Felicia began to stir as her hears her alarm clock buzz her dreams away. She did not dream of the White Demon, however, and instead dreamt of Flippy. She dreamt of him being nice to her, and understanding her problems. She dreamed of him kissing her hand like a gentleman, unlike the obnoxious man she has to accept as a part of her life.

She stretched her muscles as she woke up, yawning loudly.

"Mmm… What's the day like?"

She slowly got out of bed and stretched her legs out. She walked over to the window and opened the blinds, revealing tiny clear drops on the glass and dark grey clouds covering the sky.

"Great…"

To make herself feel better about the dreary looking day, she made her way out of her room and walked down the hall to the white tinted bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed how messed up her blood red locks were, and the bags under her eyes from her night of sleep.

And she still kept her mind on the words of the strange man in the woods.

I can't risk anymore lives because of you Fliqpy… Especially… A pretty girl's life

She looked into her own reflections hazel colored eyes.

"I wonder if he meant that…"

She shook her head to keep her mind off of Flippy as she slid her nightgown off of her pale body, letting the mirror catch a glimpse of her naked breasts. She reached into the shower and turned the knob, hearing the pitter-patter of the running water. She dropped her panties as she stepped into the shower and let the warm water run over her body.

And as she bathed herself, she wondered about her day ahead. What she is going to learn in class. How she and her mom will behave today. If she will see 'dickhead' again. Perhaps she will go to the mall with her friends after school.

She wondered more and more as she rubbed soap all around her body and ran shampoo through her hair. She practically raked her hair to get the white flakes uncaught from them. She hated her flakes; they are what gave her her nickname from her mother.

After her shower, she stepped out of the shower and felt the soft towel on her feet. She wriggled her tiny toes in the fabric and reached for another towel on the rack in front of her. She let it run all around her body and wiped her wet body dry.

And she wrapped the towel around her body as she quickly walked into her bedroom. She closed the blinds and went over to her dresser, and pulled out a pair of white underwear and a matching color bra. She snapped her bra on and pulled her underwear along her legs, covering her nether regions.

She walked over to her wardrobe and picked out her outfit for the day. She chose a black t-shirt and a pair of bleached jeans. She sat on her bed and pulled her white, wool socks over her pale feet. She walked over to her mirror on the wall and examined her outfit. She nodded in satisfaction as she walked out of her room.

Her mother was sipping coffee out of a white porcelain mug. She was in her dark grey colored nightgown and she was browsing the internet on her laptop. She lifted her head to see her daughter slowly walk in the room. They shared a passing glance as Felicia threw her sweatshirt over her head.

And her mother just noticed it.

"So you went to Jenny's last night…"

Felicia raised her brows.

"Uh… Yeah… How'd you know?"

"Because I saw your sweatshirt on the chair, idiot."

Felicia figured she would discover her sweatshirt was back. And what made the situation worse was she was supposed to be grounded, for some reason.

"So… I got it back. So what?"

Her mother arched her brows.

"You disobeyed me…"

Felicia shook her head.

"I just went to her house for a second, grabbed my sweatshirt and came back home, alright? Now leave me alone, I gotta get to school."

She grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulder. Her mother shook her head in disbelief as she sipped her coffee and kept her eye on her laptop.

Felicia walked slowly, with the hood of her sweatshirt over her head to protect her hair from the raindrops. She kept an annoyed look, knowing eventually that he will come by. Sooner or later. She continued to walk on the concrete sidewalk, towards the school and towards her next day of education.

And she heard a voice behind her. A different voice then she was expecting however. And there was another joining her.

"Felicia! Hey!"

She turned around and noticed two running girls coming towards her. One had long blue colored hair with an orange flower in her hair, and the other had short cut lavender shaded hair with a purple bow laying on her scalp.

"Oh. Hey Petunia. Lammy."

They gave friendly hugs to each other, showing how close they were. Sarah, who Felicia called Lammy thanks to her white wool sweater, was the new girl at school. She was an exchange student from France, and her accented voice was sultry with a slight french tone in it.

