Alas, the time has come. I present, my dear and faithful readers, Stranger Things
In hindsight, it was funny how it seemed fate had pushed her there, weaving across itself just to put her on an abandoned street at two in the morning. How it had placed her in the one place that would start the better years of her life.
It was simple enough, really, her decision to leave the sidewalk into the dark alley. Broken thrives in darkness, she thought grimly, slipping into the alley and pressing herself into the shadows without a struggle. She scarcely moved until she had heard the quick falling footsteps pass her by, leaving behind scattered leaves and a breathless fugitive.
She counted to thirty-seven, as she always did before she ever truly left a location. Even after her carefully counted seconds, she took quiet steps out of the alley and back onto the sidewalk.
Each step she took was gentle on the pavement, unlike the loud and unsteady fall of the police. She has long since mastered the art of escaping without a sound. It was almost too easy to blend with the darkness, she knew.
She stopped on a street corner, staring down at her feet. Her old shoes were worn to the sole, held together by fragile strings. She had been running for so long. And she was so tired. Her gaze shifted to the stars, the only objects in this universe she knew never judged her. Her breathless wonder expanded into a burning gratitude and awe for those tiny, twinkling lights up in the sky. For a fleeting moment, she wanted to be up there with them—to travel among them, to be a part of them, to know something other than the world her two feet were placed on. She'd always dreamt of being a star.
But those were childish hopes.
"Stop where you are!"
She winced at the words. She wasn't fazed by the police noticing her, but their sheer stupidity at asking a girl already stuck to the ground to stop was baffling to her. She turned around slowly, and her awestruck face was replaced by the most mischievous smile.
"Hands in the air!" the guard ordered. He was young, she noticed, and probably new if the shaking of the weapon in his hands was anything to go by. He was almost kind of cute, in an authority figure kind of way.
She lifted her hands up in mock surrender, and asked with a tongue-in-cheek grin, "Do I have permission to wave them, like I just don't care?"
She watched as his mouth curl at the edges, fighting back laughter. Definitely a new one. He steadied his gun on her, face a mask of authority, and barked, "Don't move."
She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, babe, but I'm already gone."
The guard seemed frazzled for a moment, his gun dropping slightly, and Rose took the opportunity to turn on her heel and run. "Hey!" she heard his panicked yell, and his thudding footsteps as he started to chase after her.
But she had already mastered the perfect escape plan.
It didn't take long to lose him, and she smiled to herself. That was the longest a new officer had ever managed to keep up with her. "You'll go places, newbie," she said aloud, speaking to the frigid air. "You just have to find someone else to take down."
Her pace had once again slowed, and she took a moment to collect her environment. Her stars were covered by clouds now, their light only just breaking through. Abandoned confetti and streamers scattered themselves throughout the alley, carried by the smallest breeze. A smashed hat that read, happy new year, was pressed under her worn shoe, the morbid yellow font mocking against the once-white fabric. She picked up the hat, holding it by the corner.
January the first.
She'd been running for a year.
Her thoughts shifted to Jimmy Stone, who had put her in this predicament a year ago. She thought of where he had landed. And she knew he deserved it. She tossed the hat back to the ground, and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She knew she needed to change soon, to go back under the radar. But the stars were as lovely as every, only partially covered by a few clouds that spat out a pathetic amount of snow.
Snow.
It was snowing on New Years.
She almost smiled. It was perfect, to her, the pitiful snowfall bursting through the stars to tickle her eyelids. She closed her eyes and breathed in deep. The snow was pure, the night perfect, and she could have sworn she lived a normal life. But her eyes snapped open and she scuffed her feet and began her sojourn once again.
She watched her shoes for a while as she walked, wondering where, and how, to get a new pair. She didn't notice the soft tread of another person until they collided.
She fell to the ground with a surprised, oomph! and yelled at herself for her stupidity, to crash into someone because she was watching her shoes.
"My bad, my bad!" a male voice said, and her eyes snapped to a tall man scrambling to his feet. His hand jerked towards her, but she eyed it warily. "Wasn't watching where I was going. Bad idea, really, when you're walking by a street corner. There's almost always another person coming around it. Bit daft, honestly, to be watching your shoes while you're walking."
Her eyes widened, and she snapped, "Well, what's it to you if I was? I've got plenty going on in my life to have the right to worry 'bout shoes!"
The man stumbled slightly, startled by her fiery response. "No, no, no! I didn't mean—well, I was talking about myself."
She blinked. She wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or suspicion that filled her. But it was swallowing her slowly, and warming her frozen toes. "Yeah," she mumbled. She pushed herself up on her own, ignoring the hand of a stranger she'd bumped into and insulted.
The man's brown eyes were hurt, and it was suddenly glaringly obvious how attractive he was. She cleared her throat. "Well, cheers."
She must have been imagining it, because his eyes shifted from temporary pain to a sadness that seemed to consume him. "Oh, yeah," he said hastily, sounding more cheerful than his eyes appeared. "Happy New Year, eh?'
She didn't reply, too frazzle and frightened, and instead turned and began to walk away. Her heart was beating fast at the confrontation, knowing he could have been anything but ordinary and she would have wandered right into his trap.
"Wait, miss!"
Her heartbeat sped up, and she turned slowly. The same man was holding something in his hand. Her own hand fluttered to her pocket, which was empty.
She strode to him and took it out of his hand, slipping it once again into her pocket. "Thanks," she said breathlessly. "I can't lose that locket."
"It would be a waste of such a pretty thing," he agreed. His eyes were soft as he watched her.
It had been too long since anyone had looked at her like that.
"Yeah, well," she said, voice catching in her throat and sticking there. "Thanks for saving it."
He smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. He didn't even give her a chance to turn before he spoke once again.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked bluntly, and she rolled her eyes, shifting her weight from one foot to another.
"You just did."
"Another one, then."
She debated for a moment, before settling on the notion that this man wasn't harmful, and was merely curious. "Shoot."
"What's a pretty, young girl like yourself doing out on street corners at two in the morning?" he asked, and his eyes were concerned.
"It's New Years," she countered. "What's your excuse?"
He seemed to stumble for words for a moment, before settling on, "Just, um, browsing."
"For what, homeless drunks?" she retorted, and he laughed. She couldn't help but laugh a little, too.
"Caught me," he said, throwing his hands up in surrender. Rose smiled again, and then tried to leave again. "I guess I've got to go."
Was she imagining the softness of his voice?
"Off to browsing for you," she said, and was surprised her voice was just as soft. She turned quickly, but hesitated and turned back. "See ya."
She didn't notice him watching her as she went, and couldn't feel the longing he had for her as much as she had for the stars.
And thus concludes our first rewritten chapter. Please leave a review, drop a PM, favorite, follow, or do any of those lovely things to let me know your feelings. Until next Thursday, darlings!
Kat x