Somewhere I Belong

by Vlaatjee

"Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It was never supposed to happen, but it did. After all, we can't control who we love. We crave what we can't have. There's a certain charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable. And so we love anyway. Unconditionally and irrevocably." Vinnie-X-Charley.

5. And So It Begins

Hey there!

It's been a while, and I'm sorry for that.
It doesn't make me less thankful for the reviews, follows and favs, though.
So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
It always gives me a boost of motivation which helps me to get through those damn writer's blocks.

And here it is, the next chapter of this short adventure, although the chapter is far from short, hehe.
Somehow, I'm just not able to write short chapters, even though I tried really hard to keep the inner dialogue to its minimum.
Ah well.
Hope you guys like it!
I sure did when I was writing this one.
Pure entertainment.
Enjoy! ^^

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Chapter 5

Night had fallen in the city of Chicago.
It was cold again.
Windy.
But dry, too.
No rain soaking the unfortunate citizens of the Windy City that happened to be outside.
Which weren't many.
It was quiet.
Dark.
Lonely.

The sound of an approaching motorcycle joined the screaming howls of the wind, echoing through the empty streets.
A soft screeching sound accompanied the already strange mix when a blue and white bike slowly came to a halt close to the pavement.
While the engine still softly purred like a cat, a pair of feet, covered in leather motorcycle boots, were placed on the cold asphalt.
Cautiously.
But targeted.
Feet belonging to a very stubborn and head-strong young woman with auburn-colored hair.

A woman who knew like no other that it was dangerous to come back here.
A woman who knew very well that there were so many things that could go wrong.
What happened to her in that alley only two nights ago was proof of that.
She really shouldn't be here.
All alone.
And yet here she was.
All alone.

As her green eyes landed on the entrance of the alley that was now part of both her nightmares and dreams, Charley opened the visor of her helmet.
Although there wasn't any other place where she wanted to be right now, she was still a bit nervous.
Perhaps even scared.
Her heart pounding in her throat confirmed that.
But she didn't drive away, which would probably be the safest thing to do.
Stubborn indeed.

After looking at the dark alley for a little while, she lowered her eyes as her right hand let go of the throttle.
When she turned the key to shut down the engine of her beloved bike, she noticed her hand was shaking.
It was ever so slightly, but it was there.
Another sign.
While the last sounds of the powerful engine were taken away by the wind, Charley put her other hand in the pocket of her leather jacket, fingers searching for reassurance.
Reassurance in the form of cold steel.

Her late father hadn't only been a loving parent and skilled mechanic, but also the proud owner of the biggest collection of pocket knives in the entire country.
Not that he had ever used them.
He had been anything but violent.
It was nothing more than a hobby that got out of hand.
A hobby Charley had taken over, just like the garage.
His legacy.

When her fingers enclosed the cold but soothing metal, Charley's heartbeat decreased and so did her breathing.
Of course, being here brought back still very fresh memories, memories she wished she didn't have.
But it wasn't the same.
This time, she came prepared.
Comforted by this thought, she let go of the knife again and pulled off her helmet with renewed determination.
She had come here with a purpose.
And that purpose wasn't reliving her trauma.
No, all she wanted to find was him.
Him.
The creature that was controlling her thoughts ever since that fateful night.

Big ears.
White fur.
A silver mask.
Red eyes.

After hanging her helmet on one of the handlebars, Charley dismounted her bike with a certain grace and parked it on its stand.
When she took out the key, her green eyes darted from the keyhole to one of the mirrors.
A face with sunken cheeks looked back and she frowned a bit annoyed by seeing how skinny she was.
She really worked too much and ate too little.

Or maybe her face just looked even thinner than usual because of the braid in her hair that looked like a mohawk, giving her a more badass look at the same time.
As if nothing could get to her.
Ha.
Right.
Her cold fingers gently touched the stitched wound on her head -which was the perfect example that she was anything but invincible- and her frown got deeper.
It was hideous, to say the least.
Maybe she should've put some makeup on…
Question.
Since when did she care about how she looked?

Shaking her head in annoyance, Charley put the keys in her pocket and stepped on the curb.
There was only one answer to that question and that was that she didn't.
Care about how she looked.
The fact that she had been checking herself in the mirror made her somehow a bit angry.
Or maybe just frustrated.
Frustrated because things were happening to her.
Things she couldn't control.
Things that were completely new to her.
Things she didn't understand.

Ever since that moment she had looked her savior in the eye, something was changed.
She was changed.
And she hated it.
Mainly because she didn't understand all these new feelings.
But at the same time, it was just so… refreshing.
Exciting, even.
As if she just woke up from a longtime sleep.

Deep down she knew it was dangerous.
That she was putting her life at risk.
Pux was right, her guardian angel didn't exactly have a flawless reputation, otherwise, he wouldn't be hunted by a detective working for the Homicide Department.
But, strangely enough, it didn't scare her like it probably should do.
No, it only made things even more interesting.
It only made her more curious.

'There's a certain charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.'

