The day was dark, dreary, and desolate as the buildings of New York City stood reaching to the grey mass of clouds above them. The massive storms that had been going on for the past week had taken a hold of the city, causing people to flee to the safety of their homes and leaving the streets barren, wet and cold. Rumbles of thunder sounded above the antennas of the skyscrapers and the rain came down in a heavy downpour. But through all this misery and darkness, the sound of singing from an alleyway cut through the air. A medium sized girl was slumped against the dingy, dirty, stained concrete, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her name was Adriana Megido, or as some people called her Ada, and she couldn't be more than 19. Her dark irises, almost black in color, looked up at the grey monster above her, and she smiled slightly. Her pale complexion was grayer than normal because of the darkness that surrounded her, and her clothes were completely soaked through, showing that she had not been able to take shelter during the pouring rains of the day. But the dirt on her clothes and skin still stayed without washing off, almost as if the stains were engraved on their respective surfaces. Her thin, garnet, off the shoulder, long sleeved top was ripped and torn slightly, especially at the hem and ends of the sleeves. Her black skirt, almost coal in color, was also ripped and torn, and she played with the frayed edges between her fingers. She was shoeless, and her knees were scraped up, scarred and bruised, as were her arms and back under her shirt. Her dark chocolate hair, which usually fell in nice waves around her face and mid-back, was now straight and hanging down, wet and dripping from the downpour. But none of this seemed to dour her mood as she continued to sing and smile. It was soft in tone and echoed throughout the streets, drifting in the direction of a person walking down the concrete, their footsteps echoing as much as her voice.
The footsteps would be echoing, since they belonged to a 26 year old, 6'2 man with a heavy set of steps. His white, button up shirt hugged his torso and arms, which were muscled from a good exercise regimen and diet. The shirt went all the way down to his wrists, and on the left wrist lay a metallic watch with a lit blue display on it. His light tan skin was slightly grayed because of the lack of light flitting through the clouds, but it still had indescribable warmth to it. In addition to his shirt, he had on a pair of black pants, white socks, and black boots, the bottoms of the pants high enough to that they did not drag along the ground and collect water from the pavement. The final touches to the man's outfit were the blue police jacket that hung over his shoulder, wet from the rain and heavier because of it, and a grey umbrella which he held over his head to shield himself from the drops. Despite the cold of the air at the moment, the man didn't shiver, didn't falter, and walked straight on ahead, his deep blue eyes focused on the sidewalk ahead and getting home to his stylish New York apartment.
That was when he heard the singing.
He stopped for a moment, listening to the beautiful sound drifting through the air. It almost sounded…familiar to him, but with the amount of rain in the air, it was unsure of whom it reminded him. The thought of going home had been pushed back in his mind, and the thought of finding the source of this music surfaced. Holding his head up, he turned in a circle to find the direction of the sound, realizing that it lay on the path that he was going in the first place. He found the alley and peered his head inside, letting his eyes adjust to the sudden darkness, but then double taking when he saw the lovely girl in front of him. "How could someone like that be sitting in an alley like this on a rainy evening?" he thought. She wasn't loitering, since this wasn't private property, and she wasn't really disturbing the peace since her voice could only be picked up by the most discerning of ears. Therefore, he couldn't bring himself to arrest her, but he still wanted to see what was going on.
"Hello, officer," the girl said, causing the man to jump in surprise. Her speaking voice echoed just as much as her singing voice, drifting along and flowing through the man's ears. "What brings you out here in such inclement weather?"
"I…uh…well, I was just…" The man rubbed the back of his head and messed up his damp, light brown hair, which usually hung in a ponytail at mid neck, but was now slightly plastered to his skin by the rain. Straightening up and adjusting his shirt, he answered in a deep, stern voice. "I was heading to my apartment, since I was finished my tasks at the station." After a few moments, he added, "I could ask you the same question, miss. What are you doing out in this weather? Aren't you cold?"
"I am not that cold. When you have been out here for as long as I have, you tend to get used to the changing temperatures throughout the day."
"And how long would that be, miss?"
"A very long time, sir. Maybe hours, maybe days, maybe weeks. I haven't really been keeping track of the time as it has passed me by. I have just been observing the cars and people, wondering where they are going and what they are thinking."
"Well, hopefully it is not either of the latter two," the man said with a stern tone as he knelt down and looked into the black eyes of the girl. They seemed so familiar…everything about her seemed so familiar…but he could not put his finger on it. "Why have you been sitting out here instead of somewhere warmer and drier?"
The girl looked at him for a few seconds before standing up to her full 5'7 height and placing her hands behind her back. "You see, sir, my older sister has a habit of kicking me out of the house so that her and her 'friends' can 'hang out' in our basement and her room. She doesn't want me to bother her, so she banishes me for the night and I wander around the city. Most nights, my friends will take me in and let me stay with them, but some nights, they are rather busy and cannot. Then I just sit out in the alley, like I am currently, and wait for the night to turn into morning."
