5 Food for thought

The waitress brought their food. Her friendly customer service smile gave off a pleasant feeling as she asked them if they wanted anything else. Snow shook her head while Dairen said no before he started to devour the food before him.

Snow didn't realize that she was so hungry until now. It was quite shocking for her to scarf down the food so fast that Dairen took a moment and stared at her. She felt quite embarrassed at her table manners and slowed down until they both finished their meal. Throughout the whole time, they enjoyed the food that was given to them.

"So, you said you are from Earth, right?"

"Yes."

"You sure you aren't hit in the head from that tumble?"

"I am quite sure my memory is all intact."

Snow didn't know what to say. Was he telling the truth? She couldn't, but half believe him, mostly because there were strange mystery in this world already, and if the bogeyman was real, why not another being from another planet?

He would be considered an alien then.

A bit shocked at her conclusion, her mind reeled with different scenarios until it went blank.

Just looking up at him, how could he be these abductors anyways? It wouldn't make sense. Still, it was safe to be sorry. Maybe bringing him to the Dragon Express to find out this mystery might be a better idea.

"Well, um, I have a question," Darrien asked a bit shyly. "Do you guys have a status window?"

"A status window?"

"Yea, it's like a game window with your information and status. I can't read all of your information, but it says you are an Awakened human, but your species is a human with a question marks. I can read all your strength, vitality, agility, etc...like a game. Almost like you are an NPC."

Snow's head tilted, confused. Then it dawned on her what he said. Games. One of the Sleepers had created with the technology that she used to play in her college days.

"No. We don't have anything like that. It must be just you." Or you hit your head, she thought in her mind without saying it out loud. "So, how is Earth?"

"Honestly, it's similar to here. I thought I was walking down the city back at home. I honestly did not think I was anywhere else until I met you guys and saw the news channel and stuff."

"Wait, when did you arrive?"

"Three days ago...just wandering around trying to figure out where I was."

"Did anyone else come with you?"

Dairen shook his head. "Only me. I thought I went crazy for a moment until I realized where I was."

"Wait, why are you telling me all this?"

"Well," Dairen thought over how to explain his situation and thoughts. "You seem very reliable, and everyone I have met had the status of 'Sleepers' status over their heads. The Dragon Express and the people inside the store had a different status from everyone else, which threw me off. Plus, I was hungry."

"I see."

This whole alien thing was weird. Almost felt like a prank or a lie. Either way, she was with a looney, or everything he said was right.

"Where are we going next?" Dairen asked while finishing up the last bite of hash brown. He drank his water to wash away the food in his throat.

"Back to Dragon Express." Snow replied, satisfied with the meal.

"That's two miles away…back at Fairchild Mall."

"Two miles?" Snow was surprised at how far they were; she didn't realize they ran so far. At most, she thought she ran at least a mile or two, but the most surprising thing was to know that Dairen also ran so far. She couldn't help momentary think he was some kind of track star.

"Yes ...We are at Davison street, which crosses Fairchild 2nd Street."

The names of the street finally rung a bell, allowing her to make a mental map of the area. She realized how to get there.

"Then let's go."

Dairen rummaged through his pockets and pulled out twenty Atlantis bills.

They stepped out into the warm summer Atlantis night. Luckily, it wasn't one of those hot, humid nights where she wished she was sitting in front of an AC, but a tolerable weather.

"Are we going to walk back in the middle of the night?" Dairen asked he was a bit uncomfortable at such a thought. "You do know we are in one of the worst areas of Atlantis ...right?"

It hit her, realizing what he had meant. This area was somewhere one didn't want to be walking in the middle of the night. Looking from left to right, past a certain point of the restaurant, everywhere she looked was the ghettos. The windows were barred up, most of the gas station was closed with people hanging around the certain stores. There was a dividing line between the ghettos and the business area, which was quite often around the Atlanta area.

She completely forgot all about it, making her realize that they needed a safe place to stay or call a cab to get out of the area. Already, looking around, she could see a trickle of dark energy pooling around the place, making her instantly tense up.

"Your right. Is there any cab we can call or something?" Snow asked in a hurry, diligently watching her surroundings so they wouldn't get jumped. She could already see a group of people not too far away from them interested in them.

"Well, not this late. No."

"Then, a safe place to stay?" Snow grabbed Dairen's hand, yanking him forward so they could walk away from the group of people. Dairen was surprised by her sudden grab that he couldn't talk for a second and blanked out.

"Anything?" She asked again, looking over her shoulder as she sped up her pace.

"I think I know one." Dairen slowly drawled out his words.

"Then, quickly take us there." Snow stated in a hurried tone. "Or we are going to have company."

