Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Remember kids, this is rated M. If you can't handle mentions of violence, swearing, matters such as those and more (not that this is terribly gruesome or anything), I advise you not to read this story. Thank you.

Please don't let my ankles snap.

Please, please, please.

The mantra lasted about a good second or so in my head until I felt the impact of the pavement against my feet. Shockingly, my ankles stayed resilient to the force, and without further ado I was off again. Sprinting through the rooftops, barely registering how I was so comfortable in my own skin to be attempting it in the first place. The heights between the rooftops didn't faze me in the slightest, and I somehow kept my eyes trained in front, skimming through every possible area I could plant my feet next.

The revelation of the crime scene I had somehow participated in was blaring through my head instead. The goons that were circulating me, the men that were already dead, tossed around vicariously. He strange man in the suit, claiming he had already met me. And then…Seth. All these thoughts kept flashing in and out of my mind, whirling around until it faded into a buzz as one thought stayed clear.

Seth.

Rationally, I knew he shouldn't affect me the way he did. I had met him for a solid week at the most, he appeared out of nowhere and then… I disappeared out of nowhere. But why was my heart going crazy at the mere mention of his name? I understand I was technically running a marathon through roof tops, and that it pumped enough adrenaline to keep my heart pumping erratically. But this was different, I felt as though my heart was slowly plummeting. My fingertips were slowly losing warmth, and cold sweat was accumulating towards the edges of my hairline.

I tried to shake the thought of him from my head, and focus on the path ahead of me but heart was still heavy. No, I can't face him. Or Levi. Especially Levi, after everything I did and he still took me in. And then I left, I fucking left, when they specifically told me to stay in.

They couldn't have known that Kawasaki had his men out for me, right? I couldn't even recall anything past that incident, so I just had to leave the thought at that. That's right, one thing at a time. First get as far away from that suited man, and then figure out what the assignment was, and then… And then survive.

Luckily, I could see the city's metro line coming up on the left. I could hop off and blend in with the crowd and plot my next step. I figured I was far away enough from the old man, but as I started to plan my next few steps towards taking the detour, I heard something from a distance.

That was my cue, and without a second to spare, I angled my left feet slightly and swung my right leg around until it hit something hard. I didn't waste time before angling my body that was already in full swung from the kick to change its position so I could ricochet off the body in front of me and land into the alley right behind me. Hopefully I'd be lucky enough to settle into a nice fire escape or something, over the cold hard pavement.

For once luck was on my side, and I gracefully landed into a metal staircase, and there I was rushing down the steps as fast as I could. I could feel the vibrations on the railings, someone was sill following me. I knew it couldn't have been my parkour human wall, as I definitely felt his body take the brute hit of gravity and my not so friendly foot. I didn't have much time to ponder on who it could be game, as I spotted an opening into a window, and I slipped my body inside. The hallway was dingy and dark, it was perfect. I ran to the end of the hall and whipped open the door to the staircase, I could already hear the old worn down window sill I just went through creaking from weight. They were catching up, I ran down as fast as I could, until I reached the fifth floor. Slipping into the hallway, I started to turn the residential apartment knobs as discretely as possible. Three doors later, one turned all the way and I slipped in without hesitation. The apartment reeked of cigarettes, but the coast was clear. Not a sound echoed inside the apartment, and that was good enough for me. I walked into what I presumed was a sad excuse for a bedroom and rummaged through the closet. Who ever lived here had poor taste, but I didn't expect any better looking at the condition the whole building was currently in.

Beggars can't be choosers, I guess.

Rummaging around I picked out the only articles of clothing that I deemed clean enough. A nifty college sweatshirt that still had the tag stuck on it. I tugged it on, and pulled the hood on. Walking into the beaten old washroom, I checked my reflection.

Brown eyes stared back at me. The shock took me by a second, until I realised it was only contacts. With a sigh of relief I combed my hair with my fingers. Blond strands were sliding through my fingers. I had blond hair now, paired with perfectly groomed blond eyebrows.

I still could recognise myself.

Vaguely. But the small voice in my head quietly reminded of the case file I had stolen before about myself. How I had brown eyes, the picture hauntingly looked like my reflection more now than ever. Shaking my head I resorted to focuses on my features again.

I thumbed my cheek, until I saw the dried blood splatter on my ear. Turning on the tap, I gathered water in my palms before splashing my face with the cold liquid. I could feel the cold water prickle into my skin, sending a jolt of discomfort. But I welcomed it.

For once, it was a sensation that didn't feel right.

I thought back to the incident just before, how comfortable my body had been when dealing the final blow to those men. How my legs didn't hum with fatigue when I was jumping through the roof, how the hairs on the back of my neck didn't spike at the thought of a possible attack.

But this time, I felt discomfort.

I was still human, at least I hoped I was.