They decided to walk with each other to school, hopefully neither of them will encounter Shifty or any of his cohorts. They conversed with each other silently, with Felicia mostly nodding and agreeing.

Petunia spoke to the redhead.

"So, Felicia…"

"Yeah?"

"What was with that crap last night with your mom?"

Felicia looked around for the answer, trying to find a way to tell her the truth. Sarah spoke out.

"What are you two talking about?"

Felicia got the answer.

"I uh… Had to keep a secret from her. A… A surprise…"

"What?"

Felicia shook in anxiety.

"Uh… I… Got her a present for uh… Mother's day… And I wanted to keep it a secret… You know, because I love her so much!"

She gave a nervous fake smile as the other girls shared a confused look. They both shrugged their shoulders while Felicia gave a slight sigh in relief.

The two walked through the front doors of the school and walked slowly down the halls, each bringing up different topics of conversation. Boys, love, makeup, fashion and plenty of other topics. Once again, Felicia just nodded and agreed.

She found herself in homeroom once again, with Mr. Lump showing a video on the subject of Physics. She wanted to pay attention to the video, but she could not focus as she felt the dirty sensation of a wool sock fondling her foot from behind her.

She turned in disgust to see a smiling Shifty, looking at her with a lusty eye. She turned back around, facing the screen illuminated by the projector. She was trying to learn more from the video, only to fell her shoulder muscles beginning to be wrenched, with Shifty being the culprit.

He bent over to whisper in her ear.

"Feel good, baby?"

Felicia scoffed and tried to shake him off.

"Leave me alone."

"Tell me you love me first…"

"No!"

"Come on…"

She finally jerked her head to the side and proceeded to ram the side of her face into her head, making him reel back in pain. She smiled and looked back at him, watching him hold his cheek and seething in anger.

She decided, after losing an interest in the video, to continue working on her sketch. She had finally decided what she was drawing, and she shaded in the muscle lines of a knight, standing tall with a red haired woman in his arms, and three black demons dead with sword punctures in their bodies. And on his face she drew yellow eyes and sharp teeth.

She then reached into her colored pencil compartment of her pencil case and took out a dark green colored pencil. She proceeded to color in the hair of the scary looking knight. And she wiped the shavings of the pad, and she admired the completion of her sketch.

And on the bottom, near the foot of the knight, she wrote in neat cursive, the name of her hero.

THE WHITE DEMON

And she realized who she had just drawn.

Somehow, she was beginning to feel sorry for the unstable man who stabbed her previously. She rubbed her scar from the knife, and felt no pain at all. Instead, she was beginning to feel sorrow for the poor man; he did not seem so bad at all. He must be lonely, out there in the wild, surrounded by rabid beasts and dangerous situations. How cold he must be at night without a blanket.

She kept her mind on him throughout the day.

"Flippy…"

School went by like a breeze as she found herself walking out the front door of the school, with her two best friends at her sides. They were laughing and giggling as they were walking along the sidewalk, exchanging more views of society. Felicia liked hearing Lammys stories about France, how it is so much different than where she was now.

But their happiness was abolished when they heard the sound of a motorbike coming behind them.

"FELICIA!"

They all shook in fear as Shifty stopped in front of them, with an angry look on his evil face. His hat was tilted at an angle, what he normally did when he was livid.

Felicia shook the most.

"Sh-Shifty…"

He smirked.

"Nice little headbutt in class. I still feel a bit of your flakes on my face."

He got off the bike and acknowledged the other girls.

"Beat it, bitches…"

They both gave a disgusted look as Petunia spoke.

"Why don't you? You're the one interrupting us."

He smiled as he paid no attention to the blue-haired woman, and only proceeded to run his finger along the underside of Felicias chin, making pull her head away in disgust. He caressed her cheek and dug his fingers into the sides of her head.

He licked his lips as he leaned in. The two girls watched as she was forcefully kissed, with her not enjoying a second of it. She looked like she was ready to cry. Her two friends took action and pushed the man away, much to his disgust.

Lammy spoke.

"Leave! Now, Connard!"

He scratched his head.

"What'd she call me?"

