Hello readers and welcome to I Am Your Angel. Trying my hands at a random pairing here and hope to goodness it works out.
Not sure how long this is gonna run. If I can help it, not more than 6 chapters.
Key: "Normal speech" 'Thoughts' "Letters, TV or text messages"
1
A young man was walking home from work early one cloudy morning, weary from the long night shift. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and get some sleep but the weather had other ideas, rain pouring down from the heavens. Tiny droplets felt like sharp needles piercing his skin so he took refuge in a sheltered alleyway. With a growl of annoyance he wrung the water out of shoulder length gray hair, shaking his cold hands afterward. There was an almighty sound of knocked over trash cans followed by a cat bolting up the dark alley shrieking in fright that gave him quite a scare, heart pounding hard against his ribcage.
Curious as to what had caused all the commotion, he crept silently toward where the disturbance occurred. In the dim light not much was visible, an awful smell floating in the air. The clouds above opened like a blanket of curtains, early morning sunlight breaking out of its dark prison. Bright spears of light trickled down toward the ground forming a perfect circle around the body of a girl. She looked to be sleeping or unconscious. Not knowing if the maiden before him was laid out as a trap, the young man advanced towards her with understandable caution. Nothing in the alleyway moved as he crouched down to check the lass for injuries.
Her skin gave off a porcelain-like appearance and he likened its shade to fresh snow. She was clad in nothing but a thin white gown that stopped at the knees. It didn't look like the girl would wake up any time soon and the young man pondered on what he should do with her. Leaving the unconscious lass in the alley would have unpleasant consequences for her. He could either take the girl home or drop her off at the police station. The latter was enticing until he realised the station was several miles away. Heaving a sigh, the young man decided to take the girl to his apartment.
With the hour being early, not many people were out and about, giving the young man chance to get his quarry home with no issue. Opening the door he was met with a strong waft of warm air. The girl mumbled in his arms and trembled slightly to the rush of heat against her icy skin. He stepped silently into the one bed apartment he rented and set the girl down in his bed, covering her with the quilt carefully. Rummaging through a cupboard he found a pillow and blanket for himself to crash on the sofa until a saner hour.
Lilac eyes gazed lazily at the ceiling as the youth wondered where the unnamed maiden had come from. Was she a runaway? Had she escaped from vile abusers or kidnappers? Or was she an illegal immigrant seeking refuge? With a shrug he pushed those thoughts from his mind. It would be up to the police to interrogate her. Before he knew it, sleep claimed him, lulled into its embrace by the soft pitter-patter of rain outside. His dreams were filled with pleasant fantasies instead of the usual nightmares that plagued him. The girl was there too, standing atop a green hill wearing a soft lilac dress and matching wide brimmed hat.
He couldn't see her face too clearly, probably due to not remembering it yet. A gentle breeze circled the field, making the dress she wore dance gracefully to a soundless tune. What bothered him the most was the white feathered wings at the girl's back and halo of pure light above her head. He bolted awake as the sky in his dream turned dark, skin beading with sweat. Lilac eyes darted around in a panic, latching onto a wall mounted clock.
'5am. Strange. That dream felt like it had run for hours. My mind must be tripping if it conjured up an Angel. No such thing exists. I should try to get more sleep.'
Try as he might the youthful male couldn't drift back to sleep so he sat in silence just thinking.
Lilac orbs snapped open in shock, met immediately with an angelic face and an outstretched arm. The young man had feebly hoped finding a girl unconscious down a dark alley was nothing but a dream yet there she was standing in front of him looking more concerned than confused. He blinked a few times in order to register that a new day had dawned. She did the same with the addition of slowly backing away to give her rescuer some space. In the distance a kettle could be heard whistling on the stove, drawing the unnamed maiden from her daze. Worried his temporary flat mate might hurt herself; the young man gave chase and quickly moved her away from the hot oven.
Him doing so seemed to scare her as she backed up into a corner, fear rife in rosy pink eyes. Realising he'd either been too hasty or too rough, the unnamed teen tried to look less intimidating as he crouched down at a safe distance from the girl. He wanted to say something but no words would come. The girl watched as her rescuer moved over to a cabinet, retrieving a pen and some paper. Every move of the pen seemed to mesmerize her, squeaking adorably in minor fright to the paper being held out. She took it nervously and didn't start reading until he'd turned away. His handwriting was neat, telling he was educated.