Letting a final sigh slip past my lips, I turned to head for the main door, until I spotted a poorly nailed coat rack right next to it. I shrugged on the bulky jacket over my sweatshirt and yanked open the door. My hair was neatly sheltered inside the hoody, and the jacket kept most of my build hidden. It took no time to find the elevator. The button was dawned in graffiti, but I held hope that the elevator was still in good enough working condition. A loud bell dinged, before a creaky door slid open, making way to an equally sketchy looking elevator. I walked in, and pressed the ground floor button. The old lady in the elevator next to me kept looking over at me.

"That jacket looks familiar," she croaked.

I spared her a glance and saw her curious expression, I figured I'd be polite and flash her a smile and shrug.

"It's good to see Alfred has finally found someone to share his life with."

Wait what? Alfred who?

Until I realised it must have been the apartment's owner I just robbed. "Oh, ha ha yeah. I just thought I'd swing out and buy us some coffee, I didn't bring my coat and his looked way more comfortable," keeping my voice light, and smiling through it.

"But isn't his lease only for one? I sure hope he's not trying to lie to Margaret, she's our landlady. She's one of my old friends, you see. She and I, get together to play bridge on Sundays," her nose was slightly turning up as she haughtily relayed. Her eyes were gleaming, she was definitely after Alfred, and not in a good way.

I could start to feel offended for poor Alfred, as if robbing his place of his clothes was enough to bloom some sort of a bond. "I'll let you on a little secret. When Alfred and I do take the next step forward and move in together, rest assured it won't be in the same building as you Gertrude. So you can calm down and take better care of your nose, since it appears to be in everyone else's business, but yours."

I guess that was enough to subdue her, since her expression changed to a sneer right away. Nosey old bat, nobody likes an annoying Annie. I could hear her quietly ranting to herself how disrespectful younger generations were these days, and how her name was actually Susan. But I could care less, the elevator dinged signalled that we reached the ground floor and I was walking out shoving my hands into the pockets of the jacket.

The streets seemed to be clear of the men that were chasing me. But there were people roaming the streets everywhere, while I didn't get a good look at them, but the footsteps I was running from minutes back, didn't seem to match any of the sounds I was surrounded by now. I took that as a good sign and looked around. I didn't want to comprehend that I somehow could connect people to sounds to footsteps.

Focus. Where am I?

City, sure, what else?

I narrowed in on the street signs, the layout of the homes, the accents buzzing around with the coming from the bustling crowds.

New York. Which borough?

Does it matter even? Of course it does, everything matters. I was losing myself, I was slowly losing direction. I checked around, anything to differentiate- 179 St. …. Queens.

What was I doing in Queens? Better yet, I should be finding shelter. Safe house? But which ones were actually still safe and useful? Without any recollection of the past… I don't even know how long it's been since I was caught.

But I can rectify that. Walking up to the corner convenience store I peered into the newspaper stand. Thank goodness for print, at least that hasn't changed. There it was, written it all capitals, Junes 23rd. So it's been a couple of months since I was taken, okay not that bad. At least it wasn't years, and perhaps I haven't caused too much damage within the short amount of time I've been M.I.A. It was a cute lie I kept trying to tell myself, I knew deep down I had most definitely committed atrocious acts left and right. It was precisely the reason why I ran at the mention of Seth's name. Also because it could have just been a tactic to get to me, so I had at least another back reason to support my cowardice.

I still had no idea where I should be heading towards. I was still right outside the store, next to the paper stands. I looked around again, until I spotted my destination just down the block. I cupped my pockets but they were empty. Even Alfred's jacket came up disappointing, but then again remembering how he furnished his apartment, he definitely used every penny. But this was okay, I decided to continue walking forwards anyway. Until I accidentally bumped into a clearly agitated business man on his phone.

"My bad, didn't see ya there." I knew he was annoyed but far too engrossed in his phone call to really chew me out, and that was exactly what I needed. Once I reached the end of the street, I walked up to the payphone. I pulled out my newly acquired wallet, and skimmed through until I found some change. Dropping in the quarters, I dialed a number out of reflex.

It rang for a total for two rings before- "Hi, this is Capital Investment banking, how may I direct your call today?" a polite voice answered.

"I would like to deposit a final payment to my outstanding fees," I answered confidently. I was still a bit taken aback by how my body was reacting on reflex, but I trusted my gut, I knew I was acting on self-preservation at this point.

"Certainly, but first just to ensure that I can serve you to the best of my abilities. Can you repeat your request again? This is policy to make sure we fully understand and can cater to our customers better."

"Yeah, I would like to deposit a final payment to an outstanding account I have," I reiterated.

"Of course, I can arrange for someone in our account management directory to handle that for you. Please hold," the dull elevator music played half a second after I heard the faint beep.

As the music played, I was left alone again with my thoughts. My consciousness was vaguely aware of logic, it didn't know where to start. So I was letting my body take the reins, it was almost too surreal. To move and act confidently, yet be questioning of each action and statement. It was like two different versions of me simultaneously existing.