Petunia smiled.

"It means 'asshole!'"

He scoffed as he lifted his middle finger to the french girl and the blue haired girl. He then proceeded to give a slight wink and smooch to his girl, who was spitting the taste of his lips off of hers. He then got back on his bike and revved up the motor, then laughed evilly as he rode off into the city, letting the sound of heavy metal music blast from his radio.

The two girls comforted their friend as she rubbed her lips.

"You ok, Felicia?"

She nodded.

"Feels like I just got raped."

Lammy spoke.

"Let's go to le centre commercial, huh?"

Felicia raised her head.

"The mall? Ok."

They all walked together to the mall, and they all picked out a brand new outfit. That is, except for Felicia, who picked up a new set of colored pencils and a new set of normal pencils. They all went to the foodcourt and enjoyed snacks, with Petunia enjoying a smoothie, and Lammy and Felicia sharing a large soft pretzel.

Felicia was putting finishing shading on her sketch, much to Lammys delight. She looked in amazement.

"Felicia! Si belle!"

Felicia nodded and blushed.

"Thank you, Lammy."

Petunia looked at it as well.

"Wow. Nice job, girl. Huh…"

She looked at the name under the knights foot.

"'The White Demon'. Cool… You making a comic or something?"

Felicia shook her head.

"No… Just came up with this."

Petunia smiled.

"Well, still. Good job. You're a good artist, Felicia."

Felicia blushed a little more as she put her sketch pad back into her bag, and the ladies all conversed with each other for close to an hour.

Petunia spoke to the red head.

"You ok, Felicia?"

She nodded.

"Yeah…"

Lammy spoke.

"Something's wrong… I can tell…"

While she was talking with her friends, Felicia heard the sound of rain on the big roof above her ll Felicia was thinking about was Flippy, how he must be miserable in the rain.

Felicia felt safe and accepted around her two best friends, who always had her back and knew about her abusive 'boyfriend.' Only problem was they had no idea about her mother, nor did she want them to know.

"Nothing..."

Petunia looked at her concerned.

"Is it about Dylan?"

She looked at her.

"Who?"

Lammy spoke.

"The connard...

"Oh! Uh... Yeah..."

Petunia smiled and placed her hand on Felicias shoulder.

"Don't worry. If he comes back, we'll be there for you."

Lammy did the same.

"Yeah."

Felicia looked at her two friends and smiled.

"Thanks, girls."

Felicia walked through her front door and threw her bag onto the floor. She was looking to head to her room and work on her homework for Mr. Lump. Fortunately, her mother was still at work. So she climb up the steps and proceeded into her bedroom.

Her mother was working late, so she took her time doing her homework. She slipped into a casual outfit of a light red t-shirt and a pair of blue tinted sweatpants.

She placed her cell phone into a rectangular shaped speaker system and turned on her classical music, and she heard the beautiful violins and blaring trumpets. And she could not help but swing her arms around and stand on the tips of her toes. She spun around and proceeded to dance gracefully, enjoying the music like it was a part of her life. She spun more and more before she heard the music stop and the audience clapping. She smiled and did a graceful bow, hearing the people cheer for her.

"IF YOU'RE DONE DANCING, DOWNSTAIRS NOW!"

She raised her head and scoffed. She took her phone out of the speaker and placed it in her pants pocket. She then reached into her drawer and took out her red earbuds, then stuffed them into her other pocket.

She then looked at the picture of her younger self and her father, and she kissed her fingers and placed it on the frame once again before sprinting downstairs.

She ran into the kitchen, and was shocked to see her mother, with her arms crossed and giving a nasty glare, and Shifty, sitting at the table with a sad look on his face.

"Felicia… Did you give Dylan here a headbutt in class?"

Felicia gave a disgusted look.

"Yeah. So what?"

Shifty raised his brow and pretended to quiver his lip.

"Why would you do that? I was just minding my own business, and then BAM!"

Felicia glared.

"Stop it, Shifty!"

Her mother spoke.

"Don't use that tone! Apologize!"

"Why?"

"Because that's assault, and you could get arrested for that. Now… Apologize."

