TALKING TO STRANGERS

Dedicated to Emma, who 'hasn't read a Jalice'. Also dedicated to her because I always forget to dedicate my stories/chapters to her, and I forget to thank her for everything she's done. Right now I'm going to thank her for reading this first bit and liking it, and also for helping me with my other stories on late night ferry-boat rides. She knows what I mean. She has the nerve to graduate and leave me to fend for myself in the jungle known as our school! Just kidding.

Chapter One: The Wrong Rain

It was a simple thrill for me. Call it what you will.

I'd say my life had been thrilling enough, but I don't remember it. Where my memory should be, where it always was, is only a faint blank space. Dark, clean slate.

Since I knew what would eventually happen, there were no risks. In this world, everything was already decided. Eminent, even. Fate was something I believed in, because I needed to believe in something. Once something was decided, fate took its course, and the future came.

The risk I was taking wasn't something anyone would find frightening. Maybe your parents have told you to be wary of talking to strangers. I had no fear of this, knowing what the future would hold. Still, I saw this man in my visions, my future, and I held onto every picture.

I couldn't tell much about him by the vision. He was tall, much taller than me, with golden hair. Beautiful, definitely. He was alone, one of my kind, with those obsidian irises I knew so well.

I couldn't tell much about him, but I could tell that he was a permanent fixture in my future. No matter how far ahead I tried to look, it always stopped with him. If I didn't find him, somehow there would be no future.

And he would be here. Someday.

There was no way I could give up hope, not before I found him. He would be wary when he came, tired, lonely, and I would be the one to fix him. That knowledge came from instinct, not the visions.

Every night I waited, expecting him at the door. It wasn't going to be tonight, not by the way the sky looked. When it turned charcoal, and thick with fresh rain, that's when he would come. Still, I stared out of the window.

Philadelphia.

Something led me here other than its name on a map. I didn't normally chase my visions like this. Well, who knew what I normally did? Anything before this vision was cloudy, to me. Perhaps it was very much like me to chase visions.

I wouldn't really know...

I focused on the sky, dim as it always was when I came out, and cursed quietly. Unlike what I'd been waiting for, the sky was still dry and bare, even cloudless. Was it possible for one sky to be so absent of light?

It had been many years since I escaped. Newspaper headlines on the counter had told me this morning that it was 1948, but I had never read the paper before. Could I even trust the date?

I didn't grow weary, no matter how long I wandered. I couldn't physically be weary, anyway, but mentally I was still the same. Being weary would keep me from this goal, the only thing I had to go by at this point. Wherever Philadelphia was, so far from where I left, weariness didn't matter here.

The buildings were tall, austere, grand, and... a distraction. I really did want to walk out of the diner, up to the shopwindows to stare, but it wasn't quite worth it for me. Someone out there was every day getting closer, and he would not be near here. No, this may look like the place, but he would be in a more rural part of town.

The pictures began to move as I thought of that, and more intensely than before. The colours amused me, cheered me, until I saw his face. As always, this man looked the way I did. Weary, thirsty, and alone. More than that, he needed me. As long as these pictures moved, he was on his way. And as I began to realize, much nearer than I expected.

I could call visions predictable, since they did predict, but they weren't always easy to follow. Now, for instance, as I knew he was coming, but didn't know where. There was only so much I did know. The dim lights in the building, the counter, the stools, and the faces around him which were considerably more upbeat than his. But the things I didn't know far outweighed those. I didn't know what street, what part of town he was in. For that matter, I didn't even really know he was in Philadelphia. Instinct was enough for me to care about, though.

Whatever was going on in my head, it was about to come true. Just not tonight.

..–..–..–..

"Darling? Do you need someplace to stay?" The woman behind the counter pressed her finger into my elbow, and was shocked by how hard my skin was.

I hadn't realized that I had lost control of my visions so thoroughly. Sometimes I became so absorbed that I forgot where I was. Or looked like I was very tired, in this case.

I steadied myself on the palm of my hand, and looked up at her. Her dark ponytail swayed forward as she eagerly awaited my response. Obviously, a response was required since I'd been in another state of consciousness on her counter. Not something you see everyday.

"No, I'm fine-" I looked at her name-tag- "Kacy." I warily smiled. The grin felt natural on my face, and I missed smiling. Suddenly the grin spread over my entire face and I chuckled. Silently at first, and then turning into solid, outright giggling. This was going to be harder to explain.

"Actually Kacy..." I stood up from the stool and jumped in place once. "I could use your help. Are there any other diners in this area?"

