Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

The more time Jade spends in the city, the more she understands why it's known as the concrete jungle. The streets are ruthless. Chaos swamps the urban landscape, where the shriek of an ambulance and the thundering steps of pedestrians devour the serene calls of nature. However, what keeps Jade chained to the metropolis is the anonymity of it all.

She can easily camouflage herself against the ever-changing background of the city. But not only can she hide in the hustle and bustle, she can also lose herself in it. In a place with so many characters, it's easy to merely sit on the side and submerge herself in their lives, thereby forgetting her own.

Though as the days slip by, the city begins to lose some of its initial mystique, and Jade finds herself becoming trapped in the depths of her mind. Her memories strengthen with time, rather than fade. Sometimes entire chunks of time seem to disappear when a particularly powerful recollection gains a hold on her.

But even worse than the memories is the paranoia. Her head is constantly on a swivel, painfully aware of every passerby she encounters. Her sleep is perpetually fitful, where she jerks awake from nightmares, or where the terror of being found keeps her eyes wrenched open.

By the eighth day of leaving Tori's house, Jade doesn't think she can do it anymore. A blend of fear, hunger, and pure exhaustion seethe within her, weighing her down. She's stopped trudging throughout the city, instead settling on the corner on one of busier intersections- finding solace in the shielding nature of the crowd.

On the other hand, after a week Tori still can't shake the mysterious stranger off her mind. Whenever walking about, she's sure to pay extra attention to the surrounding pedestrians, hoping to run into the goth again. Though when she catches herself wishing for such things, she's quick to curtail the idea, always confused as to why the hope even arose in the first place.

For the most part, she carries on with life much like she had previously. It's by chance that she her eyes flit towards the huddled mass on the busy street corner. But when she does a double take, her breath catches midway in her throat.

The same black sweatshirt from that night lies in a heap under the pale woman. Grease drowns the tangled ebony locks that partially conceal her haggard face. A charcoal grey v-neck hangs loosely over her too-thin frame. Exhaustion carves inky violet rings beneath her eyes, creating a stark contrast against her pallid skin. Though what scares Tori the most is the glassy look veiling her eyes.

"Oh my God." The latina whispers, slowly stepping towards Jade. The goth remains completely motionless to the point where Tori might think she's frozen in time were it not for the incessant tapping of her finger. Tori squats next to the runaway, her presence still unknown until she clears her throat and says softly, "Hey."

Jade jolts at the voice, the vacant look now filled with unease. It takes a moment for her to recognize the latina, and when she does her features scrunch into a confused grimace. "What the fuck..." She breathes.

"What happened to you?" Tori says just as softly, concern blanketing her words.

Jade ignores her and instead backs up against the wall she's leaning on. "Have you seriously been stalking me?" Her paranoia flares.

"No, I just..." She can't stop staring at the ravaged beauty. "What happened?" she repeats.

Anger twists Jade's face, "Why the hell do you care? You don't even fucking know me."

Though Tori's deaf to her harsh words. Her eyes linger on the hefty backpack and then sweep over the grimy woman. "Do you not have a place to stay?"

Jade responds with a lethal, cold gaze. Her lips are determinedly fastened shut. Still squatting, Tori begins to absentmindedly pick at her thumb. "Do you have anyone?" She whispers as if they're sharing a secret, and her brows wrinkle with worry.

Silence.

This time it's Tori who's eyes film over from a memory. A devastating helplessness and the familiar stab of self-deprecation surges through her at the recollection. Her nails dig deeper into flesh, etching inflamed arches. "You can stay at my place." The words brush past her lips in a soft breath.

Surprise jerks Jade's features, but she's quick to recover from the initial shock. "Yeah right." She grumbles sarcastically.

"I'm serious." Tori's voice is now firm with resolution. "Stay with me. At least for a couple days, so you can get back on your feet."

Jade's icy gaze thaws into a fiery rage that devours her previous annoyance. The sudden spark ignites a furious inferno, white-hot anger cremating all remnants of sorrow and impotence. She grinds out her words with such vehemence, that Tori swears each syllable singes the air. "Get the fuck away from me."