She gave a sad look.

"So I'm in trouble when I hit him, but he ain't when he assaults me every day?"

Her mother shook her head.

"Enough of your damn lies!"

Felicia shook her head in disbelief. Just to think her own mother was taking the side of the man she knew was a monster was too much for her to handle. She somehow figured she cared more about this man then her own daughter.

She began to cry a bit.

"Mom… Why are you always taking his side?"

Shifty spoke.

"Is it so hard to say sorry? My face really hurts… You hit me so hard!"

And he gave a pathetic fake cry, as her mother went over to him and wrapped her arms around his head, trying to comfort him. Felicia got even sadder seeing her mother hug this man like she never did for her. She was convinced; she cared more for him.

She had enough.

She turned on her heel.

"I'm going for a walk."

Her mother spoke.

"Apologize first."

She held back the tears as she walked to the door.

"I"M SORRY I WAS BORN, MOM!"

And she slammed the door shut, leading to a few of the pictures that were hanging on the wall be knocked off. Her mother shook her head in disappointment as she continued to hold Shifty, who while her mother was not looking gave an evil smirk.

Felicia knew somehow, someway, she would need her music. She stuck her earbuds into her cell phone and turned on the classical music, and she wiped the tears off of her cheeks. She walked more and more, not caring where she was going and just wanting to be alone. She shivered a bit from the wind of the cold autumn night, and she sniffled more and more.

Suddenly, she heard her music go off. She was listening to a beautiful violin solo before, and she wanted to hear the end of it. She looked at her phone and noticed the battery was dead. She sighed in disbelief as she continued to walk, still with the earbuds in her ears.

But then, she got confused as she continued to hear the sweet sound of a violin. She thought for sure her phone was dead, so she brought it back out and realized she was right. Dead. She pulled the buds out her ears and realized she was really hearing a violin, somewhere close.

She then noticed, she was on the outskirts of the city, right on the edge of the woods. And she realized where the sound must be coming from. So, she built up all her courage and slowly walked into the dark woods, following the sound of the lone violin.

She continued to follow the sweet melodies and noticed, it was unlike anything she had ever heard. It was beautiful, something one of the great composers of the ancient times could come up with. She fell more and more in love with the music, and she continued to hear it get louder and louder.

And her worst nightmare was answered. She came to the same area she came to the previous night, and saw the small wooden cabin standing alone. And on its roof was a lone man, with a wooden violin resting under his chin and carefully sliding a bow across its strings, making sweet sultry melodies. He was smiling with his eyes fixed on the big white moon, almost like he was giving it a private concert.

He carefully and softly finished his song, and he gave a sigh of satisfaction. He spent his free time playing his violin softly, considering it his hobby. He slowly put his instrument on the roof and stared back at the sky, admiring the beautiful night.

"Th-that was v-very beautiful…"

He jumped at the sound of a voice behind him, and he fell off the roof of his cabin, feeling his body smack the hard ground. Felicia ran over to him, and he lifted himself up off the ground.

He dusted himself off as he looked at her.

"Oh… It's you… I remember you. Your name is… Felicia. Right?"

She held her hands in shyness, shaking a bit from his presence.

"Unfortunately… I heard your violin… You're very good."

He looked around and blushed, embarrassed.

"You… Heard it? From out there?"

She nodded.

"Uh… Oops… Gotta play more softly. Anyway, I can't tell you, again, how sorry I am for stabbing you. You accept my apology yet?"

She looked at him and nodded in agreement.

"Good. Well, anyway, I told you. I have to be alone."

She raised her brows.

"But… I just wanna talk to you… Is that so bad?"

He got confused.

"But of all people, why me?"

She bowed her head once again. She remembered her mother, and Shifty, and all the bullies at school who make fun of her appearance.

"People… Hate me. I just hate people too… Nothing really makes me happy anymore… Maybe you can make me happy… Please, Flippy?"

And he looked at her in sorrow, realizing she was speaking the truth. She saw how depressed she was by the look in her eyes and the sad face on her complexion. But most of all, he noticed how much she was shivering as he felt the wind blowing against his pale skin.