She looked at me strangely. Now I was a strange foreigner who didn't know her way around the city and broke into random fits of laughter.

"Plenty," She said. Her voice was of one talking to a child. Not that I never got that. "Try the Rittenhouse Square area. It's close."

I looked down. It would be harder for me to find the guy in my visions than I thought. Was he trying to be so difficult to track down? I thought with enhanced abilities, I'd be able to find him quicker, but-

"Honey? Tell you what," Kacy smiled wide at me, "Since you're such a sweetheart, I'll make you a cup of coffee. When you figure out what you want, I'll point you in the right direction. Deal?"

I looked at her outstretched hand, and her offer of 'coffee'. That would be harder to get out of my stomach. Impossible to explain, too. And her hand would likely reject mine if I actually shook that. It was funny that she wasn't intimidated by me, already.

"No thanks," I said quickly, my voice squeaking a little. "I think I know the way."

Rittenhouse Square, Rittenhouse Square, Rittenhouse Square... I repeated the title in my head like a mantra. It was the only thing to hold onto at this point, besides the picture of him in my head. I had to hope that by the time I got there, he'd be there, too.

..–..–..–..

I was blinking from all the lights, trying to keep my stride steady. The shops and store windows shined brightly in the moonlight, too, as brightly as they had for days. Vividly flashing in the distance were neon lights that immediately caught my eye. And I recognized it.

If I had a heart, a real heart, it would have skipped a beat. The other part of my heart, the part that could feel something, throbbed dully. I knew I was imagining the pain, the pleasure that came with it, but I felt alive. The light ran into my eyes and my memories.

I was looking through a foggy rectangle of glass, a window, and he was walking across the wet pavement. He shook his head a little when the rain touched it, each time, like it was an annoyance. His hair darkened in the rain, and flattened against his skull. Strangely, in the moonlight, his skin looked paler than mine. And more beautiful than ever.

I shuddered. The tingle in my stomach now felt like a tiny insect fluttering just below my skin. That wasn't physically possible. But the image of him had left me immobilised to the point where I could only stare at the sign which flashed hideously in my direction. Even ugly, it made my stomach flutter.

DINER the sign read, but the lights had dimmed so that it looked more like DIE. It struck me as funny, cute even, if it didn't scare me so much. Some sweet little Asian tourists would probably take pictures of that.

As I thought of this it didn't even occur to me that I should go inside the little diner. The door had a little bell on it that rung when I opened the door. That made me a little happier, but what didn't make me happy at this moment? All I ever wanted was about to come true.

The paint was chipping off the walls, and the smooth tiled counter-tops were turned up in the corners. The floor was covered in a thin layer of dirt, grime that I longed to sweep away. I had to push back the urge to come back with a mop in hand. Even with all the dirt, the diner felt like some sort of paradise.

The girl at this diner stayed crouched behind the counter like she thought I was going to mug her. Her green eyes were squinted, like I was so bright that she couldn't look directly at me. I checked for the sunlight, praying that my skin wasn't glittering like the imitation crystal cake-plate on the counter.

I smiled, waved my hand a little, and she loosened. Walking over to her, I straightened on tiptoe so I could see her more clearly.

"Hello!" My voice rang a little bit loudly. She fell backward into a chair and started holding her breath. I didn't understand what had come over her at this point, and I was a little shocked.

She opened her mouth, and no sound came out. I took that as my cue to speak. "This is a very lovely place. I need somewhere to stay for a while, just until...I find someone. I'll just stay here, thank you very much, and mind my own business."

"Yeah, that's fine. Anything." She ran her words together, and I stiffened. Was she really that afraid of me? Or was it broad intimidation that had left her motionless? Whichever, I didn't mind her hospitality.

She gripped her hands tightly on the cash register, and for a second I caught my reflection in the mirror. But it couldn't be me. Not like that. I'd assumed I looked different, more composed with more refined features. Neater, tidier. My hair was sticking off in odd angles where it had started to grow back from...something. Instead of the pale face I imagined, mine was streaked with dark brown dirt. Trailing from my left cheek to my right, across my lips, was a thin stream of dried red blood.

Obviously I hadn't gotten rid of my hunting evidence so thoroughly.

I didn't notice that she'd already gotten out from behind the counter until I heard the little bell ring again. It shook violently, and so did the doorframe. I was alone, in this diner, with flickering flourescent lights and napkin dispensers for company.

Boredom has a way of taking hold. And so does obsessive compulsive disorder, though I managed to rein that one in.

