Aylinn
The boy was about to shatter the window. My first thought, as I spotted the haunting skull mask that donned his face, was, What's his problem? It was a harmless question, considering the fact that the teenager in front of me was inflicting much more serious danger upon the people now running away. What could cause a boy to wreak havoc on an innocent string of expensive franchises?
Maybe it's the same reason for a girl to become a monster.
Several of the people who were rushing past me contained an adrenaline-filled gaze, not caring whether a soul encased in living flesh and blood had been trampled beneath their feet. One man, a young father with a family in tow, grabbed my arm, pulling me so that I could meet his gaze. "What do you think you're doing?"he asked me, his eyebrows raised incredulously.
I twisted my arm, breaking free from his grasp, turning away from the man who actually cared. "Sir, I can handle myself." I didn't give him a chance to respond, already finding myself with my nose inches away from the mask of the terror. Through the slits, I met dark eyes, a mischevious glimmer darting through the holes.
"Well, hey there," he spoke, pinning my shoulders to the brick wall. I expected a fight, to be honest. That's why, when his thick, gloved hands let me go, I had involuntarily frozen, my eyes widening. "Just hang here for a sec, ma'am."
Ma'am?!
"Hold on," I finally said, glaring at the supposed fiend with utter detest. "Do I look like a mother to you?"
"Nope," he said brightly, swiveling away from my view. "Just another hot girl in the mall."
My fingers folded, digging into the meat of my palms, most likely leaving pale imprints as my anger boiled over the top. "Excuse m-"
His arm raised to grasp the handle of a well-worn hockey stick, the slanted end sliding against the smooth tile of the floor. A black disc landed with a clunk against the wood of the stick, sliding a bit on impact. On this note, my anger subsided, replacing the now empty slot with a frothing confusion. What was he aiming for?
A figure darted out from in between a duo of brightly-colored vending machines, catching my attention immediately. The masked hockey player in front of my pulled back his stick, sending the puck flying into the air, making contact with the figure's head. He groaned, dropping to the ground.
Another surprise: Hockey Player grabbed a taser, neatly sending the electricity through the body. Moans erupted from the figure, which was, as I knealt down beside him, a man of business. His silver coat had been unbuttoned, revealing a thin pack of cigarettes, the plastic wrapped tightly around the box-and still closed.
I shook my head, reaching for the pack, only to hear Hockey Player call out, "Don't!" A shadow engulfed me, and I tilted my head, meeting his dark, mischevious gaze once more. "It's probably best if you let the cops handle that."
"And why is that?" I rose to my feet, folding my arms.
"Right now, the only fingerprint on there is the cashier's, and this dude's." He lifted up his mask, revealing a freckled face, a broken-toothed smile, and a shock of inky hair. "You don't want to be a suspect, do you?"
"No, I guess not," I replied, dropping my arms.
He grinned, holding out his hand. "I'm Casey. Casey Jones."
I stared at his fingers, long and thick, big enough to encompass my entire hand and throw me over his shoulder. Glaring, I shook my head, pivoting away from him.
"Hey!" I could feel his feet pounding on the cold floor, his words becoming short and choppy as he ran to catch up. I refused to travel quicker, but I also declined looking at his face as he walked beside me. "Hey, don't leave me hanging."
"Leave me alone," I told him, once again folding my fingers into my palm. Calm...Be calm.
"Well, I was just expecting an answer," he replied, shrugging. "Ya know, 'My name is...'."
You didn't exactly do what I was expecting, either.
"Come on," he pestered, lifting his arm and obscuring my vision by rapidly waving it back and forth. "You know you want to..."
"Aylinn!" I burst out, seething at how stupid this boy is. Leave me alone, idiot! You're gonna hurt yourself! You're taking the biggest of risks!
"What?" he said, blinking.
I brought my teeth together, keeping them clenched as I repeated, "Aylinn is my name. And please, think twice before you use a hockey stick to save the day."
"Aylinn?" he muttered, staring at me as I finally escaped from him. I turned my head to the side, spotting his hulking form from my peripheral vision, still lingering in the same position. "What kind of name is that?"
I stopped, imagining the wail of a car's rubber tires sliding against the dark, gritty asphalt of a road. Slowly, I turned, wishing to close the small distance between us im order to bring my fist against his jaw. Control...Be calm. Without unlocking my gaze, I said, "One of a kind, Casey Jones."