"Last night I found you outside down a dark alleyway. You were unconscious so I brought you home with me before some creep could get near. I'm not supposed to have people stay with me for long so I'll have to take you down to the station later to find out where you came from and either get you home or somewhere safe that's more permanent. And…sorry I freaked you out. I just didn't want you getting hurt using that old kettle. If it'll make you feel a little more comfortable, my name's Bryan. Go sit yourself down in the room you found me and I'll be through shortly with a pot of tea."
Having a name to the young man's face certainly did help the frightened lass to calm down. She did as Bryan told her, sitting ever so daintily on the couch. While waiting for him to come back, the girl looked around. Drab magnolia coloured wallpaper decorated the walls and the floor was laid with a soft pastel gray carpet. Aside from a TV sitting atop a black wooden stand, a coffee table and the couch, the room was empty and somewhat depressing. Either Bryan hadn't been living in the flat long or he just didn't care to furnish the place better. Now that she thought about it, the girl didn't know why Bryan had been outside in the small hours of the morning.
Her mental wanderings came to an end when he strode into the room carrying the promised pot of tea on a bland white tray with some cups, a pot of sugar and a small jug of milk. As he placed the tray down, the unnamed maiden got a better look at him. Bryan was tall, possibly just under 6ft with a mildly buff athletic figure. She aged him to be in his late teens or early twenties at best. Bryan sat down on the other side of the sofa and poured two cups of tea, allowing his temporary housemate to add milk and sugar to hers. He took it dark with one sugar. An awkward silence hung in the air as Bryan looked at the girl from the corner of his eye. Her hair was short, stopping just below the chin and a similar shade of pink to her eyes.
Two sprigs of hair stuck up in the middle of her head. They looked almost like the antennae you'd find on a butterfly. Feature wise she was cute with her softly angled face and rounded eyes. The dress she wore wasn't very form fitting and hid any form of curve the girl might have. As for her age, Bryan wasn't sure. If he had to guess, he'd say a year or two younger than him. Finishing his tea, Bryan went off in search of some clothes for the lass to wear. It would be cruel to make her go back out in that awful thin dress.
With Jane Doe in a clean pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt and some sneakers that somehow fit, Bryan grabbed everything he needed for the trip to the police station. The bright sunlight outside made him cringe in mild pain. He hated sunlight, more accustomed to the dimmer evenings that usually accompanied him. The girl stuck to Bryan like glue as they strolled along the streets, making it look natural at his insistence to avoid getting any funny looks or people getting suspicious. In truth, having a girl grasping his hand for dear life made Bryan incredibly nervous. He'd made it through school without getting a girlfriend, mostly because he didn't want one. And secondly because he was hopeless at talking to females.
Regardless, Bryan kept a gentle yet firm grip on Jane Doe's smaller, softer hand. They waited for a bus in agonising silence, receiving a few side glances from passers by. Once the public transport vehicle arrived, Bryan half pulled his quarry into it, told the driver where they wanted to go, paid the fare and located two empty seats near the back. She seemed almost afraid to go near the bus if her trembling was anything to go by. Bryan sat himself by the aisle to hopefully give her some form of comfort. Nothing of note happened on the journey other than kids being loud giving Bryan an unwanted headache. He gladly departed from the bus once it arrived at the correct stop, Jane Doe shuffling along behind him.
Bryan wouldn't admit it aloud, but being in the police station made him nervous. He'd always stayed on the right side of the law, even when friends hadn't. The receptionist who greeted him certainly didn't help matters, her cold blue eyes staring from behind large round glasses was enough to make Bryan want to tuck tail and run.
"Can I help you?"
"Um. I'm not sure. I found this young lady in the early hours of this morning with no personal effects and think she may be lost or ran away from home."
The receptionist tapped away at her keyboard before making a brief call, probably to the first available officer she could get. When told, Bryan took a seat off to one side, the girl following obediently. They weren't waiting long for someone, approached by a young woman with long mousey blonde hair and cheerful green eyes. Age wise she was mid twenties or early thirties.