The man's soul started to ignite with fire, like someone had taken a match to it. How dare this girl be forced upon the street so that her sister can take part in unsavory activities. It was ludicrous! "Come with me, miss. I will convince your sister to let you stay, even if I have to do it by force!" He grabbed the girl's hand, and immediately jumped, feeling how freezing it was. It was as if her skin were made of ice, smooth for the most part but damaged in others, as evident by the scraped knees, scars, and bruises.
"It is all right, sir. You do not need to force her to open the door. This has been going on for quite a while, so she will not change her ways anytime soon." The girl shook her head, her soaked dark chocolate hair whipping around her body and collecting as much water as it was releasing. Her eyes almost seemed to grow a shade lighter as she looked at the man, a small smile growing on her face as she leaned against the building. "Please trust me on this."
"Well…I can't have you staying out here in the cold and rain. Why don't you stay with me until the morning? I have an obligation to protect the citizens of this city, so if that means letting a stranger in my apartment, then I am more than willing." Realizing how up front he was being, he blinked his eyes and rubbed the back of his head nervously, uneasiness in his stance. "I mean, if you would be all right with that. I would not want to make you uncomfortable. If you would much rather prefer a different living accommodation, like a hotel room for the night, I could pay for that as well."
The girl stared into his deep blue eyes with her dark ones, shaking her head gently and causing the man to flinch a little. "Staying in your apartment would be lovely. Thank you, sir." She curtsied a little, holding the ends of her skirt, and the man flinched again, nervously smiling. "That was what…" He put the thought out of his mind and started to walk out of the alley, gesturing for her to follow him.
To say that the girl walked gracefully would be an understatement. It was as if she glided over the pavement, her steps deliberate and careful and light. The man had never seen such delicacy from anyone, and he was thoroughly astonished. Surely, she did not just walk like that normally; there must have been several years of ballet training or manners courses to achieve such elegance. The girl looked at the man watching her, smiling a little and walking faster so that she could keep up with his pace. The man quickly looked away, not wanting to stare into those black eyes, the face that somehow started to draw him in. He did, however, hold the umbrella so that it was covering both of their heads equally, making sure that she was at least a bit drier.
"So, whom do I have the pleasure of staying with tonight?" the man asked, trying to keep a crack from surfacing in his deep voice.
"My name is Adriana, sir." The girl smiled softly, looking ahead at the crosswalk they were approaching.
"It is nice to meet you…Adriana…" the man said, the name swirling around his mouth and landing on his tongue. "Adriana…Adriana…Adriana…" he chanted silently to himself, feeling as if the name had any significance at all, but drawing a mental blank. "My name is Officer Edward Zahhak, but you may just call me Edward if you wish."
"It is a pleasure, Edward," Adriana nodded her head and looked up at him, Edward sneaking a glance at her and meeting her eyes. She just looked so fragile, like a porcelain doll that had seen some bad times and was in need of a repair. Her hair, her eyes, her smile, her skin…everything screamed "doll" to him. Suddenly, he was quickly shocked out of his thought process when a cold sensation bit his skin, and he looked down to see Adriana holding his hand.
"So, what is your apartment like? Does it have a plethora of expensive furniture pieces like I hear many citizens on the street claim to possess?" she asked casually, but in a quiet tone, her voice almost hollow sounding, proving that it wasn't just the alley that was affecting her voice. It made the man forget his thoughts for a second; the more he talked to this girl, the more he got this uneasy feeling in his stomach. What was the matter with him? "Hunger. I am just hungry, that is all." He convinced himself as he walked down the pavement, his eyes straight ahead.
It took him a minute to realize that he hadn't answered her question. "I am terribly sorry. I seem to be…distracted today." He rubbed his head and sighed. "My apartment is not filled with fancy furniture, but I did pick the best pieces I could find and arranged them in a stylish array so that it all fit together." As he talked, he could feel his confidence rising, even smiling a little bit. "I am proud of it, and some of the pieces were given to me by my father. He decided to let me have them after he switched jobs a few years ago, not wanting them to clutter up his house. So now they humbly sit in my apartment. I do hope you will like it."
"I am sure I will," Adriana said as she looked up at the large, reddish apartment building, its windows glittering with rain and its door slightly smeared with hand-prints from the people who walked in and out of the building. The building was actually in very good condition, its bricks solid and without stains while its panes of glass showed no cracks or debasement. Even the frames around the windows weren't caked with dirt like many of the other apartment buildings had, which surprised her. However, she simply just offered a kind smile and walked inside the lobby with Edward.
Inside, she observed that the decorated was an expert in his line of work, for the silvers and blacks mixed perfectly with the greens and browns in the area. The couches were a rich emerald, the floors were composed of shiny brown and black tiles, and the walls were a light grey with lighter grey patterns. Adriana continued to hold Edward's hand gently as she walked, her bare feet barely making any noise as people stared at her from all corners of the room. They looked almost fearful of her, wondering where she had been dragged from to be in such bad condition. Edward felt his temper flare a little as they stared at her, letting go of her hand and unconsciously placing his own over her shoulder, stepping to her side so that he blocked her from their view.