A saying she now knew was true.
Whatever this creature might be, finding out was definitely worth the risk.
As she kept a close eye on her surroundings, Charley slowly approached the entrance of the alley.
Without really realizing it, she put her left hand back into her pocket.
She somehow needed to feel the knife between her fingers.
To know it was there.
She wasn't sure if she was even able to use it when the moment would present itself, but feeling it was already enough.

When she reached the corner, she slowly came to a halt again, her heartbeat already skyrocketing again.
Despite the cold, sweat formed on her forehead, tickling the already itching wound and she slightly shook her head in annoyance.
This was harder than she thought it would be.
It seemed that the attack and everything that came with it had made a bigger impact than she initially thought.
But it was nothing she couldn't handle.
And she sure as hell wouldn't let it stop her.
She was a Davidson, after all.
And a Davidson never gave up.

She did take some time to prepare herself, though.
To ease her fear a bit.
The last thing she wanted was a panic attack in a dark alley.
Ah ah.
No way.
Been there, done that.
After closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths, counting every second it took her to inhale and exhale.

To say that it helped was, perhaps, too strong a word.
But she also knew that if she didn't step into that alley right away, she never would, ever again.
Which basically meant that she was never going to find the answers she was so desperately looking for.
Since that wasn't even an option, at least not one she would be able to live with, she opened her eyes with her mouth in a tight line and after putting her chin in the air, a movement that somehow gave her the strength to go on, she went around the corner, straight into the dark alley that had been her personal hell.

So far, so good.
After taking a few steps, Charley stopped again to give her eyes some time to get used to the darkness.
She remembered the darkness.
It overshadowed her entire memory of that night.
She should've brought a flashlight with her.
Still.
It somehow seemed less scary without the man.
Without the scent of alcohol.
Without the handcuffs.
Without greedy hands touching her.
It was like light had taken his place, which was both strange and a huge relief at the same time.

Her eyes got used to the dusk pretty quickly and before she knew it, she saw something standing only a few feet away from her.
Something.
Not someone.
But the moment she realized what she was looking at, her disappointment got replaced by an almost childish excitement, along with a good dose of curiosity.
A bike.
It was a bike.
And even from where she was standing, with the little light she had, she could already tell it was a bike she had never seen before.

Since there was nothing else that could make her feel more happy and alive than a bike, she almost fluttered further into the alley like a hummingbird, for a moment everything else forgotten.
With every step she came closer, her heartbeat increased, but this time, it wasn't because of fear.
No, it all had to do with the bike.
A bike so beautiful that it almost set her heart on fire.

Maybe it was worth mentioning that she hadn't only inherited her father's bike shop and pocket knife collection, but his love for bikes as well.
And when she stopped right next to the one that just stood there in the alley being beautiful and all, Charley suddenly wished he was here with her.
So he could see it.
Minds would be blown, that she knew.
Hers sure as hell was.

Biting her lower lip in excitement, her green eyes darted over the bike, eagerly taking in every detail she could find.
As she already expected, it was a model she wasn't familiar with, which was quite astonishing, for she knew about every brand and model that existed on the planet.
But even without that knowledge, it was very clear to see that this bike was designed for speed and speed only.
Sporty.
Sleek.
Aerodynamic.
The rider of this beauty must be addicted to adrenaline, no question.

Still, there were so many details she hadn't seen before on any bike.
Like the handlebars, for instance.
Most bikes had horizontal ones instead of vertical like the ones she was looking at now.
Not just that, they both all had these tiny buttons on them, buttons she had no idea what they were for.
Her fingers were itching to find out, but she wasn't like most people in this part of town.

She was honest.
Respecting other people's property.
Using her own boundaries as a guideline.
And the thought alone of someone touching her bike without her specific permission made her almost ignite into flames.
A very clear sign, one telling her that she had to keep her hands where they were.
It was tempting, though.
Until her eyes landed on the two side-mirrors, that is.

From that moment, the urge was gone and already forgotten.
It wasn't merely about the mirror itself, for that was one of the few things she did recognize, but rather about the shape.
She took a step closer to check if her eyes might be deceiving her, for even though it wasn't as dark here as she remembered, it was still a very poorly lit environment.
But she soon saw that there was nothing wrong with her eyes.
Even more important, she was able to see the headlight from this position.
The headlight, that had the same shape as the mirrors.

Big ears.
White fur.
A silver mask.
Red eyes.

Big ears.
Hm.
It could be coincidental.
That the mirrors and headlight had the shape of Mickey Mouse.
Just like the silhouette she had seen, that night.
Yeah.
It could be coincidental.

But the thing was — she didn't believe in coincidences.
She was too down-to-earth for that.
Maybe that's the reason why she had no idea what to think about what she had seen that night.
It was all just so… vague.
Unreal, even.
Kind of like this bike.
This bike, that was like a dream.
Why was it even standing here?

But seriously, this bike, though.
This bike.
It went beyond words.
So it wasn't really surprising that it didn't take long for her earlier enthusiasm to return, making the unanswered questions already fade like smoke in the wind as if they were never even there.
With a little smile curling her lips, Charley crouched down next to the bike to take a closer look at the black chrome wheels.

