"Law abiding." Lyssa sneered into the pool of water at the brown eyes of a man staring at something she couldn't see. "How admirable." She spat on the man's face. "Humans." Flipping her red hair, she moved with smooth motions to her door, exiting her apartment. On this particular night, Lyssa wore solid black, had even painted her long nails black. But she was not here for fashion, oh no, her talents were needed elsewhere.

The first day of being on earth for over two thousand years and it took her hardly no time at all to figure out absolutely everything about her target. She knew where he lived. She knew he had a family, even a dog and two cats. Three kids, teenagers. Lyssa knew where he worked, that he went to the gym every day after work. Yes, Lyssa had David Brown down to a science. All of this would make it easier when she would finally end all of the torment she will bestow upon him... Knowing the enemy was the key. It was absolutely imperative for her task.

And so Lyssa walked down the street, head held high and her snake skin stiletto's clicking on the concrete sidewalk. She was in the midst of contemplating how she should begin her reign of chaos in David's life, even though she knew herself well enough to know that she wouldn't know for certain until she arrived. Until she saw for herself more about him. She entertained dark thoughts of setting fire to his house, which of his kids she would set up for death... No, not now. Something more subtle. The child-killing would come later.

Noises of the worst kind interrupted her plans- happy noises, laughter. And to her delight, she spotted David outside with one of his kids. They were playing fetch with Rover. Lyssa hated dogs. It saw her and barked dangerously. It was a big dog, one of those German something-or-others. It locked eyes with Lyssa and its hair stood on end. Lyssa didn't back down, though, instead while she kept its gaze, Lyssa thought, Master is attacking me. Master is attacking me. For a second, the dog stared at her, transfixed. A moment later, the dog turned on David and jumped on him, snapping at any part of the big man's body he could reach.

Lyssa watched with a satisfied grin as David's child screamed and David tried to wrestle the dog. It didn't take very long for David to overpower the huge dog, but Lyssa wasn't going to let go that easily. She penetrated the mind of the poor animal, driving it to fight back as much as it could. The young teenager was screaming- melodiously, to Lyssa- and tears streamed down her face while she watched the dog bite her father. Pushing the dog beyond its limits, David struggled to keep the animal under control.

Finally, a crisp, satisfying snap rang through the houses, echoing off of the cement walls, and the dog fell limp. Safe in the shadows of night, Lyssa watched David put pressure on his bites. She could smell the blood from afar, what a sweet scent it was. He was talking about going to a hospital. Oh, no no no. That would be too easy. Concentrating, Lyssa thought, I'll be fine. The bites aren't bad. Shortly after, David muttered those same exact words. His kid wasn't as easily convinced, but eventually complied.

Grinning with satisfaction, Lyssa thought, Say hello to the Mistress of Chaos, Mr. Brown. And she headed back home. She would be contacting Lokia about her success, hoping her companion wouldn't be too tied up with her own mission to celebrate. To Lyssa, the first misfortune was only the beginning, and it was, for the world of hell that David Brown had just landed himself into.

Icarus cracked his neck and sighed. He grabbed his pack off his couch and started heading out, a book in his hand. "Mr. Brown hmm? Seems easy enough." He meandered his way through throngs of people to a more suburban neighborhood. Mr. Browns house was right down the street from a local park. A perfect place to watch him and keep him from trouble. Icarus tossed his bag on a bench and pulled out a copy of Mythology by Edith Hamilton. He always liked this book, even if it was completely inaccurate. Over the tops of the pages he stole a glance at the house to make sure Brown was ok. Nothing unusual, just him and his child playing with a big dog. "Back to dad and I." he muttered, turning the page. He didn't look up again until the child screamed. He bolted up and grabbed what looked to be a police baton from his bag. He was halfway down the street before the dog fell. Mr. Brown looked seriously injured but got up and told his kid that he'd be fine. Something in the way Mr. Brown said it almost seemed to convince Icarus as well. He seemed... confident. He walked back over to the bench and sat down. As Mr. Brown's neighbors started coming over to see if he was ok, Icarus noticed someone in all black walking away from the crowd. Thinking nothing of it, he simply sat down and went back to his book.

