'Tis Better to Have Loved and Lost

Chapter Two

It was 3:57 pm. Raskaal sighed as he walked into the shabby motel lobby, seeing the Friday-afternoon crowd of people who were just a little too young to go to clubs. Parents were unlikely to stumble into a run-down way-point like this, after all.

"Hey," said a member of the motley group, grabbing Raskaal's sleeve and ignoring the resulting scowl. "Can I borrow your ID?"

"I'm only 18," Raskaal growled, pulling his sleeve from the stranger's grasp.

"Oh-- Sorry," the kid said, backing off in disappointment. "You look-- you're kind of tall, you know? Sorry."

Raskaal followed the interloper with an icy glare before continuing to walk to his temporary apartment. As his gaze shifted back to the task at hand, it caught on someone in the corner. Same light hair and even skin as all the other locals, absentmindedly stacking magazines into towers. A flower in her hair-- columbine?-- shifted slightly as she turned, realizing she was being watched. One of her magazine towers toppled.

Raskaal turned away quickly, swearing under his breath. Faith? Again?? He marched quickly into the dirty hall and retreated behind the door of his musty room.

He had peace for a moment, leaning against the door and glaring at the small room that could barely fit more than the small bed.

His short reverie was disturbed by a light knock. Raskaal ignored it.

The knock was followed by another. Raskaal ignored it.

The knock was followed by another. "Hey," a muffled voice said. Well, as muffled as the cheap doors in this place would make any sound. "Um. I'd, like, call your name, but I guess I don't know it."

"Who would I want to talk to that doesn't know my name?" Raskaal snapped. He knew who it was. He told himself to just ignore her until she went away.

"R-Room service!" the voice replied nervously.

"This shithole has no room service," Raskaal growled.

"Welcoming committee?"

Raskaal snorted. Against his better judgement, he replied, "Whatever. Come in."

He scowled at the door as Faith entered, slowly wiping her face. "Hello there."

"Hello, Faith," Raskaal groaned. "What are you doing here?"

Faith hesitated awkwardly. "I- I don't know... I was just here, and, um, saw you come in?" She shifted her weight from side to side nervously.

Raskaal noted grimly that she never seemed to stop moving.

Heaving a sigh, he replied, "so you decided to follow me again?"

"It sounds creepy when you put it like that," Faith said, running one hand through her hair and almost knocking the flower out.

"That's because it is creepy," Raskaal said bluntly, starting to push the door closed.

"W-wait!" said Faith, trying to hold the door open despite the fact that Raskaal had at least two feet and 100 pounds on her. She poked her face into the slowly narrowing gap. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be a creep! Can we start over?"

Raskaal looked away, still pushing the door, if with a bit less strength.

Faith pushed her arm into the gap, trying to widen it. "I just wanna be friends!"

"This is even more creepy than following me, Faith," Raskaal replied, shutting the door with a click.

He leaned against the door, hoping that she wouldn't try to open it again but not willing to take the chance. Unexpectedly, he felt-- odd... he blinked as someone in the lobby screamed.