The salt to pepper ratio was surprisingly high. I had to empty almost half of the salt shaker before it matched the other. Then I spent an hour thinking of what to do with the leftover salt before I just put it outside on the sidewalk.

I hoped no one would come in and ask for a milkshake or something to eat. What then? Would I smile, make my best effort to serve them, and pass it off like another innocent happening? I don't think I could do that...

I cleaned the place up as best as I could. Given how much time I had to do it, it wasn't my best. The problem was, every time it started to rain I would go to the window and stare. It would always sadden me, since the rain wasn't the same as in the vision. The random drops of rain were vastly different from the dark sheets of rain that would bring him. And when I realized that, I would go back to whatever I'd been doing before, distracted.

Days passed, so many that I didn't even know what to do with them. Nobody came to the diner, probably after rumour of the 'Dangerous Criminal' I'd read about in the paper. Surprisingly, I never even considered that it might be me.

Nothing told me that he would be coming. Maybe he'd changed his mind. Of course, the visions told me that he hadn't, that he would seek refuge here soon enough. Only, how could I be patient when I knew what was about to happen? Maybe I was in the wrong place, after all. Maybe I was wrong about everything.

Or maybe this was the one thing I'd finally done right. Following a vast instinct, one that could not be defined simply, was something I'd needed to do long ago. Sometimes, you needed to follow that feeling, no matter what. And despite everything, I held onto that one point. It was a time like that when my optimism was truly tested.

But every morning, when the sun came out without gray clouds to subdue it, my forbearance was tested again. The clarity I needed was not one that could be provided with the sun shining. I needed the heavens to open up, and the rain to pour.

It became clear that it would not happen that day.

..–..–..–..

I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out the window this time. No, it wasn't him, and that disappointed me more than who it was. The white and black car had POLICE on its side, and that made me worry. Not that the police could hurt me or anything, but they could do something to prevent him from coming to the diner.

I closed my eyes tightly, but even behind my lids I could see the front lights of the car blaring in through the window. White, bright lights that tweaked something painful in my memory...and just as quickly vanished.

I turned on the lights in the room -better to make myself look less threatening- and checked my face in the mirror. Everything was set. Everything but my smile.

He had a gun out. That was never good. I shut off the lights again.

The door slammed against the wall with apparent force, and the man walked in. Even in the dim light I could see the grim features of his face. He didn't want to kill anyone tonight. Still, it wasn't worth risking my current ownership of the cute little establishment, was it?

He gulped loudly, almost walking into the counter as he stumbled into the room. The officer didn't know where the light switch was. "He-hello? I want you to surrender. The-the police are taking care of this building now. Hello? Are you? AHHH!!"

The word was not really "ahh". More of a choked out scream. Because brilliantly, I'd devised a plan. And since I knew what was going to happen, I knew it would work.

The flourescent light I held under my chin was more than a prop. Even attached to the ceiling, dangling on a cord ready to snap, it was proof of how our kind could frighten the living daylights out of any person.

I knew from experimentation that lights had an odd way of reacting with my skin. The normal crystal surface would glint in the sunlight, sure, but would also send beams of bright artificial lights dancing around any dark room. Partying had an advantage sometimes.

As I moved the light around my body, my skin turned a blue-white colour. That was a new reaction that I mentally noted. A reaction that had a considerable effect on the Cop -sorry, policeman- as well.

I couldn't see him in the dim lighting, only pieces of his that were now illuminated by small portions of light. His expression, as far as I could tell, was scared, and that pleased me. When he opened his mouth, only a few words came out. They were stuttered comically.

"You're a...a...g-g-host!" As he said it, the realization dawned on his face, and mine. He was truly afraid of me, thought me a monster.

I grinned with relief as his flashlight slammed into the tiled floor, batteries rolling around and plastic going into pieces. As the car sped away, I knew I would have the place to myself for a while.

The satisfaction I had was at that moment ruined by the tenses. Was everyone truly afraid of me, and what I had become? I had thought that some people would appreciate the softer side of me, the side that could smile, that remembered how. But, as always, when I was committed to a task, that was it.

For a simple task, I'd become a monster. Just to wait, wait for him, I'd do anything.

My current task was waiting, and I accepted it as a grim fate.

..–..–..–..

AN: This story is going to be one of my summer projects. This is only the introduction, to show a few of Alice's visions, and the diner. Not too plot heavy, but necessary. I guarantee that Alice will not be alone in the next chapter. Some people will want to see the famous 'ghost'!

And for you Jasper fans(like me), he'll be in the next chapter, I'm almost positive.

Thanks for reading, and I'd absolutely love some feedback.