I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I wandered three blocks further than I needed to and only realized I had been lost in my own thoughts when fat raindrops began to plop onto my head. Rain wasn't an unusual occurrence in Portland, so I pulled my umbrella out of my bag, got my bearings and turned in the direction that would take me home. If I cut through two back alleys and squeezed through the loose boards of a fence I'd be back on my street in no time. From there it would be just a few houses down until I reached my front door and the sanctity of my bedroom. I had made it halfway through the first alley when I heard the screams.
I stopped, unsure of what to do. The screaming grew louder and was obviously coming from the direction I was walking toward. Should I investigate or turn and go for help? To get to the second alleyway I had to walk a quarter-block down Third Avenue. I was just about to step onto the street and seek a shop owner's aid when a golden blur of hulking muscle ran past me so fast that I actually stumbled and fell as I was trying to get out of the way.
"Hey!" I yelled. Anger at being so brusquely brushed aside spurred me to my feet and I raced after the speeding form directly to the second alley only to come to an abrupt and slippery halt as my food slid on an expensive leather glove over the slick streets. With shaking hands I picked up the glove, brushed the muck of the street off my leg and back side and began to cautiously enter the alley. The screaming had stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Peering out from behind the relative safety of a large green dumpster I saw three figures pressed against the red brick wall on the right side of the alley. Since I was on the left side, my dumpster offered very little protection from being spotted.
The scene was a strange one. Alex was curled up on her side, softly sobbing as she tried to hold together the tattered remnants of her shirt. Seth held and older man by his throat firmly against the wall. At first I thought his face was turning blue from the force of Seth's powerful hands, but then I realized it wasn't lack of oxygen causing his face to discolor. He was slowly rotting away before my eyes. That's when I noticed that the hand pressing against his throat was bare. I looked down at the glove in my hand; a twin to the one Seth was slowly removing with his teeth. Once both hands were free the decaying increased in speed and in minutes the man had rotted away to a pile of filth and rags, indistinguishable from the other refuse that littered the ground. Very carefully Seth put his one glove back on and reached for Alex. With more gentleness than I thought him capable of he picked her up, wrapped her in his arms, and turned in my direction.
I should have screamed, or ran, or something other than what I did. After all, I had just witnessed him disintegrate someone. The seconds slowly ticked by as we just stared at each other; me holding my yellow umbrella and him holding his sister. I took half a step forward and extended my hand holding the other glove.
"Here," I said with more calm than I felt.
"Thank you."
"Is she okay?"
Alex was still sobbing as Seth shifted her weight and deftly put on his other glove. "She will be fine. Forget whatever it is you think you saw here."
"If you take her home like that, there will be questions." I paused as I saw him measure the likelihood of my words. "My house isn't far from here. My mom should still be at work. She can get cleaned up and calmed down and then you can take her home." Without waiting to see if he followed me I began walking to the end of the alley and the short walk home. I was partly relieved and partly panicked when I heard his sure and steady footsteps behind me.
In no time at all we were marching up my front steps, through the door into the dim recess of my living room. Seth walked to the over-sized love seat and set Alex down, reaching for the throw blanket behind her and wrapping it around her shoulders. I retrieved the small first-aid kit and a towel from the linen closet in the hallway and silently handed them to him. Then I went up to my room and pulled a clean soft sweater from my closet.
"There is a bathroom down the hall. You can change there." I pointed as I handed Alex the sweater.
She nodded her thanks and left me alone with the hulking presence of her brother.
"What is your name?" He asked, using the towel to dry his short hair.
"Jessica. Jessica Martin."
"Not Jennifer then?"
"No," I shook my head confirming that he knew I was watching his conversation at lunch today.
"Jessica you put me in an awkward position here."
"I could say the same thing, you know."
He dropped the towel on the coffee table and stood, slowly stalking toward me like an animal stalking it's prey. I reacted as any normal person would and retreated until my back was pressed against the entertainment center and I could go no further. We stood an arm's length apart for several minutes. Unable to stand it any longer I raised my head and met his amber stare with my emerald one. I expected to see anger and intimidation, but instead he was studying me as if he had never seen a girl's face before. Certain that he was noting every one of my flaws and solidifying his reasons for forgetting my unremarkable self I flinched and stifled a gasp as his hand reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His hand was warm and the butter soft leather was almost an extension of himself rather than a barrier between his skin and mine.
He was strong, but he wasn't the hulking brainless mass I had always pictured him to be. Instead he held himself with a lethal grace. I clenched my eyes shut waiting for him to touch me as he had the man in the alley. Shaking and crying I stood, not willing to plead for my life. I doubted I would be missed by anyone. The sound of the bathroom door opening was like a spring releasing its tension. I opened my eyes to find Seth on the love seat once more. In a gush I let go a shaky laugh and leaned my head down between my knees to keep from passing out.
"Thank you for the sweater. I'll return it to you as soon as possible." Alex remarked as she emerged from the hallway.
"Keep it," I replied, "it looks better on you anyway."
"So what happens now?" She asked looking from me to her brother.
"Nothing." Seth answered.
"Nothing," I agreed. "You go home and I go back to being invisible. I won't say anything. I promise." I could tell that Alex was relieved to hear me say that by the slight relaxing of her shoulders.
"Goodbye Jessica." Seth said, rising from the love seat and reaching a hand toward his sister. They walked out the front door shutting it carefully behind them.
"Goodbye Seth." I said to the empty room.
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