I'm not one for many Author's Notes, but I do feel the need to say that everything described about the city of New Orleans is as accurate as possible (I don't live there, but I live close enough to frequent it). Also, please drop a review! I will start contests with REAL prizes once my reviews pick up and there are enough reviewers to warrant contests. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

They city of New Orleans was large, and even larger if you counted the outlying neighborhoods. Algiers Point sat on the West side of the Mississippi River bank from the actual city, easily accessible by the CCC (Crescent City Connection), and even more-so by the Algiers-Canal Ferry, which ran almost flawlessly on fifteen minute intervals. I had lived in the ancient neighborhood (the first to New Orleans, to be exact) my entire life, mostly with my grandparents. Their traditional-style home sat impressively large and close to the ferry, giving an incredible view of the busy city lights every night. Some nights I would venture closer, though, situating myself on my favorite bench that ran along the path parallel to the river on the levy. There, you could absolutely lose yourself to the charming sounds of distant city life matched with the brilliant lighting of the casino and other extravagant establishments that one could see at the end of Canal Street.

At the age of 23, I still kind of lived with my grandparents, but not for the ridiculous kind of reasons, I supposed. When I was around four years old, my parents passed away. With that, my grandparents (maternal) took my sister and me in quickly, determined to not let their only grandchildren become victims to the system. My sister, Ashley, was a year older than me, and she hightailed it to a university on the opposite side of the country the moment she graduated from high-school. With that, I was suddenly the one in charge of the house. While our grandparents were outstanding guardians throughout our lives, they both exhibited extreme declines in their health. With that happening and Ashley just bailing on us, I decided to go to university in the city so I could stay behind and help the only people who ever seemed to really care about me.

I didn't live with my grandparents literally, if I wanted to be precise. Because of the ancient history of the area, my grandparents' house actually came with a small two-story apartment-like building behind the actual house, which used to serve as slave quarters before slavery was abolished. Only really using it for storage, my grandparents allowed me to take it over and turn it into my own home so I could stay close to them while still having my independence. It really didn't take much to transform the four-bedroom building into a two bedroom condo, not very spacious in nature but still quite charming. The added effect of the wrought-iron spiral staircase that served as the only entry to the second floor bedrooms made all the difference. Each bedroom had its own small balcony, which overlooked the quaint courtyard behind my grandparents' home.

I was late.

I was sooo late. And there was nothing to be done for it. I had already left the house ten minutes behind, which guaranteed that I wouldn't make it to the ferry before it left and I would have to wait thirty minutes for it to return. I didn't have much money on me, just enough for the ferry, a couple of drinks, and a cab home. It saddened me to think that I would spend more money on the cab I would need to get me home (because the ferry quit running at midnight) than I would the entire evening I was supposed to spend having fun with my friends. Neither of my grandparents got very good pensions, so I found most of my income going to bills. I refused to let them live in squalor after all they had done for me and my sister.

Anyway, technically I was meeting with a friend and an... acquaintance, I supposed. I was meeting with my friend Olivia, whom I met in middle-school when she transferred from Colorado Springs. Just recently, Olivia ran into Randy, who was apparently a close childhood friend of hers from back home. I had only met him a few times since she introduced us, so I didn't know if I could call him an actual friend. Maybe friend by-proxy?

I was out of breath by the time I reached the gate, and I almost slammed my fists into it when I saw that all of the loading personnel were on-board and preparing for launch. The loud beep from the ferry confirmed it.

Using all of my strength to not run my hands down my face and ruining my makeup, I turned to face the windows that faced the southern-bound side of the river. Being only a couple weeks from Christmas, the windows were closed to ward off the cold, though it was hardly necessary with how mild the "cold" in Louisiana got.

My eyes stopped briefly for a moment on my reflection in the windows. I had left my long, dark brown hair down to help with the slight chill of the night, and my neck was wrapped in a black and green scarf, matching the color of my eyes. My black hoodie was slightly large, long enough to cover my jean-clad ass and envelope me in a homey comfort. A nice green blouse lay beneath my hoodie, but I didn't have any intentions of taking off the hoodie and showing it off. My entire look was completed with my knee-high leather boots adorned with several straps and buckles. They were the only shoes I would wear into the city, because, as much as I loved it, it was filthy.

Removing my frustrated gaze from the window, I flung myself on the too-small bench next to the gate with a frustrated growl, dreading the thirty-minute wait.

