Lost

Chapter one: Angel

   The late night outskirts of New York were quiet, with the slight buzzing and hums of air conditioners at full blast in the poverty ridden homes that marked out the leaving of the big city. Everything was illuminated by a caste of hazy orange light of the heavily aged street lights in need of a new bulb. The asphalt in the roads were cracked, breaking away by the sheer force of nature itself. Things were eerie in the side of town, most people dare not go there. It wasn't a tourist attraction, it didn't receive attention and that was how it was supposed to be. It was lifeless, not one walking person in sight. Until now.

A boy walked down the heavily decaying roads with a quick pace, face entirely covered by the hood of his three sizes too big sweatshirt. But the frosty late fall air still chilled him to the bone. He made his way, shakily as the light from the street lamps were too dull to see properly in the velvety darkness of night.

He was skillful though, he had walked these roads far too many times to count. He made haste in the darkness, vanishing behind shadows of houses and looming trees. The stars guided his way through it, looking down at the boy with twinkling laughter. Making sure that he did not get lost. Occasionally he'd tilt his head up towards a street light and a sliver of milky white skin would show. Then he'd quickly duck his head back down and make his way once again.

With the swift turn of his body he was going through a thicket, moving through heavily thorned branches and blocking his face from getting cut. He paid no sort of mind to the small cuts that lined his hands and his sweatshirt. In the distance an owl hooted, and a small creature screamed out in agony. The boy did not react to that whatsoever.

The thicket led to a grassy, green clearing where the moon hung high, illuminating the area in its wake with pale, iridescent light. The boy bent down in front of a rock, on his knees he sat. The stars flickered brighter in his presence, as if they knew what was going to happen before the boy himself did.

The moon's unforgiving light bathed the hooded boy faintly, allowing him to make out the patterns inscribed on the great stone. Several deer had come into the clearing for fresh grass, however even their focus went to the boy as he removed his hood and clasped his hands around his rosary in prayer.

"Dear heavenly father, please hear my plea. I've gotten visions about what is to come. And I ask of you, please," he hesitated for a moment, eyes on the pattern of the stone once again, then he continued on quietly. "There is an angel you have cast away from heaven, I wish for you to lead him to me or lead me to him. Forgive me for my selfishness, father. But I want him to help me. You know my situation, so I ask just this. Please allow him to help me. Amen." His fingers twisted around the rosary anxiously and he gazed up at those twinkling stars that now seemed almost mocking. The moon seemed to look into the boy's icy blue eyes with understanding.

He slowly gazed back down at the stone, before putting his rosary back on his neck with a sigh. Then the wind blew furiously around him and he shivered at the chill of it all. The moon's light suddenly grew stronger, more powerful than it ever had been that night. The boy closed his eyes tightly and shielded his face with his hands.

But standing there three feet away from him was a man with hair the color of fresh virgin snow, and eyes as green as the grass that grew around them. A beautiful sight, was what the boy thought to himself while staring at him. He could only stand there in awe and look at the man who had seemingly appeared fresh out of the moon-lit sky.

"You prayed for me."