It matched perfectly with the color of the paint, which was some kind of cherry-red, she now saw.
Actually, everything fitted just perfectly.
This entire bike was just perfect.
As if it came from another planet.
Although she didn't believe in aliens, the thought of a human creating this piece of perfection was somehow even harder to believe, which was ridiculous, of course.
Still.

Before she even realized what she was doing, her fingers already slid over the impeccable red paint.
It went against everything she stood for, everything her father had taught her, but she simply couldn't resist, which was hardly an excuse.
But there was just something very peculiar about this bike.
Something that made her drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

Comforting herself with the thought that she wasn't doing anything that could cause damage, her finger followed the line of the saddle, that seemed to be made of some kind of leather, though it felt different.
In fact, everything felt different.
Even the paint.
It was crazy.
There were no words to describe it, none other than…
"Amazing…", Charley breathed in awe, her green eyes wide open as they followed her finger down to the tailpipe.

She usually never talked to herself.
Today was no different.
She just needed to vent some of her excitement before she would possibly explode.
Little did she know that someone would actually talk back to her.

"Quite the beauty, huh?"

Although every fiber in her body recognized the voice as the one that had saved her life only two nights ago, Charley still flew upright as if she got stung by a bee, her heartbeat skyrocketing with the speed of light.
Ignoring the dizziness that washed over her after standing up so quickly, another one of those annoying side effects of a concussion, she looked in the direction of the sound a bit bewildered, wondering how she could've missed the scent that now suddenly floated in the air like a smokescreen.
That scent, that made her heart beat even faster than it already did.
She didn't need to see him to know that he was here.
But that didn't mean she didn't want to.

As she placed her right hand on her chest in a feeble and actually quite useless attempt to slow down her racing heart, she searched the darkness that was, as mentioned before, less thick.
A fact that could only work in her favor and it did.
For once, something finally worked in her favor and her green eyes soon landed on a lonely figure standing on her left.

Instead of slowing down, her heart now even started to make those funny little jumps, like a rabbit in the tall grass.
It was a strange feeling, one she hadn't felt before and she could only hope that it wasn't the first sign of a heart attack, suddenly wishing she too had taken those first-aid classes which she had practically forced up on Pux as a requirement for the job.

Next to all that, she didn't want to die.
Not only because this alley was a place she wouldn't want to be caught dead, but also because she, by the looks of things, had found what she came for.
For there, partially hidden in the shadows, stood her savior.
Casually leaning against the wall with one foot up and arms folded.
Wham.
Just like that.

Still breathing heavily, Charley tried to take in as much detail as her brain let her in this poorly lit environment, but his black clothes seemed to merge with the shadows, making it impossible for her to see his entire shape.
But perhaps his clothes didn't matter.
All that mattered was his face and while her heart merrily continued its little dance, her eyes darted up as she subconsciously held in her breath…

Dammit.

As it turned out, his clothes did matter.
Because he was wearing a black sweater.
Now that wasn't exactly earth-shattering, but it wasn't really about the sweater.
It was all about his face that was hidden under the hoodie that was attached to the sweater and Charley let out her breath, not able to ignore the pang of disappointment.
Her heart still didn't calm down, though.
After all, despite who or what he was, he had given her quite a fright.
Again.

"This a hobby of yours? Sneaking up on people in dark alleys?", she breathed to vent some of the tension that had built up in her body with the speed of light, leaning forward with her hands resting on knees as she tried to catch her breath.
"If so, you really need to find yourself another one, holy shit."

While she was talking, she kept a close eye on him, hoping he would come into movement.
That he would step into the soft moonlight that now cut through the clouds all of a sudden.
But it seemed that he wasn't born yesterday because he remained where he was, which wasn't really surprising, but hey, a girl could try.
He did move, though.
It was ever so slightly, but it was enough for her heart to add some full-on somersaults to the dance like some kind of professional gymnast.

Big ears.
White fur.
A silver mask.
Red eyes.

White fur.
Striking.
Hard to conceal, even in the dark.
The soft moonlight didn't exactly work in his favor either, just like him raising his head.
Even if it were only a few inches, it was enough for a small beam of light to break through the shadow of the hoodie.
Truth be told, it was still barely visible, but it was definitely there.
A white-furred snout.
White shining and sharp-looking teeth, glittering in the moonlight.
Lips, curled into an amused and perhaps even arrogant smile, although it was kind of hard to tell with the rest of his face still hidden.
"Everyone needs a hobby, right?"

His voice was, again, like music and Charley closed her eyes for a moment, letting the strange melody calm her nerves a bit.
It sounded different, though.
Instead of anger, there was something else.
There was this tone, this… tremor that she could only place as repressed laughter.
That and the smile made her conclude that he was amused by her, which meant in turn that he had been there the whole time.
Watching her from the shadows.

But that wasn't what gave her goosebumps all over her body.
No, that was because her doubts had now officiously been allayed.
She wasn't going crazy.
Oh no.
This creature was far from human.

Perhaps this realization should scare her.
But it didn't.
Or well, not entirely.
Deep down, thoroughly hidden under her still growing curiosity, there was a small spark of fear.
A spark that tried to tie her stomach in a knot, to get through to her that she needed to be careful here, even though he miraculously managed to make her feel safe.

