Stranger Danger~! [Aquafire]

If I could sleep for the next twenty years, I would. But I can't, because every morning someone has to come and wake me up, even though I'm already wide awake every time. I have a lot of trouble sleeping, and a lot of the time I wake up before the sun has even risen. This morning, my brother comes barging in to my small room, yelling for me to get up. He's not trying to be rude, but that's exactly how I would wake him up if the roles were switched. I groan loudly and push him out the door, shutting it behind him. He knows this means to leave me alone so I can get dressed and leave the house. My usual Saturday business. I wonder why they still bother to wake me up if all I do is leave, but who cares? More time for myself. Some days I leave at dawn without telling anyone, and I don't come back until that night. I'll skip school on occasion, but my mom usually doesn't find out. Even if she asked, I'd never answer.

I grab a gray shirt from my dresser and pull it on over my head. It's a bit wrinkled, but I could care less. I also put on a pair of khaki pants and simple shoes. Today I'll be wandering around again, making myself invisible in the crowd of people at the square. I grab an apple before I leave, slamming the door on my way out. I don't care if they know I'm gone. I realize my hair is kind of a mess, so I try my best to smooth it down a bit. A bite of apple. Throw a rock into the distance out of boredom. The walk to the district's square is somewhat long from my house, but it's easily manageable. I always enjoy the brief nature walk, especially in autumn. All the leaves would turn beautiful hues of orange and red and yellow. One of the few beauties I actually allow myself to enjoy.

Within fifteen minutes of strolling, I get to the edge of the square. The smell of baking bread caresses my nostrils, reminding me how little I've had to eat in the past few days. I've just been locking myself up in my room or living in seclusion in the woods, so I've hardly had time to eat. I walk past the bakery, resisting the urge to walk in there and stare at all the food. The square isn't too busy yet, as it's not quite eleven o'clock, but there are already people getting their errands done. I stare harshly at the smiling people and laughing children. What's to smile about? I avert my gaze and look down at my feet as I walk idly towards the other end of the square, to the little library in the corner. At the building next to it, I catch the eye of a girl. A small, redheaded girl, who looks innocent and weak and afraid of the world. That's only my first impression, but that brings on an array of interesting thoughts. Since she doesn't look away, I stop in my tracks and look at her a bit more. "Hey there," I say, furrowing my brow and looking at the girl curiously.

The girl seems to shift awkwardly, but she holds my gaze. She opens her mouth to speak, and at first nothing comes out. I raise an eyebrow slightly, wondering if she'll ever speak. Finally, she does. "Hello," she says, returning my curious look. I squint as she pulls the sleeves of her oversized shirt over her hands. Must be some kind of nervous tick, I think to myself.

I could just walk away now and leave her alone, but something holds me here. Normally I don't ever talk to people unless I want something from them. I don't want anything from her, do I? Maybe her lips. I suppose I wouldn't mind that. I feel a frown appear on my own lips as I realize I'm taking a bit too long to respond. Except I don't really know what to say. "So... What are you doing in the square alone?" I say without letting the unsureness show.

"Getting away from the house. Is there something wrong with that?" She speaks with a touch of sweetness, but there's no mistaking the sarcasm behind the words. My semi-permanent scowl returns and I let out a puff of air. I believe her, but something just seems kind of odd about a girl standing around in the square. She didn't seem to be heading anywhere in particular, and to me, this is a stupid place to go if you want to be away from home. You can be easily found and there's a ton of people. So why is she really here?

I flick my tongue over my lips and bite my lip for a moment. "No, not at all. But I wouldn't think someone would want to sit around and watch people shop and be annoying. But, if that's what you wish," I say with a harsh tone. I'm ready to turn on my heel and walk away, but yet again I'm held back. I don't leave, because things might just be getting interesting.

