Not What You Expected

Amy felt thethrobbing in her head long before her brain registered being awake.She groaned heavily, reaching up to feel the point where the painseemed to be radiating from, hissing in discomfort as she found asizable lump there that was extremely tender to the touch.

"Careful now, wewouldn't want you making that worse," she heard a voice say from byher feet, causing her whole body to tense as she realized she was ina strange bed, in a strange place, with a stranger watching over her.Her observer chuckled at her reaction, "I didn't bring you here tohurt you, I couldn't be bothered with the mess,"

She blinked hereyes open, finding her surroundings dark and full of shadows. Theonly light pooled in from a single curtained window at the far end ofthe room, the artificial orange glow of a street lamp lending nothingto her blurred vision. "Where am I?" she asked, groaning again asshe sat up, finding the pain not only pulsed through her head butradiated down her back as well, as though she'd been hit by somethingpowerful from behind.

"You are in anapartment where I happen to be staying at the moment," the voice,now a shadowed figure back lit by the street lamp replied, their tonelazy, almost bored, "you also happen to be in my bed, but I'm notexactly complaining about that," she could hear their amusement atthe statement and made a face.

"How did I gethere?" she could tell from the pitch and tone the speaker was male,also the shadow gave off a masculine vibe, squared shoulders andwide, though the hair that seemed to fall just to the shoulders insoft waves had her second guessing her assumption.

"I already toldyou that, I brought you here," the voice answered, sounding moredisinterested than before, "I didn't think that bump on your headwould affect your memory so severely, perhaps you're not as useful asI thought, damaged goods and all that,"

"My memory isjust fine," Amy snapped, glaring at the shadow, "what I meant ishow did you bring me here?"

The amusementreturned to their voice, "I carried you," they replied, "howelse was I supposed to get you out of that alley?"

'Alley?' Amy's headthrobbed painfully as she tried to recall what they meant, memoriescoming to her in fuzzy half formed images. She had been in an alley,and there were two thugs attacking a girl....a robbery, she'd steppedin to intervene, but they'd overpowered her, but something scaredthem off before they could finish her....then the darkness."You....you're the one who knocked me out didn't you?"

The shadow shrugged, "Easier that way," they said simply, "no stopping to answer questions, just grab and go"

Amy scowled, "Whothe hell are you then? And why did you kidnap me?" she wanted tolash out, to lunge towards this shadow person and punch them in thenose, but the pain in her body told her that was not happening.

"I did not kidnapyou, I saved your life," their tone seemed irritated, "you oughtto be a little more grateful I didn't leave you to the mercy of thosepetty thugs, they might be small time crooks but even they know howto use knives," the venom in their words cut right through Amymaking her shudder.

She swallowedthickly, "Alright, fine then, thank you for saving me, but thatdoesn't answer the question of who you are,"

The shadow wassilent for a moment, and although she could not see it's face, shefelt that they were sizing her up, debating what exactly to tell her."Who I am has a bit of a complicated answer," they said, shiftingwhere they sat, "much in the same way your answer would be if Iasked you the same question,"

Amy frowned inconfusion, failing to follow their logic, "What's complicated?"she asked, "you don't have a name?"

The shadowchuckled, "Oh yes, I have a name," their voice was low now,almost a whisper as they added, "and so do you, Amaryllis."