A Raven's Heart

Chapter 2: Numb to Life

I guess distrust was what got me this far...I mean fleeing my father, and living in houses while people were on vacation. It kept me off the radar for the most part. Anyway, I only had 2 more blocks to travel, before I was at the nearest fast food place. I was starved, and I'd need some form of food. I would just have to hope someone would have thrown away most of their food. Even fast food, is better than no food at all. Food, unfinished meals, people can be so ungrateful, but nowadays that hardly bothered me. I guess that being pushed aside, and hated left me that way. Everyone had something to be grateful, or ungrateful, for I wasn't much different. I was just happy enough to be alive, and free, and angry enough with myself and being hated, that it felt like I couldn't really afford to let others see it. I sighed, finding what I was looking for in a few moments. A near complete burger, some fries, and what looked like an unopened ranch. I smiled, happy that it was near the top this time. "Ok," I mumbled,"now to look for a water fountain that's open to the public."

I walked out into town, casually eating my breakfast, as I looked for a nearby water fountain. I looked at the early morning sky, and the few people out and about, I felt at peace. Mornings, and nights, were my favorite times of the day, especially early mornings, and late nights. The quiet, and low numbers of people, made them ideal times for me. I could avoid people, and there was less of a chance for people to get hurt because of the bad luck I brought with me. I huffed a little at the thought before coming to a water fountain. I threw the paper to the burger away in the nearest trash can, then used the plastic bottle I had cleaned out before to fill with water. It had seemed like a perfectly good waste to throw away a perfectly good plastic bottle, more specifically because a nice girl around my age had given it to me. I had used this bottle since that day, which had been 3 years ago, or days less than that, because it was that long ago since I escaped my father's lab. I smiled at both memories, as my bottle filled with water. I closed the old bottle, and looked at the lable, and it had deteriorated to the point that no one could tell what used to be in it. I knew though, it had been Sam's Citrus Water. I laughed at the name, as it tasted nothing like what the bottle said it was. As I kept walking, I had stopped smiling, and watched as the streets and, park where I was currently, started to fill with people. I started to look around, as the occasional person would stare at me, then suddenly look away because they didn't want me to ask them for anything. Or maybe they were just disgusted by me, I couldn't tell. What I could tell was that some of them felt bad, but didn't have food or money to help me, so they looked away in shame. This dance through the crowds of people, had become a daily part of my life, and was something I could honestly live with. Sure it stung to begin with, but now I didn't really feel much when it happened. Though, even if I didn't really want it, I couldn't deny, that I liked to have the odd conversations people would have with me. Even those conversations to try to pull me into bed with those people, made some sort of adventure for me. I often managed to get away from people like that anyway, so for me anyway, it didn't matter. The buzz of people in a hurry, the occasional person annoyed by me bumping into them, an angry, annoyed, or loud phone conversation, that was what made up the noises I heard. Then something broke the mold, a girl around my age was being dragged through the crowds. She was clearly resisting, so I just didn't know why anyone wasn't doing anything. I mean, this couldn't be that normal, could it. I sighed, then mumble,"Ok Lena, you have 2 choices. Yeah what are those? You could stand here staring like everyone else, or you could risk everything and save that girl you barely know. Ummmmmm-. You're going to go save the girl you don't know aren't you? Yep. You are such a sap. Awe thanks Lena! You're welcome Lena."

I groaned leaving my water bottle in a tree lodged between two branches before running to catch up with the girl, and her captor. There were many ways that I could have tried to do this. Defuse the situation, knock the guy out, even take her place but, instead I-

"Hey there! Whatcha up to?" I asked tapping the guys shoulder.

"Oh", the guys said cheerfully,"you know, taking my girlfriend out for a nice time."

He said this while pulling her in, while she looked uncomfortable, like she was asking for help. That was when I now noticed that there was a red mark on her face, he had probably recently hit her. "You could have fooled me dude," I said with sassy sarcasm.

He gawked, then recomposed himself, with a sweet and gentle smile. "W-what do you mean," he stuttered, still shocked by my response.

"Oh you know," I said with a ditzy annoyed giggle,"I just figured with her struggling to get away from you, that you might have other plans in mind. Kidnapping, maybe a sex slave operation, or just rape, just to name a few."

"You'd best just walk away little girl," he grumbled harshly.

"Or what?" I asked hardening my resolve.

"Oh you just asked for it you-!" he cried running at me before I kicked him in the face.

"You were saying?" I said matter-o-factally, while signaling to the girl to run.

He stumbled to his feet, wiping blood pooling, from his nose. The girl had already left, and he screamed. "You bratty little," he grumbled the rest of the words, though to be fair, I was glad,"YOU LET HER GET AWAY!"

He charged me, and I dodged," She was gonna be my pay day!"

I rolled my eyes, anger boiling my blood,"You sell humans to other humans, you hunt down targets for this trafficking, and all to get paid. PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK TO MY STOMACH!"

I started fighting him, I blocked, kicked, punched. Although I hated to admit I was grateful for any of the things dad had put me through, I was content with my heightened senses, and battle practice he forced me to go through. That didn't make him a good guy by any stretch, but it did make some of the dumber, unsafe things I did, a little less dangerous. I sighed as I continued to fight him, and my heart raced. This was just one of the many other things I had grown numb to in society. Violent, awful, and selfish people, but I didn't expect to see the girl show up again in the middle of the fight. "Duck!" She cried to me, causing her attacked to look at her.

"Why you-!" he cried before stopping in mid stride, and then the girl blew over the top of the gun in her hand.

"Uh?" I looked at her curiously,"What the heck did you do?"

"Oh uh, I'm not much of a physical fighter, he he..." she said nervously,"We should go before he starts moving again."

I nodded calmly before following her, and retrieving my water bottle. "Um..." the girl said,"thanks for the help back there, most people are too nervous to help anybody."

"Eh, just call me a bit insane," I answered before taking a drink from my bottle.

"That's an old Sam's Citrus bottle?" she asked with curiousity.

"Huh? Oh yeah," I said,"Someone gave it to me when I needed it a long time ago, so because I don't have a home, or really any belongings, I've kept it to get water."

"Hold on! You can crash at my place! Camilla Peterson, at your service!" She said vibrantly.

"Woah woah! No. I know you want to help me, but I bring bad luck wherever I go. I'm not someone you want in your life Cam," I answered quickly.

"But, I don't think that," she said,"Whatever's going on,  I think that I can handle it. Let's go!"

She dragged me along while I tried to refuse, something told me that this was going to be a long day. It was going to be interesting too, but that was what made me curious. I could honestly say this was the first day were the world I lived in didn't make me feel numb.