Realizing what Snow had said, he glanced over his shoulder and saw a group of people started to walk their way towards them. Dairen picks up his speed, taking long strides as this time, he was the one in the lead. They were now going into a trout, pulling away from the group of people.

They twist and turned through buildings, making their way towards a hotel. Compared to the other buildings around the area, it didn't look too bad, but even still, it was the best spot to be. It was a six-story building, brown colored with a large sign in the front that wrote City View Hotel. An ample parking space, filled with cars were parked around the area. The hotel was well kept and clean, but it still had a bit of ruggedness to it, which even perfectly fit in with the surrounding. Compared to the dark energy circulating the field, for some reason, the hotel had some kind of force field that kept the dark energy away. She was glad that there were safe places like this throughout the city, which weren't many.

What made Snow curious was that Dairen knew such a place, but thinking about it, for him to be drawn to unique places wasn't something she should be too surprised. Plus, there weren't many choices they had, Dairen opened the glass door and entered, heading straight towards the receptionist.

"One room, please." He babbled, pulling out his wallet.

The bald older man who was watching the news on the TV stuck to the wall grumpily turned his attention towards him. He wasn't pleased to be doing work in the middle of the night, but even still slugged his substantial, fat body over towards the computer. Clicking at the keyboard with one finger, he typed away.

"How many rooms?" The older man asked, wiggling his nose, where an enormous black mole resided on his left cheek.

"One."

"Name?"

"Dairen Sylvian."

"We only have one bed for tonight, is that alright?"

"Y…...Yes." Dairen frowned, he took a sneak peek at Snow, but quickly shook his head.

"Cash or Credit?"

"Cash."

"The total will be $55 for the night."

Dairen slipped the cash towards the bald man. He took the money without looking or counting as he lazily typed up the information. It didn't take too long for him to produce a card key, which he slid towards him.

"Thanks." Dairen took the key as he pocketed it in his jacket.

"Take the elevator towards the right. Your room will be on the fifth floor. When you get off the elevator, take a left, and when you see the first hallway, take a right. Three doors down, you will see your room: 53B." The old man said with a half drawl in a sleepy tone not caring about them anymore. He waved his hand with his left hand, flopped his head on the right, ignoring them completely.

"We have complimentary items in the right drawer on the bed. Have a good night." He yawned.

Dairen ears and cheeks turned utterly red, looking away in a rush. His steps quickly hastened, trying to get away from the area, while Snow followed behind. She glanced over towards the older man who was picking his booger as he flicked it away from the counter.

"Complementary item?" Snow couldn't help but ask. "Is it some kind of the usual soap?"

"S-something like that," said Dairen, tensed.

They quickly made their way towards the room with the information from the receptionist with no problem. The only thing that bothered Snow the whole walkthrough was that there was a funky smell of grilled fish in the air, making her wonder where it was coming from. It wasn't just one floor; it was on the first and the fifth floor.

Dairen slipped in the key card, opening the door. He entered, followed by Snow. The moment Snow entered, it had a simple one bed covered with white and green sheets; above it was a picture of the sea. They were also two brown tables on the side with lamps on either end. A 30 inch TV was plastered across the wall with another large brown table underneath. Brown and green curtains decorated the only window as Dairen goes across to put his bag on the chair, eventually walking over towards the AC. With a loud hum, it turns on, bringing in fresh air.

Snow closed the door behind her and went over to close the curtains. She then peeks over from the side, pushing the curtain aside. What she saw pleased her. The people who were following them were now soliciting not too far away from the hotel entrance.

With a sigh, she let go of the curtains and slid down onto the ground, tired. She didn't expect that it took a lot out of her in a short amount of time from the last couple of hours. It felt like all her stress vanished, making her body feel weak. Chasing Dairen was one thing, but running away from the killer was another. Just the thought of the killer made her shiver, mainly because it was something that she didn't want to recall. Not only that, the memory wipe magic wasn't working on Dairen, which made her wonder if something was wrong with her power. Then finding out Dairen was from another planet threw her off.

What was going on today? She felt overwhelmed.

Though on the bright side, this allowed her to get away from the other human pursuers. In all honesty, she didn't even know if she also had enough power and will to resist any further.

Even though this place was momentarily safe, she still was glad for it. Pulling up her leg, she placed her head in between her knees as she rested. Her mind started to slow down, giving her the much-needed rest as sleep began to weigh on her.

"Here." Dairen woke her up, causing her to peek up towards him from in between her hair.

In his hand was a white towel as he motioned with his head for her to take a shower.

"You don't look so good." Dairen was a bit concerned. "Why don't you go clean up and go to sleep right after." He shook the towel a few more times for her to take it.

Snow shook her head, gratefully taking it. The thought of cleanliness escaped her mind until now, which she realized she was covered in dirt and cuts.