I focused my eyes on the people passing by me. Everyone moving with purpose. Businessmen, and women striding through the streets, trying to hail a cab to whatever designation they're late for. Mothers gripping on to their children's hands while they manoeuvre through the streets to get to their homes. Older women and men alike with their buggies, filled with grocery as they slowly walk over every crack on the sidewalks-

"Thank you for waiting, to ensure that we can provide you with the best assistance. Please state your account number."

"94Z1D, I repeat it's 94Z1D."

"Excellent. Please hold."

The music resumed again, I knew this time the wait would be shorter. I chose to focus on the sky instead, although the buildings weren't skyscrapers in this part of the town, it was still clouding the scenery of the sky. I could see the blue of the sky behind the rooftops, riddled with older antennas and satellites receivers. The cityscape used to be my favourite, but now I felt the scenery was tarnishing the beauty of nature somehow. It didn't look right, having the view of the crystal clear sky skewed by the older apartment complexes that had definitely seen better days in the past. I felt slighted by the revelation, but the feeling was slowly forming a knot inside my stomach. I couldn't pinpoint it, but it was becoming more rooted.

"Hi. Please state your location on the outstanding fees?"

"Four floor parking lot complex, in Queens. Near a Hillside Manor Health Centre," I hazily recalled reading the signs during my rooftop running escapade.

"Excellent. We'll have a dispatch crew sent there to clean up the outstanding fees on your account. Was that all for today?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for your service today, and we hope to continue working with you continuously in the future. Have a great day," the voice chirped before the line cut and the dial tone was again buzzing from the receiver.

It never ceased to amaze me how cheerful they were in the morbid line of business they provided. But regardless of the unsettling tone, they did good work. After all, the lot of us were still running around and not locked up in super-max or something. Yet, even after hanging up the phone, the knot in my stomach didn't seem to cease.

My body started to hum with anticipation, though this time it wasn't out of violence. I was in public, I couldn't well just round house kick any possible perpetrators regardless, but I knew this time it wasn't an attack. My blood was pulsing through my veins, warming my previous cold finger tips. Colour was seeping into my pale skin again. I didn't know what was going on, my mind was still separated from my body, and while my mind was starting to grow frantic my body became more relaxed.

"Mila."

This time my heart skipped a beat, it was starting to beat faster. I couldn't believe it.

"Is it really you?"

I was willing my body to run, to do anything at that second. To follow its reflexive mind of its own and run like the wind, rather instead it decided to turn slowly towards the broken voice.

"Seth…" I whispered once my eyes drank him in. His eyes were still pools of chocolate, burning with intensity. His eyes were slightly hallow, and he had bags under his eyes. For the first time, I saw him with scruff, and his hair was slightly longer than the police approved uniform style. But none of that mattered, he was still as gorgeous as ever, adorning a crisp white t-shirt just like he wore before on the day we spent together. His jeans were artificially worn in, and his shoes were white. Like brand spanking new kind of white.

Without meaning to, my feet started to walk towards him. Much to my body's relief, he reciprocated whole heartedly and within the second, I was engulfed in his arms, engulfed in his scent. Funnily enough, I felt it was within that exact moment, where both my body and my mind melted into one again. Like I was finally whole.

When we broke apart, we were back to staring deep into each other's eyes. A part of me knew how sickingly we were acting, but I couldn't focus on anything but him, nor did I want to. His chocolate eyes were so expressive, they were filled with emotions. I could feel myself becoming frustrated from the lack of experience in categorising them, but couldn't bring myself to ask him. I needed to know how he's been, that I was sorry for not listening and staying inside, that I was sorry for leaving…. That I was sorry for anything that I might have done since then.

"How did you find me?" my once confident voice, was barely anything more than a whisper. I wasn't even sure if he would hear it, in contrast to the loud city surrounding us.

I must have struck something with my sentence, because this was the first time since he found me where he had to look away. I could feel my heart hammering away from the anticipation of his answer. I knew it wasn't going to be good, yet I needed to know. I needed to know what he knew about me, I just hoped it wasn't much. I didn't think I could handle it if he any of it, I had a feeling he would be more than just greatly let down. And for some reason, that notion alone made me tremble slightly.

"Tell me," I started. "Please."

I could see the fight in his eyes, this was something I was rather familiar with. The concern laced with pity, and something akin to disappointment. It just bothered me that it was coming from him, but the look sobered me up. I was foolish to drown into the emotions that I could barely feel prior to being wrapped around his arms. I had to be rational, logical. I had only known him for a week at the most before this.

"Well… you see, we found… I don't know how to explain this," his eyebrows were becoming furrowed, as the frustration started to seep into his voice. "I think we found the real you."

What...

Authors Note: Thank you to those who reviewed! I will edit as soon as I have some extra time, I enjoy the feedback greatly. Also I don't live in New York, so please don't sue me if I'm not accurate.