Prologue
I made my way down the dusty, dirty street. I got several incredulous and disbelieving stares; it was quite unusual to see a young girl walking on the bad side of town. As I walked down the pavement, I attracted a leer from an overweight man in a bar. I rolled my eyes to myself under the safety of my hood. Good god man, I look twelve. Some people have no morals whatsoever. Pulling up the hood of my tattered, midnight blue cloak, I quickly walked past that particular bar.
I turned down an alley, narrowing dodging stepping in a puddle full of sludge. This part of the city was absolutely filthy. Dirt seeped into every crack, and there was mold growing on every available surface. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I wouldn't be here if I didn't have to. Soon, I would be gone again- just a trail of dust in the wind.
The sun was going to set soon- and it was almost dusk. However, the streets were already mostly in shadow, since the tall buildings in the west blocked the sun. As the last, dim rays of sunlight fled, I walked along the path quicker. I needed to find a place to stay the night soon. If it was dangerous to walk here during the day, it was doubly during the night. I could most likely defend myself, but it would defeat my purpose to start a fight when I was trying to not get noticed. Then again… I looked down at myself. I suppose looking like a child doesn't help either… I scowled to myself, turning into the first tavern I found.
Luckily there weren't many people in it- yet. That was probably mainly due to the fact that it looked like a seedy place. I mean, all of these places were seedy- but here more than the others. The cracks in-between in floor boards were filled with mud and there were several spots on the floor where it looked like someone had spilt their beer. My upper lip curled. Well, it was here or nothing. Hiding my face in the cowl of the hood, I took a seat at the bar.
"Root beer please," I said, sliding over the money across the counter. The man gave a start when he saw me. My cloak was rather large on my, enveloping my form completely. But it couldn't disguise the fact that my voice was rather high- and most definitely a girl's.
"Of course," he said after a moment, in a bored voice. Grabbing a warm and rather dusty bottle out of the cupboard, he roughly slid it across the counter at me. Stealthily reaching out a pale hand, I quickly took the bottle and brought it under my cloak. After I opened it, I sniffed it- just to make sure there wasn't anything in it. Smelling nothing, I took a sip- the amber liquid making its way down my throat.
The man sitting in the seat next to me glanced at me sideways. I stared at him after he did so, and he gave a start when he was caught in the act. But even when he knew he had been caught, he continued to stare at me. Taking another sip of my root beer, I casually said, "Is there something you want to say?" The man raised his eyebrows at my crass greeting; but instead of telling me off for it, he just grinned.
"Shouldn't you be at home?" He asked. I arched an eyebrow. Instead of saying it in a condescending manner, he seemed genuinely concerned. It was rare for someone to be concerned about another's being in this part of the world- particularly if they had just met them. I looked him up and down, examining him. He had brown hair that was slightly pointed into two tips. He had the beginnings of a beard- but was cut just short enough so it couldn't really be considered one. He was also rather bulky with large- and very strong looking- arms.
"Shouldn't you?" I retorted after a moment, turning my head but then glancing at him sideways to see his reaction. He grinned slightly, but it lacked any warmth. Instead, there was a glint of something hard and then something rather… fragile. He chuckled a little, taking a gulp from his glass.
"I don't really have a home anymore," he said with false casualness. One side of my lips quirked up in a half smile.
"Then you have your answer," I answered in a wry tone. His eyebrows shot up, before looking at me out of the corner of his eye with an understanding expression.
"Name's James, by the way," He said casually. Smiling slightly to myself I nodded.
"Atha," I said in response. I took another small sip of my root beer.
"Strange name, is it short for something?" James asked gruffly. Smirking to myself, I didn't answer.
After a few more moments of silence, I turned in my seat to watch my new companion- purely out of boredom. He was wearing dirty brown pants, and a button-up white shirt paired with a tattered brown jacket. Obviously, he didn't care about his appearance all too much. But who would if he was in this part of town. Everyone was either a criminal or a drug dealer. Though, occasionally, they got people like myself who were just passing through, needing a place to stay for the night. As if he could sense my contemplative stare, he turned to face me. Abruptly, as if I was just seeing his eyes for the first time, I was struck by how old they looked. Freezing, my bottle fell from my hand, smashing on the floor.
