Lights [COMPLETED]

3 - On the Other Side

Help me.”
“Lonely.”
“Tomorrow, I'll get better tomorrow”
“Let me go!”
“Me, first!”
“Me, last.”

And all these faces looking out, but never at me, or my hands.
Thousands of people walking, running almost, lost in their own world, their own thoughts. 
Their souls screaming.

People I was meeting for the first time, feeling familiar already, because their thoughts were a part of me, whether I wanted it or not.

I remembered studying faces and manners, and now it was real. Painfully, vividly real: the tired eyes, the laughs, the worries, the dark thoughts, the happy memories.

Welcome to the Human World.

I found myself on a bench, on a rainy street, surrounded by big and dark buildings. World of concrete. I read all about it during Human Studies, but the grey walls hit me with surprise. It was dramatic, intense, and I felt almost too small for this world.
No time for sightseeing. I needed to find Niall.

My mission.

I read the name of the street. Upper Street. I closed my eyes and tried to focus, willing to unveil memories of the Special Day. The things you bury deep to avoid pain... The last time I was there, the soul came directly to me. This time, I was coming to it.

“Where are you?”, I whispered.

My feet walked on the street, and I felt the rain getting heavier, every drop falling harder and harder, my damped hair, my soaked dress. Good thing I kept my boots this morning. A flash of the journey to the Council crossed my mind.

Winter dawn. A distant memory, already.

The rain became storm, and the smell of the city had a hint of metal mixed with soil; nothing like home. Amazing, nonetheless.

“Closer.”

There was a coffee shop around the corner. The smell became warmer, and my hands, brighter.

That was it.

Inside, the same souls screaming, under wide smiles and hot beverages. Inner thoughts and spoken words entwined.

I looked at the board. Beverages had strange names over there.
There were two men behind the counter. One was tall, blue eyes and silver hair; The other was smiling, and his brown eyes looked right through me.

And I remembered.

“Can I get you something?”
A name written on the man's badge.
Niall.
My Mission.

Same pain in his eyes. Was I the only one to notice?

I guess I was.
“Hi, um...I don't really know what to have.”
Quick, Meira. What did I know about coffee? Before I could say anything, the silver-haired guy  (Stephen, according to his badge) added:
“A towel first? You're drenched!”

My dress was sticking to my body, and I could feel cold drops running on my neck. Rain was different in the OtherWorld: lukewarm, gentle. So far the Human World worked differently.

Harsher, colder.

Stephen disappeared for a second, and I noticed my hands weren't glowing as bright as they usually would.  I wasn't trembling.

The rush of energy I felt at the Council was gone.

“Thanks.” I muttered, when he handled me the soft towel.

Niall was still looking at me, smiling:
“Maybe we can help? What do you think, Stephen?”
“Humm...I bet she's a cortado kind-of person.”