…

By the time I managed to shove my way to the Cat's Meow, I was an hour late. Holding my hands up quickly to the doorman to show I wasn't trying to sneak in outside beverages, I immediately made my way upstairs of the establishment. Olivia and I had always had a rule that if phones couldn't be contacted, we would wait upstairs of the karaoke bar for the other person. Looking around on my tip-toes for my friend's braided nest of scarlet hair, I smiled as I spotted her.

"Liv! Livvy!" I called over the loud music and what sounded like a dying cat on stage. Olivia turned and saw me, her eyes lighting up. Smacking the guy beside her a few times on the arm, I could see her say something excitedly to him as she pointed to me. The guy turned, and for a second I was intrigued by the blond man. And then he fully turned. Oh. It was Randy.

It wasn't like I disliked the guy, he just rubbed me the wrong way, despite having only met him a total of three times. It didn't matter, however. He was Olivia's friend, and since he was still fairly new in town (having only moved to NOLA a month before), she insisted that we take him out on the town and show him the REAL city that never sleeps. Most locals like us didn't frequent Bourbon Street very often (unless I wanted a Hand Grenade), preferring to stick to Frenchmen Street where not as many tourists frequented, but it was the guy's first night partying in NOLA so Olivia wasn't pulling any punches.

Approaching the two, I said loudly over the music, "Hey! Sorry about that. I missed the ferry."

Olivia scrunched her face at me as Randy smiled slightly.

"I don't understand why you don't just use Nanny's car, Lex. You know she won't say no if you ask." Olivia paused a moment to sip her drink, a Coke and whiskey by the looks of it. She had spent so much time at my house since middle-school that she had basically adopted my grandparents as her own and even used their elder names. "Or better yet, just buy your own car. Are you really gonna just use the ferry the rest of your life?"

I visibly rolled my eyes at her, turning my attention politely to Randy. "Hi. It's nice to see you again." I tried to speak as platonically as possible as I grabbed my glass of water from Cindy. Cindy was a hard-working waitress at the CM, and she knew I would only drink water there. If I planned to get drunk, I was going to save my money and buy a couple of Hand Grenades down the strip once we exhausted the joint. Hand Grenades were extremely strong concoctions comprised of seven straight liquors, poured into a grenade-shaped cup with an extended neck. Two could get me the perfect buzz. Three would get me completely trashed. Only one place carried it, Tropical Isle, and the few existing establishments only resided on Bourbon Street.

"You too," Randy replied brightly. "I – "

Before he could finish, Olivia brought my attention back to her. "Hey, bitch, don't ignore me," she said playfully, grabbing my arm to turn me to face her.

Casting a sideways apologetic glance at the somewhat attractive blond friend of Livvy's, I rolled my eyes and returned my focus to my friend. "Liv, I'm not taking Nanny's car out into this city without a good reason. Her and Pop might need it, and it could easily be stolen on a weekend this close to the holidays. And I can't exactly afford to buy my own car either, you know. I get around just fine with the ferry."

Letting out an irritated but understanding sigh, Livvy crossed her arms. "Whatever. Anyways, we waited here for you for so long that I'm already burnt out on this place. Let's head out."

Smiling and nodding, I motioned to get Randy's attention. "Alright newbie, let's show you what partying in NOLA is all about."

…

After a quick pit stop at Tropical Isle for my usual Hand Grenade (they tasted just like pineapple juice!), the three of us walked the crowded street of Bourbon to allow Randy to take in the festive sights of the busy party street. He seemed amused at the different street performers, and was clearly intrigued by the scantily clad dancers hovering just inside the doors to the strip clubs. A law had passed not too long before, disallowing the girls to hang around in the street to entice more customers inside, so the most they could do was try and look as sexy as possible while pouting and batting their eyes at anyone, man or woman, who they thought might enjoy a good show. I noticed Randy's interest, but when I suggested going inside one called Lipstixx, he declined for some weird reason. Whatever.

The rest of our time was spent drinking and pillaging the countless souvenir and head shops that lined the strip and its adjoining streets. Though I had been there multiple times, I couldn't stop myself from ogling the intricate dab rigs in the display case of The Ra Shop, wishing I had the money for something better than my cheap sipper.

