Chapter 1 – Black Skies, Black Waters

It was late, well past midnight, and still I found myself walking a lonely path off of the lit up streets of the city. Alone I was, on a wide sidewalk shadowed by tall brick buildings to my left and an open seascape to my right. A waist high barrier of cement and metal railing kept me from the sudden drop the edge of the sidewalk offered to the unsuspecting.

The sea was as black as a bucket of pitch, mimicking the sky in all but its stillness. The small ripples on the surface of the water gave it away, betraying it.

Anywhere else and there might have been stars reflecting back, but too much electricity and too much pollution had obscured them from view. The only objects visible in that black expanse were an almost-full moon and an occasional airplane whose lights flashed in the distance.

I kept walking forward, one black boot in front of the other, my pace slower than usual. There was no destination in mind, no place I had to be or place I should have been. I wandered aimlessly, merely sorting the thoughts in my head, breathing the air and letting it oxygenate my lungs.

The truth was that the night soothed my nerves. There was something about a black sky that offered wisdom and comfort. Maybe it was because when the sun was down everything felt less chaotic and quieter. It gave me time to think without all of the noise and confusion the daylight hours gave.

I pulled the black shoulder bag I was carrying closer to my side so that I might reach in, but I refrained from doing so. Merely pressing the bulk of it to me gave me comfort, however small it may be.

Frankly, I hadn't a clue what I was doing out here or why I'd brought with me the things I had. It was likely due to me not thinking clearly, or at all. Numbness sometimes conquered my thought processes so that none ever made it to the surface.

I sighed, closing my eyes for a short while and continued to stride.

A breeze came in off the ocean, brushing against my face and lifting my hair. It was cool and snuck right through the fabric of the long-sleeved shirt I was wearing, causing my skin to gooseflesh. I hugged my arms to my body, silently cursing for forgetting to grab a jacket.

A few meters ahead of me a back door hidden in the brick edifice opened, pouring out flickering light and loud music. A guy dressed in tight black apparel stepped out moments later holding a large case for an instrument. The door shut and all was quiet again except for the guy's mumbling of a song. He appeared to be in fairly good spirits, or drunk.

I stopped and waited to see which direction he was going before I resumed my solitary stroll. It turned out the rocker was heading in the same direction I was going, so I waited for him to further the distance between us before I started moving again. I didn't want to draw his attention toward me.

Further on the waist-high barrier gave way to a full on wall, blocking out the view of the sea. Instead it offered plenty of verdant shrubbery and other plant life to compensate. Other than the fact that I found it drab compared to what I'd previously been looking at, the pathway now felt considerably closed in. Opposite the brick enclosure sat large opaque windows in a cement wall that lit up the walkway from within. I huffed and half listened to the stranger's moderate singing and watched his inability to walk a straight line.

Gradually the seconds passed and I felt a strange sensation on the back of my neck like someone was watching me. I stopped and turned around and to the side of me but nothing visible was there. A fleeting light wind passed by me and caused the hair around my face to shift, but it didn't feel like the draft I felt moments ago. It was lighter and felt more like someone ran past my stationary form. I glanced at the nearby vegetation and saw they too were shimmying faintly. When I looked forward again the man with the guitar case was gone and his singing muted.

I hadn't been in this city for very long, but I'd been here enough times to know that there was a short tunnel just a few yards up from where I was walking. Figuring that's where the guy disappeared to, I continued on foot, content on being alone again and brushed the eerie feeling aside.

When I reached the tunnel, I glanced into its passageway. Three black lanterns hung from the curved ceiling, illuminating the recesses in warm, soft light. Through to the other side I could see the streets and buildings of now-closed shops. Streetlamps of a by-gone era were all that revealed the colonial style structures.

Looking ahead, I knew this short byway was the only means out unless I wanted to travel back the way I'd come. That, or keep moving forward until I reached the other side of the town. I heaved a sigh of indifference and stepped over to a bench by the tunnel wall.

"Good a place as any," I mumbled to no one in particular.

I stared at the plant life for a while, not really seeing it. The varying shades of green and yellow blurred into one, like a painting whose edges needed to be refined. Some of the leafy undergrowth looked too waxy to be real, but then again, that was the point. If it looked false to me, then it would probably look false to those wishing to eat it.

After a moment I looked to the starless sky, to the pale moon, seeking answers I was never likely to get. I reached for my bag again and placed it on my lap. I was tempted to reach inside once more, but I left my idle hands where they were, and stared at my purpling fingers.