But the spark kept planting little seeds in her brain, seeds that rooted faster than a speeding bullet and it didn't take long before the first questions began to raise.
What if this was all just part of something bigger?
What if she was being naive here, even though that was nothing like her?
What if he was here to kill her?
A shiver ran down her spine and while she opened her eyes again, her left hand slipped into her pocket.
Although she still wasn't entirely convinced that he would hurt her, there was no harm in being prepared for the worst.

"Yeah, sure, but why don't, I dunno, collecting stamps or something?", she mumbled back, trying to sound nonchalant, which failed miserably, for she was completely clueless why she even said this in the first place.
Then again, there wasn't really a manual for meeting mysterious, inhuman creatures, at least, not that she knew of, so how could she possibly know how to handle all this?
Her grip around the knife tightened, somehow needing the feeling of something solid and very real to keep her head in the game.
To stay on point.

A soft chuckle broke the pressing silence and Charley almost jumped out of her skin, telling her how nervous she actually was.
But she managed to keep her cool as her green eyes landed back on the stranger in the shadows, who now slightly shook his head.
"You're something, alright."
"Glad I'm amusing you", Charley retorted, still holding the knife tightly as she gave her savior a slightly challenging look, all to mask the small spark of fear that was still trying to get bigger by planting even more seeds.

Unfortunately, he was far from impressed.
Even worse, he nodded at the hand in her left pocket, still with that somehow infuriating yet heart-melting smile curling his lips.
"You know how to use that?", he asked with the same tone as earlier, which was actually a big clue that he wasn't threatening her.
His words, however, were concerning and Charley bit her lower lip as her eyes darted to her hand that was still in her pocket before she looked back at him, doing everything within her power to remain calm.
"Use what?"
"The knife you're holding in your hand", he answered sweetly.
Oops.
Busted.

"I don't have…", Charley started but then she sighed in defeat, for she knew perfectly well how much of a terrible liar she was.
"How did you know?"
Another chuckle.
"I didn't."
Oh.
Narrowing her green eyes, she gave him an investigative look, somehow knowing that it wasn't just a guess from his part.
That would be too simple.
There had to be more to it.
Like what?
X-ray vision?
Hm.
Maybe she had watched too many movies.

"I ah… maybe I should go…", she muttered, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.
Dammit.
This whole thing was way out of her league and she now realized that she, indeed, had been naive.
Life wasn't some cheesy love story.
There was no holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya'.
No, it was cruel and dangerous.
She of all people knew that.
And this… person was a killer.
A cold-blooded murderer.
Nothing more, nothing less.
There was still time.
Time to get the hell out of here, before she was in too deep.
All of this was true, and yet, she didn't move.

Her body simply refused to come into movement, every muscle screaming that it didn't want to walk away from this mysterious creature that clearly did something to her, although she had no idea what.
But that's why she was here, right?
To find out.
Maybe, but a person could only die once.
And this wasn't the time nor the place.
Right.
Then why was she still standing here?

"Maybe you should", the stranger agreed with her, now with a different tone of voice, a tone that somehow caught her attention.
If she didn't know any better, she would've sworn that the tone in his voice carried a hint of regret, and with the smile suddenly nowhere to be seen…
"Yeah. I really should. You know. Go", she nodded with a goofy smile as she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb, her head tilted to the other side.
But she kept dawdling.

In a way, she hoped that he would stop her, which was another piece of evidence that this whole thing was dangerous.
He was dangerous.
Not only because he killed people, but because of the feeling he gave her.
As if he controlled her.
Maybe he did.
But, much to her disappointment, he didn't.
Stop her.
All he did was confirm her with one simple word.
"Okay."
"Okay", she repeated without thinking, her cheeks burning.
This was getting more and more awkward by the minute.
She really needed to go.
As in: now.

"Uh, yeah, so uhm… well, thanks for saving my life the other night, you know, with the guy pulling my hair and all and you being all heroic and mysterious… very courageous, yes", Charley babbled as she did a few steps backward, holding up both thumbs to strengthen her words, though in reality, it made her look even dumber.
"Go vigilantes, hehe…"
She really needed to stop talking.
The smile was back, she now saw and her body temperature rose another degree out of embarrassment.
She knew perfectly well that she was making a complete idiot out of herself, but the thing was, she couldn't help it.
It was his entire presence that made her feel like she was 16 years old again all of a sudden.
Especially that smile...

"No biggie, sweetheart. All in a day's work."
He was laughing at her, she just knew he was.
She could hear it in his voice and this time, it was pretty damn obvious.
Well, she couldn't really blame him.
She too would be laughing if it wasn't about her.
But it was.
Let us retreat, you silly woman.
Time to save what was left of her dignity.

After giving him sort of clumsy salute with still that stupid smile on her face, Charley swirled around while she let out something that was supposed to sound like 'okay', but it was more as if she was wheezing or something, which was only the highlight of an already very embarrassing evening and she cursed herself for being so… girly.
Honestly...
She was no so-called 'girl-girl'.
She never had been.
She was Charley.
One of the guys.
Clumsy.
Not charming.
Not able to flirt, obviously.
Definitely no relationship material.
And, as just became painfully clear, not the right person to write a manual about meeting mysterious, inhuman creatures.
Oh no.
She was Charley.
Just Charley.
A lone wolf.

