Chapter Nine: Playing With Emotions

On the same evening a few hours earlier, Xavier walked up the sidewalk. Occasionally, a few cars sped past him on the dark, quiet street. Suddenly, rain began to pour. Soon, his already dirty, worn out clothing from Karrob became drenched and uncomfortable. He decided to run inside of a nearby apartment building to get away from the rain. The lobby was completely empty and silent, only the sound of Xavier's damp footsteps filled the area. He sat against a wall and lowered his head. Thoughts jogged through his head once he remembered what happened earlier at the coffee shop. He still wasn't quite sure what to make of it. At first, he thought that maybe it was just an illusion, a figment of his imagination. But it felt too real. He had a feeling in himself that he's never felt before. Then he narrowed down to one possibility. He ran into himself. After all, he came from another universe, so it was a likely theory. However, what he didn't understand was what could possibly happen if the two actually met. Ideas popped into his head like wildfire.

If what we experienced felt...real, then...what does this mean? Do we posses the same power? Is the key to immortality...myself? No, it could be too dangerous. If he gets killed, then what happens to me? I can die as well...but if it goes well, I could be a God. If he's real, I have to study him and figure this out. He has to be real!

Thoughts in his head continued to fire off rapidly. The flow of his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an elevator slowly being descended from a higher floor. He didn't bother to look up, so he kept his head down. The elevator came to a full stop on the lobby floor. A heavy, loud creak sounded from nearby elevator doors, followed by light, delicate footsteps. It was a young, pretty woman in her early twenties. She had a short brown hairstyle and wore a green coat with a blue purse over her shoulder and ripped jeans . She went over to the exit of the building, but looked over at Xavier and raised an eyebrow. He looked up at her and he was struck with a sense of amazement. His heart began to pound and he felt a beautiful sensation in himself. Her appearance resembled his previous girlfriend back home. To the far corner of his mouth, a pleased smirk slowly formed. She examined his face and his filthy, saturated clothing, which had some blood stains riddled all over it. Xavier noticed her close observation.

"Uh, you okay?" The young woman asked cautiously.

Xavier's tiny smirk was quickly wiped off and he placed his hand gently on his side where one of the blood spots were.

"I'm uh...I'm hurt." Xavier replied in a lazy tone.

She looked closer at the blood spots on his clothes. Her eyes redirected back to Xavier's face.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" She asked curiously, but carefully.

"Fight. You have any uh..." Xavier stopped himself for a brief moment.

"You have anything to help me? I've been bleeding for a while now, haven't got the chance to stop it."

"Well, want me to get you a doc-?"

She was suddenly cut off by Xavier.

"No. No doctor." He answered firmly.

She seemed rather confused by Xavier's quick refusal.

"Can you help me? I just need anything to stop the bleeding."

She didn't respond and felt suspicious of Xavier. She instead began to walk away towards the exit.

"Please? I don't have money...or a place. I didn't even start the fight. They kicked my ass and took whatever I had left. And the shit part of it all was that they knew I didn't have anything, they just did it for the hell of it. Please, just...at least help me with the cuts?" Xavier implored her while he tried to sound as innocent as possible.

The young woman stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder and stared at Xavier. She knew she'd feel remorse if she had left him there. She looked straight ahead at the exit and tapped her right foot softly. She closed her eyes and released a faint sigh. She turned around and looked at Xavier and nodded to him.

"Fine. Come with me. I'll help you, but you'll have to leave right away, and no funny shit, okay?"

The woman tried to sound strong and firm in her tone of voice. However, Xavier just thought of it as being adorable. He nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you!" Xavier thanked her with an artificial sense of generosity, which she didn't catch.

Xavier slowly arose from the floor. While he stood up, he let out a few believable short pain filled grunts. The woman walked back over to the elevator with Xavier and the duo stepped inside. She pressed floor sixteen and shortly after, the doors closed.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Xavier. Yourself?"

"Rebecca."

"That's a pretty name, Rebecca." Xavier said charmingly.

"Heh, thanks." Rebecca chuckled.

"Lemme see the cut." Rebecca continued.

"Can't we wait until we get inside? The cut is still bleeding, don't want it all over the floor here."

Rebecca nodded.

"Alright, then."

The elevator reached their floor and they stepped out. Rebecca unlocked the door to her apartment and opened it. She stepped aside so Xavier could enter first. Once he walked in, Rebecca checked her purse to see her handgun in it. She still felt a bit skeptical of Xavier. She zipped the purse back shut and entered her apartment. Once Rebecca closed and locked the door behind her, she pointed at the couch in the living room ahead of them.

"Wait there. I'll get the stuff."

Rebecca took off her coat and hung it up on a coat rack. She kept her purse in hand and walked off into the bathroom while Xavier sat down on the couch. He looked around the apartment. It was a neat, clean, and respectable place. There were many paintings and pictured hung up on the walls as well.

Rebecca thought to herself as she searched for medical supplies.

Shit, why did I bring this guy in? A fight, seriously? No way some guys jumped him and he managed to get away with only some cuts.

She immediately stopped her search and peaked her head out of the bathroom. Rebecca walked to the living room and stared at Xavier. He looked back at her. Rebecca tightly gripped on her purse.

"Show me it."

Xavier looked at her without a word spoken.

"Show. Me. The cut."

Rebecca repeated herself and spoke in a slower and serious tone. She unzipped her purse while she stared at Xavier.

"Rebecca...truth is...I'm not that hurt. I did get in a fight, but I'm not in serious bad shape. I just needed a place to st-."

Rebecca quickly took out her handgun from her purse and aimed it at Xavier.

"Get out! Get the hell out!" Rebecca ordered Xavier.

He stood up and tried to persuade her.

"Please, miss. Just give me a chance. I had to say all those things because I was out on the streets for too long! I-I couldn't...I couldn't stand it anymore. No one would help me, no one cared or gave a damn!" Xavier pleaded.

"I said get out!" Rebecca cocked the gun.

"Would you have even let me get close to you if I had asked if I could spend a couple of nights? Or at the very least a few change? I-I had to use pity! It's the only way people listen nowadays!"

"You don't know me, asshole! I'm not going to tell you again, get out!" Rebecca shouted louder at him.

"I'm sorry for lying to you! I just have no direction anymore, I don't even have a bed to rest my head on. I can understand why you're acting like this. You think I could be a threat since I'm a stranger and all, but that's fine. C-Can you show a little compassion, please? I highly doubt you know how it feels to live on the street with no home, no warmth, and no family. You experience a lot living out there. People rather feed a stray dog than to even look at me! Can you even imagine struggling that badly and your fellow being doesn't even care? Can you?" Xavier's voice started to crack.

Rebecca stayed silent. She started to feel bad for Xavier.

"I-I implore you, please let me spend just one night. Like you said, no funny business. You can even watch me, I promise." Xavier begged.

"I'm not losing my sleep over this." Rebecca spoke softer, but maintained her serious tone.

The two stared at each other for a long period of time. Eventually, Rebecca's emotions overpowered her thoughts and reasoning.

"Fine, you can stay here for one night. Got it?"

"Thank you. Thank you so, so much!"

She lowered her gun and dropped the purse to the floor.

"I'll start to make dinner. Stay put, understand?"

"Of course! Thank you, again!"

Rebecca walked off with the gun still in hand. Xavier leaned back and sighed with a big grin on his face. It went easier than he thought it'd go. Despite his very brief stay in Venix, he fell in love with Rebecca instantly. Xavier felt that he didn't need to keep up the act for any longer and was confident that things would soon fall into place.