A/N: Okay so this chapter has a lot of POV swaps, so look out for them and don't get confused! Also we have the introduction of Alice (yay!) so enjoy that as well.
Don't forget to read and review, otherwise you'll get another prickly A/N chapter ;D.
Hope you like it!
Btw, whoever can spot the Titanic references is a cool kid!
Flesh Memories – Chapter 3
'What You Can Find in the Rain'
Jasper POV
When I woke up and peered out the window all I saw was a huge grey blanket pressing down on Texas. It reminded me so much of Washington, where you would wake up to this most days. Rolling out of bed I surveyed the land outside my apartment. It was a Sunday, so most people were still indoors, probably still sleeping. Looking at the clock I saw it was 9:30am, hardly a normal time for me to be awake on a Sunday, but I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now, that was impossible for me.
A simple breakfast of toast and cereal was first on my agenda, and then, though I had no real reason to, I showered and got dressed. My wardrobe pretty much consisted of the same types of things; Levi jeans, polo shirts and too many pairs of Converse; and these are exactly what I got changed into.
It looked like Texas was going to look forward to rain today, one of the rare days of rain it ever had, but for some odd reason I wanted to go for a walk in it. For this though I had to wait, so I slouched on the sofa and flicked on the TV. Nothing very interesting was on though, and being the guy I am, I became impatient.
Getting up, I went to the closet and picked out an umbrella, because though I wanted to walk in the rain, I didn't want to get wet. By the time I'd found a decent sized umbrella I could hear the pitter-patter of the rain against the window. I turned off the TV and walked out the apartment, locking the door as I left.
After walking down the flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator I found that the rain had picked up, and the umbrella was definitely needed once the elements were raging around me, so I pushed it up and strode into the rain.
Texas was a much nicer place when it rained; in my opinion. Usually, it had a stale smell, and the prominent colours were oranges or dry yellows, whereas when the rain fell the smells were fresh and the colours were darkened into browns and greens. From living in Washington and having to live with it; I now liked the rain. I smiled into the rain, probably looking like a fool, but in the rain, I felt like I was home.
There weren't many people on the streets of Dallas; it was like a ghost town, so when I heard a whimper I was both curious and concerned. Straining my ears, as to hear where exactly the sound was coming from, I followed it. Finally, I could sense it was from one of the alleys in between shops. Here the rain was partially blocked, but not fully and puddles were forming in the dips of the road. Near the entrance of the alley was a mound which could have been mistaken as a pile of trash, except it was quivering and the whimpering sound was coming from it. Slowly edging towards it I saw various layers of newspaper covering the mound. Putting one foot in front of the other as precisely as I could, to not alert this being, I forgot to actually look where I was stepping. A shard of bottle glass cracked under my foot, seeming to echo through the alley. The mound froze.
Alice POV
What was that? I swear I heard something, or even worse, someone. Drat! Why didn't I find a better hiding place, this was such a stupid place to stay. Then again, what are the chances of it being him? I could just look at them, and hope they go away. I'm not dead yet, surely it is safe enough for me to just look.
Shifting through the different layers of newspaper was a pain, especially as they hadn't done much good as a blanket over me. They really failed at that job. Finally, I managed to find an opening and I stuck my head through it. For a few seconds I blinked stupidly, my eyes adjusting to the light of outside, even though it was practically non-existent. Once I could see the things around me I found I was in the shadow of a man. At that, my body automatically reacted, and tensed. Travelling in the night meant that no-one saw me, and I saw no-one. In fact, nobody had even approached me yet, this man was the first person. I wondered what he wanted, whether he would laugh like some or just give me a look of disgust. But no, his face was… concerned? Why was that, why should he care?
Jasper POV
Here I was, standinglike an idiot whilst this girl was sitting in a cocoon of newspaper getting even more soaked through because of the rain. I moved closer to her so I could put the umbrella over her as well as myself. Again, she tensed. She did that a lot, which made me more curious than ever, if that was possible. I wanted to know what had happened to this girl, why she felt so scared.
And more than that, I wanted to help.
Alice POV
We were both silent, just staring at each other.
Go on then, say something! I desperately thought, wanting to know what this guy wanted, or for him to go away. To break the eye contact I looked him up and down. He must have a lot of money, from the way he dressed. It was simple yet very stylish, and suited him down to a T. His jeans comfortably hung from his hips, the polo shirt clinging to his muscled stomach. I lightly shook my head to rid it of indecent thoughts.
Not the right time Alice, then, this guy did the weirdest thing ever. He bowed to me. Then he spoke to me, in a most polite manner, genuine concern colouring his tone.
"Ma'am, what troubles have you, and what evil has led you to be kipping on the streets?" Wow. Well spoken, nice Texan accent, but it's been tinkered with, it isn't fully Texan yet more polite than I've ever deserved. Then, my natural instinct kicked in and I retorted in the rudest tone I could muster, anything to get this way-too-nice guy; that I didn't deserve to have the pity of, out of my sight.
"What's it to you?" I guess that should've sounded like a great strong comeback, but that element was lost in the cracked way my voice came out. To be honest, that's what happens when you don't have a proper meal in three weeks.
