Alone

Chapter 2

The sun had now sunk behind the tall buildings of the city, casting dark shadows from the streetlights lining the sidewalks. She walked with her hood now up, fighting against the strong breeze that drifted along the sidewalks. Her injured hand now cradled against her chest in her other hand in protection, it ached like no tomorrow. They say it needs ice, hell I feel like ice. She thought to herself as she walked. The sidewalks had been slowly clearing as the night went on, along with the busy streets. Cars retreated back home to their families, and the lone girl was left on her own with no family to go home to.

She made her way to the house she usually slept at, it had been abandoned for a long time. All its windows broken and welcomed the cold breeze from outside. She pushed open the door that hung from its hinges and made her way in. She closed it once inside, and shifted her jacket so it rose up to her chin in hope it would warm her better then before. She made her way across the creaky wooden floor and over into the small kitchen area. A noise came from behind her and she spun around to find her best friend, Spike resting atop the table in the kitchen. "Spike buddy!" She exclaimed rushing over and pulling him into her arms. He had been a small white mouse that made his way around every once in a while to check up on her and keep the small little bugs out of the house. "You must be hungry. Here," she said setting him down and roaming back over to the fridge where she had first planned on making herself a peanut butter sandwich. Everything that had been in the fridge had been of course stolen, but it still kept her fed. She pulled out a small cup of milk and set it down on the floor for Spike. The small mouse stood on his hind legs and stuck his whole head in to lick at the milk. She giggled and ran a hand down his furry back, "good boy Spike," she said as she crouched down beside him.

After the small mouse had finished the milk, she picked up the glass and set it on the counter beside the fridge. She opened the fridge back up and pulled out the 2 remaining pieces of bread to set them on the counter. She pulled out the small jar of peanut butter and a plastic knife. She closed the door with her foot and opened the peanut butter, dipping the knife into it. Spike watched contently from his spot on the floor as the girl made her sandwich. She never kicked Spike out only because they both had something in common, they were alone. No one accepted them, no one cared for them, and they had no where to go. Most people would take the closest weapon nearby and try to get rid of him, but not the girl. She wanted to keep Spike around because she understood him, and he understood her.

As she finished slathering the peanut butter onto the bread, she closed the lid and licked the spoon clean, putting both items back into the fridge. Though it did not work because it required power, she still used it to hold everything she considered food. She made her way to the table, and rested herself in one of the chairs. She stuffed her face with the sandwich, and Spike now sat upon her shoulder, chewing at his tiny feet. When she had finished, she climbed up the stairs to the one bedroom in the house. The room was cold with a single lit candle in the corner of the room on the nightstand next to the bed.

She set Spike down on the nightstand, and crawled under the covers to get a nice sleep. That is, until she heard a noise from downstairs. She pulled out a rusty knife she kept hidden underneath her pillow and threw off the covers, rising to her feet. Spike hopped off the nightstand and was practically glued to her heels. She made her way down the stairs slowly, clutching the knife so hard her knuckles turned white.

She reached the bottom of the stairs, stepping off cautiously, trying not to be heard as though there might be someone here that wants to hurt her. She walked into the living room and crouched behind the sofa, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Hello?" A male voice called out. "Anyone here?" He asked wandering over where the girl had sat. He peeked around the sofa and backed away once he saw the knife gripped tightly in her hand. "Whoa, I am not gonna hurt you, don't worry." He said as he backed into the wall, herself coming closer still holding the blade up. "My name is Jared, I come in peace." He said with a broad grin. His smile had a strange effect on her, warming her on the inside. It was welcoming and she noticed he had a really nice smile. He contained a black hat, black hair sticking out from beneath that hung over his deep gray eyes. His lips were plump but purple, chilled by the outside air. His eyebrows were thick, but raised up in a happy, calm manner. "May I ask your name?" He asked politely. "If you don't mind of course." He said raising his arms up in defence. "What do you want," the girl responded, still not convinced of good intentions from him. Her thoughts still drifted back to the boy from earlier. "I'm only here to find someone else. It gets lonely out there sometimes and, I don't really have a home to go back to." He pursed his lips for a moment, as if pleading for her to accept him into her life. "You have two days, then your out. I'm only saying yes because its late, if it were day, I wouldn't be so kindly. And you could've at least knocked." She said, slipping the knife in her boot before making her way to the front door and closing it firmly. "You can sleep on the couch. I will bring down a pillow and a blanket for you. Oh and don't mind Spike, he doesn't bite. Much." She said chuckling as she walked upstairs. "Who's," he started, but was cut off by Spike who scurried across his foot, causing the boy to jump back.

The girl made her way down the stairs and made up the couch for Jared. She had not yet made a consumption of him yet, it was too early for that. She'd have to wait further in time to make any decisions. "Where are you from?" He asked, trying to make conversation as the girl unfolded the blanket and draped it across the couch. "Here. You?" She responded, finishing her job by placing the pillow down.

"Here as well. My parents wanted to get rid of me when I was a baby, but never got a chance to. When I turned five, I ran away from home and went to a homeless shelter for a little while. Then one day, today, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to venture off and try to find someone who could relate." He plopped down onto the couch, tapping next to him. The girl hesitated, but sat down next to him anyway. Spike was soon scooped up into her arms and drifted off to sleep not too long afterwards. "Where'd you find him?" He asked, observing the small mouse cuddled in the girls arms. "He came with the house. He's my best friend. Listens to my crazy stories and has always been there for me like no other."

"Must be nice to have someone there for you," Jared said stretching, followed by a small yawn. "I never did get your name. Will I ever?" He asked rubbing at his eyes. "Maybe someday. In the meantime, why don't we get some sleep. I'll show you around tomorrow." The girl said setting Spike on the floor and rising to her feet. "Goodnight." Jared said draping the blanket over him and resting his head on the dusty pillow. "Goodnight, Jared." She said smiling. For once in her life, she actually had something to smile about. It was a new feeling, one she liked.