The Rescuer 1/2

Falling, twisting, pulling. Then she's stumbling, her knees locking awkwardly, causing pain to shoot up her shins. Now running through alley after alley. Muddy streets, the tiny cuts on her feet burning. Rotting swaying buildings rising from the ground ahead of her, next to her. Moss growing up to the windows and cracking the glass.

She wasn't sure why she was running. "Am I being followed." It felt like it had been hours. Every time she slowed, footsteps sounded behind her, loud and fast, and she started running again unable to control the fear. She didn't understand why she was scared in the first place. Alexandra turns, running from the footsteps echoing around her, questioning every step. "Where am I?"

She looked over her shoulder looking for any sign of what she was running from. Laughter filled the air; cynical, female, familiar. This is when she nearly runs into him. Turning forward just in time to stop herself from smacking her face into his outstretched hand. His face crusted in frost, and his eyes; his eyes were past bloodshot. Pure, deep red where they should have been white.

"It's a stable job..." rang through her head so loud it hurt. "Where do I know that voice from?" A distant image trying to push its way to the surface of her brain. As she looked closer at the man, she noticed that his skin has been torn open, ice crystals pushing their way up through the caverns of his ruined skin. Her stomach drops into her knees and she looks away. To his face and his dead eyes, which twitched and focused on hers then drifted to his out stretched arm, her scream catching in her throat. For a long time, he stares into the crevices of skin, blood, and bone before his eyes twitch back to hers. Something more than anger fills his eyes. Tears slip down his frozen cheeks as he wills his body to move, to break through the ice holding him.

For a moment the world was silent, frozen in that horrible moment. Then a sound like glass grinding against glass and cracking echoed outwardly from the man, such an unforgiving sound, she didn't really believe it could be coming from him. Alex steps away, covering her ears to block out the noise.

"Mu did is." His voice barely audible. Before Alexandra thought better of it, she leaned closer. "Did he just TALK?"

"Mu did is u me." He tried. A few chunks of ice fell from his skin, crumbling as it hit the ground.

"Mu did this u me." He roared, finally breaking through the ice's hold. He lurches forward; energy bound now finally free. His icy fingers closing around her forearm before she had a chance to pull away. The skin in skin contact burning.

"You killed me!?" he screamed. Alexandra ducked as shards of ice flew off his face, her arm awkwardly twisted. She tried pulling her arm free, but it was no use. He was to strong. She cried out when his grip tightened, and she felt her bones bending. When she looked to see the damage, she screamed. Frost etched it way across her skin. She could feel it growing down through her muscles. The man continued to scream, veins popping out of his neck, his mouth seeming to be larger then it should be. He was saying impossible, terrible, things.

"Wake up." Another, gentler, voice said; raining down to her.

"Wake up." it said more urgently. The world began to spin, the man fading, "This isn't real Alexandra, wake up."

Alexandra opens her eyes. Her muscles tense from the dream and her breath coming in huge gulps and groans. She knew it could have only been a few seconds that she had been out. The air was still cold in her burning lungs. Her head pounds and her throat aches. She reaches a hand to her arm and finds it perfectly fine, no frost or cracking, just cold skin. As her eyes adjusted, she could just make out a shape in front of her. "It kinda looks like a person." She thinks before she finally realizes that it is in fact a person. His face just 10 inches from hers. She flinches, a yell crawling its way up her throat.

"No. No! shhh I'm not going to hurt you." He said quickly pulling off his hood. "Please don't scream or those men might come back."

"I was just trying to go inside." He adds after he is sure she's not about to scream, his voice younger and gentler then she had expected. He didn't sound like any of the three men she had seen before. His hands were raised in front of his face, but she still couldn't see any of his features, "What are you doing out here anyway? It's freezing?" he swung the door open and stepped inside. Warm air drifted out of the small dimly lit apartment, "Please come inside."

Alexandra starts to stand, ice chunks on the ground digging into her bare feet. Her head throbbing horribly as she finally gets her feet under her and straightens. Squinting against the light, everything moved through her brain slowly, like a slug running low on mucus. She peers through the doorways, the young man is standing in the kitchen, his cloak thrown over the back of a small two seater couch.

"Well come on, make up your mind, you're letting all of the heat out."

Taking a shaky step inside and closing the door behind her she thinks "I could just stay for a few minutes..." she looks at herself, her hand still on the door knob, in the light she can see how dirty her skin is and how soiled her dress is. She looked out of place in the small clean apartment. "Maybe he can help." The kitchen and the living room were smooshed together with just enough space for a kitchen island and couch. A fire burned gently to her right and one door led into another room. Looking over to the kitchen she realizes the guy that had invited her in is well muscled and at least two inches taller. His dark curly hair laying across his head like he had just rolled out of bed. With speed and control he sliced ham; then bread and cheese up into small chunks and splitting it up on two plates. He looks up at her as he finishes and smiles, waving her over to the couch. She doesn't move. Logically Alexandra knew that she had no reason to trust him. After what had happened outside, she didn't really think she should be trusting anyone, but she didn't feel any fear or discomfort. She wondered if it was worth the awkward silence to take the plunge into conversation but remained by the door.

"What... um..." That small part of her that still didn't want to believe any of this got the best of her and she tries to clear her throat, wincing slightly, "What happened to the other guy?" His only response is his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"The blonde with the pointy ears?" She adds raising her hands up to the sides of her face, pointing her index fingers up and wiggling them. He smirks.

"Oh him," He picks up the two plates and moves to the couch handing her one. "Come. Sit. I'll explain." Alex moves to the edge of the couch and sits gently on the arm. "I'm only a few feet from the door." She reminds herself and tries to relax.

"I was coming back from a stroll when I saw you two. You were nearly unconscious and he, well he was covered in ice. Thick, skin tearing ice." He pauses, looking pained, then pats the hilt of the blade attached to his side, it was long and silver with a hilt wrapped in dark brown leather, "I took out my sword and cut through him. He crumbled into small, sharp pieces of ice. It was a little bit until you woke up, about two minutes." Though she had been listening closely Alex didn't understand a thing that had just came out of his mouth. She felt silly not understanding but it just didn't make any logical sense.

"I have never seen an Ice Gift do that. Who taught you to do that?" he asked, excitement in his voice. His eyes dip to the burns on her arm and the tear in her dress for a moment before finding her eyes again.

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about. I'm just a person, I couldn't have done that to someone."

"You don't know that you have a Gift?" his excitement replaced with confusion. "How..."

"Wait; gift? Like a Christmas gift?" she asks slowly trying to not to feel dumb. "I don't even know where I am, so I'm bound to not know a few things."

"Christmas? What the hell kind of word is that?" He says, now more confused and trying not to laugh, "No, no, no. I don't know what this "Christmas gift" you are talking about is, but Gifts are powers. Powers given to people by The Mother." He says while stuffing cheese into his mouth. She couldn't help growing more confused. She had never heard of Gifts like what he's saying, or this 'Mother' person.