Beep. Beep. Beeep. Be-ee-ee-eep. Annette switched her alarm clock off and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of her white-lined bed. She loved mornings, especially just as the sun was rising. After throwing a white silk robe on over her nightie, Annette went into her living room and started herself a cup of tea. While it heated up, she wandered over to her blinds and drew them open. Perfect timing, the sun was just starting to rise. Leaning against the wall where her sliding glass door was, she sipped her tea and watched the sun rise.

By the time the sun was finally in the sky, she had finished her mandarin orange flavored tea and washed her mug. On her counter sat a vanilla folder with a single silver paperclip over one edge. After drying and putting her mug away, she opened it up.

Maxim Pierce

The file contained a few pictures of him, enough for her to be able to recognize him immediately should she see him out in public. It also contained information about where she could find him. Which was exactly why she bought her house where she did- same neighborhood. Plenty of angels she knew of liked to take the distant approach to protecting their humans. Annette didn't want to, those humans were being directly terrorized by demons. Maxim was being indirectly terrorized by them- guarding him from afar would do him no help. She had to integrate herself into his life.

Annette showered and readied herself for her day of observation. She dressed herself in a red polo shirt and some simple jeans, pulled her heavy brown hair into a ponytail and put on some light makeup. It was about time for him to leave for work anyways.

After a few more hours of making sure Mr. Brown wasn't in any more immediate danger, Icarus decided he could recess and get a drink. Tossing his things in his bag, he stood and the lamp overhead lit. he stared at it for a moment, slowly leaning backwards before he fell into the grass behind him. He blanked for a moment, before a twinge of pain along his left cheek snapped him out of his mental sleep. He threw his hand against the jagged scar that ran along his face, sure it was bleeding just as he always was. It wasn't just as always but Icarus sat there, hand placing pressure along it for what seemed like hours. Finally he managed to get up and walk away. Luckily at this hour, no one was in the park so he didn't catch their attention as far as he could tell. He worked his way from the suburbs, to the inner city and into his favorite pub. The owner knew him on sight, or rather knew "Peter" and called him over. Same routine as always, first round of the strongest thing was paid for. If no one else could out drink Icarus then the next round was free. Maybe tonight, someone would drink him under. Chances were slim though.

Akuma grinned widely as he walked confidently to the Demon Prince's castle. He dropped to his knees immediately as soon as he spotted a figure sitting on the throne, waiting for him.

"Raise, my knight..." The prince ordered and Akuma did what he was commanded to do wordlessly. Slowly, he raised his eyes and met the prince's. "...How may your humble servant help you today, your highness?" He asked, a little curious as to why the Prince decided to call him in the middle of his vacation.

"...ah, Akuma-kun...you've known that I want a new slave. I've read through the profiles of all the candidates and I have to say...the one you found for me...intrigues me greatly...I want her as my new slave..." The prince said and locked eyes with Akuma. Sipping the cup on his table, the Prince continued, his voice was sharp and cold, indicated that he wouldn't take no for an answer "...and I want you to collect that human girl in 4 days...can you do it?..."

Bowing his head deeply, Akuma answered "...yes, your highness...I can do it..." The prince nodded his head and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture "...good, now shoo...I want that slave here as soon as possible..." As Akuma turned his head and prepared to leave, the Prince chuckled darkly and spoke "...oh, did I mention that if you can't bring her back, you'll be...hmm, what is the human term for this...ah! If you can't bring her back, you'll be 'kicked out of hell' forever..." Akuma didn't say anything as he silently accepted his fate "...as you wish, your highness..." The prince said cheerfully "...good...go...I don't want to...sabotage your mission..."

And with that last command, Akuma's body engulfed in black fire and he bowed again "...I will come back after 4 days and bring back that human girl for you, your highness..." When the flames died down, Akuma had already disappeared.

