The Disparate One

Chapter 18 - Girl

The two men arrived in New York city when they walked out of an abandoned building which Oxford's uses it a shortcut from his penthouse to the station where the pods usually arrive and leave. The night sky was still visible at the time when Ray and Oxford were walking to the building where Oxford lives. Ray didn't mind about his appearance that is gathering attention in the streets of the city.

"Welcome to my penthouse.", Oxford said to Ray after he unlocked the door and opened it for him, showing what is on the other side of the door.

"Do you live here by yourself?", Ray questioned as he walked in, looking around the area.

"No... I have a robot who accompany's me.", said Oxford as he hangs his black suit. "Take a seat.", he added.

Ray sat down on the sofa, staring at the pictures that are placed on the shelf on the fireplace that Oxford never uses.

"You have a family?", Ray questioned.

"Yes.", said Oxford before he knocked on the door of the robot's bedroom, he was trying to find for the robot, but he found the answer when he saw a window from the kitchen is opened wide. At that moment, he already knew that the robot has escaped and is now somewhere in the city.

"Are you alright?", Ray questioned when he noticed that Oxford was walking around the penthouse, searching for something, thinking that he might be able to offer some help.

"I can't seem to find my friend.", Oxford replied as he went closer to the window and peaked his head out, scanning the alley below.

"We can look for him, if it concerns you?", said Ray.

"I'm going to look for him, you stay here. Don't even try to escape too or the next thing you'll know, you will be back in your cell.", Oxford said with a slight tone before he walked up to the door to wear his black suit again and left Ray alone in the penthouse.

"Yes, sir.", Ray replied when he got off the sofa and stood near a window, watching the streets wake up as the sky slowly turns blue. He turned his head to his right and there he can see the green central park in the distance, he turned his head to his left and there he can see the world trade center, towering its neighbors.

He looked down at the streets again and there he caught Oxford just walked out of the building, speed walking away while giving quick glances to his surroundings. His eyes followed the man until he made a turn at the intersection, disappearing from his view. He remained standing near the glass pane with his right hand in his right side slacks pocket. While he was enjoying the view, he noticed that Oxford's penthouse has a large balcony. He decided to go there just to get some fresh air so he started to search for a door or a way that leads to it.

Before he could even find the door that leads to the balcony, he has already explored the entire penthouse, except for the two bedrooms. The door was just next to the fireplace, it is completely made out of glass, no metal borders, even a handle can't be seen in it. He only found it when he started to rest his hands on each glass pane and applying tiny pressure of push on it.

He leaned against the railings just in time to see the vehicles filling up the empty streets and the number of people on the sidewalks increasing. He started to hear loud sounds coming up from the sky, he looked up and sees an airplane coasting through the blue sky. There are also flocks of birds flying on his other side.

"Coo roo-c'too-coo."

Ray noticed that there is a pigeon on the railings, just feet away from him, it is looking right at him. He stared at the bird as it moves closer to him, inches by inches, and then came to a stop when it is just a foot away from him. Ray smiled at the bird as his right hand started to approach the pigeon. Its head was bobbing before his hand made contact with it. He was petting it for a moment when suddenly it flew away. Ray followed the bird with his eyes until it landed on another railing but in a different penthouse which it is in another building, next to where he is currently at.

A girl walked out of the penthouse and immediately noticed the pigeon on the railings. The girl's height is almost the same as his, her hair is blonde and the smile on her face is just stunning. Ray was staring at the girl without getting noticed, for now. The girl also approached the bird and began to pet it, gently. Ray started to have this feeling that he is looking at the most wonderful girl in the world, he also started to have weird feelings for the girl. At this point, he already knew that he is in love.

Suddenly the girl noticed Ray in the distance who is still staring at him. Ray also noticed it too, his heart skipped a beat, not because the girl looked at her, it is because he has been caught. He decided to wave at the girl gently, with a simple smile. The girl waved back with also a smile at the exact time when the sun's light shines on her face, as a result, she isn't just stunning and wonderful anymore, she has become a rose that blooms perfectly, no disturbance or whatsoever. The girl then went back inside the penthouse after that unforgettable moment.

Out of nowhere, he started to hear Oxford's voice coming from the main door. He sounds like that he is talking to someone, so Ray also went back inside and closed the glass door behind him before he stood in the middle of the living room. The door opened and a robot was the first one that walked in and second is Oxford, who closed the door after. Ray was about to introduce himself to the robot, but somehow it didn't see him while he was walking straight to his bedroom.