With her head down, she forced herself to put her right foot in front of the left one, to help her brain remember the true meaning of the phrase 'walk away while you still can', but then her green eyes landed on the beautiful bike that was still standing there and she already stopped dead in her tracks again.
It had to be his bike, right?
Which meant that, apart from whatever he was or wherever he came from, he was a biker.
That had to mean something...
...right?
To her, it did.
Maybe it did to him as…
"You do know that you're still here, right?"
Goddammit.
He really was making fun of her.

After taking a deep breath, she clenched both hands into fists and swirled around before she pointed at the bike.
"Is that your bike?", she asked, or maybe even demanded, relieved that she -by some miracle- had managed to find back a fragment of her spirit.
Although she could tell that her question confused him, he did answer it.
"Yup. All mine."
His smile then got even bigger, but also a bit more naughty, causing Charley's heart to start its dance all over again, but this time accompanied by an entire army of butterflies, tickling her stomach without mercy.
"Why? You wanna take her on a date? I mean, I saw the way you looked at her. If that's not love at first sight, I'm not sure what is..."
Her.
Not it.
Her.
Odd choice of words, to say the least.
Also not important right now.

"This ain't no normal bike", Charley bravely continued, even though the raw edge of his voice was enough to make her legs weak, but she didn't lower her -now slightly trembling- hand that was still pointing at the bike.
"She is where I come from", he shrugged as he put his hands in his pockets, lowering his head again right before she was able to see more of his face but that was okay.
For now.
Probably without his knowing, he navigated the conversation straight in the right direction.
"I was kind of hoping you would say that", she smiled self-righteously.
"So tell me. Where do you come from?"

As she was talking, the clever female subconsciously took a few steps closer, not realizing that her finger was still aimed at the bike.
But her mysterious hero did.
"Careful, sweetheart. You really shouldn't…-", he started, but the moment her finger made contact with the windshield, the bike suddenly came to life with the engine roaring loudly.
Not just that, deadly-looking weapons came out at different places and Charley's eyes grew big as her mouth dropped.
"-...touch her", he finished his sentence almost lazily and just as complacent as she was only moments ago.

But Charley hardly heard him.
For a moment, all she could do was stare at the bike that was beeping loudly and revving its engine, like a wild animal that was about to attack.
Hm.
Definitely not normal, no…
"Lemme guess. Artificial Intelligence?", she asked, trying to sound as casually as possible.
Of course, this was entirely mind-blowing times ten, but she also knew that he was messing with her.
After all, the bike hadn't made a single sound the first time she touched it without his permission.
No, he was playing a game.
And thanks to her desperate need for answers, she was more than willing to play along.

Despite the little light, she could see how he froze for a moment and now it was her turn to smile again, feeling very satisfied with herself that she was now the one who caught him off guard.
Although he recovered himself quite quickly, he didn't succeed to cover up his shock entirely.
"Uh, yeah… Gotta admit, babe, I'm kind of surprised that you know that."
"I'm a mechanic, not some dumb cheerleader", Charley told him proudly as she folded her arms, still very pleased with herself.

Which didn't take very long, she soon found out.
Because the moment she said the word 'cheerleader', he started to grin again as well, which could only mean trouble, something she had already learned in the short time that she knew him.
"A mechanic, 'ey? You sure about that? I mean, with the whole 'go vigilantes' thingy...", and he took his hands out of his pockets to imitate her 'thumbs-up' movement.
"That sounded very cheerleader…ish to me."

Again, Charley's cheeks turned red, but seeing his hands distracted her more than she could actually afford right now.
Black, fingerless gloves.
Long, delicate fingers.
A flare.
Red fire, cutting through metal…
Maybe it weren't his hands that distracted her.
No, he did.
Or well, he tried.
But by showing his hands, all he did was reminding her why she was here.
How helpful of him.

"Like I said, I'm a mechanic. Therefore, I know for a fact that bikes controlled by AI are not very common, or maybe I should say non-existent on this globe, so…"
Without really realizing it, she shifted her weight to her right foot while her hand was already resting on her hip and to top it all off, she looked up at him from under her lashes.
Not even she could deny that this behavior could only be described as flirty, which was beyond confusing and maybe even embarrassing as well.
He really brought out the worst in her.

But all her brave superhero did in return was studying his nails and she suddenly couldn't find the words to finish her sentence.
His seeming lack of interest took her off guard and she couldn't help herself from feeling… rejected, although she wasn't entirely sure why, for she wasn't the only one playing a game here.
Maybe it was because she was more vulnerable than usual, especially since this whole play was entirely new to her.

Either way, it felt as if he just slammed the door in her face and she already gave herself a huge inner scolding for being so naive.
Of course he wasn't going to tell her all his secrets.
He hardly knew her, or perhaps even more important — he didn't owe her anything and she cursed herself for believing that he did.
How stupid.
Game over.
"You know what? Never mind. It was stupid of me to come here. I'm not sure what I was thinking…"
But right before she wanted to turn around and walk away -yes, this time for real-, he suddenly raised his head and again, her heart made about a thousand backflips.
The hoodie was still covering most of his face, but she was now able to see something other than his front teeth glitter in the moonlight like a diamond in the sun.

