Title: Haunted
Chapter: Two
Author's Note: Let me know what you think! Read and review, please.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dark Angel or the characters within, just the idea...
Max watched the lights of Seattle flicker and glow illuminating the night into an eerie version of day from the pinnacle of the Space Needle; it was the one thing in her life that had remained steadfast. It had become her haven even more so than it had been before but it no longer helped her forget her problems or make her feel normal. She found it only proved to her that no matter how much things change that the world will continue to go on as though nothing had happened; the depression had come and it had yet to disappear, but people continued on as though it had always been this way with the occasional whispers of how things use to be. Only a brief time of morning is given to any one person or event, then life goes on. Max was also forced to continue, she wasn't allowed to morn or grieve as she had wanted to; instead she continued fight the good fight as Logan liked to call it. It felt so wrong that she should continue with her life as though his passing had meant nothing but the moment of silence given.
Her feet inched towards the rusted metal rim as her eyes swallowed the light of the city like black holes and remained dull compared to the life they use to hold; that life she had left behind. The sound of distant thunder echoed in her ears as rain began to trickle down slowly at first then in a sudden instant began to fall heavily all around her. She lifted her face towards the sky and for a brief moment it seemed as though the rain was washing away the shame and grief that plagued her; but all too soon his hazel green eyes came to mind. Her lips allowed a long sigh to pass through them though they were tired and worn from the many that came before. Lightning streaked across the sky with the deep rumble of thunder following shortly after, and she allowed her eyes to fall back to city. She watched as all of the lights in Sector Twelve flickered before going out all together and her mind raced to the thought that a brownout use to be the least of her worries.
After a few more minutes of silent agony, she took a step back and lost her footing on the slick surface; her body slammed against the cold metal surface of the Space Needle and she began to slip over the edge. Her heart slammed against her ribcage as the edge became alarmingly closer and within less than a second she felt the weightlessness beneath her legs and hips. Instinctively, she seized the rim with both hands just as she was about to disappear off of the side and into the grim scenery below. Yet she refused to pull herself back up, instead she calmly watched the rain as it fell from the heavens and streamed off the edge that she was gripping to so tightly. In an instant a thought came to her: it would be so much easier if she just allowed her hands, already fighting to hold their place, to slip off and allow herself to plummet.
Max had always wondered what it would be like to fly, to feel a sense of utter weightlessness and to, even if for a brief moment, feel what it felt like to be completely free. She had tried to get that feeling while riding her Ninja; she would drive it hard and fast, but nothing could compare to this. Her fingers slowly slid a bit closer to the edge but she still held steadfast with her steel-like grip; she could still save herself if she wanted to. She drew in a long breath of relief as her legs swung mildly beneath her, and her hair clung to her face from the wetness.
All she really wanted was to be free - to be free of the pain, the torment, the longing to just be like everyone else; she didn't want to be a messenger or savior, especially for people that cared nothing for her and merely wanted her dead. Her right hand was unable to hold itself against the slick surface and as the rain slid underneath her fingers, it released its grasp and fell limply at her side. The altering of balance caused her to swing more so than she had as the wind whipped at her face; she could feel her other hand giving way...