(sorry if it's not good, I'm having a HUGE writer block right now)

His eyes flew open with panic. He gripped the bed hard as his breath came out as short rasps. Drenched with sweat, his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest at any moment. As Maxim Pierce recovered from the nightmare, he sat up slowly and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. It was the same dream everytime: The dream of how his best friend died. Maxim glanced at the digital LED clock on the dresser that was opposite of his bed. 7:30. Just enough time to get dressed, snatch a bite to eat and if he ran, he would only be a few minutes late for work. Max flopped back onto the bed with a huff. Fuck that. He would just have to endure the annoying ranting of his boss. It didn't matter. It wasn't the first time he was late anyway. That dream always left him stunned and exhausted. Correction. the dream of how his best friend was murdered. She always died at the end no matter what he did but the way she died was always different. But it was still always gruesome and disturbing. Staring into those dead, but beautiful eyes left him always waking up in a cold sweat. He was never actually there when the murder happened but he could imagine it as clearly as if he was there that night. Maxim let out a half chuckle, half sob. That moron was always looking for trouble. If she hadn't moved away or even if she hadn't stopped talking to him, then maybe things would be different, and maybe..... just maybe.... they could be-....

Max threw the covers off his bed and slung his legs over the side. He stood up and made his way to the bathroom, stepping over random items of clothing laying here and there. She was already six feet under, and absolutely nothing could change that now. Turning on the faucet, Max splashed a handful of cold water onto his face. The cold made him catch his breath and he was instantly awake, but the trauma of the nightmare still lingered at the back of his mind. Quickly brushing his teeth, Max ran a comb through his out-of-control hair with no avail. Letting out a frustrated sigh he shook his head violently, his hair flopped back and forth. Satisfied, he went back to his bed room. Pulling open his closet door, Max grabbed a white collared shirt, a black necktie, and a pair of slim slacks. Buttoning up the shirt, he tied the tie but slipped it up so it hung losely around his neck. Pulling on the slacks, he once again glanced at the clock. The numbers loomed at him mockingly. 7:58. Breakfast was out of the question. Grabbing his jacket from the closet he grabbed his breifcase and headed for the door as he slipped on the coat. It was an odd looking coat. Extremely high collar to hide his face, jet black, odd fastening buttons with two stiff pieces of fabric to fasten them, the back of the thing fell down to the back of his thighs making him that look of a dark assasin or a vampire. But for some reason, Max favored the unique looking trench coat. Slipping on a pair of jet black Vans, he opened the door to the cool morning air. He had to find some way to put that girl out of his mind. He was tired of these gruesome nightmares. But how in the world was he supposed to forget about his first love?

Chas stepped out of the hair salon, tugging on her newly shortened red hair angrily. She had asked for a trim, and they cut it way shorter than it was supposed to be. But, a satisfied grin played at the corners to her lips as she remembered that the stylist got what was coming to her when Chas stomped hard on her foot in her new heavy combat boots, and then 'forgot' to pay for the haircut. Their motto was, "if your not satisfied, your hair cut is free", so they shouldn't expect anything from her.

Suddenly, her mood was lightened and she continued walking casually away from the salon as the manager ran out and yelled obscenities at her. Chas laughed cruelly, "you know," she shouted back, "you're driving customers away." The woman shouted one final thing at her before disappearing back into the shop. She giggled and continued walking back in a suddenly good mood, her long, slender fingers fiddling mindlessly in her fiery red hair.

She walked back towards her apartment abnormally cheerfully when she heard the bark of a dog behind her. She jumped and turned around to see a large dog running towards her angrily, mouth foaming. Chas gasped and shot forward, turning slightly to see where it was. She was surprised to find it not two feet from her. She let out a squeal and sped up, the dog snapping and growling at her feet.

She spotted a guy with blonde hair and looked back at the dog, an idea forming in her head. She ran straight at him and at the last second swerved and jumped into a bush nearby, leaving the man to deal with the dog. "He's your problem now!" She called to him, jumping out of the shrub when she knew that the dog wasn't chasing her anymore, but she tripped on a root and landed face first in the grass.

Lyssa walked casually down the main street. Normally, women dressed in such a provocative style would have problems, with men, or even other women, staring and judging. Such things did not bother self-proclaimed Mistress of Chaos. She was above and way beyond them- all they had to do was look at her with malicious intention... They wouldn't make it through the night.

Stopping for only a moment, Lyssa closed her eyes and concentrated on Lokia. Hey, got something delicious to tell you about my target. Meet me here. Through her mind, Lyssa sent the thought along with a mental image of the bar she was standing in front of. A man in a heavy coat had walked in there only a few seconds before she stopped to summon her friend.

