Anarameha

Chapter 6

Ana was waiting, leaning against the wall near the area where she'd said goodbye to Jiro this morning. It was drawing close to seven pm, and she could feel the nerves growing. She hadn't felt like this in a long time.

Pressing her hand to her stomach, Ana hoped to calm the anxiety. She didn't want to overthink the situation with Jiro. She didn't want to notice that he seemed like he was everything to her.

They'd talked for a long time. No part of the night was boring, which Ana thought was great. She'd found someone that she could feel relaxed around and let down the wall, even if it was just a section of it. She'd hide the truth so that he could not betray her. Ana believed that everyone would. She wasn't singling Jiro out.

Last night was enjoyable. Ana worried that it was because they were drinking and thought that tonight might not be as fun. With a huff, she rolled her eyes.

"That's a silly thing to think."

"What is?"

Ana gasped with fright, lifting from the wall. Jiro had snuck up on her, smiling like he'd won some competition.

"Nothing. I see you're in your usual get up, so I brought you this to wear."

Jiro looked at his shirt and jeans, wondering what was wrong with them. His eyes lifted to the black jacket. It had a bright green line down the centre of the arms and the back.

"Why?"

"Look around us. You need to blend in. Otherwise, you're going to get a lot of people staring at you, and I figure it's the last thing that you want."

Already there were eyes on him, and Jiro began to feel uncomfortable.

"You'd be right about that."

Taking the jacket with a lot of gratitude, Jiro pulled it on. He liked that Ana thought outside the box and cared enough to ensure that he wouldn't stand out in the crowd. Ana said nothing but noted that her estimation was a little off. The jacket was bigger than it should be. If she was going to update this vampire's wardrobe so that he could walk among the humans and blend in, she'd have to get a few bits of information. Jacket size, for one.

"Ready?"

"Sure."

Ana picked up the basket that had been resting at her feet. Jiro glanced down at it and gave Ana a curious look.

"It's food and drink. Boring drink."

"Anything's fine, Ana. I don't need beer to have a good time and even more considering that this is supposed to be a scenic walk, right?"

"Absolutely. I have a question that I forgot to ask this morning. Have you been in an elevator before?"

"No."

Her lips pressed tight as she nodded. Ana wondered if Jiro would be okay or if he'd end up being sick. Could a vampire get sick?

"But you're about to suggest we use one, right?"

"The walk is twenty levels up from here. I'm good to climb the stairs if you are."

"Hardly," Jiro muttered. "Let's give the elevator a whirl."

"You might regret that in a few minutes."

Most of the external elevators were speedy things. They were known as rockets because they were vastly different from those used in buildings.

Together they walked along the path to the end where an elevator had just arrived. Ana hastened her step, knowing that if the elevator left to pick someone else up, it might be several minutes before it returned.

She held her hand over the doors to stop them from closing as Jiro walked in.

"Just so that you know, this is going to be fast. If you need to be sick, point downwards."

Jiro looked at the metal grate beneath his boots. Ana gave him a sympathetic smile as she pressed the button for level twenty-five.

"And you might want to hold onto the rail seeing as this is your first time."

A panicked look crossed Jiro's face as he gripped the rail. He was beginning to regret the decision to be lazy and take the elevator.

The doors began to close. Ana wondered if Jiro would go into a panic. There was undoubtedly a fair amount of fear on his face.

She also mused that it was interesting that he'd tied the hair back tonight. There wasn't much, as the waves of black only reached his shoulders, but Ana figured it would be enough to get in the way if he was sick. A strand broke free, hanging over the deep green.

It shocked her to see him in such a way. The past haunted Ana in this vampire. Could the dead rise and take on a new name? No, it was not possible. If Keoni was alive, he would have searched for her.

Ana crossed the small gap between them and took his free hand.

She could see that despite the similarities, this was not her past. Keoni was used to elevators. They didn't bother him at all, unlike Jiro, who looked like he was about to pass out.

"It's okay," she said softly. "This will be over in seconds. Just think about the view that you'll soon see. The city lights, the tall buildings, the darkness of the beyond."

So long as he was home before dawn, Jiro was happy to do anything and see everything. He turned and looked at Ana. Wind whistled through the elevator, tousling the pink hair around Ana's face. She'd pulled the sides back, leaving the rest to hang over her shoulders and down her back. Jiro stared into the honey brown eyes. He wondered when he'd get to see them turn gold again.

Before it became weird, Jiro glanced away.

"Do you know what else you might see?"

Jiro shook his head, frowning slightly.

"A train. There's a track nearby. If we time it right, we can watch the last one leave for the night."

"Where does it go?"

"This particular line goes to Monteo."

The elevator binged, and Ana smiled.

"Well done."

Jiro was startled at first but then realised that they'd arrived. He'd hardly felt a thing, and it was all due to Ana's distracting words. She pulled on Jiro's hand and dragged him out of the elevator.

He stared in awe at the happiness on her face. The infectious laugh and the amazing smile pulled him into a place that seemed odd. Jiro wondered if it would be alright if he became obsessed with seeing her smile and hearing her laugh. He wouldn't want to be creepy or anything like that, but Ana in a good mood was incredible, and he wanted her to be happy.