Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! Sorry this chapter is a little bit shorter, I'll post the next one soon. Please review! Also, I don't own Kid Icarus.

Chapter 2

I pause for a moment at a bus stop, taking a paper from the dispenser that illustrates a map of the city.

Pit moans and puts his hand over his face, "we're lost aren't we?"

I scan the map. It almost seems like a maze puzzle with random dead ends, and streets that extend all the way through the city. I reach into my pocket for the pen I always carry. I am surprised when I grasp it with my fingers. Somehow it hasn't fallen out this whole time. I click it and circle a location on the paper. "Aha! And, no, we're not. I found where we are, not too far now."

"You've been saying that for the past hour that we've been walking…" he mumbles.

"Well, what do you expect when I was chased for practically eleven miles? Partially by you, I nearly made it to the police station on the edge of town." I grumble.

"How else was I supposed to catch you?" he complains.

"Run faster!"

He rolls his eyes. "Why did you have to go to the station all the way on the other side of the city anyway?"

I think about this, "I don't know, but I don't necessary have a map of the city memorized in my head. The only station I am familiar with is that one because…well never mind." I take a deep breath and show him the map, "Look, here," I point to a street called Garden Avenue. "If we follow this street almost all the way down, then we just make a right at Evergreen St. and another left at Stargazer Lane, and we're there ok? It'll probably take us only another half hour."

"Wait a second, why we can't just take the bus?" he questions.

"Because I don't have any money on me right now." I say.

"Yet you carry a pen in your pocket." He mutters.

I shrug. We barely talk to each other on the way after that. I have so many unanswered questions. Part of them about my past, part of them about today, and what he has in store for me when we reach our destination. I take in finally more familiar surroundings. Snow-covered maples trees outline either side of the road, construction signs indicate that the ground on the other side is being repaved. Brick walls protect the backside of the houses on the side of the sidewalk opposite the street. Cars zoom past, the smoke emitted from them especially easy to spot in the cold air. Further up, frosted vines of ivy hide the wall's true identity. A plaza comes into view, filled with people trying to escape the cold by going into the temperature-controlled buildings. All of them side by stores, outlets, and restaurants. No one is eating on the outside tables today. We are so close. Close to the place where everything started for me. I live a little distance from the main hustle and bustle of Boston. Though in the distance, I can still see the skyscrapers, their lights becoming more visible in the darkening sky. We reach the place and walk by it.

Not yet a year and a half ago, I was out roaming the streets and shopping with my best friend Kathleen. It was the very first time that my mom had let me go out without her. I was fourteen, and I was having one of the best days of my life. Until I lost track of Kathleen and I couldn't find her, and with so many people crowding the streets I was lost. I didn't know where she was, I didn't know where I was exactly. I hadn't really been paying attention to where we were going. I just assumed that she knew where we were going. Also, I had left my map on the table of a restaurant we went to for lunch. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted someone being dragged into an alleyway. Kathleen.

I ran for it, but when I got there she was gone. Nothing. My heart was beating so fast, I was so scared and confused. I went all the way to the end of the alley, but it was a dead end. Where could they have possibly gone? I looked sideways, and noticed that the left wall of the alley looked weird. Almost like a distorted image. I tried to place my hand on it, but it went though. I gasped. I took a deep breath and went through it. It was a tunnel that went underground. I was cautious at first, but when I heard her scream instincts took over. I went in and I saw her. She was backing away from something. Something I couldn't make out in the dark of the tunnel. I grabbed her by the wrist and she screamed, but when she saw it was just me, she looked relieved. Still, her face was covered with pure fear.

I immediately pulled her and we both frantically made our way back out, with growling sounds coming from behind. She got out first, I had told her to run ahead first. We got out and went back through the wall. She managed to run to the beginning of the alley, but I was stuck. My shoelace got snagged on the sharp edge of one of the pipes sticking out from the buildings. I tore off my shoe, but too late. Whatever was following us showed itself. It looked like a massive two-headed dog, but it had large hot flames for fur. Its mane, tail and legs were all engulfed in these flames, while its body was red and cracked, resembling almost hardened lava. Its back was outlined in bone, it looked like it had its spinal cord on the outside instead of on the inside. On its left from paw, I made out a broken shackle. Its two heads had dangerous bright glowing eyes, and each had one curved horn sticking out of the side of its jaw. A broken collar was designed with spikes as sharp as its teeth. Not your typical household Labrador.

I didn't know whether to collapse right then and there or actually move and run. I backed up slowly, and it roared so loud I fell onto the pavement.

"Alice!" Kathleen screamed, but I could tell she was hesitant to help. I couldn't blame her.

I was scrambling trying to get up, but the thing came closer, and it opened its mouth, revealing a charging flame at the back of its throat. I thought I was going to die. Right then, a purple arrow came out of nowhere and hit the creature on its side. It roared and turned its attention to the person who shot it. I saw a boy then. He had black hair and red eyes. A laurel wreath of gold was on his head, a silver and blue bow in hand. I made out black and gold cuffs on either of his arms, a gold band on his left upper arm, and a black scarf, edged with gold, with a purple and gold pin on the right side of the scarf. One more thing, it appeared as if he has black wings, but I couldn't tell if he really did, or if the flames and smoke from the dog in front of me just made it look that way. I couldn't see any more of him with the flames right in front of me.

He called out, "What are you doing? Run! I'll take care of this." I wanted to protest but what could I do to help? While the beast was distracted I got up and ran. I took Kathleen by her arm and we ran until I got to my house. We stopped at the front door, not saying anything.

"I can't believe that just happened," she says. I swallow hard. "Me neither." We were both speechless. We didn't know what to say, what to make of what just happened. I told her I'd talk to her later, and that was the end of that. I went inside, and she called her parents to come pick her up. My mom asked if I had had a good time, and I partially lied and said yes. She didn't need to know what happened. For so long I kept the truth from her. I still haven't told her and not two weeks after what happened, Kathleen moved away. I never really got to talk to her about it. I just accepted it, but I wasn't the same person really. My mom would always know when something was bothering and often she would ask, but I would deny everything. At school too, I didn't tell my friends. My dad was rarely home because his work included traveling all around the world, but he was the only one I told. I told him the day after he got back from his trip to England. He didn't look surprised, but as I was telling him I burst into tears, and he held me. I trusted him with everything.

Six months later, we heard of a plane crash while we were watching the channel five news. It was the plane that was supposed to take my dad to Florida. It crash-landed into a mountain along the way. There were no survivors. After that I really shut everyone out. I hardly spoke with my friends or even my mom. I couldn't accept the fact that he really was gone. Of course, I've gotten better since then. I've been opening up more and being myself. Today I didn't want to believe it. All the memories flooded back.

"Hey," Pit brings me back to reality. "Huh? Oh sorry, I was just thinking..." I tell him. "About?" he asks. "Um nothing much really," I haven't realized we are almost to my house. I point to a badge-colored house at the end of the street we are walking on. "There!" I exclaim.

"I'll race you." He challenges.

"That's mean."

"Why?"

"Because I've been running this entire afternoon and you want me to do it again?"

"Well…"

I take off before he finishes, "Ha, way ahead of you."

He laughs and speeds up to beat me.