"Life is meaningless," I uttered callously.

"Now why would you say a thing like that?" a deep voice said, jaded yet animated.

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, I jumped and turned, my heart racing. An incredibly tall man with long disheveled brown hair was staring at me, his form leaning against the cement of the tunnel. He was wearing a strange look of intrigue on his face.

I stood from the bench holding my bag and turned to him. His face was pale and covered in dark stubble that matched his hair. His attire was dark but relatively normal compared to what some people wore around the city. Dark jeans paired with brown leather boots reached his mid-calf. Hidden under a dark suede jacket that dusted about his knees was a grey shirt, and the few metal chains that hung against his chest looked old and worn. Black fingerless gloves adorned his hands.

He was handsome. I tried not to let his looks cloud my judgment.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked the pale stranger, alarmed that I hadn't seen him approach in my periphery.

"Not long," he responded, head tilted slightly. He stepped out of the shadows and into the light but went no further, keeping a small but firm distance between us.

He didn't say anything else, just stared at me with a cool look that I tried to echo back at him. Even though he was standing a few feet away from me, I still had to lift my head and look up in order for my eyes to reach his face, and I wasn't short by many standards.

"I didn't mean to scare you or intrude," he explained, his voice deep like the sea. "I only heard what you said and, well, curiosity got the better of me." His timbre was calming.

I pressed my lips together and cleared my throat. "It's okay." My voiced faltered anyway.

He gave a crooked grin that revealed straight white teeth.

"But that doesn't mean I have to answer you," I finished as civilly as I could manage. I didn't want to start anything I couldn't finish by provoking the guy.

It was quiet for a moment, neither of us moving toward or away from the other. There was something strange about the man in front of me that I couldn't place. Since he'd arrived my back was rigid and my shoulders were tense. Perhaps it was because he'd caught me off guard and the adrenaline hadn't depleted yet. Or maybe it was something else.

But then something in the back of my mind told me to calm down, and I remembered what my intentions were, however ill thought out and impulsive they were. I'd come here for a reason even though I'd explicitly told myself there was no agenda.

I'd been lying to myself. There was no cause to be fearful now.

I let out a breath I'd been holding for too long and managed a small smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

His body language betrayed the tenor in his voice; he sounded impassive but appeared otherwise with the way he was staring. "Yeah," I admitted slowly, "I'm fine." I added a yes for reassurance. Whether it was for him or me I couldn't say.

He nodded minutely, his eyes skeptical as they landed on the black bag clasped in my hands. I carefully let it return to my side.

"What are you doing out here by yourself this late?"

I shook my head from side to side, signifying I hadn't been doing anything and said, "Thinking." I readjusted the shoulder strap that was now digging into my skin. "Is it a crime to be out this late?"

"No. Just unusual."

"And why are you out this late?"

He glared at me for a moment before answering. "I was eating."

"At two o'clock in the morning?" I furrowed my eyebrows, unconvinced. Personally, I found it strange that people would eat this late, but that was me.

"I eat when I can, and I hadn't eaten in a while."

There was a serious yet satisfied look on his face that made me believe he was telling the truth. There were plenty of diners and other eateries that were open all day and night around here. I didn't say anything but instead nodded at him. I wasn't very good at keeping up conversations, especially with people I didn't know.

"I'm Garrett," he said. He stepped forward and bowed slightly, extending his right hand. The other hand he pressed behind his back to complete the gesture.

I paused, unaccustomed to the movement. It was an odd thing to do but was nevertheless charming. It brought a strange half-grin to my lips and I wrinkled my brow, accepting his gloved hand. The tips of his fingers were cold as ice, which was a shock. I reflexively glanced up but stopped myself before making eye contact with him, and quickly looked back down to our hands.

"Cold, I know," he said apologetically, before graciously slipping free of my own fingers.

I curved my neck to the side and said, "No, it's just that I'm used to being the one with cold hands." I smirked at my own comment, thinking how true the statement was.

"Your hands are quite cold," he offered, pausing before adding, "for a human, anyway." Mirth was written in his eyes and mouth. "You are human, aren't you?"

The slightly crooked smirk he was giving me caused me to smile diffidently, easing some of the worry I'd been feeling. What relief I felt snaked through my chest, swirling and diffusing like the cream in a coffee. "I'm Ray."

