A dark room. The sound of a soft chime ringing in the next room. Dim light filtering through the half-shut blinds. Flowing jet black hair. The dark silhouette of a woman. She's standing in the shadows and he can't make out his face. He barely notices. He is transfixed by the sight of her long hair falling in front of him as she bends slightly. She smells of flowers and warm summer days. The chime rings. She turns away.

The light is brighter when he opens his eyes. The apartment is a library and he is sitting at a table in a corner. It takes him a minute to remember he is not a child, but a grown man.

Hagard, he lowers his eyes to look at the table in front of him. There's a book resting there. The long dark tea-time of the soul, by Douglas Adams. Still half-asleep, his mind conjures the memory of a heroine with long dark hair. He stares at the cover for a long moment before banishing the fake memory. The main character is a man. He doesn't aknowledge the fact that he recognizes the woman he was thinking about.

He rubs his eyes quickly, bidding good-bye to sleepyness.

He still feels detached, as if he hasn't quite woken up yet. He knows he should start moving. Gathering his things. Checking out the book to take home. He doesn't want to. The rational part of his mind is telling him to move but the less rational part is urging him to wait. Wait for what? He tells himself he doesn't know, ignoring the whispered answer in his mind. There's no one to wait for.

He gets up. Brings his book to the counter mechanically. Leaves the building.

The sky is coloring already. An evening breeze caresses his cheek. His legs have stopped moving. He's staring in the distance. Feeling lost. He doesn't feel grown-up. He feels like a child in the dark.

Half of his mind is telling him to go home. The other is whispering to wait. Wait. But wait for who?, asks the child in the dark. Seth can't hear them. He doesn't want to.

"Hi. Are you lost too ?"

Well, he certainly feels lost.

It takes a moment for his brain to register the fact that it had been a real person talking to him. He whips his head around when he realizes and gazes wide-eyed at the man who had spoken.

"Good evening." he hears himself saying as a polite smile makes its way to his face.

He doesn't answer the question though. It's not that he doesn't know the answer, he just didn't hear it well. The little voice in the dark whispers differently.

"Can I help you?" he continues, still smiling.

There's an odd feeling in his chest. He pretends he can't identify it as relief. He pretends he doesn't hear the little voice telling him someone came for him after all. He also ignores the part of his mind whispering that this isn't the person he was waiting for. He wasn't waiting for anyone.

But he can't deny the reassurance the man's presence is. He finds himself hoping the man is lost. Maybe then, they can be lost together.

The man sighs. Briefly Seth wonders is he has said something wrong.

" I’m sorry, I’m lost in this neighbourhood."

So he is lost. He feels glad. A little bit relieved. And a lot ashamed. Surely it was wrong to be glad that someone was lost? He shouldn't be thinking that way. He should be asking him where he wants to go. Helping him.

He opens his mouth, but is cut off by the man speaking again.

"I just want to… find my way." the man says.

The way he says it causes Seth to feel a pang of something he can't define. Find his way...

"To the park, or the forest. Can you help me ?"

"Of course." he hears himself saying before he has time to think better of it.

He's pretty sure there's a park not far from where they are. A twenty minutes walk maybe.

"Let's go." he tells the man, starting off in the direction he believes the park is in.

As they walk, he can't help glancing at the man next to him. He can't help but wonder. Is he a monster? The thought comes as naturally as the following one. Is he new to the neighbourhood?

He doesn't ask the first question, but he voices the second.

"Did you move in recently?" he asks lightly. "Or are you from another part of the city?"

Dusk is painting the buildings red. The shadows are lengthening. Night is coming fast. Seth is suddenly glad he has an excuse to stay outside a while longer. Night is when the past clings to him. Dreams come and he tells himself he doesn't care. Because the dreams aren't the worse. The real nightmare is when he wakes up. When he can vividly feel in his heart that chilling emptiness.

" You're coming with me?"

The man sounds surprised. But not entirely displeased, Seth decides. Mostly because he doesn't want to be alone again so soon. And partly because it's true.

"Thank you. I live in the… I don’t know how to describe it, some people call it « the slum ». I've only been living in Detroit for… one year. I don’t know about my past before this." the man says.

Seth nods, tucking the information in a safe corner of his mind.

"Is is alright for you ? It can be dangerous when you want to return to your house…" says the man, clearly concerned.

Seth gives him a fleeting smile.

"It's fine." he answers. "I don't live far from here anyway."

Just fifteen minutes away in fact. A lot can happen in fifteen minutes, but Seth isn't too worried.

As a matter of fact, trouble finds them before they part. Men that loook decidedly drunk stop them.

"Look at this, the Princess just snubbed us. We are not to his taste." says one of them, slurring slightly.

The young man steps forward. His pale face is distorted by a sneer. The scent of alcohol is strong. The man is menacing. But Seth's companion doesn't seem disturbed.

