How to Save a Hero [ManxMan]

Chapter Nine: People to Rely On

~Chapter Nine: People to Rely On~

Shit.

"No," I practically croak. What if 'no' isn't an acceptable answer?

Aldis blinks. "Why-"

"No," I repeat with more force, taking another step back, forcing him to drop my hand. Acceptable answer or not, I doubt Aldis would kill me; it is his friends I need to worry about. I need to call Dad. "I-no. Sorry, but, uh, I'm not really...soldier material."

"You wouldn't-"

I cut him off before he can finish, "There's really no reason for me to join you. I wouldn't benefit you in anyway."

"It would be for your own-"

I have no idea why, other than my own unease, but I cut him off again, "Thank you, but no thank you."

Aldis starts to look frustrated, though I am almost absolutely certain he has been at least mildly frustrated since I first cut him off. Any person would be. "If you would stop cutting me off-"

Which is, of course, the point where I interrupt him again, afraid of what he might say. If I don't hear his proposition, maybe someone will just have to try again later instead of dealing with me the way the other war-neutral witches were dealt with. "I had fun tonight, but I think I'll go home alone," I practically exclaim, and then internally cringe at my volume. However, that does not stop me from turning tail and running away. Well, technically, it was a brisk walk, but still...I'm running away.

To my surprise, there is no hand on my shoulder to stop me or anyone that jumps out from behind the parked cars. Instead, I am uninterrupted and glance back once I reach my car to find that Aldis is standing in the same place I left him. He does not move other than to turn to watch as I drive out of the parking lot. Perhaps I should feel bad for not even trying to listen and then leaving so abruptly, but I was mentally prepared for just about everything tonight, except that.

I don't understand how this even happened. I thought he was human; now I don't even know what he is.

Because I do not want to get pulled over for speeding, the drive back to my apartment is slow going. Or, at least, it feels like it is. When I pull into my parking spot, though, I hesitate on leaving my car. What if it is no longer safe?

Thankfully, before I can even finish that thought, logic kicks in. One, all of my things are in that apartment. Even my emergency go bag is inside, hidden away behind some cookbooks. The go bag was not made with this situation in mind, just emergencies in general, but I would still need it if I want to be able to do anything.

Two, I am a witch and a cop; fighting is always an option.

Reluctant, but having no better option, I get out of my car. I take the stairs slowly, more to avoid being winded than out of caution. No one is waiting for me outside my apartment, and the door appears untouched. To be honest, my wariness is probably unwarranted; no threats were made and Aldis never seemed genuinely angry. Well, not at me, anyway. Lyford seemed to rub him the wrong way just by breathing.

But caution pays off, no matter the low risk.

And the thing is, I am not even really overreacting. Though Aldis does not seem like the type, I have heard and seen what happens to witches who try to stay neutral. In the last city I lived in, when I was a known non-human, I was privy to the information about witches going missing left and right. Some even turned up dead, with injuries only another witch could inflict. I somehow managed to avoid notice from the recruiters at the time, but my old precinct was less inclined to believe in a miracle.