When April finished work at eight, one hour later, she found Michael slumped against the wall by the front door.
"What are YOU still doing here?" she inquired.
Michael shrugged, keeping his eyes ahead, looking at the horizon. "I don't have anywhere to be."
"Why don't you go back to the motel you're staying at," April suggested.
"I'm not staying at a motel," Michael told her. "I have no money."
April was baffled. "Then where are you staying? And why don't you have money?"
"I stayed at an abandoned house last night," Michael explained, "And I lost the money."
"Let me guess-poker game?"
Michael nodded even though he hadn't really heard what she'd asked him.
"Well then maybe next time you'll rethink putting all you money on the table," April said.
Michael stayed silent, still starring into the distance. He appeared to be out of place and mournful. Watching him just sitting there made April feel guilty.
She sighed. "How about I give you my guest room to sleep in tonight?"
Michael craned his neck to look up at her and his face brightened. "Really?"
"Yes," April affirmed.
Michael stood up. "Thanks."
He followed her to her navy blue Chevy Sierra and climbed into the passenger side of the truck.
It was uncomfortable for him because he wasn't used to tight spaces but Michael was just grateful he was going to have a bed to sleep on and that he could watch over April. He was one step closer to getting back his wings.
"So, Michael," April said after driving onto the road. "Where exactly did you sleep last night?"
Michael was puzzled by the question. "Why do you want to know?"
"I figured you'd want to pick up your other clothes," April answered.
"I don't have any."
"What?" April exclaimed.
She was shocked. He didn't have any other clothes besides the muddy jeans and t-shirt he was wearing? It didn't make sense.
"How do you not have clothes?"
Michael thought for a moment. "I lost them."
April shook her head and muttered "Unbelievable".
She couldn't understand why she was still bringing Michael to her house. She didn't know him. He could be dangerous, a demon, for all she knew.
Yet April didn't test him to see if he was one. For some reason April felt safe with him. She never felt safe, not since she found out about the creatures that roamed around at night on the prowl to kill people.
April's feeling was stranger to her than Michael himself.
In order to stop thinking about it she turned on her radio and began humming along with the music, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she did so.
When she noticed Michael watching her, she blushed a little. "Bad habit. Am I annoying you?"
"Not at all," Michael told her.
He then returned to looking out the window and April watched the road ahead of her.
As April drove she couldn't help but glance at Michael once in a while.
Despite being dirty and messy he seemed to be quite handsome. His short hair was a golden blond, his eyes a deep blue, and he was medium built. His forehead was not wide but wide enough and his nose was perfectly straight, a rare characteristic on a hunter. Most of them broke their noses a lot while hunting but Michael apparently hadn't. Either that or he'd had surgery.
April highly doubted that. After all, he didn't even have clothes at the moment, and what hunter could afford plastic surgery? There were none that April knew of. Most of them didn't work, and those that did didn't have that kind of money. Why would they care anyways? Battle scars were like trophies to a lot of them, the guys mostly.
April was stirred from her thoughts as her old two-story house came into view and she quickly turned her truck into the tarred drive-way.
Just before April reached the garage she put it in park. As she did so, Michael turned to her. "This is your home?"
April nodded. "Yep. We're here."