He raised his hands and spoke.

"Alright, alright. You win. Just… Give me a minute…"

He brought down his violin roof and then stepped past her, and she watched him crawl into his house. She heard noises like crashing from the inside, like he was looking for something. He finally came out and he was holding something behind his back.

"Uh… Mind turning around?"

She started shivering more, thinking the worst.

"W-w-why?"

He bowed his head.

"This is my most prized possession. I don't want you to see it yet. Please?"

She shuddered fiercely, having no idea what he was planning. But she did not want to anger him, or possibly face his evil side once again. She shut her eyes tightly as she was waiting for an impact from him, but instead she felt warm on her shoulder and on her back.

She opened her eyes and looked down at her body. She noticed a large dark green jacket on her shoulders. It made her cold body feel warm and cozy, but it left her mind full of confusion.

"It's… A jacket…"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Mine. Figured you were freezing, since you were shivering a bit. It's the middle of fall. Anyway, I'll build a fire real quick."

Flippy walked past her again and went behind his house, gathering firewood out of his supply. While he was building the fire, Felicia kept her eyes on his jacket as she slid her arms through the sleeves. She felt so warm and comfortable with it on her body.

But it was his most prized possession, and she was just a normal girl. So why did he give it to her?

The fire crackled fiercely, as Felicia stayed on one side with her legs crossed and her hands on her arms, and Flippy was on the other side with his legs straight and his arms crossed. There was silence, other than the crackling embers.

Felicia broke the silence.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"You gonna talk?"

"You're the one who came here to talk."

She looked around, and he noticed she was beginning to blush. He also noticed how pretty she looked with the orange glow of the fire illuminating her image.

"Well, I came here to ask you something. I heard you say that I'm pretty, and I just wanna know if you really meant it."

His shocked expression and red cheeks made her realize he was telling the truth.

"You… Heard that? Oh… Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel-"

"Actually, I wanted to say… Thank you. That… Means a lot to me, really."

"Why? Nobody else think that?"

She held her knees and looked at the sky.

"Pretty much. I've actually… Never been called pretty in my life. Not even my own mother thinks I'm pretty. She just thinks I'm a freak. Everyone thinks I'm a freak. I keep thinking the world would be better off without… Another… Ugly dandruff girl like me around. No one else would care if I die… At least… I don't think so."

He noticed she was beginning to cry.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Who calls you ugly? Who calls you that stuff?"

She bowed her head.

"Well… Everyone. My boyfriend. My mom. Everyone at school. Everyone in the city. Everyone but… My two friends, Petunia and Lammy… And…"

She raised her head.

"You… You never called me a freak, or ugly, or anything mean. You called me pretty. And that's why I want to get to know you. You're at least nice to me."

He shook his head.

"Well, from the way it sounds, not too many people are nice to you. Your mom, no offense, sounds like a bitch."

She nodded.

"I think so too. I just… Can't believe nobody really loves me… I'm not a bad person. I'm just a little off. But so's everyone else. Don't you think so?"

He nodded as well.

"Yeah. Nobody treats me kindly either. I've tried to be a part of society, so at least I won't be alone. But it keeps blowing up in my face. I just have to realize that I'm a monster. And I always will be."

She felt so sad for him, the man she was once afraid of but now was beginning to show an innocent side. She had no idea he could show this kind of sorrow for himself. And she somehow understood what he really needed.

She stood up and walked over to his side, but not too close.

"I don't think you're a monster…"

He raised his head.

"You… Don't?"

She shook her head.

"No… I think… You're just lonely… You need a friend, don't you?"

And she smiled at him.

"I'll be your friend… If you want…"

And he gave a shocked look.

"You… Will? Really?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Sure."

And he smiled as well. For the first time in a very long time, he was happy. Not from memories or from music, but from interaction from another human being. And this particular human being was a beautiful girl in his eyes, which made him even happier.

But she looked away from him.

"I… Only ask for one thing first…"

He dropped his smile.

"What?"

"Well… I heard you say you don't know who you are anymore. Well, I wanna forget my old life. I want a new name."