"Thanks." She got up and headed towards the bathroom.

"Don't mention it."

Snow entered the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror. She took a good look at herself and noticed how badly scraped and messy she looked. Her hair was in disarray with mud smeared on her cheeks. Even her clothes were dirtied, making her frown. She actually like the clothes she wore, and to see it dirty made her wish that the stains were washable. The thought of not being able to wear her favorite shirt again made her sad.

Stripping out of her clothes, she turned on the hot water and started to shower. She didn't take too long, but she enjoyed every second of the hot water that stung her skin. With a hiss, she cleaned out the wound and healed a bit of herself. She wasn't able to recover most of the injury because most of the time, the healing effect isn't as dominant on her than on others. The warm water also helped relaxed her aching muscles that she desperately needed.

Drying herself out, she heard a knocking on the door. With a fluid movement, she wrapped herself

and partially opened the door.

"Yes?"

A crumbling of plastic could be heard as Diaren shoved his clothes into her hands. Snow glanced down in surprise, pleased at the sudden kindness. She had worried about what to wear and was going to ask Dairen for spare clothes, but without even asking him, he had given her what she needed.

"Thanks." Her voice lightly trailed away into a light whisper. Even still, he heard her.

"No problem." Dairen took his hand back, stepping away from the door and giving her some privacy.

"They're brand new. So, you don't need to worry about giving it back to me."

Snow opened the plastic bag and pulled out a grayish-brown sweater and baggy pants. She quickly wore them, enjoying the soft texture of the fabric that rubbed against her skin. Once dressed, she folded her clothes, putting them into the plastic bag.

With slow but steady steps, she got off the bathroom and went straight to the bed. She slid underneath the covers and pulled the sheets over her body.

Dairen also went into the bathroom to take a shower. The hot running water turned on, lulling Snow into slowly into sleep. Her eyes became heavy, her breathing slow, and eventually, she couldn't keep her eyes open a second longer as she fell asleep.

#####

Bright sunlight shot through the window, hitting Snow's face. Her eyes scrunched up in annoyance as she flipped over towards her side. Her hands reached under the pillow enjoying the soft feeling that run through her fingers. Snuggling her head, her hand hit against something warm, causing her to feel around confused.

Soft, warm fingers interlaced with each other, causing Snow to startle awake. She had a habit of grabbing things to cuddle with, and she realized that she was about too. Her eyes snapped towards the source, realizing she was holding onto Dairen's hand, who was still sleeping. Taking a closer look, she noticed that his messy hair covered part of his face except for one eye. She didn't expect him to have such long lashes, and upon closer inspection, she noticed that his skin was a lot smoother than she remembered.

What was surprising was that when his big round glasses were taken off, he looked like a completely different person. He was actually pretty good looking. She couldn't help but take a few quick glances, enjoying the tranquil, picturesque scene, but quickly snapped awake. It was too weird to be looking at a stranger's face, especially someone like him, who she didn't want any attachment also.

Letting go, she pulled off the blanket and headed towards the bathroom to wash her face. With a splash of cold water that made her teeth chatter, the once sleepy feeling disappeared in an instant, replaced by a sense of freshness. Her hands reached over towards a towel as she wiped herself. She hung the towel and stepped back out, stretching.

What awaited her was Dairen, sitting up on the bed half-awake with his hair in a bird's nest. He scratched himself on his chest and yawned.

"You're awake." Snow replied, she walked over towards the table where the coffee maker was. Which a fluid motion, she ripped open a coffee bag and placed it in the coffee maker with water following after. With a click of a button on the side, the coffee was turned on.

"Would you like some coffee?" Snow asked. Her body leaned against the table while waiting for the coffee to finish. She wasn't a big coffee fan, but today she felt like she needed the extra boost from caffeine to help her push through the day.

"Yes, please." Dairen yawned, getting up, Snow noticed that he was wearing his blue striped boxers and T-shirt. She couldn't help but look away. What made her a bit uncomfortable was that Dairen seemed way too relaxed for someone who they just met. She got the feeling that he was way too trusting and maybe even naïve.

With a soft ding like a bell, the coffee was made. She filled a cup for herself and him, making her way towards him. She handed him the bowl, gently brushing her fingers against his. A static-like shock shocked her, wincing. Luckily, Dairen caught it in just in time, or he would've dropped it.

"You alright?" Dairen asked, concerned by her sudden action.

"Yea, it was just a bit hot." She quickly replied with a lie. The thought of telling him that she got electrocuted by him sounded silly, so she didn't say anything.

Dairen blew the coffee and took a sip. While Snow made her way over to a chair and plopped down. She rested with her right arm on the chair, while her left was holding her coffee as she blew on it to cool it down.

