Chapter 1
She thought going to college would be fun, and it has been at times. But the long walk from campus to her new apartment in the late evening was a bit scary. She didn't have a lot of money so the apartment was situated in a less than desirable area. The hot, humid air was rare for mid September and as Jenny walked she was silently cursing her professors for requiring such heavy books. "Almost there" she mumbled, trying to motivate herself but just a moment later there came a ripping sound and half her books fell to the pavement. "Just my friggin' luck.." and for a moment she just stood there mentally raging against the timing of her ill fate. She began picking up the items while realizing she was only a little more than a block from the apartment when she heard "Hey, you need some help with that girl?" Jenny looked up and saw a group of men standing across the street.
Jenny froze. A small voice in the back of her head was reminding her that this is why being alone in a big city was a bad idea. She tried to get up and run but by that time the men had already crossed the street and started to surround her. They started laughing, making crude and disgusting jokes to one another as they shoved her toward a darkened alleyway. Fear started to sink in but Jenny was not one to go down without a fight. She started to kick and claw at any of the men within reach. She felt some satisfaction when her nails met with a face and caused ragged red lines to appear, however, that feeling was short lived. The man cursed and punched her hard on the left side of head. Jenny fell, disoriented and seeing stars. She vaguely registered the feeling of someone on top of her, grabbing at her clothes but she was unable to focus, as all she could see were blurred shadows. She keep struggling, flailing her limbs hoping in vain to fight them off. Just as her heart began to accept defeat and despair, the weight on top her, the grabbing hands, vanished. Jenny tried to steady her vision to find out how to escape when something large flashed before her. She realized something was fighting the men and throwing their bodies around like they were mere toys. Jenny started to crawl toward the entrance to the alley to escape but was soon overcome by the injury to her head. No sooner had it dawned on her that the alley had become eerily quiet, that she felt hands grabbing her shoulders. Jenny immediately attempted to free herself and fight back but the she was soon enveloped by two very strong arms. Someone was saying something but her mind only registered that the voice was female. Jenny's fear was too overwhelming for her to stop fighting. Eventually, though, the woman's words came through in a soft, deep cadence:
"And thou, too, whosoe'er thou art,
That readest this brief psalm,
As one by one thy hopes depart,
Be resolute and calm.
Oh, fear not in a world like this,
And thou shalt know erelong,
Know how sublime a thing it is,
To suffer and be strong." 1
At these words Jenny's body finally relaxed and her mind began to restore order. She slowly tried to focus her vision but everything was still shaky. Her left eye was already swollen shut. "Can you get up?" the female voice asked. Jenny replied with "Yes" and with the assistance from the woman she stood up. The woman then inquired "Do you lived nearby? I mean close enough to walk?". Jenny nodded, but then immediately regretted it from the pounding it started in her head. "Yeah I live about a block away but I'm not sure about the walking part", her legs were starting to feel a bit like Jello. "That's quite alright, I can assist you. Just give me directions." And with that, the woman pulled Jenny's arm over her shoulder and together they shuffled toward the alley entrance. As they reached Jenny's book bag, the woman leaned down with her free hand to pick them up while still holding Jenny upright. They then continued their shuffling with Jenny giving directions until they reached her apartment. The woman seemed to realize that Jenny would not be able to climb the stairs on her own and proceeded to assist her into the tiny apartment.
As the woman helped Jenny onto the couch, Jenny got to see the face of her protector for the first time and was speechless. The woman's face was completely green. Not the pale green that people get when they are about to be ill, but a vibrant emerald green. Jenny opened her mouth to say something but then met the woman's eyes and stopped. Her eyes were a crystal blue that reminded Jenny of the blue waters surrounding the white beaches she had been to as a child. When Jenny became silent, the woman, realizing that she had caught sight of her face, quickly started to back away and turned to leave. "Wait!" Jenny said, "I didn't get a chance to thank you." The green woman stopped and slowly turned around, saying "What?". "I-I wanted to say.. t-thank you. Thank you for saving me tonight. If you hadn't stopped them.." Jenny's voice trailed off, she didn't want to finish that sentence. The woman seemed to just stare at Jenny in what could only be assumed as astonishment. "Your not afraid of me?" she said. "No, you just saved my life so why should I be?" replied Jenny, but she mentally reminded herself that her judgement may be slightly flawed by saying this to a complete stranger. Especially one that is green. "Most people that see me run away screaming, no one has ever thanked me before." The woman seemed uncomfortable for a moment, and there was an awkward silence before she added "You should put some ice on that eye." With those words the woman turned and opened the door to leave, when Jenny remembered something, "Longfellow". "Sorry?" the woman just barely turned back to look at Jenny. "What you said to me in the alley, you were quoting Longfellow." The woman answered, "Yes, he is my favorite", and with that she quickly left the apartment. "Mine too" Jenny whispered to herself.
1 From the poem 'The Light of Stars' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