"I don’t want to hurt you. Go home.
" he says taking a step back.

He gets the finger as an answer.

The dark haired man turns towards Seth, then. He still looks calm, as if he dealt with such things every day. Maybe he did.

"Does he have something on his finger ?"

Seth smiles ever so slightly. Decides to play along.

"Not that I can see." he replies evenly.

Perhaps it's not such a good idea to provoke the man. If it comes down to fighting Seth won't be of much use. He's never been one for violence. Still, he has a feeling everything would turn out for the best anyway. His companion seems confident in his ability to seriously hurt people. He doesn't know if he should really be reassured by this.

The blond man isn't pleased by their little display. An inhuman growl escapes his lips and Seth cautiously takes a step back. He has a feeling they doubled the trouble.

Seth is slightly suprised when the dark haired man accompanying him lifts his finger at the group of drunkards. He thought the man was more composed than that. On the other hand he doesn't any less calm than before.

Then the fight starts, the blond man attacking without warning. Everything goes quickly, too quickly for Sethbto really see everything. All he knows is that bone moment the two men are fighting and the next the blonde is retreating with an expression of shock.

"Forgive my insolence." says the man much more poslite than he was a moment before. "I surrender. You’re stronger than me."

The blonde's friends are no longer laughing. They look as perplexed as Seth feels. But then he looks at his companion and the word 'monster' passes in his mind. He can't be sure of course but it would explain his strength, speed and the way the blonde retreated. Especially if the blonde man is also a monster.

"I really don’t know. Let’s go guys, we made a mistake, he’s…. my boss’s son."

Well that's another possible explanation. But the deferent attitude and the bow make him doubt the veracity of the explanation.

"Are you… His boss’s son ? It can’t be me I… don’t know who is my father so…" asks the dark haired man once their aggressors are gone.

Seth shakes his head.

"I don't know my father either." he says. "It was probably just an excuse."

"Fortunately, they gone. Sorry for that, they don’t like me but we live in the same building. Are you alright ?"

Seth smiles a little. The man is strange but he's kind enough.

"I'm fine. Don't worry." he replies.

They start walking again and it occurs to him suddenly that he still doesn't know the man's name.

"I'm Seth by the way." he tells the dark haired man. "What's your name?"

"I'm Vali." answers the man. "Nice to meet you."

The man, Vali, smiles at him and Seth returns it without hesitation.

A moment passes in silence, during which the two men take a right turn. The absence of conversation is not uncomfortable. They seem to be the same type of people, reflects Seth as he walks alongside Vali. Not talkative.

"Do you think… Can we be friends ? I understand if you don’t want to it’s a bit strange…" says Vali suddenly.

He surprises Seth into looking his way. The young man stares at him for a moment. That must be the first time someone outright asks him to be their friend. Not that he doesn't have any. But usually people just assume they are friends after a while of being acquainted with someone.

He smiles at the man.

"Sure. Let's be friends." he agrees.

Perhaps it's too quick a decision. Perhaps he should have thought about it a little more. But somehow the man gives him this odd sens of familiarity he gets with some people. The one he got with Lola when he met her.

He should probably be disturbed by such a thing, but it never troubled him for some reason. A reason he doesn't know. He doesn't.

"Here's the park." he says as they stop in front of the park's gates. "Is this the one you were looking for?"

"Yes, thank you so much, you’re very helpful." says the man.

Seth smiles and murmurs something about it being no trouble at all. Being thanked so sincerely is making him a bit uncomfortable. He did mostly for himself and though it's a good thing it helped someone he doesn't think he really deserves such gratitude.

"If you need some help in return I will help you too." adds the man after some thinking.

Seth is a bit taken aback by the proclamation but he nods anyway. He looks on curiously as thoughts seem to billow through the man's head. It's almost comical how Vali suddenly seems to have an idea and starts looking into his pockets.

"I remember I have this ! I may have a numero… Mmh… How does it work…" he says taking out a cell phone.

He struggles with it for a few moments

"Sorry I’m not… accustom with this… I find something… ah, I think it’s this !" he says at some point sounding a bit troubled.

Seth gives him a reassuring smile.

"It's alright. Take your time." he tells Vali.

He is in no hurry to leave and he knows not everyone is good with technology.

"So… do you want my number if you need anything ?" his new friend says at last.

"Sure. I'll send you a text message so that you'll get my number. That way you can contact me too."

Seth reads the number and types it quickly into his phone and saves the new contact. He smiles at the new name in his contact list before turning his phone off and placing it into his jeans' back pocket.

"Well, I'll be going now. It was nice to meet you and I'll be sure to contact you again soon." he tells his companion, flashing him a smile before turning away.

He stops a few feet away to wave at the man, before leaving, for good this time. There's a new spring in step and a warm feeling in his heart. Making new friends is always a good feeling.