The night lay on Cat like a blanket, comforting and warm. She loved the night, loved how mysterious it made the world that was so transparent in in the harsh light of the day. Cat was very much a night person, alone in the darkness she didn't have to care about the strange looks people gave her when she blurted things out, didn't have to care about much of anything really, except for experiencing her favorite time of day. That's why she jogged at night, to get away from her "normal" family and the friends who loved, but would never understand her. Plus it kept her out of the sun and heat, which was good because her red velvet cake dyed hair would NOT look good with a tan. Cat giggled to herself at the ridiculous image of her tan and hair clashing and the horrified looks of her friends.
While she jogged, Cat's usually cluttered mind cleared, sparing her from the torrent of thought that normally caused her ditzy-ness. Jogging was one of the few times she was free of the curse of the verbal diarrhea that she spewed at her friends. As she jogged by the darkened door of a shop, she was too inwardly focused to notice the dark shape that detached itself from the shadows and began to follow.
Cat turned the last corner on her route, now more than ready to get home to her comfortable bed, yet still reveling in the silence of her thoughts when suddenly a hand closed over her throat while another wrapped around her waist, lifting her from her feet. Panicked, Cat twisted frantically, trying to get free, to glimpse her attacker, to do SOMETHING. All she managed was a quick look at an older man she didn't recognize. He dragged her half-way down an alley she hadn't ever noticed on her jogs and dropped her, hard. Struggling to breathe, to call out, Cat heard a metallic, rasping sound. She looked up and saw the razor sharp edge of a knife, gleaming with reflected silver moonlight.
"I know you want to scream, but that would be a very, very bad idea. You and I are gonna have some fun back here and then we're gonna go our separate ways. Oh, and Little Red, if you make a sound I'll slit that pretty little throat of yours."
There was no real emotion in the man's voice, no anger, no heat. His cold tone told Cat that he would do EXACTLY what he was threatening, and that he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
"Now, stand up, turn around and slowly walk back past the dumpster."
Cat began to cry silently as she complied, her knees shaking. She prayed that the terror she was feeling would just stop her heart before this…monster could follow through with his sick plan. As she reached the rusted ruins of the dumpster, Cat heard a sharp crack and a man cry out. She spun around and saw a young man silhouetted by the moonlight, standing between her attacker and herself. He was tall, with dark hair and he was wearing something funny, like a kimono but more manly…a gi she thought. In his hands was a black wooden sword.
"Stay back, you bastard."
The newcomer's voice sounded vaguely familiar to Cat but she couldn't think straight and then things happened so fast, yet she seemed to see them in slow motion. With an incoherent scream of rage, her attacker lunged from his knees towards the young guy, who seemed to flow around the knife, and then Cat heard an even louder crack as he brought the wooden blade down on the older man's forearm, which bent suddenly at an unnatural angle. The attacker's scream of agony was cut short as the black blade swung in a flat arc and connected with his skull. The impact made a dull thud and her assailant crumpled bonelessly to the filthy floor of the alley.
The young man turned towards her and Cat caught a glimpse of his face in the dim light, a face that looked familiar like his voice had sounded familiar and yet she still couldn't quite remember where she had met him before.
"Are you alright?"
Cat tried to answer but suddenly the alley began to tilt crazily and her eyesight went blurry. The last thing she remembered as the asphalt rushed up to meet her was the feel of strong arms around her and a flash of piercing green eyes.
She woke in a hospital bed. She knew it was a hospital bed because of the smell, not a bad smell, just too clean. Cat hated that smell. It reminded her of the place her mother had sent her to after her father had died, after Cat had "snapped in the head" and "gone manic-depressive". E.R. or mental facility, the too clean scent always made her uncomfortable.
"Think about something else!"
Cat shifted on the uncomfortable bed and sighed when she heard the rustle that meant she was in one of those tacky green gowns. Why couldn't they dress patients in something else? Like fuzzy purple pajama suits.
"Cat? Cat, you're awake! Oh, my poor little girl!"
Her mother had just entered the room followed by a short balding man who looked as if he had stepped straight out of one of those 1950's detective flicks that Beck and Jade liked. Cat began to sob deep, dragging sobs that felt so bad they felt good, and as her mother held her and patted her back and whispered soothing things, the memories came crashing back: jogging, the fear as the man grabbed her, the relief she had felt when she realized that she had been saved, and the strong arms catching her as she fell. After what seemed like a long time the tears stopped.
"Miss Valentine," the short detective said kindly," I know you've been through a great ordeal tonight but I want you to know that we have the young man who attacked you in custody and we just need a few-"
"Wait what? You arrested a young man? What about the man with the broken arm?"
"Oh, yes he was rushed here as well once we arrived on the scene. Don't worry, he'll be just-"
"NO! YOU'VE GOT IT ALL WRONG! That man was the one who attacked me; he was the one who was going to, going to, to r-rape m-me… The one you arrested was the one who saved me."
The tears began again as Cat relived the night's terrifying events so that the detective could understand his mistake.
A/N: That's all folks, for now. Worry not if you liked it, for I intend this to be a multi-chapter fic. Please review and let me know what you liked and didn't like, as this is my first attempt at fanfiction. Thanks for reading!