Chapter 01: The girl in the alley
-o-
Fate is a capricious lady.
One day you are in your living room watching your favorite series and the next day you are fighting for your life to defend a girl you just met.
These were my thoughts as I fell with my side bleeding and fighting with the mad king with whom I fell several meters high. I wasn't going to survive, but if she was going to live, that was enough for me.
As if impending death encouraged everything, my mind began to recap every second that came to this moment.
My name is Jacobo (Jack for the friends) Álvarez and I am about to die.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It all started a few days after the summer vacation started. I had just graduated from middle school and would start high school the following semester. That last year had not been the best for me, having joined in the middle of the semester and being the new kid in the class. You'd say 'hey, it's your chance to meet new people and make friends'. Well, the reality is different when you become the new toy of the bully in the class. It didn't help that I was just a skinny Latino who was a little shorter than the rest. In addition to surviving school and adolescence, I also had to do my best to stay out of sight of Franky McCallister and his monkeys, Eli and Murphy, with whom I also shared class.
Apparently having the target in the head affected not only me, but anyone who approached me, so I had no choice but to survive the few months of the semester and beg that I attend a different school from him.
Graduation went without eventualities, keeping in sight of everyone so Franky wouldn't try anything. The yearbook signing went as expected, leaving mine blank, which was normal, since I was not showing up at all, except a photo of me and SOUL EATER's Maka Albarn quote about the healthy mind and soul. As expected, my dad didn't appear at the ceremony due to a mishap at the office.
A trip later, marveling at the lines of the New York subway, I came to the apartment building where I lived. The place may not have been the kind you see in the movies, where you can sit in a chair in front of a floor-to-ceiling window and feel like a millionaire, but it was better than I thought when I moved in. The place had a separate room next to a kitchen with a dining room and a bathroom. There were three rooms: one for my dad, one for me, and one for a guest, perhaps when my mom came with my sisters.
Thinking of the latter made me uncomfortable, as it only reminded me of how hard the last year was before the divorce was finalized. Right after, Dad accepted a job in the United States from a family friend, taking me on the next flight to the Big Apple while my sisters stayed in southeastern Mexico, as one of them was already studying for a degree while the other was going to begin.
I had already left my backpack with my things, along with my diploma, in my room and I went to the kitchen to prepare something. I had a sandwich ready when my phone rang with a message from dad; obviously in Spanish.
I'M SORRY THAT I COULD NOT ATTEND THE CEREMONY. I WILL COMPENSATE YOU WITH A DINNER WHERE YOU WANT. BE READY BY 8.
I took his word for it and played my Playstation 4 until I received a video call from my mother, which made me smile and of course I answered.
My parent's brown eyes looked at me with joy, "Hello, my baby. Congratulations on your graduation."
"Hello, ma. Thank you. How is everyone over there?"
"We're fine, here are your sisters."
The camera now focused on two girls: one with dark hair down to her shoulders and the other who had it dyed a deep red.
"Hi, muffin. Mel, our little brother is already a New York high school boy," said Victoria, or Vicky, with total drama, which was usual for her.
"She'll be our shopping guide soon when we go," Melissa followed. "Outside of jokes, congratulations, Lalo. We want to see you soon."
"Me too. If all goes well, we'll go in a few days and you can take advantage of me as your slave, just like always."
"When have we done that?" Vicky objected, giving nervous glances to my mom, who might be glaring at them off camera.
"And dad? Where is he?"
"He's coming in a bit. We'll be heading out to celebrate in the evening."
"I'm glad," my mom said happily. However, her face clouded, "I would have liked to spend that important day with you."
"It's okay, Mom. We'll celebrate when we get there."
"Sure," she replied, taking a deep breath. "Well, we've already taken up enough time. I imagine you have plans with your friends."
I was silent for a second before forcing a smile, "Sure, I was going to meet some of my class for lunch and a walk before the evening."
"Very good. Be careful out there. New York is not like here."
"Sure, Mom. I love you."
"And we love you too," the three women replied before cutting off the call.
The feeling of nostalgia returned. I missed my hometown. The sun of Mexico. Going out with my friends who now have forgotten me, posting on Facebook how much fun they are having. Hanging out with my cousins. Visit my grandparents.
The hunger vanished me and I put what was left of the sandwich in the fridge and turned off my console, just laying back on the couch and looking for something on the channels that would distract me from my loneliness.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was almost 7:30 and I was already getting ready for the outing I would have with my dad. I was thinking about where we could go that night. There were several places that we had not been since we arrived in New York: Times Square, Central Park, even the top of the Empire State Building. I was excited.
I had changed into dark jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt that I had rolled up for the heat in the city, although to me it felt cooler compared to a night in Mexico.
My cell phone rings again with DAD on the screen.
"Hey, I'm ready to go."
"Yeah," I hear my dad's deep voice on the other end of the line, "look, something happened at the office and I'm staying late. I'm really sorry."
I clenched my teeth and clenched my fist, holding back all the anger I felt. I thought it would be different now, but once again I was wrong. Another empty promise that I had believed.
