Glittering snow floated softly past the window, starkly contrasting with the ink black sky. It swirled in delicate patterns, haphazard but beautiful. Margot gazed at it dreamily, admiring nature's effortless grace. The pointe shoe she had been preparing lay forgotten in her hands, dangling limply by its satin ribbons. The snow always made her miss her childhood home, a farm far north in Canada, nestled in the wilderness outside a small town. Wintertime had always been her favourite, when the fields and forests turned into a veritable wonderland. Hoar frost clung to the naked trees, turning their branches into shimmering crystal sculptures, and the lakes became pristine mirrors, reflecting the weak midday sun. Downy drifts of pure white snow graced the fields and icicles hung from the eaves like dazzling jewels. And when it snowed, Margot would rush outside and dance among the flakes, laughing delightedly as they tickled her skin. Winters in the city simply weren't the same, where the snow scarcely stayed pristine and slush clogged up the roads and walkways. Someday, Margot swore to herself privately, someday I'll go back home, and dance in the fields where I grew up. Someday…The soothing thoughts and mesmerizing snow soon lulled her into a peaceful sleep, filled with nothing but pleasant dreams.


Margot was jerked violently from her sleep as her apartment shuddered terribly. Sleep still clung greedily to her mind, fogging her thoughts and causing her to feel sluggish. She swiped at her eyes, willing herself to wake up fully. What was going on? Surely this wasn't an earthquake. Of course not, stupid, Margot chided herself, this is New York. Panicked shouts echoed through her building, sending a thrill of fear through her. She gazed about blearily, still trying to establish the situation. She was dimly aware of the sound of doors opening and banging shut. Were they being evacuated? In her sleep-induced daze, this seemed a reasonable conclusion, and so she staggered towards the doorway, snatching up her coat and shrugging it on as she fumbled for the door knob. The blinding fluorescent lights stung her eyes as Margot stepped out, fully waking her up. She raced gracelessly down the stairway, nearly tripping down the steps. Goodness, you'd have no idea I was a dancer

She forced the apartment building door open, and stopped dead in her tracks, gasping at the sight before her.

The road — or what had been the road in front of her building — was torn asunder, large chunks of asphalt strewn about. A massive crater now occupied the space, jagged cracks radiating from its centre. Dozens of people milled about like ants, fretting over the damage or, like Margot, simply trying to establish what had happened. She stepped hesitantly towards the pit until she stood at the crumbling lip, and peered down to the bottom. There was no meteor, no fallen satellite or debris. How was that possible? Something had to have created the damage. Perhaps it disintegrated upon impact?

"I swear to you, I saw a man fall from the sky and crash right there! He must've disappeared, but I know what I saw, I do! "

Margot turned to see a poorly dressed man gesticulating wildly to the policeman interrogating him, jabbing a finger at the crater. The officer looked none to impressed, skepticism plainly written across his face.

"I'm sure you did, sir. Thank you for your time and information." He turned away, muttering angrily, "Damn riffraff and their stories, always getting in our way…" He stalked off, making his way to another group of witnesses. Margot glanced at the officer, and then the man he had interrogated, and nervously made her way towards him.

"Excuse me, sir? You said a man fell from the sky?" She felt silly, asking such a ridiculous question; it wasn't even physically possible in her mind.

"That I did, girlie. Saw a huge flash, then he fell straight down then BOOM - smack dab in the middle of the road. Left quite the mess, as you can see. Disappeared in the blink of an eye though, no idea where the bugger went. Barely got a good view of him, what with the dust and what not."

"Would explain the missing object in the crater, I suppose," Margot murmured, more to herself then the stranger at her side. He shrugged, stuffing his hands into his ratty pockets and meandering away, leaving her to her thoughts. How could a man simply disappear into thin air? That too wasn't physically possible; then again, neither was a mysterious crater with no easily discernible source. Curiosity got the best of her, and Margot began wandering about, naively hoping to see the supposed culprit, though her hopes weren't high.

Snow whispered at her feet as she picked her way carefully around the debris, arms crossed tightly at her chest. A stray strand of golden hair snaked across her cheek, enticed by the soft wind, and she tucked it behind her ear absentmindedly, too preoccupied with her own search, though Margot scarcely knew what she was searching for.

And then, it happened.

It was simply a small shifting of the shadows at the corner of her eye, but Margot tensed, and somehow knew what she saw was important. She turned ever so slowly toward the source of the flicker, a dark alleyway that bordered the apartment building. Her breath hitching in the back of her throat, she took a small, hesitant step towards the dark opening. Margot's heart fluttered in her chest, like that of a frightened little bird's, and her palms became slick with sweat despite the freezing cold weather. This wasn't safe, she knew, but something pulled her inexorably towards the alley, a burning curiosity that she couldn't explain.

And then she saw him.

The man who fell from the sky. It had to be him, for he surely was not mortal.

He lay crumpled on the ground, but even this did not hide his figure, long and lean and lithe, like a deadly panther's. He was swathed in a high collared, green jacket that reached down past his knees, and despite her shock Margot couldn't help but notice the intricacies of his garment, the elegant stitching and fine details capturing her attention. But she tore her gaze away, snapping back to reality when she heard his pained gasping and saw the terrible heaving of his chest — he was clearly in great pain. Margot's eyes trailed up to his face, just as he turned to face her, and their gazes met. She gasped, drawing her fingers to her lips. He had the most startling eyes she had ever seen, a striking green akin to the rarest emeralds, yet right now they held deep pain, and Margot couldn't bear to hold his gaze for long, lest her heart break. She trailed her eyes instead to his lips, which dripped with scarlet blood — it contrasted terribly with his alabaster skin. He coughed — choked — more blood sputtering from his thin lips.

"Help me, " he gasped hoarsely, his voiced scarcely above a whisper in the gentle wind, "please, help me…"