The Girl in the Water

Chapter 2

Weak with shock and grief, I let Roan lead me through the city. At some point, he'd dropped his arms and opted with holding my hand. He held on tight, as if afraid I would suddenly take off. His fears were unjustified though; my head felt empty and clouded at the same time, and I barely had the energy to walk, let alone run away.

As we walked, people ran past us, their voices high with fear and worry. Roan didn't bother explaining to the people running by. They would find out soon enough if their loved ones were okay or not, and he was silent as people jostled and pushed past us. The noises were like a rush of water in my head, but I stayed silent too as we walked.

What felt like hours later, Roan's footsteps slowed to a stop. I looked up to find that we were almost on the outskirts of the city; the narrow alleyway we were in wasn't unlike the one we had met in. Right in front of us, a rusty ladder descended down the wall. It creaked precariously, as if just the force of the wind could knock it over.

I looked up at Roan.

"Go on." He nodded at the ladder.

I looked at him blankly.

Roan sighed, misinterpreting the look on my face. "I'm not going to take advantage of you or anything, Emery. I like to go here when I want some peace and quiet. I think you need some of that right now."

He was right; even just in the alley it was silent. The sounds of the city and chaos had faded long behind us without me noticing. I stared at him for another moment before grabbing onto the first rung of the ladder. It was rough and cold on my hands.

I climbed for several minutes, feeling more than hearing Roan climbing up behind me. In any other situation, I would never have gone anywhere alone with him; I'd literally just met him, and he could be a psychotic killer for all I knew. Somehow though, I knew that wasn't the case - he was gentle and kind, and I couldn't get the sight of his gentle, sorrowful eyes out of my mind.

Finally, I pulled myself out onto a small rooftop. It was clear it was unused; empty crates tottered in leaning towers around a large squat chimney. My eyes were immediately drawn to a tattered blanket spread out carelessly in front of it; whoever sat there liked to look out at a magnificent, twinkling view of Feloix Felaii.

I turned away sharply from the black plume of smoke in the distance; it rose up like a giant arm pointing accusingly at the sky. Roan was just pulling himself up behind me, dusting off his hands on the front of his jeans.

"Do you live up here?" I asked him flatly.

He chuckled, stretching his arms as he looked around us. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I live in an apartment across town. I just like coming here once in a while. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who knows about this place."

I didn't reply, rubbing the tops of my arms absent-mindedly.

Roan didn't miss the movement. "Are you cold? Come over here."

His hand went to my shoulder, gently steering me towards the blanket. I sat down immediately, and Roan sank down gracefully beside me. Thankfully, the plume of smoke was hidden by a tower of crates. I watched expressionlessly as he pulled out his squirrel - still knocked out - and placed him gently on the blanket in front of my crossed legs, before pulling off his jacket and draping it across my shoulders. I was immediately warm; the suede was soft, and it smelled like a mixture of something spicy and musky.

"Thank you."

"No worries." He leaned back against the worn chimney behind us, crossing his arms across his chest. He was wearing a ratty old shirt advertising something called "U2", but he didn't look cold, even as evening began to descend. I didn't miss how his golden eyes searched my face.