As the sun finally melted into the sky, Angel pulled into her driveway once again, ready to call it a day. Getting out of her car, she looked up into the sky seeing the clouds moving in, as rain approached. Rushing on inside, as a gust of wind blew up; she stared through some of her hair at Raimundo on the couch. She simply reached up and moved the hair from her face as she stated, "I'm sorry I left you here by yourself, I kinda remembered some things I had to do."
He merely held his hand up to her and shook his head, "No…it's alright. It's been pretty quiet. That little boy of yours is really something else. I don't mean to pry, but how old are you?"
"Not as old as I should be for a kid," she responded as she walked on past him and behind the couch, "But old enough to know that it's my responsibility now. Mark is my pride and joy, and the only thing left in this world worth living for anymore." She stated lowly as her eyes and thoughts wandered out the window in front of her.
Raimundo stood from the couch and looked across the way at her, and merely frowned at her back as she disappeared from him mentally. He had been intrigued by her since their meeting, but the conversation they had actually shared had been very light. One of the things he found so appealing about her was her mystery and her lack of words. He wanted to get to know her, but at the same time, he didn't want to press to hard. Smiling, he took a few steps toward her as he requested, "I hate to be a bother but…is there anything around here I can get to eat. I'm getting a little hungry." He reached up and placed his hand to his stomach.
Angel turned back to him, passing off the thoughts of the growing storm, but most of all, the boy that had begged her for help at P.J's. She wasn't quite sure why he had popped back into her mind at the moment, but guessed it must be the fact it was going to rain. Nodding, she started to the kitchen, "Yeah, I'm sure we can come up with something."
"Great," his smile widened as he stepped into the kitchen behind her.
Slowly, across the other side of town, Jack walked on unsure of what he was going to do. He had taken note of the growing storm above him, but had also come to the conclusion that he might just have to get rained on. He sighed as he came upon a playground sitting outside a large apartment complex, and went over taking a seat upon one of the swings. Like two lead weights, he let his feet dangle and drag within the sand, his thoughts escaping him for the moment. However, he quickly came out of his state of slight hypnosis when a loud clap of thunder shouted out from above.
Jumping up from the swing, Jack turned to look back at the buildings there wondering if he could take refuge inside one, but reeled backwards as he came face to face with a smiling girl. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly at him, as she giggled at him now sitting on the ground. Placing her hands behind her back, she leaned forward to look at him better as she asked playfully, "Awfully bad weather to be swinging in, don't you think?"
"I wasn't swinging." Jack got his feet under him again and stood up. The girl went over and looked the swing over, then looked toward him but stared shocked as he stated, "I was just sitting in it."
"It's going to rain." She informed him, "Do you live around here? If you do, I might suggest you go home…it's supposed to be bad. By the way, I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"
"I don't live here." He informed her, "I'm just…out."
"Oh," she nodded, "Where at?"
Jack only turned his gaze away as he shrugged. The girls eyebrows rose at his simple gesture, but her concern grew, "Do you have somewhere to go?"
"No." he stated hoping she might have somewhere for him to go.
"That's too bad," she made a displeased face, "What are you going to do?"
"Why do you care?" he snapped.
"No need to get hasty. I was going to say, if you don't have a place to go, you could always come and stay inside with me. Of course," she looked back to the building, "My mom can't find out. She'd kick my ass."
Jack's eyes grew huge as he watched her, wondering why he was even having second thoughts on taking her up on her offer, but was taken by surprise when another loud clap of thunder rang from above. Without a hesitation, he jumped over close to her, hiding behind her like a child behind its mother, as he squeaked, "Okay…let's go."
"Thought you might say that, come on, but you have to do exactly as I say. If you get me in trouble…I'll kick you out myself." She told him. Jack only held tightly to her shoulder as his head nodded profusely, and without pausing, he quickly followed her on toward the buildings.
After so diligently sneaking into the girl's apartment, and then her room, Jack had most certainly begun to feel uncomfortable. He stood just inside the door wondering what he'd gotten himself into, as she rummaged through her closet. Finally, after searching for a moment, she turned back to him, her arms loaded with blankets and pillows. Walking back to the side of the room he was on, she threw the things onto the floor and grinned, "There. Those are for you."