After that, we made our way into Second Skin, which was a sex shop that mostly catered to the gay male community, but there were still other entertaining bits and bobbles around the shop to amuse even the strictest of prudes. It didn't slip past me that Randy seemed to be buying at least one item from every shop we visited. I supposed I couldn't blame him, though. He may have just become a resident, but he was still new to the area.

Around one in the morning, I found myself staring sadly down into my almost-empty Grenade cup. I was at the end of my allotted second drink, but I wasn't nearly as buzzed as I would have liked. Probably because those two drinks had been spaced out over the span of several hours, but still... I didn't like it. Lamenting my diminished drink, I glanced over to Livvy and Randy, who were sitting next to me on the stoop outside one of the many random shops along the street. Though most of my time was spent walking every day, my feet were starting to hurt, so I knew Randy truly meant it when he said he needed a break. Both of my friends were completely smashed, laughing raucously at a drunk girl who was crying over breaking one of the straps of her heels. I was beginning to feel less buzzed and more babysitter-ish.

"Lexy..." Olivia whined, leaning heavily on me while gripping my arm tightly to keep herself upright. "Whyy...?" She screwed her eyes up in an attempt at concentration. "Whyyy... Are you not... Not drinking with us?" She hung her hand over her eyes dramatically.

"I am," I stated bluntly, indicating to the almost-empty drink in my hand. Smiling at her, I said, "But mine currency hath run as dry as my cup." I laughed nervously at my stupid, very bad fake accent, covering my internal disdain.

"Oh, come on, Lex," Livvy slurred, smacking my back good-naturedly and gesturing to the Tropical Isle across from us. "Just go buy another! Suck it down! Get on our level!"

"Liv..." I didn't want to have to say it in front of Randy, who I supposed I could consider a friend at that point but barely so. Livvy knew I only had twenty bucks left to my name, and that was just enough for the cab ride back across the bridge plus a decent tip. I watched as recognition dawned in her eyes.

"Fine, I'll go buy – "

"Yeah, I agree with Olivia here," Randy spoke up, interrupting Olivia though not too rudely. He was just as drunk as Livvy. He hadn't said much to me all night, but everything in all had remained friendly and pleasant and I supposed I could see why he was a friend of Liv's. He shared the quality she had where she seemed to demand good vibes in her atmosphere at all times, or vibes that were at least close to hers, so if someone wasn't in-tune to it, she would make it that way. "I'll... I'll go buy you another. All of us another! We'll chug them and the winner gets..." Randy's glazed eyes looked around the area, clearly searching for something. To be honest, I was slightly surprised. It seemed as though he didn't care for me much at first. I mean, he was nice and gentlemanly, but that moment was the first he'd included me so much. Maybe because he was hammered. "The winner gets another free drink!"

Sobriety never sat well with me when I was the only one sober, so I smiled. "You're on!"

…

"On three!" a random stranger shouted. Livvy wasted no time in finding a random party-er to judge our "drinking contest." The guy was drunk too, and apparently enjoyed going the extra mile. That was apparent by the group of people surrounding us that he had somehow corralled into watching our little contest. I didn't care too much. I wasn't easily embarrassed.

"One..."

Who cared if I won or not, really? The third Hand Grenade of the night in my hand would provide enough of a boost to my inebriation to achieve the effect I wanted.

"Two..."

I mean, there was no way I wouldn't turn down the free one, though. I didn't have work the next day and I had the money I needed to get home safely. So what if I got sloshed? The idea was sounding more fun.

"Three!"

Unlike Livvy and Randy, who both figured turning their cups up would be more efficient, I began sucking through the straw as fast as I could. I knew a brain freeze was going to completely wreck my shit in a few seconds from the crushed ice in my drink, but I knew that if I drank fast enough I could still win before my brain locked up from the cold. The people surrounding the three of us were all chanting Chug! Chug! Chug! like some cliché frat party movie, but I was used to it. I could feel my breaking point approaching, but I just swallowed faster, determined to win though I wasn't sure why. I could hear the cheering all around me as I quickly felt the almost-damaging cold of my drink slinking to my brain. Crushing my eyes closed, I went for the home stretch.

To mine, and everyone else it seemed's, surprise, I heard the distinct slurping of an empty drink resound from my cup. Before I could even process it, I tilted it quickly and continued sucking to ensure I had gotten all of the drink I could out.