"It's okay. It has to be something urgent. Maybe we can celebrate it with everyone when we return to Mexico."
"About that, I think we will also have to postpone it. A project will start this week and they are asking for my help."
The silence in the room was so heavy that it could hardly be relieved by the sound of a police siren passing down the street.
"Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. I'm going out to buy something for dinner."
Before he could answer, I hung up on him.
I collapsed on the couch, grabbing a cushion and yelling out all my pent-up frustration until my throat already hurt. I still didn't understand why he had taken me. I could have stayed with my mom and my sisters. There I didn't feel alone. I could chat and joke with them every day. I could hug my mom whenever I wanted. Everything that mattered to me was there. Since we arrived, Dad was almost always out, hardly seeing him on his day off and when we had dinner. The latter was hardly happening now.
I lay on the couch, gazing at the ceiling as if a luxury ticket to Mexico had come off there. My stomach rumbled, condoning the forgotten promise of dinner. I grabbed my wallet and left the apartment, letting the sound of the city drown out my annoyance.
The good thing about the area where I lived was that there was a bit of everything. From a grocery store to an Italian restaurant I've only been to once. I couldn't decide if I wanted to eat something on the spot and enjoy some time outside the apartment or order take out, maybe to eat and watch a series or movie via streaming.
I was already deciding on a hamburger with fries when something in the distance caught my eye. A girl was running past, wearing a black jacket and dark jeans. In her hand she carried a bow and on her back a quiver with a few arrows. She disappeared from my field of vision as quickly as she appeared. What followed next puzzled me, as the girl seemed to be running from two people in suits, whose heads were not human but wolf. For a moment I thought I was seeing things, as other passersby didn't seem to see anything strange about it.
I could have stood there, shrugging and thinking 'Crazy New Yorkers' before I bought my dinner and went home to forget what happened. However, I did the opposite.
Controlled by curiosity, I followed where the corridors disappeared until reaching an alley, where the girl's exclamations were heard amidst the sound of fighting. I could have picked up my phone and called the police, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't rushing into sudden conclusions, so I followed the clamor of the battle until I reached a more open area between the walls. I hid behind a corner and watched what was happening, although I couldn't make sense of what I saw.
The girl had her bow drawn with an arrow aimed at one of the wolves. Her posture was like Legolas', with her gaze fixed on her attackers and her pulse steady. The only lamp in the place allowed me to see her well with her short dark hair, with a punk style. Her blue eyes seemed as if they were about to release lightning on anyone who dared to see her.
The other two didn't look like anything I'd ever seen before, as from foot to neck they looked like normal people in a black suit and polished shoes, but from neck up they were wolf heads. One had gray fur while the other was brown. For a moment I thought they were masks until they showed their fangs and growled at the girl. Both were wielding some golden swords that shone with the light in the alley.
One of the lupines lunged, dodging the girl's arrow before she was struck down by another shot. Instead of a body falling to the pavement, the creature disintegrated into golden other took advantage of his partner's sacrifice and attacked, deflecting the projectiles with the sword in his hands (claws?) and slashing at the girl, who evaded it answered by swinging her bow.
The combatants were so engrossed in combat that they did not notice a figure slipping into the shadows. The stranger got close enough to make out another wolf who wore the same outfit with darker fur and which raised a type of pistol pointed at the girl.
"WATCH OUT!" I screamed, forgetting that I shouldn't be there.
The girl and the gray wolf turned to face me, but suddenly there was a kind of hiss and she gasped before collapsing against the wall behind.
She quickly grabbed a bow from her quiver and shot it at the dark furry with an accurate head shot before losing her grip on her weapon as her arms went limp. The killed wolf fell backward and turned to dust before hitting the ground. The only thing we were standing was the gray wolf and, unfortunately, me.
My eyes quickly went to the sword the other wolf dropped, and the creature noticed that too. If I ran, most likely that thing would chase me and I was not an athlete to say the least. It would have caught me in a few seconds. Then I thought of something stupid.
My hand felt a metal tube and I threw it as hard as I could at the wolf, who cut it easily with its sword. It was a single second, but I took advantage of it to pounce on the weapon, but I would not arrive in time since the other was faster. Then a funny thing happened when it had rolled back into the wolf's path, causing it to lose its balance and crash into a garbage container.
My hand reached for the sword, but I could barely lift it. It was heavier than expected, causing me to wheeze when wielding it. Well, I already had a weapon. The problem was how to use it. I could have made use of what I had learned by watching movies, anime, or video games, but my mind was blank at the time except for a clear message in my head: SURVIVE.
The wolf head lunged at me, sword raised, sending a downward slash that I awkwardly tried to block, but could only deflect it with the edge sliding along my blade. My arm went numb from the impact and I wasn't fast enough to avoid a kick to the chest, knocking the air out of me before hitting the ground.