Jack looked down at the things, walked over and nudged at them with the toe of his boot. Without much movement in his head, he glanced up at her finally asking the question that had been on his mind, "What will happen if your mother finds me here?"
"Hmmm…" she thought for a moment, "First off, she'll yell at me, and accuse me of having sex with you…"
Jack's throat seemed to close off as she said that, and he no longer felt able to breath. Wishing now he had just left the question alone, he took a step back and slapped his hand over his mouth to keep the upcoming scream from bellowing out. Knowing he wouldn't be able to hold it in for a very long time, he grabbed up one of the pillows from the floor and placed it to his face where he screamed as loudly as he could.
The girl seemed to find it amusing as she busted out laughing, until tears had begun to squirt from her eyes. By this time, Jack had lowered the pillow and now just held to it in his hand as he glared at her from across the room. Slowly, she stifled her laughter until she managed, "You should have seen the look on your face…it was priceless."
"No…thank you." He grumbled as he allowed the pillow to fall from his hand now. Sighing, he knew he had no choice but to stay, and finally sat down on his knees in the floor. As he spread the blankets out on the floor for a bed, he noticed out of the corner of his eye, her watching him. She smiled as she did so, until she finally asked, "So what's your name? Mine's Elena."
"Jack," he replied as he still fixed the covers, "Jack Spicer."
"Jack," she grinned, "Hee…"
Beginning to feel unnerved by her reactions to him, he finally just turned and sat down on the blankets and proceeded with taking the boots from his feet. Elena watched him from her bed, finally making him ask, "Don't you have anything better to do than just stare?"
"Nope." She shook her head.
"What about that?" he pointed to a television at the front of her room, "Why don't you turn that on and watch it instead?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, "I find you more fascinating. Besides, I want to get to know you a little more. Names are one thing, but isn't there anything you would like to talk about?"
Jack cocked an eyebrow at her request as he placed his hand to his chin and thought, but after only a moment he shook his head, "Nope…not really. Sleep would be great right about now."
Elena only frowned and rolled her eyes, "Alright then. Go ahead and go to boring sleep."
"And I will." He replied as he removed his long black overcoat. Elena's eyes sparkled as she watched him, but then she giggled lowly. Jack, after laying the coat aside, looked back to her, not even having to ask the question she could see in his eyes.
"Your skin," she pointed out, "It's so white."
Jack, once again feeling very insecure, looked down at his now bare arm and sighed, "Duh…do you honestly think I didn't know that?"
"Uhmm…" she watched him for a moment longer, and then before he knew what happened, she had leaned forward and softly stroked the skin on his right arm. Allowing his own hand to fall, he let out a quick shrill squeal and jumped up pointing his finger at her, "Okay lady! If I'm going to be staying here, then you have to learn about boundaries!"
"You have boundaries?" she questioned him.
"Yes," he touched his arm like she had hit him, "And that would be…no touching me. I won't touch you and you won't touch me. Got it?"
"You can touch me." She smiled sweetly at him. Again a squeal escaped his mouth, and he flopped back down on the pallet he had made, still gripping to his arm. Elena only laughed at him protecting himself, and she finally nodded, "Alright, fine, you win. I won't touch you. However, if you ever decide," she batted her eyes, "You can still touch me."
"No." Jack sulked up as he lay down once again and turned to face away from her. Elena only smiled to herself, and then got up to turn the light off, but upon the switch being flipped and the room growing dark, Jack once again let out a shrill scream.
Quickly Elena turned the light back on and stared at him confused, "What the hell was that?"
"Uhm…" he glanced toward the lamp beside her bed, "Would there be anyway we could leave that on?" he pointed with his finger toward the small light. Blinking in disbelief, Elena only nodded as she walked over and turned the lamp on, then went back turning the main light off again. Jack let his grip on the blanket go, and then lay back again on the pillow. Elena went around him as she made her way back to her bed again and soon snuggled under her own blankets to sleep as the storm passed on.
That night, as Angel slept, images overtook her mind. Images of the red haired boy outside of the store, and the vivid pictures of him kneeling before her haunted her mind as she restlessly slept. Within her dream world, she had begun to wonder if she had made a huge mistake, and thus set out to the store to see if she could find him.
