I'm Not Just That Scared Little Girl

Alex sighed. When she next spoke, her tone was almost exasperated, annoyed. "You still don't trust me, do you? You think I'm manipulative and evil, just like Team Eternity? You don't think that I want to protect you and rather that I want to kill you, don't you?" she asked, a slightly hurt expression on her face. Alex shook her head, as if trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince Serena. "I'm not like that! I'm really not!" she exclaimed. For a moment, Alex looked as if she was about to cry, but her expression hardened as she got to her feet. "Well, if we're going to make you into a street girl, you'll need to learn how to fight."

"Shhhh... it's okay." Alex whispered, seeing Serena's terror at the word, "fight." Sitting back down beside the younger girl, Alex murmured, "Serena, there are many, many children luckier than you, but, for every ten of those children, there is another child worse off than you." She seemed to hesitate for a moment before her eyes clouded over. "Here. If I really want you to trust me, I should tell you my story..." the older girl mumbled. "So, my parents were killed when I was twelve. I don't remember the details, just that ten scary men in black came to our house and I remember seeing flames and my mother turning to my brother and saying, 'Protect your sister. Run!' She didn't say a single word to me, but my twin brother snatched my hand and we fled out of the burning house together. From then on, we were alone on the streets."
The girl choked back a soft sob as she continued. "Then, we met a little girl named Sofia. She was new to the streets, only nine years old. She was scared, so, so scared. We looked after her. We took care of her. Then, one day, Team Eternity came while I was out searching for food. When I returned, both my brother and little Sofia were dead in a pool of blood. Our hideout was ransacked. Since then, I've been alone. It's been a year now. I've learned how to fight, how to stay safe. I'm helping you because you remind me so, so much of Sofia, but I don't want you to end up like her..."

OOC: Random backstory.

"Of course I loved my family! I'm not heartless..." Alex whispered softly, her voice cracking. Taking a deep breath, her voice hardened as she continued, "Everyone has their own motives, I suppose. Even if someone is not doing the right thing, we must... accept and respect their choices..." It was clear that Alex didn't exactly believe the words that she was saying. Alex sighed audibly, a thin, forced smile returning to her face. "Alright, then. If you don't want to fight, I guess I'll show you around a bit." Tearing off a piece of the bread for herself and a piece for Serena, Alex rose to her feet, "Let's go!"

"Everyone's been lonely at some time or another in their life, no matter who they are today, who they were in the past, and who they will become in the future. At least that's what I like to think. Personally, every day, I wake up feeling lonely and I fall asleep feeling lonely. I'm always lonely." Alex whispered. Leaning against the brick wall, she glanced at Serena. "That's another reason why I want to help you. I hope that you will help me become less lonely..." she mumbled, shoving a piece of bread into her mouth as she finished her statement.

OOC: You mean the cloak, right?

"I'm fine..." Alex muttered, "Let's go. I should really show you around this place." Her tone was emotionless, but her expression was warm and friendly; clearly, she wanted Serena to be happy with her. "Unless you'd rather just stay here, of course."

"I won't leave you alone. Don't think that way!" Alex exclaimed, ruffling the younger girl's hair as she led her out of the small alleyway that was Alex's "hideout." The streets of London had always been hard to navigate, but Alex led Serena confidently, as the streets around them became darker and darker. Alex's eyes narrowed as she pointed towards her destination. "I thought I'd show you the most dangerous area first. This is Team Eternity's hideout. Don't come over here if you want to stay alive. Any questions?" she asked her young companion.

Alex smiled. "Good. I knew you were smart." she murmured, leading Serena away. As she wove through the dark streets once more, she was headed towards the market, her favorite place to steal from. The aromas of freshly baked pies and pastries, combined with the calls of the vendors, was enough to make Alex's mouth water. "This is the marketplace, Serena. Normally, I get my food from here. That is to say, I steal my food from here. I know, since you haven't been out on the streets for very long, you think stealing is morally wrong. However, it's the only way to survive. Got it?"

Alex glanced down at Serena with cold, impassive eyes. "This is how you got into trouble with Team Eternity. Do you think I didn't try that when I first came onto the streets? My brother told me that we would have to steal and I marched right up to one of those street vendors and asked for some food. They nearly called the police." she murmured, "The laws of the streets say that we steal. Human nature is not sympathetic."

Alex's head turned sharply at Serena's words. "That hasn't happened yet and I don't plan for it to ever happen. Besides, you need to learn how to steal. What if something happens to me? You won't be able to get any food..." she replied. Not waiting for a reply, she turned back to stare at the vendors, her eyes flitting from food stand to food stand.