"What are we going to do today?" Dairen asked; he was watching her lap up the coffee with her tongue like a kitten drinking milk. She even licked her lips because she burned her tongue, scrunching her eyebrows together from the slight pain.

It took Snow a minute to realize that he was talking to her.

"Oh, we are going to go back to the Dragon Express, but first, I need to get some clothes."

"Shopping?"

"No. Going back home first, then head to Dragon Express."

"I thought you didn't have your keys?"

"Don't worry about it. I have a spare key to get in."

Dairen walked over, took the other chair, and sat down across from her. Both stay silent, enjoying their coffee, and the silence between them.

Snow let out a satisfied sigh. The caffeine was already hitting her, helping her wake up even more. She was definitely not a morning person, but today she was wide awake.

Dairen got up and started to rummage through his bag that he picked up and placed it on the bed. He took out a pair of clean blue jeans and socks, putting them on quickly. Then he took out a simple printed shirt of a tiger face that decorated half of the whole sweater as he changed shirts.

Snow took a peek at Dairen as she couldn't help resist wondering if he was all skin and bones. What surprised her was that he was well toned out with muscles. From his arms to his chest and down his stomach with abs. He wasn't overly muscular like Tommy, who she sometimes felt like he was taking some kind of crazy muscle enhancement to get so big. She thought the whole time he was some kind of nerd who didn't have any muscles, but the momentary eye candy made her oogle him.

She literally had to look away out of respect, or she would have drooled like a schoolgirl looking at her favorite boy bands when they were half-naked in swimming suits. Just the thought made her embarrassed for thinking such thoughts, she kept it calm as if nothing was wrong with it at all.

Though her nervous finger tapping would have given her embarrassment away, but most wouldn't have known.

Dairen was oblivious to Snow sneak peeks as he blew through the change of clothes. Snow was disappointed but was quickly hidden away by sipping her coffee.

He then turned towards her direction, locking eyes. A small smile erupted on his face. Snow couldn't help but wonder if he showed off on purpose, but couldn't quite tell.

"You ready?" He asked, packing away his things.

"Yes," she replied. Getting up, she threw her cup into the trash bin and grabbed her clothes in the plastic wrap on the table next to the bed.

They headed out the door and to the reception, where the same old man was half asleep on his hand. Dairen had to rap his knuckles on the table just to wake him up, which made the old man woke up startled. Drools came out from the corner of his lips, he reached over with his arms, wiping it. He wasn't pleased at all for being suddenly forced awake. He gave him a cold stare, clicking his tongue out loud for even Snow to hear.

Snow couldn't help but look at the bald man with disappointment at his outright blatant, loud disgruntled attitude.

Dairen slide his card towards him and asked, "Could we have a taxi service called to pick us up?"

The bald man let out another annoyed sigh that told him that he was reluctant to do this extra service for Dairen. Even still, the bald man did what he was asked, and with a snap, he called a taxi for them.

"Thanks." Dairen gave him a cheerful smile, turning away from the bald man and heading straight towards the exit.

Snow followed as both headed outside. She stood by the side of the column, leaning against it with her back. Dairen, on the other hand, positioned himself on the other side, looking around for the taxi as if it were already here.

"I'm going to assume it's going to take ten minutes for them to get here," Dairen spoke, he turned towards her.

Snow didn't answer. Instead, she was deep in thought. Her mind thinking about last night, trying to figure out what she needed to do and who to talk to for erasing Dairen's memory or taking a sneak peek at his memories to see what was the truth. Heather wasn't the type that knew how to even use memory wipe type of magic. Everything about her was brute strength and enhancement magics. Something that requires a delicate touch that she didn't have. Honestly, Heather was the type to destroy things in a heartbeat if she didn't watch what she was doing.

Then she thought about Lily, but that was quickly thrown out the window. There was no way that Lily would ever be able to use such magic because it wasn't to her liking. She was way too picky, even in the magic she used.

The only option was Mr. Jay, which she dearly wished that it was someone else, but the problem lay with Dairen bursting into Dragon Express and causing a scene. Plus, Mr. Jay knew a lot more about magic than any one of them that was working in his store. If she knew better, she would assume that he was some kind of walking talking dictionary at times. She knew she would hear an earful from Mr. Jay, so she wasn't looking forward to it at all. With a sigh, she shook her head to clear away any negative thoughts that she had.

"Snow?" Dairen's voice cut through her mind.

Slowly, glancing up, she took a look at him. She was momentarily stunned that he was an arm's length away from her, gazing at her in concern.

"Yes?" She quickly replied.

"You alright?"

"Yes."

He nodded his head. "Let's go, the taxi is here."

"Thanks."

Both of them headed into the white taxi in the back seat as they made themselves comfortable for a ride to Snow's home.