Big ears.
White fur.
A silver mask.
Red eyes.

A silver mask.
One that was, as far as she could tell, covering most of the right side of his face ala 'Phantom of the Opera' style.
While she wondered what he was hiding underneath it, her green eyes searched for his almost automatically, for she was dying to look him in the eye again, but it was no use.
It was still too dark.
God.
How stupid of her not to bring a flashlight.
All she wanted to do right now was to shine it in his face with eyes narrowed, mouth in a tight line and chin in the air, kind of like those cops in the movies.
Hm.
Guess this made it official then.
She really had watched too many movies.

"You uh… you never finished your sentence. Ya know, about the AI being uncommon here…", he broke her out of her thoughts and she gave him a surprised look.
So his door wasn't closed after all.
Well, maybe it was, but he just opened it again.
Not just that, he was even inviting her in.
He didn't want her to leave.
So it seemed that she wasn't the only one who was interested.
Who was curious.
And just like that, she was back in the game.
Time to roll the dice.
"You're not from around here, are you?", she asked him softly, despite her burning curiosity somehow scared to hear the answer.
"Define here", he encouraged her with a low voice, one that gave her the feeling as if she was floating or something like that.
He really affected her in a way that went beyond comprehension.

Was she really going to say this out loud?
What if she was wrong?
What if her fantasy took a mockery of her?
But when she looked at his face, or at least the parts that were visible, she already knew that she wasn't.
Wrong.
It was simply impossible.
The bike, simply perfect and now calm again, standing close to her only confirmed it.
Still, it took her some effort to squeeze the word out, but she did it anyway.
"Earth."

A silence followed, forcing Charley to listen to her heart pounding in her head, a sound causing not only a nagging headache but an overall ominous feeling.
Slowly, one by one, every muscle in her body tensed, although she wasn't entirely sure why.
Maybe it was just instinct.
Primal instinct that prepared her body for taking quick action the moment she didn't like his answers.
Or maybe the moment he didn't like her questions.
Either way, tension was brewing in this alley, but it wasn't just tension.
There was something else, something she couldn't name.

Luckily, right before it got too much for her, he gave her a small nod as an answer, thereby freeing her from this very unpleasant feeling that maybe -if she had to be honest- wasn't entirely unpleasant.
But when she realized that he was, indeed, saying yes to her question, the feeling was already replaced by a strange cocktail of fear, excitement and curiosity, making her feel more alive than ever.
What a night.
What a surreal night.

As she tried to keep her breathing under control, Charley put her trembling hands in the pockets of her jacket, but this time it wasn't about the knife.
No, she suddenly had no idea what to do with them.
Somehow, he made her highly self-conscious of her body, which was both exasperating and refreshing.
"Okay, so uhm… then where do you come from?", she asked after clearing her throat, shuffling her feet and eyes lowered in an attempt to diffuse the tension a bit.
"A wasteland. Lots of sand. Bad weather. No hotdogs. No water, either. It's barbaric, but hey, it's home."

He obviously did the best he could to sound nonchalant, perhaps even bored, but when Charley glanced at him from under her lashes, she could see how he shifted his weight a bit uncomfortable, thereby confirming what she already thought.
This was a subject he didn't like to talk about.
Still, after a little hesitation, she decided to continue, though with a little more caution.
"Does this wasteland have a name?"
"I really shouldn't be telling you all this", he sighed a bit frustrated, but before she could ask him what he meant by that, he already answered the question.
"Mars. I'm from Mars. And so is my bike."

"Mars", Charley repeated flatly while she secretly buried a nail into her skin to check if she wasn't dreaming.
A sharp pain told her she wasn't, but somehow, it wasn't enough to entirely convince her.
Mars.
Holy shit.
How was this even real?
"Mars", she said again as she nodded randomly, feeling the unexplainable need to say it out loud, which was probably just some half-baking attempt to make it more credible.
But her brain didn't take the bait.
It probably needed some time anyway.
And so, she took a deep but shaky breath before she moved on to the next question on her list.

She actually wanted to ask why he was here, on Earth, but giving his unease she decided to save that one for later.
No need to scare him off, not now they were finally making some progress.
"Okay. Mars it is. But you didn't come alone, right? There's three of you…"
She trailed off for a moment as the image of that stupid flyer flashed before her eyes.
"Three vigilantes."

Which were in fact aliens.
Aliens.
Fucking aliens.
And here she thought mysterious vigilantes keeping the town safe at night was already ridiculous enough.
Little did she know that it could be even worse but here she was.

Talking to an alien, one that, as it turned out, didn't really like the whole vigilante idea either.

"We ain't no vigilantes, that's just some stupid fantasy you humans came up with to justify encouraging three strangers to take matters into their own hands because y'all just too scared to do it yourselves", her savior said angrily and a pang of fear made Charley's heart skip a beat by hearing the threatening tone of voice, just like the one she had heard that night, although she couldn't agree more.