"Mr. Kuznetskov?"
"That's me."
"I'm Officer Mizahura and I'll be handling your case. Please come with me so we can discuss the situation in more detail."
It took some tugging, but Bryan was able to get Jane Doe off the comfy sofa, hoping that they were about to find some form of clue as to where she'd come from. Officer Mizahura's office was only a few minutes away from the lobby.
"Please have a seat."
Bryan didn't dare disobey regardless of how nice he was being treated, his actions mimicked by the unnamed girl.
"Now then" Officer Mizahura began "Start from the beginning, Mr. Kuznetskov."
"Right. I was on my way home from work at around 4am this morning and while taking shelter in an alleyway, I found this young lady in only a white dress. She had no form of ID that I could find nearby. Not knowing what else to do, I brought her here."
"I see. Well it's a good job you found her before somebody with sinister motives did. Has she spoken to you at all since your meeting?"
Bryan shook his head negatively. The only words exchanged had been written ones from him. Officer Mizahura now turned her attention to the girl.
"Young lady, do you have any memory of who you are or where you came from? We want to help you get home safe and sound but to do that we need to know your name."
Jane Doe stared at her hands that were sat neatly in her lap, trying hard to recall anything that might help. After what felt like hours she looked up at Officer Mizahura.
"My name…I think… I think it's…Mathilda Alster."
Bryan's nerves raced a mile a minute as Officer Mizahura typed the name given into her computer. After about ten minutes of searching she sighed in defeat. She wanted to try one more thing before giving up entirely.
"Ms. Alster I would like to run your prints through the system to see if they match any we have on file. Your name isn't in our database and that worries me."
Mathilda inclined her head to the side in confusion. Prints? What prints? In front of her Officer Mizahura placed a black ink slab and a sheet of paper. Bryan watched silently as Mathilda was physically guided to putting her fingerprints in the correct boxes until all of them were full and provided with a wipe to clean the ink away. The sheet of prints was then scanned through a machine at the lab down the hall. There wasn't a single hint of success on Officer Mizahura's face that Bryan could see, telling him they'd hit the worst possible barrier…a dead end.
"Is everything all right, Officer?"
"Well it's not looking good I'm afraid. Ms. Alster's prints weren't in the system nor did they match any even partially. It's like she doesn't even exist. The only thing we can do now is ask the public for help by sending Mathilda's picture to every country to try and find her family if she has one. Until then, I would like to propose that Mathilda be placed somewhere secure. A young woman's institute perhaps. Just until we can try to find a lead."
Mathilda certainly didn't like the sound of being taken away from her hero, hugging Bryan's arm fiercely. By all rights she looked terrified. And Officer Mizahura noticed Mathilda's reluctance to be torn from Bryan while he'd gone red in the face while trying to gently get his arm free. Officer Mizahura had an idea, but she'd need to contact Bryan's landlord or whoever he rented his apartment from.
"Mr. Kuznetskov, would you be so kind as to provide me with the details of the lettings agency or landlord for your home?"
Bryan already didn't like where things were going. Yes he wanted Mathilda to be safe but having her live with him would really mess with him and his routine. And he hated his routine being disrupted. Officer Mizahura was on the phone for only ten minutes, facing the duo with a beaming smile.
"Your landlord has agreed to let Ms. Alster stay with you for a few months until we can either find her family or set up a new identity for her so she can make a new life here."
Bryan went deathly pale, feeling trapped all of a sudden. Mathilda on the hand couldn't be happier, clinging to Bryan more. He could already see one area they'd have to work on during her stay. Officer Mizahura figured that Mathilda didn't have any clothes of her own, devising a plan to get the young woman prepared for the road ahead. She sent Bryan off with instructions to keep his contact number open should she need to get in touch.
Leaving the police station left Bryan with new problems instead of a single solved one. He was no closer to finding where Mathilda came from and now had to live with her until further notice. Rather than go home, Bryan decided to visit a friend who he hoped might be able to help. Mathilda trailed behind Bryan as he walked, wide eyed as she took in her surroundings. Nothing looked or smelled familiar. Yet she didn't know why. Their journey came to an end outside a pub. It wasn't currently open to the public so Bryan had to knock on a side door. To his call came a tall man who oozed intimidation. His short sandy blonde hair was neatly pushed back, green eyes giving off an aura of annoyance until they saw Bryan.
