She Smells Nothing But Human

"Hey, Printer Girl!"

The sudden call stopped both girls abruptly. Alicia glanced back at Adrien with a glaring look as she gritted her teeth.

The cop crooked his index finger with a smirk playing on his lips.

"Psst....." she snapped her head back at Gloria, who nudged her, drawing her attention.

"Go ahead. The handsome's calling you," she teased her, on the verge of bursting out in laughter. Alicia fumed, but seeing the change in her friend's mood made her feel happy.

"Co'mon, don't be shy."

Alicia rolled her eyes and hit Gloria in the head before turning around and cursing Adrien.

"Yes. Sir?"

"Do you have your registration certificate right now?"

"Oh, that. Bryan settled it with the receptionist last night. But I'm not aware of Diego's. Give me a second, sir." She glanced back at Gloria and called her friend, who stood by the exit.

Halfway through calling out her friend, Adrien whistled to gain her attention.

She stared at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

Adrien motioned with his hand for her to close her mouth.

"Uff!"

She immediately covered her lips and murmured to herself, "Why am I turning into a laughing stock in front of this jerk?"

Adrien shook his head, put his hands in his pockets, and smirked at her.

"Your bike's registration certificate was what I meant, young lady."

"Oh." She nodded her head, trying to take in what he meant, and as soon as she did, she made a loud 'Oh' sound again with more realization. It wasn't that she was dumb. Just that her mind seemed quite cloudier than usual because of all the chaotic scenes.

"Sorry, I kinda... Uff, never mind."

"Yes..." he dragged as if waiting for her to continue.

'Strange,' thought Alicia as she gazed at him.

"Your certificate?"

"Uh... no," she scrunched her face.

"Bring it to me."

"I can't"

"What do you mean you can't?" He gazed at her questioningly, as if she had turned into a lunatic. "Do you not want your bike?"

"That is not what I meant! I think I left it back in the under seat of my bike."

Adrien took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. A look of his had her shuddering at it, and she bit her lips as she saw his icy, frustrated look.

He sighed and gestured for her to leave.

Not batting an eyelid, she was about to dash out of the premises, away from him, dragging her friend as well, as soon as he looked away, but the man seemed to have other thoughts, for he stopped her as soon as she took two steps away from him.

"Wait!"

"Yes, sir?" she questioned, looking back at him. But he had his eyes elsewhere.

She frowned and followed the man's gaze. Her eyes widened as she did so. She bit her tongue to stop cursing and hid her hands from his sight, earning a stern questioning glance from the cop.

"What's that?" He scrunched his face as he questioned and pointed his finger at the hand she hid behind her. He stepped forward to her and pulled the hand that she had hidden, catching her off-guard.

Alicia's jaw dropped as he lifted her hand and inspected it like it was one of his most heated cases. The way he looked at her hand and lifted his gaze right into her puzzled eyeballs as he rubbed his thumb slightly over the newly burned mark had her hissing at it.

"How did this happen?" She heard him question it seriously.

Adrien found himself questioning her, not out of concern but out of curiosity. Given that he was the police, it was normal for him to make sure everything was safe and sound around him.

Losing a case of a little girl who was abused by her very own brother had him look quite suspiciously at everything that surrounded him. But he made sure he was in his right mind. He didn't want another to be victimized in front of his eyes like the last time, and that was what made him question her out of the blue. He didn't find any fault in doing so.

"There was a mouse in the kitch- Aishh! It's none of your business! Let go of my hand!" She swatted him away and pulled her hand closer to her, but it did little to cause him to be pushed away.

Who was he to poke his nose into matters that were of hers? she thought.

She had thought of covering it with some makeup kits earlier, before leaving her home, but the thought of it had slipped her mind with the arguments she had with her mother that morning.

"Not that I'm as concerned about a blockhead as you are. It is my duty to make sure everything's alright," he said as he flipped his hair that fell forward and looked away.

Alicia rolled her eyes, mocking him, and turned on her heels, heading toward her friend.

Adrien watched her leave the hallway, hooking hands with the other girl, whom he presumed to be Gloria. He had to interrogate her too, thought Adrien as he brushed his silky black hair, which was stubbornly staying in one place.

