Paragon by Liquid Atomization

Chapter 1

OoOoO

A metallic crash rang out through the quiet night. The sound startled him to the point that he'd reflexively rolled to his feet, then narrowed his eyes in the direction where the sound had come from.

The dim light from the night sky was excellent at hiding the unexpected visitor deep in the shadows. As if the mysterious visitor had only noticed his presence then, he heard a gasp, followed by a shout.

"There you are!" The figure shuffled the rest of the way down the metal stairs. Taking care not to fall again. "Don't move! I got you now!"

It was almost ridiculous, how over the top the voice sounded. The figure stopped at the bottom of the stairs preventing him from seeing anything more than a small silhouette. Not that he needed to see anything else. The voice was one that he knew quite well.

He resisted the urge to laugh, instead turning back so that his legs again dangled from the roof.

"Annie?" he asked, with a perfectly straight face.

She walked towards the edge until she was standing surprisingly close, allowing the light of the stars to illuminate her pale skin. She was beautiful, her hair and her lips were shining, and she was wearing a red dress that came to her knees. The scent of her perfume washed over him, and he ran his eyes along the outline of her figure. There was a somewhat guilty smile on her face while she played with her hair.

"Caught you."

"Um… sure," he said. "What are you doing here, Annie?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?" she replied immediately, face heating up. "What are you doing here? And at this hour, no less?"

"It's late. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked instead. "Don't girls require beauty sleep or else they'll become hideous?"

"Ugh, no! Don't answer a question with another question!" she yelled. "Especially not one as terrible as that!"

However, as Rex tilted his head questionably, she continued in a much more steady voice. "Uh, Noah… he, he was a bit worried. After the accident and all..."

She laughed awkwardly.

"I see…"

Several seconds passed, during which they looked at each other in silence. Annie was the first to look away.

"I agree. You stay out here all night and you're liable to get sick."

Rex wasn't sure whether to sigh or smile. Her presence, while quite unexpected, wasn't exactly well to say...unwanted. She had long since proven herself to be a great source of help when she wanted to be and he figured help was the kind of thing he needed, especially at times like these.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

She put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Are you really okay?"

Rex leaned on his arms, watching her in amusement as he absently reached for the ear piece he kept with him at all times. Sighing, Rex glanced towards the horizon.

"Maybe... " he trailed off. "I'm not so sure."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed that she looked as if she wanted to say something more, but didn't. Instead, she waited in silence for him to get up, with an ever present smile that he'd gotten so very used to seeing on her face.

They walked to the dorms in silence, focused on their own thoughts. The soft green light of the floor strips merely added to the mood, just barely allowing them to see where they were going.

"Hey Annie?" Rex suddenly asked, stopping.

"Hm?"

"Why won't anyone ever tell me about the accident?"

Annie's face was sober as she avoided his eyes. "Y-you know I can't tell you that Rex."

Rex slammed his fist into the wall. "And why not? I deserve to know don't I?"

Annie was silent.

"Well? Don't I?"

Annie didn't answer.

Rex smacked his head next to the hand.

As much as he tried to make it through the past few weeks without making it obvious, there was still an emptiness inside him. He knew something was up the moment he come to that night. The faces. The cover ups. Even his own mind was hiding things from him.

But that was in the past and it would be wrong to say that he didn't cherish the life he had now as much as, or possibly even more than, the life he'd probably lived before.

Feeling something brush his shoulder, he turned, only to find Annie's face millimeters from his own and coming closer. Their cheeks touched for less than a second before she pulled away, burying her face in her hands.

She looked lost, for a moment, maybe even a bit surprised. But the moment passed, leaving only a familiar smile on her face.

"Rex-"

She took hold off his hand, threading their fingers together before turning him around.

"Just hold on."