Chapter 2

She waited for three hours for him to return, but he didn't.  She began to get frustrated.  Why was it he could flit in and out like a hummingbird on speed and yet she had to stay where she had been put?  Oh yes, of course, she needed protecting!  She would show him how much protection she needed.  Besides, what harm could a half-hour stroll possibly do? 

Clambering to her feet, she realised both of her legs were painfully stiff from too much sitting and her trousers were turning a discoloured shade of grey, instead of jet black, because of all the dust.

She went to the door, gripping the rusted knob in her hand, and gave it a sharp tug.  The hinges screamed a protest but the door didn't move.  It was then she realised she had been locked in.

Suddenly she remembered they were only on the ground floor.  Swinging one leg over the sill of the open window, she gave a triumphant cackle, and slipped out.

The air smelt sweet and fresh and the breeze lifting her hair made her feel light and giddy.  The birds were singing in the trees and the flowers all around seemed to look more bright and be more alive than they ever had before.  Her hair tickled her cheek and the sun warmed her skin pleasantly.

She had always been a good child, her mother always being kind and reasonable, so she had never needed to sneak out of anywhere before.  It gave her a sense of power and exhilaration to know she was doing something strictly forbidden.

Since when had going for a walk become so treacherous?  Maybe if she knew why exactly all of these things were happening and why exactly she was in so much danger she would be more likely to comply, but until then she couldn't see why she couldn't live life as normal.  Besides, she still hadn't seen any proof that she was in danger and until then she just couldn't believe it.  How many people would?  She was no more important than any other person on the planet, and in no more danger.

It had been three days now since she had been home.  Her mother wouldn't be home for a while yet and her father had died when she was five.  Maybe one of her friends had missed her, but seeing as it was the holidays she doubted that.

So he needed to protect her, did he?  From what?  She had lead a pretty uneventful life, she had never been in any greater danger than crossing the road.  If he needed to protect her he could at least show her what from.

She picked a purple flower from a plant and twirled it between her index finger and thumb whilst she mused.  It was the same colour as his eyes, and she thought about when she had first seen him.

He had just walked into the house without knocking and she had wondered if he was one of her mother's friends.

"I'm sorry, but my mother isn't here right now, she won't be until the weekend, would you like me to tell her you called?" he had enchanted her from the first, his lilac eyes and honey-blond hair.

Blushing guiltily she had turned away to collect a pen and paper to record name and address, but his voice had stopped her dead, "No, it was you I intended to see."

"Oh, really?" she sat down, more intrigued now, "I don't believe we've met before."

"Not in this lifetime," his smile startled her, "you are in danger, and I have been posted as your guardian.  Now please come with me, this place is too open; not hidden enough"

“Where are we going and what danger am I in?” she had played along.  He had immediately taken her to that dinghy apartment and kept her locked up there since.

Well, if he thought he could keep her locked there for the rest of her life he was mistaken.  Why her anyway?  He could go find some other girl to protect.

Turning the corner into the next street, she wished she had come down here more often.  It was a dead-end and she couldn’t think of where she could possibly have gone wrong. 

Turning back, she was sure she saw someone move amongst some old crates near one of the walls.  She stepped back involuntarily until her back was pressed against the boards closing off the end of the alley.

‘Now you’re getting paranoid’ she berated herself.  She didn’t believe a word that guy told her anyway, right?

“Come on,” she talked aloud to give herself confidence, “lets go, because if he discovers your missing there’ll be hell to pay.”

“Oh, really?  Will there?” it was a slick, hissing voice, coming from where she thought she had seen the movement before, “Who is this he?  The guardian?”

“H, how?  Who are you?” asked the terrified girl.

“You don’t know me,” it hissed, “don’t worry, I won’t cause you any pain, just give yourself over to us, I promise I won’t kill you.”

“You won’t?  Then what do you want to do with me?” maybe she was starting to believe him after all, maybe she was in danger, and suddenly she wished she had stayed home, or at least at the flat.

“I only want you to join us,” hearing the uncertainty in the girl’s voice, the creature slithered out from it’s hiding place.

It looked like a giant, black snake, only it had horns on it’s head looking like they were made of red ivory and spines all the way down the length of it’s spine, which were also red.  Jade eyes shone from a pitch face, giving it a rather creepy look.

“And what if I won’t join you?” she asked, pressing further back against the boards and willing them to snap, which, of course, they wouldn’t.

In answer the creature reared up on it’s tail and hissed.  She scrabbled with her hands against the boards but found no purchase.  She opened her mouth to shout for help, but instead let out a strangled scream, which rang around the alley and back to her own ears as the creature reared higher and struck.