They walked quite a bit. This helped dry the clothes soaked by the rain. They also passed by a café; the girl sneaked in to grab a backpack. The girl limped from time to time, making Damian wonder how injured she was. There were visible wounds, but Autumn didn't seem to care. The spear was gone too. With a simple hand movement, the weapon vanished—entering an invisible slit, almost imperceptible to the eyes. The boy decided not to question that, even though various doubts occupied his mind.
Autumn lived in a ten-story building. The only elevator was out of order, so they had to use the stairs. It was the sixth flight of stairs they climbed. For her, it didn't seem tiring, but Damian had an exhausted expression on his face. He felt like a stray dog the way he followed her, without any familiarity to break the silence.
When they stopped in front of a door, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you really live here?" Taking a quick look around, the boy concluded that the place hadn't been renovated in years. It needed basic care, like plaster and paint. The lighting was dim, creating an eerie atmosphere.
"Yes, I really live here," Autumn replied. She searched under the mat and pulled out a loose key. "Leave your key there?" he asked. She opened the door and gestured for him to enter, saying, "Come in already."
Upon entering the apartment, Damian noted that it was small as he imagined, but clean and organized.
"You can rest on the couch," she said, walking around the place. Damian just nodded, walking slowly to a corner by a window, avoiding the sofa. Leaning against the wall, he slid down to sit on the floor. He put his hands on his head, covering his face.
"Yes, of course, it would start hurting now," he thought, feeling a headache. What a mess.
The boy felt the breeze pass through the window onto his skin. The night lingered cold and dark. He heard meows and barks. He began to reflect, concluding that he needed to make a phone call. He had lost his phone, wallet with documents, sunglasses, and cap. He only had the clothes on his back and a stained jacket.
"Can you lend me your phone?" he asked when he saw her pass.
"I don't have one, but you can use the phone near the TV," she pointed, heading towards the door.
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked after standing up and going to the landline. Damian judged her quickly for this. At the door, Autumn replied, "I'm getting some bandages from my neighbor. I have nothing here, I think we need them. You need to clean up; there's dried blood on your face."
When he saw her leave, Damian realized he should have asked how the girl was. His own appearance didn't matter much now. Had she been hurt a lot? If so, Autumn didn't show it. Maybe the girl was really strong, even stronger than he had witnessed.
Pressing the buttons on the small phone, he only had to wait for two rings until the person on the other end answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi, it's me," he said dryly.
"Damian? Why are you calling me from a different number?" The female voice on the other end of the line was puzzled. "Do you know how many times we called and sent messages?"
"I can imagine."
"Did something happen? We were waiting for you."
"It's just... I don't know where to start."
"How about from the beginning?"
"I... had an accident."
"Really?! You're not making this up, are you?"
"No, I'm not."
"Oh my goodness, are you okay? Are you hurt?!"
"I'm fine, don't worry. The taxi I was in got into a pileup on Highway No. 6."
"What? It's in the news. I can't believe you were in that accident. There are some weird videos circulating on the internet; I can't explain it well. But you're really okay, right? Where are you? I'll come over."
"No!"
"No?" The voice changed with the denial; Damian sighed, hearing the door open and close. Inhibited, he decided to end the conversation. "Mia, I'm sorry. But I'll need to leave town for a few days. I probably won't be able to communicate. Tell Ben and Totty that, okay?"
"What does that mean?"
"It means... " He paused, casting discreet glances at the girl with him. "We won't see each other for a while. Until I can sort everything out."
"This is the worst excuse you've ever given, you know?" He remained silent. "Damian?"
"Goodbye, Mia."
He hung up the phone, letting his gaze meet Autumn's. The girl squinted sympathetically.
"Your girlfriend?"
"No." He shook his head, almost saddened by the possibility. "She was just a friend. It's better this way."
Autumn nodded, holding a small box in her hand.
"My neighbor didn't have much; I'll see what I can do. Do you need anything?" He shook his head. "Alright, then. I'll change; make yourself comfortable and wash your face in the kitchen sink. Also, don't bother turning on the TV; the media is trying to unravel that thing."