"Why do you want a different name? Felicia is a pretty name."

She hated her name. Her mother chose it.

"I… Don't like it. I want a different name. A nickname. Something special like yours."

He got confused.

"I just called myself Flippy because I flip back and forth from my evil side. Nothing really special."

She was practically begging him now.

"Well, still. Anything to not make me feel like an ugly dandruff girl."

He did not understand what made her name so un-attractive to her. He thought the name was pretty, the name of an angel even. Perhaps her mother or her 'boyfriend' did not think so, and made her feel the same. But he did not want her to feel bad about herself.

He gave her a scolding look.

"Come on. Quit calling yourself a dandruff girl. So you got flakes in your hair. Big deal."

She looked up.

"You… Don't mind? Really?"

He blushed a bit and swallowed hard.

"Your hair's pretty cute to be honest."

And she gasped loudly. She could not believe how flattering this man was. First he called her pretty, and now cute? How hard does she have to blush before he understands that she was embarrassed?

And he pointed up with an idea on his mind.

"And… Hey! I got a nickname for you!"

She was still in shock.

"Cute? I'm cute?"

"You uh… You ok?"

"Sorry, but… Cute?"

He shook in embarrassment.

"Well… Yeah. You're a cutie. And you're pretty. You are pretty attractive. Maybe others see it. Maybe your boyfriend sees it. He may just be too much of a jerk to say it."

She could not believe her ears, and she could not stop her cheeks from becoming an even darker shade of red. Nobody has ever called her cute, or pretty, before. This man seemed like a very sweet man to her, despite his problem.

She swallowed hard and looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Uh… Thank you… You… Sure know how to flatter someone, don't you?"

He gave a shy look.

"Yeah… I guess so… Anyway. I got a nickname for you. Wanna hear it?"

"Ok. What is it?"

"I thought about calling you… Flaky."

Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. He figured she was embarrassed to even think about having such a childish name. It was just a first guess. Maybe snowy or dander instead? She kept her shocked expression, while he bent his brows in sadness.

"Sorry. Don't like i-"

"No… I… I love it! Flaky! My name is Flaky now!"

And he watched as a huge smile grew on her face. And she suddenly popped up in the air and began jumping up and down, letting her beaming face shine brighter than the flames of the fire. She continued to chant her new name over and over again.

"You… Really like it?"

"Yes! But… Only you can call me it. At least for now. I'll at least give you that much."

And he smiled with her.

"I… I'm glad you like it. Flaky's a nice name for you. Anyway, it's kinda late. Aren't you in school?"

She suddenly dropped her smile and sat back down.

"Yeah.. But… I hate school. He's there. And I get bullied a whole lot. To be honest… I think I'd like it better if…"

And his cheeks got brighter as he watched her give a caring look and begin to scooch closer to him. Now the side of her hip was touching his.

"If… I could spend my time… Hanging out with you…"

She was smiling and blushing as well, as she felt comfortable around him now, more than she is around anybody really. She felt his kindness in every word he spoke to her, and she saw the look on his face. He really did think she was attractive.

He shook just like she did before. He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment , and she put her hand on her mouth as she giggled at the sight of his flattered face.

"Well… That… Is flattering… But… You have… A boyfriend, don't you?"

She began to get sad.

"I… Don't wanna get involved… With your relationship…"

And she broke down right before him.

"I hate him! So much! He beats me, and calls me horrible names! And… He always comes to my window to seduce me… He wants to rape me! And no one cares! Don't call him my boyfriend anymore, please! I won't either."

He felt sorry for her.

"He… Does? Oh… I'm sorry, Flaky. You don't deserve that."

She knelt down in front of him. She was on her knees and holding her hands, begging for help.

"Flippy, I hate him. And only my friends care that he abuses me. My mom, the people at school and everyone else could care less. My mom wants him to rape me, so her boss will let her keep her job. Please! Help me, Flippy!"

He shrugged.