"I personally prefer the term 'heroes'", he continued a little less angry before he gave her another one of those somehow boyish yet charming smiles of his.
"But yeah. There's three of us."
Sweetly.
Innocently.
A real piece of work, this one.
Erratic, too.
Next question.
"So where are they now? I mean, you came alone…", but Charley trailed off as she quickly looked around her a bit nervously before her gaze landed back on him.
"You did come alone, right?"
"I did."
"Why?"

The tension just kept rising and rising.
A sensation she hadn't felt before.
Of course, she knew the definition of tension.
But this… this was something else, alright.
Then again, it's not every day one stumbled across an alien.
The fact that the alien wasn't green but white made it even more complicated, not to mention he spoke her language instead of beeping.
This was ridiculous.
Surreal, once again.
And it was about to get even more surreal, for her alien hero finally came into movement.
"Well, my leader ain't exactly happy about the fact that you saw me that night…", he explained calmly -a bit too calm if you asked her- as he slowly pushed himself off the wall he was using as a backrest up until now.

That was already enough for the spark to ignite and instead of blood, it was now pure fear that rushed through her veins quite unexpectedly.
It was at that exact moment that it suddenly clicked.
Like two perfect puzzle pieces.
"Oh", she gasped softly and she took a few steps backward
Shit, how could she be so blind?
He wasn't telling her all this because he wanted to, no, he did because it didn't matter.
She was a loose end.
Nothing more, nothing less.
She had been marked for death from the moment she had looked him in the eye that night.
A secret identity.
One that needed to remain secret.
At all costs...

This realization and the unsettling silence made the hairs in her neck stand on end and even though she couldn't really see his eyes, she somehow felt his gaze almost burning a hole in her skull.
Maybe she should tell him that his secret was safe with her…
Right.
Because that always worked out so well.
Not.
Not even in movies.

While she tried to make a decision about what her next move was going to be as quick as her brain let her, a shadow fell over her and Charley looked up, only to see him standing right in front of her.
She blinked a few times in surprise when she noticed how tall he actually was.
Broad, too.
Muscular.
Strong.
Dangerous.
"Oh, indeed…", he smiled darkly and Charley swallowed with difficulty when she heard the slightly threatening tone in his still wonderful voice.
He really was a tough act to follow.
Or maybe he just pretended to be.

But he didn't give her enough time to fully comprehend what was happening here and before she knew it, he pushed her up against the wall with his right hand resting on her throat.
Lucky for her, he was way more gentle than the animal that attacked her that night, a thing she was grateful for.
Maybe that meant he would give her a clean and quick death...
"He wants me to erase your memory", he whispered menacingly as he looked down at her with his chin up.
Huh?
Well, there's a plot twist.

"You can do that?", Charley breathed a bit surprised, maybe even relieved, for this was something she never saw coming, which was usually the case with a plot twist.
Or, at least, with the good ones and this one was simply brilliant, alright.
Next to that, she wasn't able to think clearly, not now he was standing so close to her.
Unlike their previous meeting, she wasn't dangling between consciousness and unconsciousness, a state of mind that had protected her from any outside stimuli and even then his presence had been quite overwhelming already.

Without that protection, the effect he had on her was enough to completely disorientate her.
Only feeling his hand on her skin while his scent embraced her like a soft blanket turned her brain into water or something like that.
Stupid and dangerous, yes, but she wasn't exactly in control here, now was she?
He was.
Her green eyes were focussed on the millions of small white hairs covering his nose, all to keep her head in the game, but her gaze lowered to his lips when, again, a teasing smile appeared.
"Well, he wasn't joking, so I suppose the answer to that question is yes."

The ominous tone in his voice was already replaced by that amused one again, but her ears caught a hint of confusion as well, maybe even insecurity and she frowned, for he didn't really strike her as the insecure type of… guy.
Yeah.
Guy was just fine.
But, as it turned out, it was her who confused him.
Welcome to the club.
"It's funny though. I've just told you that I came here tonight to erase your memory and instead of… I dunno, freak out or whatever damsels in distress do, all you do is ask if I can do that...", he mused out loud and he tilted his head a bit to the right.
"Aren't you supposed to be scared? Your heart racing in your chest tells me you are… so does your scent. But are you really? Scared?"

Again, Charley searched for his eyes, but all she saw was a soft brilliance looking back at her.
Knowing that this was probably the closest she could get right now, she decided to just answer his question.
"I'm not."
Another silence followed and judging from the slightly trembling side of his mouth, he was -again- trying very hard not to laugh, which could only mean one thing.
He didn't believe her.
Well, she couldn't really blame him.
She hardly believed herself either and she heaved a sigh.
"Okay, maybe I am, but… I dunno, I know this sounds crazy, but I trust you."
And that was the truth and nothing but the truth and yes, it blew her mind as well.
This whole night didn't make any sense, so why in the world would this suddenly do?

But it wasn't just mind-blowing to her, but to him as well, for the smile vanished like smoke in the wind by hearing her words.
"You shouldn't. You really shouldn't", he said a bit absent-minded, or maybe even sad.
The same sadness she had seen in his eyes, that night.
A lone wolf.
"But I do."
"Are you always so trusting?"
"No. Not even close. I'm distrustful by nature", she answered in all honesty.

