Hey guys! I'm SOOO sorry it took this long to get chapter two up! I've been so busy! Anyways, Here's chapter 2! I hope you enjoy! Btw, chapter three was only four pages long (written) so I expect it to be on by the end of this week. Written by: Ali Cole Edited by: Liana Fowler


Chapter 2: The Guardian Angel.

January 19, 2011

"That was a good training session today, Faith. Good job." Merc smiled, patting me on the back. "Pretty soon you'll be in the work."

"Really? You think so?" I asked a little too ecstatically.

"Yeah," he laughed at my excitement. "You are a natural, the best I've seen so far."

I smiled at him, and maybe blushed. I guess just because he wasn't the sort of man to give compliments.

"Want to grab a bite to eat? You have to be hungry. A frame like that and someone might think you haven't eaten in weeks!"

We later found ourselves at a local diner, where Merc was obviously a regular.

"Hey Merc, long time, no see!" exclaimed one of the waiters.

"Hey Zach, man, what's up? How ya been?" said Merc as they exchanged a "man hug" (as I call it). You know, where they slap each others hands and then hug from there. I guess it seems less feminine; whatever gets them to sleep at night.

"Who's this?" Zach asked.

"Oh, this is Faith; she's the girl I have been telling you about."

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Faith; I've heard a lot about you." He said smiling at me. "You having the usual, Merc?"

"Yeah, you know me, I love a good cheesesteak."

At this point, we were seated at a booth next to the window.

"And what would you like, Faith?" he asked pulling out a notepad and pen.

"Uhh…" I said frantically picking up the menu. "I'll have umm… a chicken salad sandwich."

"Fries?"

"Yes please."

"What to drink?"

"Oh, uh, water please."

Zach flipped his notebook back into his pocket, and left to go get our drinks.

"Faith, you said you went to Brooksdale High, right?" Merc asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I, uh, stopped by the other day, since I was in the neighborhood, to see if I could have lunch with you. But the receptionist said they don't have a Faith Connors in the system."

"Well maybe they don't have me in the system yet since I'm new."

By this time, Zach had brought back the waters and set them in front of us, along with two straws. We thanked him, removed the straws from their wrappers, and placed them in our drinks. Zach left once again without a word, gathering that we were in deep conversation.

"Well, they sure as hell had every other new kid in their records!"

This was the first time since I met Merc that I was actually scared of him.

"Faith, I'm not stupid. Kreeg was on a job the other day, a night shift, and he saw you sleeping in an alley."

Merc raised his eyebrows and leaned forward, as if he was expecting me to say something. All of the sudden, my face felt hot, I didn't quite understand what I was feeling. Guilt? Embarrassment? I don't know, ugh, life would be so much easier as a Vulcan.

"You don't really have a place to stay, do you, kiddo?" Merc asked in a much calmer tone than he was speaking in previously.

"No, I don't." I admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me? I mean, why go through all that trouble just to keep that from me?"

"I-I dunno."

"Were you afraid I'd judge you?"

"No, Merc. No. I was afraid I'd obligate you."

"Well, that's awfully nice, but I want you to stay with me. Unless, of course, you're not comfortable staying with me."

"No, I am. I just don't want to impose."

"You're not."

"I am. I mean, think about it. You're basically my boss since you'll be paying me, and now I'm staying with you? Not only is this imposing, but it's a little inappropriate. Don't you think?"

"You're a minor, Faith. You need to stay with someone. You haven't even started your first job yet, so don't sweat it. You're worried about what the other Runners will think, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm still new and trying to make relationships and I don't really want to get on their bad side."

"Quit worrying. They all love you. They'll understand. You're the youngest Runner we've had besides me and Drake. So yeah, you're going to need some help."

So I agreed.

....

January 19, 2011.

We arrived "home" really late after training all day. I was exhausted. Merc dropped down the port first, and I followed. Merc lived below where he worked. He somehow managed to accommodate the AC unit and the abandoned building below it into a living/workplace. It was really creative, but of course, most Runners had to be. The bottom area had a small kitchen with a table to match and a few chairs. A couch and a loveseat faced a TV. All of his furniture was modern and clean, like most of the city. Coming off of the living room, there was a hallway which had several doors on it.

"Your room will be the first door on your left. It's right across from mine, so if you need anything throughout the night you'll know where to go. Make yourself at home." said Merc.

"Thanks."

I opened the door to my now bedroom and set my few belongings on the dresser. The room was rather large with a double bed pushed up against the left wall. The bed had red sheets (surprise, huh?) and was only a couple inches from the door. Towards the head of the bed (on the right) were some windows with sturdy boxes beneath it which served as an end table/chair. On the right wall, there was a dresser with a small lamp on it. Next to the dresser, there was a full length mirror positioned in the corner of the room. Perpendicular to the dresser, there was a desk and a chair.