Lyssa walked in the bar with confidence and immediately scanned the room for a more secluded seat. She found one, a booth, where the lightbulb hung from a swinging string, was dim and flicking occasionally. Perfect. She wandered over, not taking direct notice of the humans who shied away from her. To them, despite her seemingly calm appearance, she radiated negative energy. Lyssa sat down in the booth and kept her eyes on the door for her friend.

---
---

Annette watched from her window as Max exited his house and got lazily into his car. He looked upset, not entirely clean or... something. Some angels, she knew, had the ability to detect emotion. But that wasn't hers. As a human, one thing that Annette did retain about her mortal life was that she wanted to study medicine, wanted to become a doctor. As a result, she was blessed with the gift of health.

On that thought, Annette quickly scooped up her medical kit, a rectangular red pouch with a white cross on it, and started her car. Being dead for not so long had its advantages, she supposed. She remembered how to use everything; it was amazing ow fast she could readjust her lifestyle. If she kept playing her cards right, getting close to Max should be easy enough.

Following him close enough so he couldn't escape her, but far enough to not draw his attention, Annette started thinking about how exactly she was going to go about getting close to this human. SHe couldn't just walk up to him and say, "Hello, I'm your guardian angel!" He would think she was a nutcase, and probably call the cops. No, she knew humans well enough (another benefit of being dead for only two years!) and knew that the best way to get into somebody's life was to slowly integrate and wedge your way in.

Annette smiled softly to herself and her expression waned. That was how he got in...

Icarus downed the first one in a matter of seconds and flipped the quart-sized glass on it's top. The first few never fazed him since he'd been used to drinking some of the strongest liquors in the world. Shortly after, the barkeep called out "Is there any who can out drink this man?" fully expecting the majority of the bar to turn the challenge down. The locals and regulars immediately laughed at the suggestion and waited to see if there was anyone who thought they could best him. A few men stood but wobbled and sat back down, tipsy themselves. Icarus held up a single finger and the keep went to get him another.

"Is there any who can out drink this man?"

Lyssa looked up from her dark corner at the scene. Bars were breeding grounds for chaos... like how dead bodies were breeding grounds for maggots. That man, she noticed, had already had a few drinks. He was of Greek descent- she could tell- one did not easily forget the characteristics of those who impaled and molested her paralyzed body until she slipped into a painful death. Her lips twisted into a devilish smile as her dark eyes scanned the crowd of drunken men.

A woman, not much older looking than Lyssa in a nice collared shirt and kahki pants leaned with her back against a table and already a little under the influence, made the fateful mistake of locking eyes with Lyssa.

You can do it. Lyssa coaxed without speaking. What makes him so special? You can out drink anyone.[i] She infused blind faith into the young woman. [i]Anyone.

The woman, a nice-looking blonde with huge blue eyes stood up and raised her hand. "Me. I'll do it." She sauntered up to the bar when the bartender had returned. He set the man's next drink down, but before he could grab it, she downed it and shattered the glass on the floor. The bar went silent, everyone watching the two of them to see what the man would do about this new challenger. Lyssa sat back in her booth, getting comfortable to watch how this would end. She did not know how it would end, and did not care much, so long as it ended with the beautiful snowball effect of destruction.

"I can take ten times the alcohol that you can." The woman jabbed a finger in Icarus' chest threateningly.

He smiled and rubbed the shirt where she poked him. "Let's just see about that hmm?" The barkeep lined the counter with the glasses on both ends. Icarus lifted his first in the air. "Luck to you ma'am." He downed it, smiled then chained a few more as the music blared. He was though four or five before he even checked on her progress.

Max locked the door to his house and stuck his free hand in his pocket. It was pretty chilly today. The sun had barely rose and the sky was still a bit gray. Max unlocked his sporty Audi that was patiently waiting for him in the driveway. He was one of the top programmers for Microsoft so he was pretty well off money wise. But not all the money came from his day job. Back at home, he was a notorious hacker who people from all around the world would hire. The FBI were just itching to get their hands on him, but no matter how much they tried, they could never catch him. He practically knew computers from the inside out and even a little more. If it wasn't for his 'bad luck'. He would be set for life. Durning the past week, he barely had escaped two fires, drowning from falling off-....Correction: Pushed off by something he couldn't see from off a bridge and various other mishaps like buckets of water falling out of the sky drenching him from head to toe with no explanation, strange noises and things being misplaced here and there around his house and etc. It was horrible. He knew there was an explanation to all this but would anyone believe that invisible supernatural beings played pranks on him literally every day? Max sighed as he climbed in the car and reved up the engine. Hopefully today would be a little better. He didn't count on it. He always hoped that the next day would be better but it always turned out being worse.