"Well there's a rare sight. What brings you from your lair of darkness this fine day, Bryan?"
"Cut the crap Spencer. Can we come in? It's important."
Mathilda shrunk when Spencer's eyes zoomed in on her, squeaking in terror. As Bryan hoped, Spencer welcomed them into his domain.
Unlike its owner, the pub had a warm, welcoming feel to it. The décor was western in style, not too dark and not too bright. Clearly the burly gent had taken inspiration from Britain at some point. While Bryan and Mathilda got comfy in one of the many booths, Spencer went to prepare some drinks and snacks. He returned to find Mathilda almost curled into a ball at Bryan's side. Judging by the perplexed look on his face, she hadn't sat down that way. Spencer set the tray down with unexpected care and arranged everything on the table where it could be easily reached by all parties before sitting on the long seat opposite Bryan. "So then." Spencer started while pouring three cups of tea.
"If you've come out of hiding this early in the day, I'm guessing you want something Bryan."
Said young adult took one of the cups and seasoned it to his liking, watching Mathilda do the same but with trembling hands.
"What I want shouldn't inconvenience you, Spencer." Bryan grumbled, breathing in the unmistakable aroma from his homeland. "On my way home from work I found Mathilda out cold down an alley. Our morning trip to the police station has left us no closer to finding where she came from. Being a bar owner, I figured you saw all sorts of folks on the daily and kinda hoped you might help a brother out. The faster we can find Mathilda's family the better so if you can maybe ask around or something it'd certainly be helpful."
"Shouldn't you leave such things to the police? That's part of their job y'know."
Bryan going pink in the face told Spencer why he wanted Mathilda gone faster, mentally wishing to meet the officer who had put his friend in such an awkward position to praise them on a job well done. If being forced to live with a girl didn't get Bryan used to communicating with them he didn't know what would. Too long the night worker had been inept at dealing with women.
Bryan and Mathilda left the bar feeling a little refreshed. Spencer hadn't promised to help, but said he'd at least keep his ears to the floor. If he didn't know any better, Bryan would say that Spencer got a kick out of his discomfort. Arriving home, he felt suddenly tired. Mathilda watched him trundle around the apartment with concerned eyes. She couldn't understand why he wanted her gone so badly. Mathilda guessed he probably had a significant other and didn't want to be caught with another woman in his home. Yes that must be it.
Before Bryan could even get near his bed, Mathilda seized his hand, her face flushed pink. Looking at his new flat mate, Bryan identified that she was in some form of discomfort. Thinking she needed the bathroom, he led Mathilda across the hall and through a door. She showed no understanding of the room if her puzzled expression was anything to go by. Heaving a weary, agitated sigh, Bryan gave her a brief run down of how to use the restroom, vanishing into his bedroom shortly after not thinking what the pinkette would do while he got a few hours of sleep. He was dead to the world within minutes of hitting the pillows, quilt still tossed aside.
Mathilda finished in the bathroom some five minutes later feeling refreshed. Poking her head into Bryan's room, she saw he was already fast asleep but hadn't covered himself. With care not to disturb him, Mathilda crept towards the bed and gently pulled the quilt to rest over his shoulders. Bryan grumbled a little but didn't wake. Mathilda knew she shouldn't linger in the room any longer or else she risked Bryan feeling her presence and being disturbed but she could shake the feeling that he looked familiar. In the back of her mind was the foggy memory of a man who looked just like him but she couldn't make out any defining features. Shrugging it to one side, Mathilda placed a soft kiss to Bryan's brow and left him to rest.
And with that little nugget this chapter comes to an end. The mystery of Ms. Alster will continue in chapter two.
Who is she? Where did she come from? And who is that man she likens to Bryan in appearance?
Will Bryan finally get over his issues talking with the opposite sex? Why does he find it hard to do so? And just what is having Mathilda living with him going to do to his life?
All will be solved later, dear readers. One mystery at a time my darlings. Until then, take care.