As he kept gazing at the exit, a look of frown mered on his forehead, remembering the smell unmistakably. The girl smelled quite peculiar, he thought. He wasn't sure what the smell exactly was, but he was sure the girl smelled nothing but human.

"Mr. Adrien?"

A feminine voice caught his attention from behind. He glanced behind.

"Doctor Christon asks for your presence, sir." He nodded and brushed his thoughts away before he entered the blue cabin.

__________

As the two girls settled themselves in the not-so-peaceful environment, their gaze locked on each other, but lots of things kept them mute. They could not bring it up to express it all at once. But staying by each other's side was more than anything that they needed at the moment.

Alicia slid her hands and rested them above Gloria's, giving it a comforting squeeze. She could do nothing but that.

"It's okay; everything's going to be alright," she whispered with a smile, "just back to normal."

Gloria shook her head with a broken smile. She wasn't able to give in to the lie. They both knew that was never going to turn real. At least for the sake of comforting themselves. She tried but failed to do so.

"I know you're trying to comfort and console me," she said, looking down and biting her lips with wet lashes.

"It isn't working, is it?"

"I'm sorry."

Gloria felt bad for not being OK despite the fact that her friend was trying her best to do all that she could to lift her mind and that she had asked for an apology.

"Silly, thing!"

"Ouch!"

Alicia flickered her forehead once, then again twice.

"Why'd you do that for?!"

"First of all," Alicia raised her index finger and continued, "stop being sorry, and second of all, stop being a crybaby."

"No way, I'm no crybaby," repulsed Gloria immediately as she heard her accuse her of being one of them.

"Well, yes, you are."

Gloria grunted, but she froze midway through swatting away Alicia's hand, which she moved forward to ruffle her hair.

"Let me see your hand," she pulled Alicia's hand, stretching it forward, visible enough for her to get a glimpse of her inner palms on her upper arms. Alicia tried to get her hand to loosen.

A loud gasp left Gloria's mouth, attracting the people who were not too far from them.

"Just a burn mark," muttered Alicia with an uneasy smile.

Unconvinced by the short response, she insisted on a better explanation about what had happened to cause such a big bruise on her snow-white skin.

It was so red, as red as a ripened cherry that was ready to be plucked from the plant, that she could not believe her eyes; how had she not spotted it earlier?

But Alicia promised she'd tell over the meal, and she'd order it before. And not waiting for a minute, she dashed to the counter to order them something to have.

She waited for her order, humming the tone of the last song she listened to, when a man out of nowhere pushed her aside, jumped into the line, and grabbed the food she ordered from the barrister.

"Ahh!"

A loud scream left Alicia's lips. She was thrown to the floor harshly, scraping her knee and bumping her forehead on the edge of a wooden table. Her already-burned skin felt like it was stinging all the way from the beginning at the sudden contact with the hard floor. A low whimper left her lips. The pain was quite unbearable.

People around the canteen gathered around her. She heard them scream and curse at the thief, who was brave enough to steal in broad daylight.

"What the hell?!"

"Security!"

"Catch the thief!"

"He's running away!"

Alicia hissed and stood up with the support of a lady who came to support her.

People were murmuring around her so loudly, speaking to her.

"I'm alright. I'm okay," she reassured them with a smile and limped on her feet. She saw Gloria running toward her hurriedly from the corner of her eyes as she lifted her head.

But the sting on her knee made her glance down at it.

"Shit! This thing is bleeding," she cursed under her breath.

"Lise! Are you alright?"

Gloria held her hand and hurriedly checked her from top to bottom.

"Yeah. Just a little scrape."

"Oh my gosh, Lise! Your forehead! You're bleeding!"

"Let's get you aided immediately," she supported Alicia while walking out of the canteen.

"Girl, it's no big deal!"

"What?! We do not need to encounter another deranged creature now, do we?" she questioned sternly.

"Gosh! You sound so much like my mother."

"Whatever."

As they walked in through the entrance of the hospital, Gloria heard Alicia gasp out loud.

"Quick! We need to hide! We need to hide!"

"What's the matter, Lise?"

"Just shut your mouth and follow me."

Gloria helped her all the way as Alicia limped in the opposite direction.