"What can I do? I can't go in the city without hurting people. I'm really sorry, Flaky, but I don't know what to do…"

And suddenly, out of desperation, she reached down and grabbed both of his hands and leaned closer towards him. Their faces were nearly touching, and Flippy was shaking and sweating being so close to this beautiful girl.

"But Flippy! You're the only boy I know who even cares that I'm alive. I'm always so sad. So lonely. Sure, I got good friends, but even they can't make me feel better. I just… Gotta get out of my depression, or I'm gonna explode. There's gotta be something you can do. Please, Flippy?"

And he saw the pleading girl was crying now, showing that she really was miserable. No adult figure cares about her, and she needs someone to talk to anytime, about anything. Her friends could provide gender support, but she needs the support of a male figure. Somehow, he was going to help her.

"Well… I still can't leave the woods. I can't get involved with anything in the city. But… I think I can at least do this. Flaky… I'll make you a deal."

He got up and helped her back up to her feet. He let go of her hands and stared into her hazel eyes.

"If you promise not to tell anyone that I'm out here, then you can come back anytime you want."

And she gave a shocked look.

"Anytime you're sad, anytime you're angry, anytime you need someone to talk to. I'll listen to anything you want to talk about. I promise."

She looked into his now shimmering emerald eyes, and realized he was speaking with his heart and not his mind. His mind figured it was a bad idea to let an outsider know where he is, but his heart just could not let this girl be miserable.

She held her heart.

"You… You're serious? I can come back and see you anytime? Really?"

And he gave a slow nod, with a smiling face. She continued to hold her fluttering heart.

"That's… So very nice of you… Oh… My god…"

And for the first time in a very long time, she was crying happy tears. She just could not believe this man, who was trying so hard to keep himself hidden, would open his home to her and give her a friend to talk to about anything. It was just what she needed; comfort.

And he was shocked to see her lean in and wrap her arms around his body, hugging him warm and snugly. He never hugged a girl before, other than one particular girl in his life. But he smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist and one arm around the back of her neck.

She never felt more comfortable.

"You're… Warm… I like hugging you, Flippy…"

He could not speak, he was shuddering so much. She broke the hug and looked back up his face.

"Well… I should really be getting home now. Here. Take your jacket back."

He raised his hands in disagreement.

"That's ok… You can wear it home, so you don't get sick."

She got confused.

"But… I thought it was your most prized possession?"

He smiled and tilted his head.

"Don't worry. I got a much better prized possession now that I have you as a friend."

She gasped and smiled.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Really."

And he reached his hand out. Thinking he wanted a handshake, she placed her hand in his. But instead, he took he hand and brought the back of it to his lips, and he planted a small kiss on the back of her hand, like a gentleman, like she dreamed of before. She blushed with pleasure.

"Well, I'll see you later. Night, Flaky."

She began to walk back into the woods.

"Yeah. Goodnight."

And he turned his back towards her as he reached for a pail of water to douse the fire. He picked it up and threw the water on the fire, putting it out making the woods dark again. And he smiled as he turned back around, only to see the same girl, shaking and giving a scared look.

"What's the matter, Flaky?"

She shuddered a bit.

"Flippy… Could you walk me? At least, to the edge? It's dark and scary out here without a fire."

He smiled.

"Sure. Just not too far, ok?"

She smiled as well as the two walked side by side, slowly, through the woods. They walked for a few minutes, with him knowing every piece of land in the woods for being there so long. She felt so safe in his presence, and so warm in his jacket.

They reached the edge of the woods, with just enough trees to cover his figure. She smiled and hugged him again, with him just receiving her embrace. She began to walk back down the hill, but she decided to do one last thing.

As he began to walk back into the woods, she caught up to him and planted a small kiss on his cheek, making him gasp and turn a bright color red. She hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear.

"See you real soon!"

And he heard her running footsteps, as well as her happy humming. She was happy again, all thanks to him. He felt her kiss get warm on his cheek, or perhaps it was just his own nervous body heat. Either way, he felt satisfied.

He held his blushing cheek as he walked into the dark forest, smiling just as wide as her.

(There's a new poll about the choices for the next story on my profile. I'd appreciate it if you'd vote.)