Chapter 4

Ally made her way to his kitchen to prepare a light meal for him, and to her surprise, his cabinet was almost empty, with only a few greens and some noodles left.

She made the best of what she could find and cooked him some noodles filled with greens and spicy sauce.

She prepared it quickly, expecting him to come out any moment, and as expected, he emerged sooner than she anticipated.

"Geez, this guy is so handsome," she thought, rushing to him. She took his hand and led him into the dining room. It was quite amusing how he let her guide him around, walking as if in a trance.

She gazed at his face, noticing his confusion, perhaps wondering why he allowed her to lead him or why she was even present in his apartment.

She burst into laughter, pushing him to sit down, and then left to retrieve the medical kit. Upon returning, he wore an angry expression, and she thought, "Oh, here we go."

She just smiled at him and waited for his next move, and all hell broke loose when he finally spoke.

"Who are you?"

"Who sent you? Are you a spy?"

"Who granted you access to this academy?"

"Are you even part of this program?"

He ranted, while she stared at him, unblinking. She wasn't sure what happened next, but he began pulling at his hair, pacing back and forth.

She was certain he was hurting himself, so she rushed to him and smacked his hands hard to stop him.

"What the hell?" he screamed.

She smacked him again and told him to quiet down. He just stared at her, bewildered.

She guided him to sit at the dining table and started treating his injuries. He didn't flinch once, just continued staring at her, which was odd because when she smacked him, he cursed at her.

"What a perplexing fellow," she thought.

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Are you injured elsewhere?"

"Can't you defend yourself better?"

"You made me so worried when you disappeared last night. I heard from someone that you were sent on a mission, which only made me more concerned. Then you returned later than expected, and I was terrified when I saw blood on your clothes.

"Are you okay? Do you feel pain anywhere else?" she rambled on.

He stared at her with wide eyes, whispering to himself.

"Am I sick? What's with seeing strange things lately?" he mumbled.

He turned to her and asked, "Are you even real?"

"Are you a ghost or something else?"

"Am I the only one who can see you, or am I just hallucinating?" he questioned.

She observed his distress and couldn't let it continue.

Approaching him where he sat, she saw worry lines creasing his forehead, so she reached out to soothe them.

He grabbed her hands and twisted them before they could touch his face.

She easily slipped out of his grasp, though he seemed shocked, she was hurt. He was in pain and distressed, yet he refused her care, which puzzled her further.

She was trained to fight and eliminate threats, but more importantly, she was taught about humans, their emotions, and how to interact with them.

"Remember, she's human, trained as a killing machine. You could say a robot. At her creation, she had been injected with numerous chemicals, and made to believe she wasn't human. So, let's move on from that."

His withdrawal surprised her, and she noticed him watching her warily. She retreated to the far end of the room, gesturing for him to eat the food before it cooled.

He hesitated, torn between eating or leaving, but his growling stomach made the decision for him.

She chuckled inwardly, but his glare reminded her that her laughter wasn't as silent as she thought.

Trying to appear nonchalant, she looked away, but sneaked glances to see him devouring the food eagerly.

Seeing him enjoy it made her smile. She wanted him to be happy because she felt a strange connection with him. She felt safe and content whenever he was near, which was both odd and comforting.

**END OF CHAPTER FOUR**