

Duncan walked over to his big chair and sat down, "So I'm wondering when my little future will take form? When do I get my old body back and when can I kick this loser job?"

The 秒 fate floated over, "Never."

Duncan was reclining back in the hard chair and he sat up straight gaping at them. "What do 你 mean never. This isn't a permanate job!" The first fate laughed 由 when she did some 蜘蛛 webs flew out her mouth. "This will be your permanate job if 你 don't have a child to pass the uh, luck on."

Duncan scowled, "So what I have to get married?"

"No. 你 just have to get some chick knocked up. How about Gwen? she's a lovely dark girl" the eyeless fate 说 rubbing her worm infested head. Duncan thought for a moment, "No, no I can't just get some girl preggers and then drop her and then come back to claim her child as the 下一个 grim reaper. No I need to marry someone, it has to be the right one. I could marry Gwen and have some goth child".

The eyeless fate took Duncan's hand, and the other two grabbed his head and chest. "Duncan were going to give 你 back your human form to go above ground only in the daylight, but when night falls 或者 if duty calls 你 must return to your regular form. Understood?" They didn't give him a chance to answer because the transformation was already rubbed a hand over his face and skin, "I can't believe it. No 更多 mucus!"

The fates started to disappear but they kept speaking once they were gone, "You must pick a bride soon. 你 have until the child's 项链 turns black again, Duncan. Oh and clean the place up some! It looks like hell!" their voice faded out until it was no more.

"Where am I going to find a girl dumb enough to marry the grim reaper. I need to find Gwen and take her above ground with me" he sat back mumbling in his chair. Death Mask and Trouble came teetering in, "Um master...the prisoner girl is awake and kicking. Literally! She demands to see 你 again" Trouble 说 rubbing his ankle.

"Oh for the 爱情 of bloody hell!" Duncan exclaimed. Death Mask walked up to him and ran a hand over Duncan's skin, "Wow is that skin? Boss 你 look like your old self again". The skin wasn't permanate and when Death Mask touched it, it turned back to it's original gray color until he took his hand away. Duncan growled and picked him up 由 the horns, "Keep your filthy hands off my skin! Is the girl tied up of is she loose?"

"Loose boss!"

"Great" he mumbled and began to walk out of the chambers almost bumping into Gwen the mistress of life. "Hey watch it reaper boy!" she 说 fixing her black dress. Duncan smiled at her, "Sorry, I'm a little preoccupied right now. Just had a little meeting with the fates and we got our 《皮囊》 back!" he 说 running a hand over his arm. Gwen laughed, "Yeah I noticed but it goes right back to corpse gray if we touch anything related to death".

"I know, well we go above ground in a couple of days alright. Me and 你 have some business to attend to in 日本 tonight so meet me here in about four hours. 你 need some juice?" he asked noticing the color of her eyes. Gwen nodded, "Yeah in case 你 haven't noticed I sporting a lovely eye color of pus yellow!"

Duncan rolled his eyes at her constant yelling and nagging. "Alright make it quick I got a princess waiting in the dungeon" he leaned in and gave Gwen a 吻乐队（Kiss） on the lips for a good twenty seconds. She pulled back and walked over to the river of 迷失 souls, her eyes turned to their deep purple. "Thanks Duncan. What was that about a princess?"

But Duncan was already running off, "I'll tell 你 later!" he ran up the steps and down a dark corridor to the last most nastiest cell in the whole underworld. He peered in and saw the girl crying on the floor, he opened the door slowly and marched in. The girl looked up startled but then her expression changed to complete rage.

"You! 你 killed my soul! 你 took me away from my family and my world!" she was pounding on his chest tears coming down her face. Duncan pushed her away from him with a thrust of an arm, she fell agasint the wall. Duncan looked in disgust at her, "Yo drama queen, 你 done blubbering yet?"

Courtney curled into a ball, "I'll never see them again. 你 didn't even let me say good-bye. I'll never see them again." It took Duncan a moment to realize she meant her family and all of a sudden he felt bad. "Look uh...princess-"

Courtney glared up at him, "It's Courtney! Red Death" she spat back.

"Well if I can't insult 你 then neither can you. Names Duncan. Come on, I'll 显示 你 to your room" he started to head for the door when he realized that she wasn't following. "My room? But I thought..." her voice trailed off. Duncan sighed, "You really wanna stay in the dungeon than a nice 床, 床上 嘿 be my guest".

Courtney wiped her tears and walked with him but not 下一个 to him just beside him. Duncan smirked because he could hear her sniffling again,

"Good princess"