"We have a winner!" the stranger shouted, grabbing my hand that held my empty Hand Grenade and lifting into the air in victory. My other hand came up to cover my mouth, my eyes closing sharply as my brain freeze settled in.

"Fuck!" I almost laughed out as the pain overwhelmed my senses for a moment. "Brain freeze!"

Everyone within hearing distance laughed as I let the misery swallow me for a few seconds. The amount of drunk I was going to be within the next few minutes would be worth it. Livvy and Randy both seemed to be having the same problem, though their drinks had yet to be finished completely. As the crowd continued their laughter and dispersed, I was finally able to open my eyes and look at the two. Eyes shining dangerously, I said with a smirk, "Guess this means I get a free drink.

…

I got my free drink. The downside was I had no one to drink it with. After the chugging contest, neither Randy nor Livvy could stand up for more than a couple of minutes at a time. With a disappointed sigh, I put the two into a cab and sent them on their way to pass out in their respective homes rather than on the filthy, dangerous streets. I wasn't too unhappy, though. That third drink had really pushed me into a happy daze, and I found myself taking my earned fourth drink to the levy next to Cafe du Monde where I could sit and drink and watch the nightlife. I felt light as a feather, and quite warm and happy despite the biting cold that was a bit unusual for the area. Smiling to myself, I hummed a quiet tune as I swayed back and forth, pausing every now and again to sip my final drink. Though I was alone, I still felt very calm. No one seemed to be paying me any mind, and there were only a couple of people actually sitting nearby. Two men, one with a mess of short-cropped blond hair, the other sporting shoulder-length black hair that was slicked back, tucked behind his ears. I couldn't make anything else out about them, mostly due to my wavering vision. I could hear their voices, but they were either too far away or speaking too lowly for me to hear. I was too drunk to tell which.

Ignoring them, I stood from my spot and began making my way down the walkway that hugged the river, still sipping my drink and humming. The two men stopped their talking for a moment as I passed by to observe me, but they quickly dismissed me and returned to their conversation. I kept up my jovial pace, enjoying the cold river wind rushing past my overly-warm face. I looked down at the river, which was shining with the reflection of the full moon that night. The riverboats used for tours were docked nearby, and I found myself suddenly at the ferry landing.

While it wasn't a creepy place because I basically had to go past that landing at least twice a day, at the three in the morning, it always seemed much different... And dangerous. During the day, the area was usually cramped with people either there for the ferry or there for the Audubon Aquarium. But in the middle of the night, when the ferry was shut down and the aquarium was closed, the copse of buildings made the area a bit uncomfortable. Beneath the rise to board the ferry was a large space surrounded by bars that usually held some type of work equipment, but many cats were known to seek shelter in there as well. It was a large open space basically, just barred off to humans and containing many shadows.

Just as I heard the sounds of my drink dwindle away, I could feel my lightness become much more pronounced. My drunken thoughts were taking over, asking ridiculous questions which would make me drunkenly giggle aloud to myself. After stumbling a few too many times in front of the aquarium, I finally submitted and sat flat on the ground, uncaring of how filthy it was (though definitely cleaner than Bourbon). I leaned my back against the railing nearby, craning my neck up to look at the sky. I could see the moon, but the light pollution took away any view I might have had of the stars.

The stars...

I wanted to see the stars so bad, but where I had lived my whole life had made it impossible to ever see them. The ones that could be seen were quite dull. Light pollution was a bitch like that.

I had told myself that when I got my first pay-raise at Bubba-Gump Shrimp, a well-known Cajun restaurant, I was going to invest the difference into a savings account that I was determined to use to go somewhere, anywhere, where the stars were all in view. Preferably on the night of a meteor shower. I wanted to use it as a vacation of sorts (washing dishes and doing homework nonstop felt like it was going to kill me). I wanted to make camp, and just stay in the wilderness for a couple of weeks, at the least. Which meant I needed to buy supplies. Good supplies. Nanny and Pop had taken me and Ashley camping once we were younger, and I had seen and read enough TV, movies and books to get the general idea. Some research was still in order of course, but I had only just gotten the raise so I still had time.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I rested my head back against the railing and continued to let myself wander into the sky, swaying slightly and still humming. I wasn't sure when I passed out.

…

"Look, brother! This homeless woman looks different from the rest."

Through a thick fog, I could make out the voice of a man with a European-like accent, though there was no way I could have figured out the exact accent in my stupor.