As Max sped down the highway, the towering skyscrapers of the city loomed in the distance. Annette had moved to a city like this. He remembered her excitement and awe in the first e-mail she sent him. She sounded so happy to finally be in a big city. Being stuck in a small town all his life, Max knew exactly how she felt. Pulling up to the large parking garage of the Microsoft building complex Max found his spot on the 11th floor, parked his car, quickly snatched up his briefcase, and jumped out of the car. 5 minutes. Now that was record time. He probably went about 110 on the freeway just so he wouldn't be that late. He had barely made it. Running to the elevator, Max quickly pulled up his tie, and ruffled his hair. His busy day at work was just beginning. But little did he know that today would probably be the most emotionally exhausting days of his life.

In her mind, the woman disregarded the stinging pain in her stomach as she downed her third drink. She was obviously a light weight, and it wouldn't take much longer before...

She fell to the ground, hitting her head on the bar on her way. A bloody mass erupted, the girl had cut her forehead on the sharp corner of the bar, and Lyssa became more attentive to the unfolding events.

----

Annette watched from her rear-view mirror as Maxim backed out of his driveway. She went ahead and followed him at a space. While she drove, she grabbed one of the papers out of his file and scanned it. Computer programmer of Microsoft. Well, how the heck she was going to manage getting in that building was beyond her, but she was sure she'd-

A thought struck her, and she laughed. It would be too easy. Following Maxim- no, Maxim was too formal... she liked Max. It felt more natural. And since she intended on befriending him, would be much more amicable- to the parking garage, she found a parking spot on the floor above him. After she got out, she grabbed Max's folder and put a list on the top of the stack of papers.

The list was extensive, complete with details of all the misfortunes that had befallen him for the past two years. When glanced at, nothing very serious came to mind. When examined with a more experienced eye, it was curious to Annette how in the world the poor man was holding on. That was why she was here: to help. In any way she could.

She got out of her car, holding the file in her hand and carrying herself as professionally as she could... Which she did convincingly. There was a group of people in business suits standing around a red sports car gossiping not so loudly. Annette caught bits of interesting news about a woman- a co worker?- named Natalie who apparently landed herself in the hospital recently.

Poor girl, Annette thought. She said a silent prayer for the woman's fast recovery, then another for herself to get through this golden opportunity with as little issues as possible.

Annette walked in to the lobby of the massive building and right up to the front desk. "Good morning. I am Doctor Smith, here to do some observations about your office. A woman was checked in to the hospital recently, and we have reason to believe that something was going around." She spoke firmly, flashed an ID (though not nearly long enough for the receptionist to get a good look at her name) and smiled.

The receptionist grinned. "Alright, who was it? So I know what floor to take you to?"

"That's confidential." Annette said lowly. "Besides, with a building as populated as this, it wouldn't make a difference. I would like to sweep all of the floors."

"Very well." The receptionist printed up the woman a white badge to wear over her neck and buzzed the elevator for her. "So, should I keep my hands clean?" She asked in attempts at light humor.

Annette looked at the woman seriously. "Very clean. All of the time. People are gross." A surprised expression crossed her face just in time for the elevator doors to close.

Icarus sprang up but slightly to late to catch her. He grabbed one of the cloth napkins off the counter and started putting pressure on the wound. "Call an ambulance." He calmly stated to the keep. As the barkeep ran off to get the phone, Icarus took some alcohol, dabbed it on the cloth and wiped the woman's forehead with it. It didn't seem as bad as he first thought but this could easily get worse. If they didn't act fast, she'd lose too much blood. He kept the pressure on as the sirens came wailing down the street. He picked her up and started carrying her outside. She'd at least need to get sewn up after this easily.