The silence seems to swallow time itself. Jade's words incinerate their surroundings, the pedestrians, racing cars, skyscrapers, until its just her and Tori locked in a fierce staring contest. The latina's resolve staggers under Jade's rage, but it's quick to steady itself. After all, Tori isn't a stranger to this kind of pure fury. With startling tenderness, she replies gently "I can help."

"No," Jade swiftly strikes back, "you can't."

"I can try." Tori reflexively rests her hand on Jade's.

The goth impetuously snatches her hand away, "Don't fucking touch me." She shrieks with a savage shove. Tori, who had been crouched while balancing on her toes, tumbles backwards with an astonished gasp.

A horrible incredulity swamps Jade. "I..." All traces of anger are extinguished, replaced with a frantic guilt. Tormenting disbelief warp her features, "No." The whispered word echoes with a blend of pain and fear.

Confusion swirls in Tori's eyes. She quickly returns to a crouch, "Hey, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

It takes a moment for the brunette's kind words to sink in, but as they do, this time it's Jade who wears a look of puzzlement. She wonders why the latina doesn't retaliate with the same type of aggression. Or she should have at least just walked away, not having to deal with this anymore. Or both; Jade knows she deserves it. "Just leave me alone to die already." She whimpers, her eyes scrunch closed.

A special kind of pain pierces Tori. The type that comes from understanding. "Just let me help you."

Seconds drag by until Jade finally wrenches her eyes open. For the first time, Tori sees how broken Jade really is. Her gaze screams with sheer, naked pain that only cements Tori's conviction in helping her. Although the shattered expression is fleeting as Jade hurriedly buries the agony. She heaves a calming sigh, then whispers "Just leave me alone."

Tori silently curses the goth's stubbornness. Luckily she too is well-versed in the frustrating art. She casually scoots towards Jade until she's sitting next to her. Jade glances at her in disdain. "What are you doing?"

"Well I'm not just gonna let you die. Especially knowing that I could have done something about it." Tori shrugs nonchalantly, but her eyes are dead serious.

Jade glares at her from the corner of her eye for a moment, grumbles a 'whatever', then lets her head rest against the brick wall.

Sleep instantly snatches the runaway, but not even an hour passes when she jolts awake. Her eyes dart around her surroundings, clearly disoriented. Though when her gaze lands on Tori her brows crinkle in shock, suddenly remembering the events of the past hour. "Wha- you're... still here?"

The latina, who had been staring fixedly at an invisible image, snaps her head towards Jade. Her lips arch into a small grin, "I can do this all day dude."

Jade falls silent, a peculiar glint blanketing her eyes. Tori studies her, trying to hypothesize what thoughts are bouncing against her skull. For a second an eerie iniquity shadows the goth's features, but it disappears as quickly as it came. At last she replies, "You don't know what you're getting into." It comes out almost as if it is a threat.

Tori doesn't miss a beat in responding, "Try me."

The runaway slips into deep thought again. An internal war rampages behind her pensive scrutiny. Tori marvels at how well she keeps her emotions in check now, knowing that they must be rioting beneath the composed exterior. In the end she shakes her head but her mouth murmurs, "Fine."

Surprise yanks on Tori's eyebrows, "Seriously?"

"Well this wasn't just some joke, was it?" Jade eyes her critically.

"No." She fervently shakes her head, "No, no. I just- never mind." She raises to her feet slowly, rolling her neck once she's finally standing. She offers her hand to help Jade up, who stares at it in disgust, then clambers to her feet. Vertigo clouds her mind, and for a second she's scared she'll fall back to the ground, but it fades after a few moments. After blinking away the last of the dizziness, she sees Tori's already shouldering her backpack and has her sweatshirt bunched in her grasp. Jade allows the help for now, not wanting to deal with the cumbersome weight.

Tori adjusts the backpack, then announces "Okay, next stop, my house."

Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the last one, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too long. What do you guys think about how the story's going so far?