For a moment, it looked like he was going to let her go.
She wasn't sure why, but he seemed to hesitate.
As if he was caught up in some inner conflict or something like that.
Well, maybe he was.
But he then shook his head as he tightened his grip around her throat.
"No. I'm sorry, but I can't just let you walk away. There's too much at stake…", he sighed and he bit his lower lip in frustration, telling her that he didn't actually want to hurt her, but that he simply didn't have a choice.

And neither had she.
After all, there was just no way that her fragile human body was capable of winning a fight with this mysterious, muscular and quite interesting creature.
Then so be it.
At least she would be able to go back to her normal life without him controlling her mind and soul.
To be just Charley.
A lone wolf.
A prospect that made her feel strangely depressed, actually.

But, before she would resign to her fate since that was actually her only option right now, there was one last thing she wanted to ask him.
"I want to see your face."
"Not gonna happen, babe", he snorted, but despite his quick and quite convincing response, he didn't move.
Now, she had no idea how this whole memory wipe thingy worked, but he at least had to do something, right?
The fact that he didn't might be a sign that she got his attention and so, she bravely continued.
"You're about to erase my memory, so what's the harm, huh? Besides, like you so kindly spelled out for me just now, I'm not going anywhere. So, please. Let me at least see your face. I need to know. I came here to find answers. Give them to me. After that, you're free to do whatever you want with me."

Too late she realized that might be a poor choice of words and her cheeks started to burn, making it feel as if the sun was singeing her skin.
Him giving her that sexy, uh, smugly -!- smile didn't exactly help either and before she knew it, her entire body practically ignited into flames.
"Be careful what you wish for, sweetheart…", he warned her with that lovely raw voice of his, which was enough to make her feel weak in the knees but not because she was scared.
No, something had changed.
Something in the atmosphere.
The tension was back.
He must have felt it too, for he still didn't grab his magic wand or whatever he needed to erase himself out of her memory.

The flames sparked her courage to a certain level and she raised her hand, expecting him to stop her any second now.
But he didn't.
Not even when she reached out to his hoodie and before she knew it, her fingers made contact with the soft fabric while her heart was already dancing its merry way again, completely unstoppable.
He didn't, though.
Dance?
No, move.
He just stood there, holding her and she could hear his breathing becoming a bit heavier.
That was the final push she needed and she slowly pulled the hoodie down.

Big ears.
White fur.
A mask.
Red eyes.

Red eyes.
Beautiful bright, ruby-red eyes.
Eyes full of curiosity and vice.
It was mixed with a small hint of grief, though, but mostly mischief.
No hate.
No anger.
Just… rebellion.

While she kept staring into his eyes, the tension rose to an astonishing level and she almost forgot to breathe when she suddenly realized that this was, indeed, not just tension.
No.
There was this electric field pulling on her body and even though she hadn't been exactly a manslayer in her younger years, she had enough experience to know that this specific tension carried the characteristic feature of sexual tension.
Great.
Just great.
As if this whole thing wasn't already complicated enough.

For a moment, nothing really happened.
Or well, there happened a lot of things, but all inside her head and judging the way he was looking at her, the same happened to him.
Or maybe he was just messing with her.
Who knew?
He was kind of hard to read, though his eyes told her that he was being sincere here.
Ruby-red eyes.
The mirrors to his soul.
Or so they said.
Mirrors that now suddenly wandered down and she could only assume he did that to look at her lips.
Oh, god.
He was about to kiss her, wasn't he?
Was she crazy if she wanted him to?
Crazy as fuck.

Wait.
What if he needed to kiss her to erase her memory?
Just like the Dementors in Harry Potter, that suck out people's souls via their mouth.
A Dementors kiss.
Heck, at this point, anything was possible.
How stupid would it be if she would kiss him back all eagerly and heatedly -exactly like how she felt right now- while all he wanted was to suck out a piece of her brain?
He would laugh at her.
Again.

On the other hand, she wouldn't be able to remember it later on.
It would only be super awkward for a few seconds or so.
But he would.
Remember it.
For the rest of his life.
That thought alone made her feel very… uncomfortable.

"What's your name?", Charley blurted out, hardly recognizing her own voice.
His eyes darted back up and the subtle frown on his peculiar face told her that this was the last thing he expected.
You and me both, man.
This came completely out of the blue, even for her, which was only another confirmation that she was definitely losing her mind here.
Ah well.
This whole debacle would soon be forgotten.
And now the question was out, she really wanted to hear the answer.
One he was about to give her.

But then, suddenly, a loud voice behind them.
"Chicago PD! Stop with what you are doing and step into the light, nice and slow!"
And just like that, the already very complicated situation became an unsolvable puzzle.

---

So there's a cliffhanger for ya.
I simply couldn't resist.
But not to worry.
I'm already halfway through the next chapter.
I had this flow, it's crazy.
I just couldn't stop writing.
My life is chained to this weird 'all or nothing' pattern and I'm not only talking about my writing, hehe.

Either way, I hope you liked it.
Let me know what you think, it's always very useful to hear your thoughts.
Stay safe out there and take care of those you love.
Until next time, my dear readers.

Ta-ta!