The girl kind of seems to be getting annoyed now. "If you think it's what I want you're darn wrong. I'd much rather be walking around having a conversation. Only thing is I have a bit of trouble getting someone to be friendly," she says, building a tone of annoyance and rage as she speaks. I raise my eyebrows, and almost smile even, because I like it. A girl who can raise her voice and be snarky and be a bitch. I allow a small smile, and stare at her curiously. This girl has potential. I just may take it upon myself to make sure she utilizes it.

"You know, I don't think you're half bad," I say, carefully selecting my words. I don't want to give off a friendly vibe, although I'm rarely this nice. "Why don't we get away from here? Crowds bug me." I hope she doesn't get creeped out and dart off. This could very well be an opportunity for a little... fun. Fun I haven't had in months.

She stares at me for a moment, mulling over my suggestion. I can't quite tell how she feels about it, but she must be unsure herself, so I don't question it yet. "Alright, but first tell me your name," she says. I don't grin, because that would be creepy. I don't frown, because that would make it seem like I don't want her to know. Instead, I shove my hands in my pockets and turn to the side. If I go anywhere, I automatically turn towards my favorite spot in all of Five. The picnic area in the woods. I motion with my head so that she knows to follow, and I begin to walk slowly toward the road that will take me to the outskirts of the woods. I kick a few pebbles around before finally answering her.

"Riker. Riker Mills," I tell her. It's a lot for me to tell someone, my name. I don't know if it's a name that people hear around or not. Yeah, that smartass that sleeps around and likes to yell at people. That's totally how I want to be known. Too late to change it anyways. If people do know of me, they know of that. Maybe she doesn't though. I don't recognize her from anywhere, and I can't say she looked like she recognized me. I can't pretend I'm someone else, though. I could pull off the lies, but she would find out eventually, and I won't be seen as a fake.

I look at her, strolling nonchalantly by my side and a little back, innocent-looking. She almost reminds me of a doe. What was I thinking? Suggesting to myself I could get with her. She's not the type to be interested in me, I don't think. I frown slightly at the thought of what kind of girl would actually want me. Some slut just looking for fun. Or an insecure girl who just wants to end the confusion. Of course, that's all I bring on. I hate myself for that.

"What about you? What's your name?" I ask. I might as well get to know a little bit about her, too.

She tells me her name is Phoebe. I mouth the word, seeing how it feels on my lips, but not yet hearing the word come from them. It's a nice name. I've never heard of it before, and I like it, I guess. Of course, I don't say it or show it. That would take away the indifference and I don't want that. If I ever open up to someone, which I rarely do, it's not for a while. Until then, I maintain my mask of indifference and act like I don't care about anything. It seems to work, well enough at least.

"Where are we going?" asks Phoebe. I look up at the sky. It's gray, a flat sheet of bland. It doesn't look like rain, but I know it can come at any time. You can tell by the mud that it's rained recently.

"This place I really like to go to. It's away from all the oil refineries and no one lives very close to it, so it's very natural and secluded. No one seems to really know about it, so I go there a lot to be alone," I say, letting her know way too much about myself. My eyes widen slightly as I realize what I've just done. No one is supposed to know that. Sure, I'm taking her there, but that doesn't mean I go and tell her that I'm there practically every day. Whatever, she doesn't seem like the type to stalk me anyways.

Wow. I guess my thoughts are indifferent, too.

I get a brief pause before she answers with a simple "Alright." An awkward silence follows as we walk through the chilled air, and I don't bother to say anything. I idly think about the weather, hoping it doesn't rain. If it gets too serious of a storm or anything, the cabin offers perfect shelter if we need it. But that would mean being alone with Phoebe for a pretty long time, and I don't know how she would feel about that. I don't even know how I would feel about that.

Within a few minutes, the path stars becoming more gravelly and you can tell it's hardly used here. The number houses diminishes to none, and the clusters of trees grow thicker. The only signs that tell me I'm here. No landmarks, no second path to follow. I just know that I'm at my place. "Well, here we are," I say quietly. I'm still a bit uneasy about letting someone I just met into my spot, but I know it's too late to turn back.