The Wild Ones - Part 2 - The Catalyst

5.

Daniel jolted up from his chair. There had just been a bang outside his window and his body had shot to life. But this wasn't your average bang. This was a full on thud.

His mind began racing. Had people come after him already? Were they trying to break in? To get revenge? To kill him?

There was another bang at the window. But this time he saw the source. A fist crept up from below the windowsill and knocked gently against the pane. A muffled voice accompanied it.

"Hello? Could really use some help out here."

Help? Why would someone need help?

Daniel cautiously approached the window and peered out. Clinging on to the edge of the windowsill were two figures, a guy and a girl, both around his age. Luckily, they were both standing on a narrow ledge that jutted out from the building, but neither seemed particularly happy about it. He stared at them and after a while they stared back. They seemed to be subconsciously asking for something, but he wasn't sure what. After a while he decided to open the window and ask.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know, clinging to a building, as you do," the guy said. Daniel assumed he was joking.

"Did you want to come in?"

"That would be so great," the girl said. She didn't seem as jokey as the guy. Slightly frightened, in fact.

Daniel thought for a while before offering his hands to the girl. She cautiously took them, her hands and body shaking wildly. Daniel ably pulled her up, as she slid over the window and slumped on his floor. She didn't move for a while, and Daniel considered poking her to check for life signs, but she eventually turned over, panting heavily.

"Thanks," she said between breaths.

"I'm still out here guys," came the distant voice of the other guy.

Daniel stared out the window for a while in thought.

"Would you mind?" the girl asked, pulling herself up to a sitting position.

He obliged, since she'd asked nicely, and went back over to the window. The guy was heavier, naturally, and seemed to struggle more; seemingly oblivious to the fact that one wrong move would see him plummet to the ground below. Daniel abstained from reminding him that.

"Oh God. Oh man. Oh geez," the guy said as he too flumped onto the carpet.

Daniel stood and watched both of them, these two random teenagers rolling around on his floor, and thought that today was a rather unique day. The girl was dressed in shorts and leggings, with a beaded bracelet around her wrist and an Alice band in her hair. The guy was in a shirt that seemed a tad too tight but just happened to show off his toned frame.

After a while he decided to sit back down.

The silence was suddenly interrupted as the guy laughed to himself, stood up, and held out a hand.

"Nice to meet you mate, I'm Tom," he said, a smile on his face.

The hand hovered there for a while, an uncomfortable air surrounding them all. Daniel eventually took it and limply shook.

"And I'm Lily," the girl said, standing up herself. "Sorry for dropping in like that. We, uh, had some trouble."

"You flew me into the window," Tom said under his breath.

"You were surprisingly heavy," Lily retorted.

The two smiled. Friends, apparently. Again there was an uncomfortable air. One Daniel was supposed to fill, the way the two were looking at him. He sighed.

"Iknow you, don't I?"