Night Lights and Dark Places

Chapter Three - Pact

He awoke early in the following evening, presented with three significant problems: the first two being that he had no idea what time it was and he still had not located the designated meeting place. The third problem was that he was hungry. At least the first two were easily rectified by conventional means.

Fortunately, he had a decent understanding of how to find the meeting location as well as the general area it was in. The night prior, he'd wandered aimlessly; an attempt to familiarize himself with the city. At first he had worried that the city would be far more difficult to navigate than the cave, but the human tendency towards the colorful and ostentatious provided many memorable landmarks and styles of architecture that made each block easily identifiable. The area he began in was dingy, minimalistic and decrepit, severely lacking in distinct structures to differentiate the neighborhoods. However, the red-haired woman's bizarre smell was strong enough that it was a waypoint in itself, and it ultimately helped lead him back to his alleyway.

Then he discovered that the street names were printed on every corner and there wasn't much of a need to memorize the scenery or smells at all.

It didn't take long for him to get his bearings and begin the hunt for the building she had mentioned. It was finally dark when he gave up and simply asked someone for directions.

Bright yellow paint job. You can't miss it.

And he didn't. The building was painted an absolutely horrific shade of yellow; a revolting hue so loud that it may as well have been screaming. As if the exterior wasn't hideous enough, the rest of the property was fenced off and the entire perimeter of the parking lot inexplicably lush with unkempt greenery. An overwhelmingly bitter odor permeated the surrounding area, obfuscating all other scents, so he had no way of knowing if she'd been there already. He remained, drifting towards the far end of the parking lot, hoping to stay unnoticed.

So he waited, watched the moon's lazy ascent into the night sky, his attention torn between it and the pinprick stars that it sat amongst. He sighed, glanced at the now-distant sidewalk. It was difficult not to think about the girl, at the prospect of having an actual friend. Would it have been terribly foolish to get his hopes up? Yes, probably, but it was a nice daydream, and he entertained the thought.

"There you are!" He nearly jumped out of his skin; how did she sneak up on him? Facing her, she looked slightly different than she did yesterday, though he couldn't quite identify what it was. "You weren't waitin' long, were ya?"

"No, I've only just arrived." It might've been a lie. "Are you alright? You look..."

"Tired?" She grinned, lopsided and mocking. As she closed the distance between them, he realized: saying she looked tired was an understatement. Bloodshot eyes ringed by the blue-black ink of exhaustion, tiny shoulders slumped and gestures languid. "'Cause I am. First couple'a weeks of the semester are hell."

Semester? He blinked. "Oh."

"Guh, I'm sorry I'm so late. Everybody an' they mother's gotta ride my bus, specifically. Damn thing can't keep a schedule as it is, my God." The asymmetrical smile quickly morphed into an expression halfway between irritation and resignation, tiny fingers massaging the crease between her furrowed eyebrows.

He nodded sympathetically, and without giving it much forethought, he stood to his full height. For a moment, she said nothing, only eyed him skeptically. With both of them upright and still, the alarming difference in size between them really sunk in. The top of her head was level with his waist; almost exactly half his height. He swallowed nervously.

The twitching of her lips hinted that the smirk was threatening to make a return, though she remained relatively deadpan. "... Were you this tall yesterday?"