The street lights flickered eerily as she walked along the sidewalk, knowing full and well where she was headed, the ground underneath her not causing any sensation at all to her feet, almost like she was walking on air. Around her, the atmosphere felt threatening like that of the feeling of being watched by someone or something. However, despite the fear growing within her, she continued on in search of P.J's and the boy who now visited her mind more than she liked.
Finally, she rounded the corner facing the store, a quick and cold wind blowing her direction as she stared at the dimly lit building in the background. Picking her pace up, Angel tried to reach the store but it seemed no matter how much she walked, it always stayed in the same mocking place. Getting aggravated, she stomped her foot on the ground where she stood, but gasped out as something beneath her sent a sharp pain from her heel all the way up to her head. Lifting her foot, she stared down at the blood that ran out wondering why she had ever left without her shoes.
Once again, she raised her head to look in front of her and immediately upon doing so she noticed the numbers of first a one then a three upon a sign there. Blinking, she gazed at them a moment, questioning why they disturbed her so but shook her head and tried to continue onward. This time, slowly, she made progress to the store and once she stood outside the door, she quickly noticed the boy sitting at the table he had waited at.
His back faced her, but it didn't stop her from stepping inside the door, and though they were the only one's there, not even the ding from the door alerted him. Angel, feeling full of regret now took a few more steps toward him, until she stood just behind him. Unsure of what to say, she closed her eyes and merely let out a low, "Hey."
Without turning, moving, or even seeming to breath, the boy simply asked out, "Why?"
"Why what," Angel asked in a whisper.
"Why," he finally turned to her, his eyes seeming empty and lifeless as he demanded, "why didn't you help me!?"
Angel's eyes flew open, and she breathed heavily from the scene she had just gone through. However, as she came too a little more, she realized she was soaked to the bone and no longer in her bed. In the distance she heard someone calling out her name, only to turn and see Raimundo there behind her, and carrying an umbrella.
"Angel!" he called out to her as he joined her side, "What on earth are you doing out here like this!?"
"What?" she simply turned to him, still seeming in a state of confusion. Raimundo simply put his arm around her waist and led her back up the street, and back toward her house.
Once dry, and now sitting on the couch, Angel sat wrapped up in a blanket, still thinking of the dream she had just experienced. She thought of it hard, and no matter how she tried, she couldn't comprehend what about it bothered her so. Raimundo sat beside her, wondering if she would ever snap out of it, until he finally broke the silence as he asked, "Angel?"
"Yeah?" she now looked at him.
"Are you okay?" he watched her concerned.
"I'm fine." She looked away and down at her hands, "I just had a dream. It's not unusual for me to do that." She lied. Raimundo nodded at her reply as he stated, "So you were dreaming, I was wondering that when I woke up and saw you walking out the door into a raging storm."
"Yeah," she still seemed faintly distant, "I'm sorry I woke you."
"I'm not," he shook his head with an unsure laugh, "If I hadn't woke up, there is no telling where you would have ended up."
Angel laughed slightly too, "No kidding, and thanks."
"It's no problem. I'm just glad I was here to help. Are you going to be okay?" he seemed to press. Angel merely nodded her head as she stood from the couch, "I'll be alright," she assured him, "But I do think I need to head back to bed."
"Okay," he nodded, "Sleep well."
"Night." She waved to him and then exited the room. Raimundo watched her, knowing she wasn't telling him everything to it, but decided not to push it too much and let it be so he could also try and get back to sleep.
Angel walked on back to her room, but stopped just outside the door to glance back at Raimundo on the couch, asking herself in her mind why he cared so much. Shaking her head, she walked on through the door and into her room. Removing the blanket from her shoulders, she tossed it onto the bed that she then walked to and took a seat on the edge. Lifting her foot up off the floor, she looked down at it and the huge gash that was now cut into it. Sighing, she knew she must have stepped on something, but at the same time wondered why it didn't wake her from her sleep.
"Tomorrow," she stated to herself as she thought of the boy, "I will find you. I can't go on with this guilt. Once I see that you're alright, I can go on with my life and forget any of this ever happened." Placing her fingers to her forehead, she rubbed at her temple a bit before spreading the blanket a little and then stretching out on the bed, wondering if soon sleep would find her, but at the same time fearing that it would.