I

When the girl opened her eyes again, she found herself trapped beneath a sterile white blanket. A plain white hospital gown covered her frail bones. Her dark, curly auburn hair had been tied back into a pony tail, though a few rebellious lose strands framed her pale cherub face. One of her nurses had washed her blood soaked clothes while she slept, and folded them neatly in a pile on an empty chair by the window. There was no name on her bracelet. Just a few simple dotted lines where it should have been.

Jason perked up when he saw her beginning to stir. He sat up, shrugging off the lingering exhaustion weighing his lids. His heart skipped a beat as the girl's brilliant, golden hazel eyes flickered open. She exhaled slowly, her chest rising and falling in even measurement. Her small, slender fingers clenched and unclenched, gripping the bed sheets tightly. Her eyes drank in everything; the beige clouds and drapes, the grey parking lot outside, the glass rainbow vase on her bedside table. The red flowers, standing tall against the sullen horizon. Then her eyes fell upon Jason.

It was hard not to shiver under her gaze. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Jason swallowed, searching for the right words, and tried again. "Hey, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?"

The girl shrugged, her shoulders weakly slumping against the skin of her pale white jawline. It hurt to open her eyes - let alone to keep them open, but she forced herself to meet Jason's gaze. There was a ghost of a smile dancing on his lips and a gentle twinkle in his icy, blueberry eyes. Her heart panged at the sight.

With much effort, she croaked, "What happened?"

"You were hit by a train."

The girl's jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes. "If I was hit by a train, I would be dead right now."

"But you're not."

"Yeah, well, I wish I was."

Jason studied the angel laying before him wearily. A few loose locks of hair framed her glistening China doll face, slick with sweat. Her knuckles were white from gripping the thin white bed sheets so tightly, and her chest rose and fell in small spurts. He suspected that it was the broken ribs giving her a hard time. "The doctor says you can go home tomorrow."

Her voice was shaky when she spoke again. Her eyes glinted under the brilliant fluorescent white lights; she was on the brink of tears. "I want to go home now."

It killed him to see her like this, but there wasn't much he could do. A silent sigh escaped his lips. "I'm gonna go for another coffee run," He finally decided, wearily rising to his feet. "Do you want anything?"

The girl shook her head.

Jason hesitated. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Well, suit yourself."

Her eyes followed him as he left the room, first darting to the nurse's station across the hall then to the pile of clothes sitting on the empty chair next to her bed. She knew she didn't have much time; with all the strength she could muster, she pulled the IVs from her arms and threw back the thin white sheets. Her body hit the floor with a thud, and she gasped, her eyes widening in pain. S**t.

Before the nurses could rush to her rescue, the girl latched onto the bed sheets and pulled herself up. Clothes in hand, she hobbled into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, her knees quaking with every step. A sigh of sweet relief passed her lips as she leaned against the door.

Quickly, she got to work.

After a dozen mini heart attacks and many curses later, Jane finally emerged from the bathroom, her eyes once more returning to the nurse's station. She held her breath, watching them go about their business warily while slowly exhaling. Great.

With a flick of her hood, she took another deep breath and took a cautious step into the hallway. Then another. And another, until her eyes finally focused on the colorful tile floor and she had finally passed the crew of nurses that seemed to stand guard, watching the floor. Her tense muscles relaxed and she pressed the down button, sliding her hands in her pockets while she waited for the elevator.

It finally reached her floor with a gentle ding. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath again until she slipped into the death trap and exhaled, pressing the button next to the big, bold white star. It glowed yellow-orange, and the elevator creaked to life.

There were only half a dozen nurses on watch duty, a receptionist, and a cop awaiting her downstairs - not to mention the small handful of people waiting to see someone.

What could possibly go wrong?

~*~

Jane saw the contemptress before she saw her. She stood at the other side of the bar chatting with a customer, all smiles and charm, too busy washing down tables to meet the pair of amber eyes watching her. She was perfect, with her shoulder length raven hair and bewitching golden brown eyes. Her ghostly pale skin seemed to almost shimmer in the dim lighting, like the glimmer of moonlight on broken glass.

The young wanderer had just worked up the courage to go talk to the girl when Jason plopped onto a stool next to her. She huffed and took a swig of the potent liquid wallowing in her glass. It burned her throat as she swallowed, and she coughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve. Next to her, Jason watched on with amusement. "I take it this is your first time at a bar?"

Her eyes were still glued on the goddess making her way across the bar. "I'm sorry, what?"

Jason chuckled.

"What?"

Jane's superior said nothing. His eyes were trained on the girl, too; he gave her the once-over, starting from her boots and working his way up to her eyes. Oh God, those glorious golden brown orbs. A mischievous grin crept across his lips. "Wow."

"Shut up."

Much to Jane's despair, the girl chose that moment to materialize before them, a dirty rag in hand. Jason lowered his gaze and studied his glass while Jane tried not to stare. The bartender arced a brow. "Can I help you?"

Upon realizing that she was still staring, Jane quickly adverted her gaze and began fidgeting with her glass. The girl rolled her eyes and took the glass from her, refilling it with ease. The glass clinked against the bar top as she set it down in front of her. "Enjoy."

"Thanks." She muttered, staring down at the repugnant liquid.

"Name's Myst, by the way."

Jane hesitated. "Ophelia." No, that didn't sound right. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Sienna. Sienna Ophelia."

Sienna Ophelia...what? Sienna Ophelia Rose. Yes, that had a ring to it that she quite liked.

Jason perked up next to her. Myst grabbed his glass and refilled it, too, placing it in front of him with the all gracefulness of an angel. "Are you from around here?"

"Born and raised," Sienna said, sipping her drink.

Myst nodded and started wiping the bar top down with her rag. When she was done, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, retrieving a pen from her simple, plain black t-shirt. "How about this: I'll give you my number, and we can continue this conversation at my place later. What do you say?"

She handed the paper to Sienna with a smile as big as the moon. Sienna sheepishly took the slip of paper and tucked it into her jacket pocket. "Sounds like a deal. When does your shift end?"

"Fifteen minutes," Myst replied. "Meet me out back."

With that she slipped away from them, once more disappearing into the crowd of unfamiliar faces.

Jason whistled.

Sienna punched him. "Shut up."