"It means everything to me if I see a young lady like you in such treacherous conditions. I did not mean to offend you Ma'am," Oh man, was he ever going to get the hint to leave?
"Humph, well I don't need your pity," Inside me I was calculating how much energy I'd need to run, or walk, away, whichever I could actually do. The outcomes were not good ones.
Jasper POV
"I don't share pity with you Ma'am, I only want to help you," Now I needed to know what was wrong with this girl, and why she was pushing all help away so much. This was another bad thing about my need to know everything about people, but maybe in this case I could help. Somehow. She snorted.
"Help me? You're crazy!" Her body started weirdly squirming, as if she was trying to psych herself up for something. I was loosing my patience with her; I only wanted to help after all.
"With all due respect miss; I'm not the one living on the streets of Dallas in a house of newspaper," I retorted soberly, I hoped it would maybe make her see sense, but it only angered her.
"So what, you think I'm a gutter-rat, or maybe one of the streets local whores?!" she was trying to raise her voice, but it just wasn't working. She probably hadn't had some decent food in weeks. Then she got up, meekly shaking the newspaper off her thin frame and tried to walk off.
Alice POV
Oh no, this wasn't going to work at all. I could feel my limbs screaming at me to just lie down, or go with this man who was so keen to help, but no, I carried on walking. Pin-prick stars blocked bits of my vision and I felt the weird sense of numbness blanketing me.
Then all I saw was black.
Jasper POV
Watching her fall to the floor I dropped all gentleman acts and strode over to her.
"Oh shite," I whispered, as I saw that she had fallen unconscious. The rain was lighter now than it was earlier, so I shut the umbrella and hooked it through one of my belt loops. Placing a hand under the girl's knees and her neck, I picked her up. This situation probably looked really bad, so all I hoped was that no-one would see and call the cops, I couldn't be dealing with that right now.
I walked back to my apartment with her in my arms, thinking about how quickly the future can change.
The next morning I woke up feeling terrible. Once I had gotten the girl into my apartment and wrapped her up in dry, warm blankets I sat by the spare bed which she was on, waiting. Waiting for her to wake up, waiting for the truth. At around midnight though it seemed like it would be a better idea to sleep, rather than carry on watching her when it didn't seem like she'd wake up for a while.
I couldn't leave her now, if she woke up to find herself in a weird apartment in a different place she might freak out and run off. So going to work was a no-no. I grabbed my cell and called my Boss. The dialling tone went on until finally, a voice answered.
Alice POV
My head, it felt like it was about to explode. Wait, where am I? This isn't the street, with its hard, cold floor and rank odours of trash and pollution. This was a nice comfy bed, warm too, with a soft, welcoming sheet covering me, not anything like the newspaper I had used before. Where was I?
I opened my eyes slightly and looked around; this room was a plain magnolia colour with the bed in the middle of the room against a wall with a few shelves and a bedside table next to the bed. It was simple, yet nice. I tried to sit up, and my head span as if I had just been hit with a baseball bat.
Wouldn't be the first time, a stupid, small voice in my head implied.
Shut it, I replied to it. More than once had that conversation gone on in my head, it was repulsive.
It was then I heard the voice. It was rough, angry, and arguing with someone or something. Only just did I manage to stop the whimper from escaping my throat. I had succeeded in hiding for so long and yet still he could find me, capture me, and take me back. Back to hell, back to my old life.
Using all the strength I had I rolled off the bed, onto the floor so I was lying between the bed and the wall. Repositioning myself I heard the angry voice stop and then footsteps approached the room. This was it.
Jasper POV
My Boss could be very stubborn and indecisive when he wanted to be. That's why I thought he was a terrible Boss, just to add to my already terrible job. I hated being a bellboy at one of the Dallas hotels, it made me feel like an idiot and useless. I would much rather work to really help people in some way, not just to carry around their luggage.
It was early morning when I decided to see whether she who had made me so curious had woken up. Then I realized that I didn't even know her name, she was just 'the girl' that was unconscious in my spare room. Walking down the hallway I slowly opened the door to the room and was surprised to see the bed was empty.
What the hell? My head asked me, how could she have gotten out of the apartment without me noticing? It was impossible. Then I heard a small cough.
I walked round the bed and cocked my head as I saw the girl curled up in a ball, trembling and afraid. Her face was borderline white, with a tinge of green; she looked sick and distraught. The tremors racking her body were heart breaking for me; it was like every shiver made a crack in my heart. If I ever saw anyone in such a state I think they would have the same effect on me. Most of the time I'm able to sense how people feel; from their facial expressions, body language and just how they are. This girl was screaming hurt.
When she saw me the tremors seemed to slightly stop, as if she was scared I was someone else yet relieved that I wasn't that person.
"Hey," I said softly, not really knowing what else to say.
"Who are you?" she whispered, still rocking back and forth from her bubble of tremors.
"I'm Jasper," I kept the soft tone, not wanting to scare her anymore than she was, "I brought you back to my apartment after you fell unconscious in the alley yesterday," she was staring at me, a type of stare that made me feel really uncomfortable, like she was trying to see right into my soul. It was then that she looked away from me, and regained her stare on the wall. For a moment she was still, then she spoke.
"I'm Alice."