Autumn Leaves

Alleyways

'I guess you could say that there are a lot of reasons I don't like alleyways. As a matter of fact, I could probably write an essay about it. I think the first reason was that I had to live in them during the unhappiest times of my life. When the Winters died in that fire, I ran. I didn't know why I ran, after all, it was hardly my fault. But I did run, and run, and run, until my legs gave out.

I collapsed on the corner of a street, and a boy, a little older than I was at the time, got his friends to help me. They all brought me into a small warehouse, that hadn't been used since its owners went bankrupt nearly twelve years ago. They shared what little food they had with me, making sure I received enough to stay alive. Eventually, I returned to health, and I worked on the streets, begging for money.

Occasionally a kind soul would offer me an odd job, and I would always try to do it to the best of my abilities. One day, I'd stayed out on the streets longer than usual. I had made more money than I normally did in a week, and my last customer, an elderly gentleman with twinkling blue eyes was asking me lots of questions. It turned out that he was a policeman, and he tried to make me come with him.

I took off running, and when I arrived back 'home' I found the bodies of my friends strewn on the floor. I hid behind a barrel, hearing footsteps. One boy was still alive, the one who had first found me, Emmett, his name was. He tried to hide too, but the murderers found him, and I heard them kill him.

I couldn't contain my scream, and, for the second time that day, I ran. But this time it was for my life. I ran into an unfamiliar alleyway, which had an eight-foot high wall. I tried to climb it, but I fell, and injured my ankle. The men closed in on me, and then they were pulled away from me. It was Dave, the man who ran the local butcher's. Occasionally he would let me have a piece of meat, when times were tough. He rescued me, and took me to safety. Or rather, to the authorities.

The next time I had a bad experience was on a school day. I was running home from school, desperate to escape my bullies. I was a good runner, and I was soon well ahead of them. However, I tripped up, badly cutting my knee on a broken bottle. It was bleeding heavily, and it hurt to run on. So I hid in an alleyway, hoping that they would just run past.

They did, but there I heard a frightened yowl, and went to investigate. There was a tiny little kitten, no bigger than my hand. I called her Tallulah, and I loved her more than anything. Except, as I came out of the alleyway, I ran into the boys who had been chasing me. It turned out that they had known I was in there all along. They dragged me back in, and beat the hell out of me.

But the last, the last and worst times were just before, and just after I was kidnapped. As I said, I was on my way home from school, and on my way past an alleyway, I heard a shriek of pain. I stopped near the entrance for a second, before deciding to go and get help. But that second was more than enough, and a gloved hand covered my face, masking my desperate screams for help.

And when I escaped from them, I was scarred, both inside and out. I had been traumatised, though I didn't know it then. Living on the streets was hard, but I got by. It was in an alleyway where Nathan found me, so I s'pose it hasn't all been bad.'

When she had finished, Loki realised that in front of him was someone who had been through so much. Someone who had survived against the odds, despite it all. Perhaps to spite it all. The person who saw the world in a pure light and expected everyone else too, as well. She'd emerged from Hell, burnt, but still kicking. The beautiful young woman who had been in a fight with life, and emerged victorious, though not without scars. But the scars made her who she was. They made her someone who was cheerful, and sweet, generous and kind, with a wicked sense of humour.

They made her someone who he'd fallen hopelessly in love with.