"Was it recorded?"
"Nothing very clear. From what I saw at my neighbor's, the taxi driver you were with gave an interview."
"So, is he okay?" Damian's face lit up.
"Yes, very well. So well that he clearly mentioned a horrendous creature landing on the car windshield. I think that's how the accident started. He even mentioned two young people who were with him and disappeared after the car flipped." Damian put his hand to his mouth, thoughtful. "This is already out of our control; try not to go crazy." She disappeared down the hallway, entering the bathroom.
"Not go crazy?" Damian scolded himself for a second, realizing that he couldn't do that.
The boy didn't go to the sofa as she suggested; he returned to the corner where he was, on the floor. He did wash his face in the kitchen sink, but he still didn't feel at ease. The way she helped him was bothering him. He had acted rudely earlier that day. Now, trapped in this situation, it was expected to feel uncomfortable. The girl was making him feel worse. Was it the uncomfortable feeling inside him to blame? He couldn't say.
Putting his head between his knees, Damian wished for the end of that day. Elio came to mind, then. A mix of concern and indignation disturbed him. What was his brother hiding? Why did everything come to light like this? Damian wanted to see him, corner him, maybe even hug him.
After a while, he felt something soft on top of him. He lifted his head, seeing a scented blanket and an Autumn without the previously destroyed uniform.
"I told you not to keep lamenting," she said.
The girl was wearing light clothes, pants, and a hoodie. Her black hair was loose at shoulder length. She had small eyes, like blueberries. She wasn't very tall, but she had a striking physical presence. The wounds on her face were now covered with bandages.
Autumn walked to the small kitchen, opening the fridge and tapping her fingers frantically on the stainless steel. "I'm not lamenting," Damian replied, using the blanket to cover himself. There was a good smell. "I'm trying to figure out what to do now."
"Let's wait," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, not liking what she saw inside the fridge. "Do you want water, iced tea?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"I want iced tea." With two cans of iced tea and packs of snacks, the girl sat on the sofa, throwing things on a simple coffee table. Damian just served himself the iced tea.
"You know, the hybrid. It will come back stronger and angrier," she commented quietly while opening the can.
"Aren't you worried?"
"I should be, but my weapon is resting for that."
"I'm not talking about your spear; I'm talking about you. Can you do all that again?" Damian had an apprehensive expression on his face. This was the kind of question he needed to ask.
"I hope so because I don't have a Plan B for you yet. I need to fight him until the end of the line," she said, her manner of speaking leaving him uneasy. "You don't seem to have much faith in me, even after I saved you."
"It's not that. It's just that you're still a girl, and there's nothing I can do to help."
"Well, that's true. But if it helps to know," she tucked her feet on the sofa, hugging her knees. She didn't seem sure of what she was about to say. "I wasn't exactly raised like other girls."
"But what does that mean?"
Autumn just shrugged in response. Damian held her gaze for a few seconds, watching her enjoy the iced tea. Her voice and the words she used conveyed confidence. However, the boy didn't feel entitled to feel safe. Not because of her. He didn't even understand what the girl was saying.
"Why did you help me?" Damian wanted to know.
"I told you not to ask that question."
"Then tell me what to say. Everything is upside down; I'm not in my own home, not sure if my brother is alive or dead, can't talk to any of my friends, can't even explain what's happening to me, because they surely wouldn't believe it! Besides having a death mark on my body! I just..."
When he took a pause to breathe, Autumn directed her gaze to the night outside the window. Stars struggled to appear.
"Well, I don't know. I saved you because..." she sighed deeply. "It was the right thing to do. One should always save people."
"What does that mean? Who exactly are you?"
She listened attentively, then shrugged.
"Honestly speaking, I feel like nothing I say will answer your questions."
"Just say something. Something that makes sense. Something that explains the fact that you wield a spear like it's a pencil."
"Ninx."
"What?"
"My spear. Its name is Ninx."