I shut the door and changed into my pajamas, then went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I came back to my room and sat by the window and stared into oblivion. I heard Merc walk into his room, which disturbed my concentration.

I looked behind me into Merc's room from my open door and watched him take off his shirt. He had a really nice physique, of course after being a Runner most of his life. I guess he would. He threw his shirt onto the floor and took off his pants and threw them on top of his shirt. Merc now being in his boxers, picked up his pile and began to stand up to throw the pile in the hamper.

"Oh god, I'm staring," I thought quickly looking back out the window.

I realized I was blushing. I didn't mean to stare. I guess curiosity got the best of me.

"Hey Faith, you want to go shopping tomorrow? Get you some new clothes?" Merc asked poking his head in the door.

"Yeah, sure." I said returning my gaze to him.

"Okay. Well, we have to get up early then."

"Okay."

Merc left the room and I finally decided to sleep. And I got the best sleep I've had in months.

….

January 20, 2011

I awoke the next morning around six to the smell of bacon; I've always pondered, who doesn't like bacon? Damn, I'm retarded in the mornings. Anyways, I quickly rose out of bed and headed for the kitchen; to find Merc cooking bacon with a shirt on. Next to him, there was an already cooked plate of scrambled eggs.

"Morning, kiddo. How'd you sleep?"

"Like a rock."

"Good. Would you like you piece of advice for the day?"

"Sure. What's that?"

"Never, ever, ever fry bacon shirtless."

"Thanks for the advice. But under the normal circumstances, I don't think I'll be cooking shirtless. No worries there."

We both laughed at my joke for a while.

"I made a list of some essentials you might need. But of course there are probably some things you need that are um… a bit personal. So I'll let you get those things. I mean, you can't use my shampoo and stuff, because it's… I dunno, for guys?"

"Merc! Why the hell do you need shampoo? You barely have any hair!"

Merc laughed. "Well, keeps my scalp clean. Plus, when you're a Runner, you need all the help you can get when it comes to cleanliness."

….

Merc and I got home late that night, and I was exhausted. Shopping was never something I enjoyed, but Merc made it fun. He's a fun guy to be around.

"Leaf was wondering if you were up for some training tomorrow. What do you say?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Cool, I'll let her know. Well, goodnight. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, you too," I said as we departed for our bedrooms.

I quickly changed clothes, brushed my teeth, washed my face and went straight to bed.

….

November 18, 2007

The sirens were loud, and they frightened me. The police were hurting people, which confused me because they were supposed to protect us, right? All of the sudden, I hear a scream from behind me.

"Abe! ABE! Help me! Please! LET GO OF ME! Stop! Please!" Erika cried.

I turned and saw my mother struggling for freedom from two riot cops, screaming at my father, but they wouldn't let her go. Kate was crying behind me. Dad couldn't get through the crowd to save her. I attempted, though since I was small.

"Mommy! No! You let her go!" I sobbed pulling on her arm.

One cop knocked me down onto a broken bottle, sending a sharp pain up my spine. A scream escaped me. Dad was holding Kate to his chest so she couldn't see what was going on.

"Faith! Get up! RUN! Please, get out of here!" Mom begged.

I got up as quickly as my injury would let me and turned around and began to run to my father. When I heard a loud pop behind me. I turned around to see the most horrid image of my life… my mother laying on the ground, with blood pooling under her lifeless body.

….

January 21, 2011.

"Faith, FAITH! Wake up!" Merc screamed. "You alright?"

I was shaking and tears started to pour out of my eyes. My lips started to tremble.

"Come here." said Merc wrapping his arms around me.

I cried on his shoulder for a while. It felt good to have someone there for me.

"Come on, let's go in the kitchen. I have an idea to make you feel better."

Merc pulled me into the kitchen. He then proceeded to pull out a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk. He began to make a sandwich as I started to calm down.

"My mom would always make me a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk whenever I had nightmares. For some reason, it always made me feel better."

I smiled slightly at him as he laid the glass and plate down for me to eat.

"So what was your dream about?"

"My mom."

"What about her?"

"Her death. I never did tell you what happened, did I?"

"No, you never did. Didn't want to ask; thought you might be… sensitive."

So, I told Merc about my mom.

"Damn, Faith. That's rough. Were you close?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, kiddo."

"Merc… umm… can I sleep with you for the rest of the night?"

"Yeah, sure, if it makes you feel better."

We laid down together on Merc's bed with me resting my head on his bare chest, his arms wrapped around my shoulders. I placed a hand on his chest and had the most peaceful sleep one could have.


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