"That's because she's not homeless, you oaf," another voice but with the same accent said.

Blearily opening my eyes, my swimming vision was just able to make out two men standing before me, both quite tall and towering. I somehow registered the blond and black hair and vaguely remembered seeing it earlier.

That's right... It's those two guys... From... From the cafe...

"Hmm... She does seem a bit better dressed... And she doesn't reek of a dumping ground."

My head was still much too foggy to comprehend everything, so I found myself spluttering out, "Who...! Who the fuck you do – do you... Think you are? Hmm? I don't smell!" At that moment, I tried to stand and get in his face, but my balance completely failed me, sprawling me to the concrete. "Fuck!"

"Miss, would you like some assistance?" the blond asked, laughter in his words.

"Screw off," I bit out, grabbing the railing and somehow managing to pull myself upright.

The black-haired one hadn't said anything else up to that point, but I heard his tinkling laugh cut through the night air. "It seems, brother, that your charms don't work on every human girl. Must be utterly embarrassing for you."

Looking at the two, they were still out of focus but I could at least make out some small features. The dark-haired one stood only slightly taller than his blond-haired, supposed brother (though they looked nothing alike?). The dark-haired one was also more lean than his sibling, and almost strikingly pale and seemingly cold in nature. The blond one, however, was pretty bulked-up with muscle, a happy disposition surrounding him like a sunny warmth.

"I'm going home now, weirdos," I said as I eyed the crazy men, turning on my heel to find my way to the street. There was no telling how long I had been out on the ground like that for, but it couldn't have been long at all considering those two guys were still out there and the sun didn't seem to be coming up.

My unfortunate equilibrium pushed me harder than my feet could account for, so I found myself crashing to the ground a few feet away, hitting my right knee and hand in my drunken descent. "Fuck!" I screamed louder than the first time. Trying to push myself back up, a sickening wave of nausea plowed through me as I realized my hand was bleeding rather profusely and screamed with the pain of force on the hard ground. Immediately releasing my weight off my injured hand and pulling it to my chest, I couldn't stop myself from getting sick right there.

After a few heaves of only liquid being emptied from my stomach (I couldn't believe I had forgotten to eat), I wiped my mouth on my hoodie sleeve and said aloud to myself, "Real fuckin' attractive, Lex."

Scrambling to my feet one last time as the world began to spin around me, I made it a few feet before collapsing a final time, unable to really move. The entire time, those two guys had been watching me.

Feeling myself fading out, I cursed quietly over and over. And then I heard footsteps.

The two men approached me, which caused a slight quiver of fear to run down my spine. I didn't know these men. They could be muggers, or rapists just waiting for easy prey like me. "S-Stay... Stay back..." I slurred out, holding my bleeding palm out at them in the universal signal to stop.

"Miss... Please allow us to help you..."

"Us?" the dark-haired one sneered.

"You're inebriation is obviously causing you some distress and it wouldn't feel right to leave you alone out here..."

"Why do you assume I want to help this drunken chit, brother?" the rather bitey brother asked. Wow, what a jerk.

"Loki, we can't just leave her out here. This city is much too dangerous for beautiful women in her condition to – "

"You might not can leave her but just watch me – "

"Brother, listen!" The blond's voice boomed loudly. I was having a hard time processing everything, but I was too drunk to care. "She is not well. She may be but a stranger, but that does not mean she doesn't warrant kindness. Come, let's take her to the hospital."

Rolling my head back and forth quickly, I stuttered out, "N-No! No! No hospitals..." I tried to force myself to move from my place on the ground, but it seemed I was too thoroughly drunk. "I just..." My words tapered off as my hazy mind lost its train of thought. What was going on? A hospital? No, no, definitely did not need a hospital. Just a glass of water, some aspirin, and my cozy bed. Yes, that was all I needed. Just... Where was I again?

"Then allow us to hail a cab for you," the blond said, though apparent worry was etched into his face.

"Y-yeah..." I muttered, clenching my eyes shut to try and stop the world from spinning. "A... A cab... I need to go... Get home..."

When I felt two unbelievably strong hands grip my arms and lift me up, I opened my eyes, staring unabashedly at the blond man helping me up. He was quite attractive if I were to be honest with myself. "Come, we shall make sure you get there safely. Where shall we direct the..?"

I didn't hear the rest of his question as I suddenly went limp, finally completely down for the count.

Shit.

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