"Oh, it has a name... Wait, why could I grab it at that moment and not that creature?"
"It was because I allowed it. Ninx only obeys me. She can also sense when someone is ill-intentioned."
"Oh, so she's magical?"
"If she's magical? Ah, that's a good question." She shook her head, searching for what to say. "When we first met, your brother caught my attention. I could see a type of energy called Radiant hovering over his head. This energy means he came from another place. It's the energy of a distant land. I only noticed because his arrival was still recent; after a few more days, the energy would disappear."
Damian's eyes darkened, and his face was like a question mark. He wanted to understand how the girl knew these things but opted for another question.
"What would that other place be?"
"After you guys left," she ignored his question. "I saw the news on TV about the crash incidents. People made recordings, bad recordings, but I could still see. The hybrid, the Halvina race. I recognized it right away." Autumn spoke more to herself. "This hybrid also carried intense Radiant Energy with him, that was the only reason I could go to you. I used my Ninx to locate the nearest energy and take me there. It requires a lot of power, and I hadn't done that in a long time. Believe me, I was also surprised to see that you were his target."
"How exactly did you get there?" he asked, but she just blinked in response. Damian sighed. "And why did you want to help me?"
Autumn made a face. "What's with your obsession with this question? Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Just answer."
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Seeing you being overpowered, unable to defend yourself, I thought I should do something. I also saw the two cops on the ground, dead. I mean, at that moment, I knew I would regret helping you, but would it be greater than the regret of leaving you there to die? I think not."
Damian swallowed hard. She lowered her eyelids, contemplating on her own.
"Maybe, I wouldn't be able to come home, sleep in peace, knowing that I could have done something. Thinking about it, I did it more for myself than for you. I did it so I wouldn't feel bad about myself."
The boy lifted a knee, resting his elbow on it. "Still, I was rude to you."
"At least you're aware."
"Yes. I developed it when I said I wouldn't let that creature kill me."
"You weren't the first person to be rude to me, don't think you're so special," she said firmly. Damian took it as sarcasm. "I wasn't going to let you die just because you were rude. What kind of people do you know?"
The boy didn't know what to respond. Silence filled the place.
"Is there anything else to talk about? Because it seems like there is," she said, noticing Damian's discreet glances.
"This 'other' place," he said again. "By any chance, did you used to live there?"
Autumn stared at him without blinking. Damian was about to consider the conversation finished until:
"Yes."
"Why are you here?"
"Your curiosity is uncomfortable."
"I just want to know; it's not like we have anything else to do."
"Go to sleep."
Autumn lay completely on the sofa, using another blanket she had brought to wrap herself. She turned her back to Damian. The boy then lay on the floor and did the same as her, first taking off his jacket to use it as support for his head.
"It's not like I can sleep anyway," he muttered, closing his eyes.
"It's not my problem," she acidly replied from under the blanket. After a few seconds, she impatiently unwrapped herself, fixing her gaze on the ceiling. "Every day, I wake up early, take a jog around the block, come back and make my breakfast. I watch a cooking show and soon get ready for work. On the way, I feed an orange stray cat that lives on a nearby corner. When I arrive at the café, I'm well-received by my coworkers. At the end of my shift, I can have a hot drink and listen to the gossip from others. And when I finally come home, bringing pieces of fried chicken that usually suffice for two people, I go to sleep with a full stomach and satisfied with my day." She paused. Damian also stared at the ceiling. "I just hope the next day comes so I can do it all over again. That's it. This is my life now, and I like it. No other is worth it, nowhere else."
When Autumn finished speaking, Damian had the impression that this whole speech was more for her to convince herself of something. And that from her mouth, he wouldn't hear any explanation that answered his questions. He knew nothing about her, couldn't make assumptions about a stranger's life. Earlier, the girl was just the waitress who, through a mistake, dirtied his coat and ruined his notebook.
However, he could feel bitterness in her voice. It was as if talking about a certain subject from the past irritated her. The boy inferred a little more about her involvement. It must be really complicated for her.
She saved him, even knowing about the memories from the past.
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