The day was drawing to a close at my restaurant as I finished the last of the dining area vacuuming. "Hey, I gotta go pick up my kid, think you can tidy up from here?" I nodded as my gum bubble popped under my nose. She left without further conversation. I never made friends well, being incredibly brash and not being able to hide how I feel about someone. Most people I know thought I was cold and rude, when really I just longed for someone as misunderstood and troubled as I was to talk to. Stuck in this dead-end job I really desired change, well something-anything.

'Ouch!' The old emerald necklace my grandmother gave me plucked my baby hairs on the back of the neck, I don't even know why I wear this thing. She left my cousins and mother a ton of money but left me a shabby old necklace with a giant horrid green stone in the very center. My mother told me grandma held it very close and dear so I keep the ugly thing around my neck. I noticed that sometimes when I am feeling particularly lonely, is seems to warm up on my chest. Kind of like about n-

-BOOM- A flash of blue lightning followed the loud noise that shook my entire building. Being so startled by the noise, I hadn't noticed I dropped the vacuum on the floor, still running. Instead, I was staring at the figure that had appeared from the source of where the light met the ground. As his eyes rose up to meet mine, I started to panic and dove under the nearest booth. I could hear him saying something and the glass front doors suddenly shattered. "Oh my god... I'm dead fucking meat.."

"Tiny creature, where have you scampered off to..?" he said in a very soft and low voice, with an accent I didn't recognize. Not seeing me yet, he took something he was holding and shot out a beam of fire at a table next to me that he thought I was under. Suddenly he stopped where he was and bent down to look at me, cowering under the table. "There you are.." a long and pointy face suddenly appeared, smiling at me menacingly.

"Wha..whha-" before I could even finish my sentence he yanked me up on my feet by my arm and glared at me.

"Don't be daft, midgaurdian. Where have you put my pendant?" Not being able to hold back crying, I wasn't able to conjure up words to make a response for him. "Ack, vile thing! Nevermind that now... What to do with you?" He then simply dropped me into a crumpled heap on the floor.

A few seconds passed of him thinking deeply after tossing me on the floor and I finally managed to say "Please.. I need to go.. home... please don't hurt me.." This appeared to anger him and he picked me up again by my collar and grabbed my face to meet his. He was still smiling.

"Are you frightened, darling?" he whispered, his grin becoming even more menacing and showing his pointy teeth. "You should be, because you posses something that happens to belong to me. Let's have it, then?" He stuck out his other hand, expecting me to give him something.

"I don't.." I had no idea what he wanted, then suddenly my necklace grew incredibly hot and rose out of my shirt and into his free hand. It seemed he had obtained what he wanted, then dropped me on the floor again. I looked up to see him clutching my necklace with that terrifying smile stretched across his face still. I noticed he seemed to be wearing a cape of dark green to match his gold and leather clad armor. 'Who is this clown?' I thought to myself. Whoever he was he had the physical strength and the (what appeared to be magical) weapon to bring serious harm to me. It looked kind of like a scythe with a blue orb in the center that appeared to power the thing. As he paced back and forth triumphantly with my necklace, his raven colored hair billowed behind him. 'He can't be from around here... some psycho with a cape from a nearby renaissance fair? But how did he get here on the lightning..? Never mind that, am I going to die?' thoughts racing in my head I tried not to start conflict with him and choked it down.

'I gotta get out of here..' I started to crawl for the door when he finally acknowledged me again and picked me up by my collar so he could turn me to face him.

"Now where on this miserable planet do you think you're going, darling? I couldn't possibly celebrate the return of my precious soul stone alone, could I?" Suddenly, there was nothing but white around us and a huge swirl of wind all around me, then lightning of some sort pulled both of of us upwards and made me feel like I was going to be sick from the force. There seemed to be no air to breathe and I felt more and more nauseous when as quickly as it started-we fell, hard. As we slammed onto a stone floor my ankle snapped. Pain shot up my whole leg as he let me double over on the floor to clutch my injured ankle tenderly.

I heard a laugh then. "Silly things, don't bend to absorb the fall! ...Oh well come here then." it was the first time I had seen any emotion other than sick and sadistic joy from my fear; concern. I flinched as he took his weapon and pointed it at my ankle. Warmth spread up and down the seemingly broken area and it was locked back into correct position as if nothing had ever happened. "Feel better?" I met his eyes and then I was flooded with a feeling of 'maybe he might not hurt me..' I hadn't noticed before, but his eyes were dark green and beautiful. I felt suddenly unable to look away from him...

"Now!" I snapped out of the trance. "Let me show you to your quarters-don't fight! Make it easy on yourself.. I er.. don't want to see you hurt again-but don't think I will react lightly if you try anything stupid." He pushed open a door to a dimly lit room that he ushered me into. The walls and all of the furniture were draped in a thick lavish red and gold fabric, giving the room a very royal and comfortable atmosphere. Candles in corners of the room gave it a warm glow to match the mid-evil theme. "Does it suit your needs..?" I looked to see his expectant face waiting for an answer.

"I don't understand still.. wh-why am I here with you?" He looked hurt at this answer and turned away.

"What more was I to expect I suppose..?" he said to himself, then slammed the door behind him as he walked out. I was alone, in a place I didn't recognize, a place of which we traveled to in a manner I never knew existed, and was taken here by a man who is obviously out of his mind.