I was stunned for a moment before seeing the beast standing in front of me, with its suit stained with dirt on his black pants that must be worth more than I could ever afford. The wolf's mouth was twisted so that I could see its fangs in a smile that I hoped I would never see again. It reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol like the one the other lupine had before it was disintegrated. With a small laugh of satisfaction, it pulled the trigger and a thud was heard before feeling a sharp prod on my shoulder. I reached out to grab whatever stung me and what I found was a green dart with a needle of a size you wouldn't see in a doctor's office.
We were both silent for several seconds, waiting if I had the same fate as the girl who was still immobile against the wall. It was about 3 seconds in which it was evident that nothing would happen. The wolf's smile faded, shocked by the fact that its plan hadn't gone as it had hoped. I could have said a clever phrase, but the only thing that came to mind was:
"Ouch."
I gripped the sword and quickly lunged at the suit, plunging the blade into the chest and the wolf vanished, leaving a shower of dust that fell on me as if I was celebrating my first victory. I was waiting for a message to come out that would say that I had leveled up, but that didn't happen.
Silence reigned in the alley, only with the sound of the city reminding us that the world kept turning. I was breathing heavily and lost my grip on the sword by my trembling hand. Everything that had happened in those seconds seemed so unreal to the point that I thought I would wake up in my apartment, being all a dream.
I heard a groan. The girl was shaking her head weakly. She said something I didn't hear, so I went over and knelt down.
"Easy, I'll call the police."
"No ... don't call them ... they wouldn't understand ... I need to go to a safe place."
What could I do? I couldn't leave her alone there in that alley with so many crazy people nearby, but I didn't know if it was good to take her to the apartment; I wouldn't know how to explain to my dad that I had rescued a girl from business werewolves. Although, if he doesn't know...
"You can get up?"
From the face she made, she seemed to be making an effort to move, but she could barely move her leg.
"Nothing... whatever they injected me... it's working fast ..."
That was strange to me. The dart had hit me, but I didn't feel like it was having the same effect as her, except for the stab where it had landed.
"Is it okay if I carry you on my back?"
The girl stared at me with narrowed eyes, perhaps distrusting me or seeing how I blushed at the idea. As uncomfortable as the proposal was, there was no other way to get her to safety if she couldn't stand up.
"If there's no other choice, but I don't think I have enough strength in my arms to hold me. Maybe if you tie my jacket around us, I can hold on until I get to wherever you go."
"O-ok, so I ..." I hesitated pointing at her to signal her jacket.
"You will have to remove it, since I cannot move."
It felt like my face was on fire as I got closer and moved her body to remove the garment with her quiver, remaining with a Green Day t-shirt. I turned my back to her and took her by her arms to position her over me. Once well settled, I passed the body jacket over her waist and tied her in my wind until we were sure that she would not fall off. However, as a precaution, I took her bow and passed it over us, as reinforcement. I admit, feeling her warm body against my back made me think of things that made me blush even more, but I put those thoughts aside for the moment and took the quiver.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes ..." she replied slowly.
I walked slowly and with caution; partly to be alert if someone approached and partly because I was not very confident in my strength if I walked fast and stumbled. The clamor of the street welcomed us again, with cars and pedestrians coming and going without stopping in one of the world's busiest cities. It didn't seem like no one was there, so I made my way back to my apartment.
"Those things ... what were they?"
"What did you see?"
"Those wolf-headed men. Were they werewolves?"
"Cynocephali," she replied. "Could you see them? Are you a demigod?"
"A what?"
"Forget it... It'll be something for another time if I survive," she said weakly. "I feel tired... I can't stay awake for long."
"Hold on for a few more blocks. We're almost there."
"What is your name?"
"Jacobo... Jacobo Álvarez."
"Thalia Grace."
Then she was silent and I felt a deep breath on my walnut that made my skin crawl, but I continued with a firm step until I reached the entrance of the apartment building and stealthily entered to avoid meeting someone who might be alarmed to see me with an unconscious girl in my back. Going up 5 floors was going to be an impossible feat for me, so I took the elevator and reached the apartment door without a hitch.
Doing quite a bit of maneuvering to reach the keys, I opened the door and stepped inside before anyone saw me in the hall.
"Dad, are you home?" I said to make sure there was no one; for the first time I was glad that it was so.
I carried Thalia to my room and laid her on my bed carefully. She didn't look like she had any injuries so it was a relief as I didn't think I was good at giving first aid.
Everything that was happening seemed unreal. Those werewolves ... I mean, Cynocephali, they were so out of the ordinary it seemed like a thing of a nightmare, but yet I had fought one of them. He wanted to know exactly what was going on, but he would have no answers until the Thalia girl woke up.
I got up from my chair and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water when I suddenly felt dizzy and felt the world spin. Before I could take a step, I crashed onto the gray carpet in my room and everything went dark.
Hello there. I'm jeit93 and I'm starting this new project called The Legacy of the Owl.
After finishing the Tower of Nero and filling the void I felt while Uncle Rick works in the Disney+ adapation, I wanted to start an own story with an OC that I'll be developing.
Thanks for reading, forgive any mispell and I hope to see you again in the next chapter.