"Ray," he stated, leisurely moving to stand beside me by the bench. "I haven't met many Rays." He gestured for me to sit down, following suit once I did. "At least none that were female."

"My dad wanted a son and got me instead." I grimaced. "I don't think I've ever met a Garrett before," I confessed, looking up to meet his eyes. I was surprised at their odd color, not having noticed them before. Now that he was closer it was hard not to see them. They were as bright as rubies. Red wasn't a natural eye color, but their shade didn't appear false.

"Your eye color is remarkable," I stated with a small amount of wonder, glancing from one of his eyes to the other.

He stared long and hard at me before looking away, his expression remaining solemn. "Thanks," he muttered tightly.

Evidently my comment bothered him. I apologized.

Garrett turned his head back to me, gazing down at my face. The longer I looked in to those red pools, the more I found myself wishing my eyes were such a color, not that I thought there was anything wrong with my brown ones. I blinked a few times and glanced into my lap where my bag was.

"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked, breaking the silence. "I can hear it in your voice."

I hummed and said, "No, I'm not. But you don't sound like you're from here either."

"Indeed, I'm not," he relented, "but I've stayed here many times. It feels like a home away from home."

When his eyes found my face again he gave a sad smile. He looked weary, as though speaking of home had caused old memories and longings to resurface. I offered a similar smile in return, for I knew the feeling.

I longed to go home, but that place was no longer what it once was. In place of happiness and joy there now lurked bitterness and unwelcome feelings. Staying there felt like being in an airtight chamber that was slowly depleting its oxygen source; it was suffocating. Wishing for it to magically revert back to the way it was proved meaningless. The damage was done.

"So where is it you're from," Garrett requested, "if you don't mind my asking?"

"Some place out west," I offered, shrugging my shoulders. I really didn't want to speak about the place I had so recently left. "What about you?"

He mimicked my mannerism and said, "Some place in the northeast." He paused, waiting for a reaction I assumed. When I didn't give him one, he asked, "Are you here with your family or friends?"

There was something in his voice that made me wonder if he already knew the answer to his question. Or maybe it was the way he was slowly scrutinizing me, like trying to find hidden words among a bunch of random letters. I didn't know if I should tell him the truth or not; I had only just met him. Revealing personal things to strangers, things like coming to a city in another state all alone, wasn't very smart.

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind an ear and looked at Garrett. "Actually, I'm not here with either." I wasn't sure what made me say it. Was I not thinking clearly? The truth was my thoughts couldn't have been clearer than they were now. There was still something not wholly right about Garrett; that I could still feel coursing through my body. It was danger. "I came by myself."

"That was brave of you," Garrett acknowledged, considering something unknown to me. "How long have you been here?"

"Not too long," I said, tilting my head away from him, "perhaps a week or two." And I'd been to the spot we were in now multiple times since then, never meandering too far outside of it. Perhaps it was the sea that kept drawing me back. I wanted to look upon those dark waters again.

I stood from the bench and Garrett followed my movements with his eyes. Now the tables were turned and he had to look up at me. I crossed my arms over my torso at the abrupt cool breeze that passed over and through me, my skin prickling. "I'm going to walk down to the railing," I said, a little hesitant. "Do you want to come with?"

"Why not go down onto the beach itself?" he answered, guessing my purpose.

"I thought the beach was closed at night?"

Garrett showed his perfect teeth behind a knowing smile and stood up. "Come on," he said, and motioned for me to follow. I merely stared at him as he began walking back the way I'd previously come, and wondered if I should follow the tall, dark stranger.

A few seconds later he stopped and turned back and playfully said, "Are you coming?"

"Um," I said a bit tremulously. I bit my upper lip and glanced down the short tunnel and back to where Garrett was waiting. I knew nobody else was going to be down on the sand and that we weren't supposed to be on the beach this late. I thought about what the consequences of being out of eyesight with Garrett would be or whether or not we'd be caught.

What did it matter, anyway?

"Okay," I surrendered, and strode toward him at a brisk walk.

When I arrived at his side he looked down at me and commented that we didn't have to go onto the beach if I didn't want to. He only thought I might like the view better. "It's all right," I breathed, "we can go."

Hmm, there you have it. Stay tuned for more, because there will be more. And just so you're aware, this story won't be very long. It's more of a one-shot that I'm splitting up into a few chapters because otherwise it would be monstrous for one sitting. All of what I write will be about 3,000 words in length for each piece, so I won't cheat anyone with short chapters because I also hate that.

Thanks for reading.