Dan Howell strode down the street, hands tucked into the pockets of his black jeans. His galaxy cats T-shirt flapped in the mild spring breeze that rustled the new grass at the edges of the streets. Shaking off the temptation to get a scone from his favorite bakery, he instead directed his attention ahead of him. He gazed at his worn sneakers, pointing toward the grocery store and tapping the pavement in an even beat, until someone slammed into his chest with a muffled "Oof!" Stumbling and nearly falling over, he grabbed onto the other person's arm for balance.
"God, why am I so clumsy?" He muttered, finally being able to stand up straight. He held the person he'd bumped into out at arm length. It was a girl, wearing a thick navy sweatshirt and loose grey jeans, despite the nice weather. "Are you ok?" He asked. The girl's huge brown eyes were filled with terror, for some reason Dan couldn't fathom. Was he really that terrifying? "Are you ok?" He girl squeaked, fidgeting with a strand of her long light brown hair, and whispered a quiet "...yes…" before pulling away from his gentle grip and running off. "What's with her?" Dan wondered aloud. Whipping out his phone, he began to text, careful to keep his eyes on the path this time. Maybe Phil should know about this…
Dan, arms piled high with groceries, flopped down at the kitchen table. Those stairs… One of these days, he was going to tell the landlord that they needed an elevator. Actually, he already had. Twice. If only Phil had been here to help him with carrying the heavy bags. Phil was in Manchester, doing something or other for the BBC, and would be there for two weeks. Dan sighed, and began putting away the food. Whenever Phil left, the apartment seemed so… lonely. It was nice having someone to talk to, even if that person had an unhealthy obsession with Buffy. Suddenly, the almost-silence was broken by the chime of a received text message. Dan lept across the room and snatched up his phone and YES! The library finally had it! Dan had ordered a hard-to-find anime DVD and it hadn't come in for nearly a month. "F-ing yeah!" Dan slammed the fridge shut, shoved his phone in his pocket and raced out the door with speed very unlike him. He jogged down the street and jumped onto the nearest bus, bouncing lightly on his toes as he waited for his stop. The moment the doors opened, he hopped out and fast-walked the next three blocks as quickly as he could. At the library, he placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward, asking, "Um, hello. I ordered an Anime DVD, and was told it had arrived." The middle-aged man behind the desk chuckled and responded, "Well then, let me help you! What's your name, boy?"
"Phil Lester." As Dan didn't have a library card, he always used Phil's when he took out anything. The man bent down and looked through the reserved and ordered books, running his finger along each spine. He paused on one and pulled it out, handing it to Dan.
"This yours, Phil?"
Dan glanced at the beautiful characters on the cover, holding each other in their arms.
"Yes. Thanks! But before I check this out, can I look around to see if there are any other things that I want?" The man nodded and Dan walked over to the tall wire rack holding several manga comics and graphic novels. Flipping through them, he stuck a couple under his arm with the DVD and set the rest back. But as he placed one back in it's spot, a flash of navy blue caught his eye. Peering over the bookshelves, he spotted the same girl who had bumped into him earlier. She pored over a thick fantasy novel titled Heir of Fire, and an enormous stack of books stood beside her. He watched, fascinated, as her expressions changed rapidly. First a look of rapture, then of fear, then of wonder, and finally, of happiness. She looked so happy, so content, as she closed her book. Setting it to the side, she let out a peaceful sigh that turned into a gasp as she saw Dan watching her. Scrambling backwards, she knocked over her neat pile, sending the books (and herself) tumbling to the floor. Putting down his anime and manga, he rushed over. Leaning down to help her, he asked, "Are you alright? That was quite a fall." She hesitated before accepting the offered hand, her grip tentative and loose.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," she muttered in a pronounced American accent.
"Are you sure? First you bumped into me this morning, now I've scared you half to death!" The moment he said it, Dan regretted it. The girl shivered slightly, biting her lower lip. If anything, she was clearly not fine. To break the awkward silence, he cracked, "Tell me, am I really all that hideous? When you shrieked, thought that maybe I was some sort of monster."
She shivered even harder, and a look of such pain and horror crossed her face that Dan himself started to shudder. "...No." she whispered. "You aren't."
She swiftly snatched up her books and fairly ran to the checkout line. Another young woman walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Come on, Nicole, he's just another guy. He's nothing to be afraid of!"
"But-Celia, he looked… he looked like him."
Understanding echoed in the other woman's eyes. "Nicky, I thought we talked about this. Several times. He's not going to hurt you!"
The girl sighed. "Don't patronize me, Celia. I'm a month older than you."
"Alright, alright. Oh! By the way, I found a few apartments for you to check out-" and their voices disappeared into the clamor of the crowded library. Dan was rooted to the spot, still staring after her. Slowly, he came back to his senses and picked up his anime, mindlessly completing the task. Something about what that girl had said… scared him. He'd asked her a playful question, "I thought that maybe I was some sort of monster," and she'd said "You aren't." It was almost as if she'd met an actual monster. What happened to her? What happened, that she would be so broken, so hurt like that? An unusually deep thought for such a sunny day. But he wanted to learn more about her, to find out who she really was. Suddenly, an idea barged its way into his head, an idea so crazy and stupid that it just might work. Now, Dan wasn't usually the impulsive type, but he plucked his phone from his pocket and dialed Phil's number with shaky fingers. When his friend answered, Dan ignored all hellos and asked, "Phil, what do you think of having another person join the flat?"