When the bartender started yelling at me and telling someone to clean up the mess, I barely heard. All that was ringing through my head was that this man was far older than he appeared. My gaze turned frosty at the sight of him. This wasn't good. If one… freak was here- then what if there were others? Darting my gaze back and forth, I hurriedly apologized to the bartender before darting out the door.
I didn't stop running until the tavern was well out of sight. Finally, slowing down, I was panting as I ignored the drunken catcalls from men in the alleyways. Quickly turning into an empty gap between the buildings, I rested against the wall, taking time to catch my breath. I hadn't run that fast in a long time.
My mind swirled with fragments of thoughts and emotions. Who- better yet, what- was that man? He was a mutant, that was for sure. I could tell just by his eyes that were too old for his body. I knew those eyes when I saw them.
Finally regaining my lost breath, I pushed myself off of the wall and began steadily making my way towards a motel that I had seen on the walk. I soon arrived at it- though the title 'motel' may be too grand a name. The place- like everything else in this god-forsaken town- was filthy. Marching up to the desk counter, I rang the bell roughly to get the man's attention. He looked up and glanced at me distastefully. I refrained from rolling my eyes at him. For the love of… You act like I'm the worst you see every day. I know for a fact that murders and druggies stay here. In comparison, I'm not that bad.
"Room please," I said, pulling out the small fee for the night. Reluctantly, he grudgingly took a key out from his desk and placed it roughly in my palm. He looked rather startled to see a twelve year old girl demanding a room. "Thank you," I said sarcastically as the man refused to speak a word, or look up again.
As I walked towards my room, I noticed that the majority of the rooms were empty. It was small to begin with, and since it was obviously not very popular, I wondered how it managed to stay in business. Shoving the thought from my mind as I got to my door, I opened it using the key.
Immediately upon entering, I noticed the lingering smell of cigarette smoke on the walls. I groaned aloud to the room. I hated the smell of cigarettes; they made my chest burn whenever I scented them. Unclasping my cloak from my shoulders, I folded it neatly on the back of a chair. Running my hair, I let its slight auburn curls fall free. Glancing around warily, I searched the room and made note of everything in it. Since it was on the first floor, I could always escape through here, but it also meant that it was easier for people to sneak in. Taking my cloak from the chair and tossing it on the bed, I wedged the chair under the door handle. Giving it a shake, I was glad when it didn't move.
I was about to move towards the bed to fall asleep when I remember something. Closing my eyes, I mentally reprimanded myself. If I had forgotten, she would have been really mad. Moving towards the curtains, I opened the window to let in the midnight black cat that was sitting on the sill. I was slightly surprised to see my companion sitting there, but then again- I wasn't. Isis wasn't a normal cat, that was for sure. Unlatching the windows, I allowed my feline companion in the dirty motel room.
"Mrr-ow!" Isis complained. Rolling my eyes slightly, I responded back in kind.
"Mrr-oww!" I answered back, meowing at her. Of course, I didn't actually speak cat, but I could imitate her meows pretty easily. Apparently satisfied with whatever I had just said in cat, she hopped up on the bed and laid down. A grin tugged my lips at the sight of her stretched out on my pillow.
I hadn't taken Isis with me across town for fear of her safety. These people didn't have any qualms about hurting a human, what would they do to a poor little cat?Especially since she was black and was apparently 'unlucky' according to superstitions.
I moved towards the windows once again to bolt them shut. Just to make sure, I gave them a little extra shake- to make sure they would hold. As I started to turn away, my gaze was caught by the night sky. The pollution from the city clouded the sky, and none of the stars managed to shine through. Continuing to stare at the sky, I bit my lip in worry. With my brow furrowed, I contemplated on my earlier encounter with James. If there is one, there are others… I was going to have to leave earlier than expected, wasn't I? I sighed to myself, looking away and letting the curtains close. I'll leave in the morning… It was too bad; I didn't especially like this place, but I didn't want to move on from it either.
Satisfied that my room was secure, I fell asleep in a ball on the dingy mattress next to Isis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(A/N)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello, so this is the prologue for a new fic I've been working on. I know it short, but that's only because it's the prologue. The later chapters will be longer.
Please R&R!