Max tightened up his tie and messed with his hair once more before the elevator doors opened to the 33rd floor of the building. Cubicles were lined in perfect rows all throughout the room. The carpet was a dull gray and the lights were the generic flourescent bulbs you see everywhere. It was your average buisness office. Computer techs, financial managers, and programmers sat at their desks clacking away at the keys of their computers. Max slung his briefcase over his shoulder and made his way to his cubicle. It wasn't much. Just your regular cubicle with random notes and paper sticking to the walls. A few pictures of his family sat atop the desk as well as other decorative sculptures and puzzles if Max ever got bored. He usually finished his work early. Setting his breifcase on the desk he opened it and pulled out his laptop. It was an HP, with Windows 7 Ultimate installed. Probably one of the best you could get these days. Max powered it on and waited.

Behind him, a blond woman poked her head around the corner of his cubicle."Oh Max, your here! I have your things right here. It looks like you have a bit to do. It's a good thing boss didn't catch you comming in late."

Max turned around and took the papers from the girl. She was about 24 years old and she wasn't all that bad looking. She was cute actually. Her blond hair was curled and bouncy, slim figure and a good sized chest. Her face was soft and her green eyes were stunning. His co-workers told him how lucky he was to have such a secretary. Max would always shrug and not say anything. She was beautiful but he wasn't interested.

"Thanks Shirley. I wasn't all that late. I'll get it done."

Shirley winked at him and walked off. Max turned back to his computer and flipped through the tasks he had to complete. Review the finacial report, finish up project #20983, tweak program #4890 and many others. Max sighed and began to work, his fingers were a blur as they flew over the keys. Let's do this.

From the door of the bar, Lyssa watched the ambulance carry the poor woman away. Her expression fell. It was boring. She needed a plaything.

Then, perfectly, her eyes fell on this guy. There was something intriguing about him, she couldn't quite tell what. It was the same guy who drank that poor girl into, what, a coma? Her long nails drummed on her upper arm, planning how she was going to catch his attention.

A small, high-pitched laugh left her throat with a conceited air. A large drunkard stumbled over to her and put an arm around her shoulders. Lyssa raised an eyebrow at him while he grinned at her, his breath reeked of alcohol. Inspiration struck yet again, and she beckoned the man to attack her.

Lyssa fell to the ground under his giant arm, and let out a scream of terror. On her back, she taunted him with her mind to continue his assault.

----

Annette was not fully aware of how large the building was... Or, rather, did not comprehend how long it would take her to "sweep" all of the floors. Fortunately, by the time she got to the tenth floor, she found a board that had the floors arranged by profession. She sighed with relief and checked around the hallway before opening Maxim's information folder.

An agitated, but relieved chuckle swept her. Under his name, it located his floor and cubicle number. It did not take her long to find the elevator, and Annette promptly pushed the button labeled 33. Annette approached the desk of a blonde woman with bouncy hair. Shirley, said her nametag, gave Annette a half-hidden, spiteful once-over. Annette politely ignored it, and smiled politely.

"Good morning, I'm Doctor Smith. One of your employees was checked in to the hospital recently, and I've been instructed to do a sweep of the building." Again, Annette flashed her I.D quickly and stood, waiting for confirmation.

Shirley didn't cave as easily as the first receptionist, though. She looked hard into Annette's eyes, where she was met with complete blankness. When she had enough, Shirley nodded and tilted her heads towards the plethora of neat cubicles. Annette bowed, thanking her, and made her way through the labyrinth of cubicles.

Finally, finally, she found Maxim's cubicle. He was still sitting in front of it, not looking at her. She straightened her back, as if it could get much straighter, and spoke with a clear voice. "Maxim Pierce?" She read from a small name plate on the corner of his cubicle.

"No rest for the wicked tonight." He sighed and grabbed the lummox by the back of his shirt, yanking him off Lyssa. "Are you all right miss?" He outstretched his hand to her, trying to be more helpful than he felt. This lady didn't exactly seem like she was in the best moral standing. "Ah well," he thought. "I'm not Peter. Not my place to judge."

Perfectly played, like a damsel in distress, red-haired Lyssa grabbed Icarus' hand and pulled herself to her feet, throwing herself against him.

"Thank you." She sighed gratefully into the base of his neck. Her body trembled with fear.

"Um yeah. Not a problem." His face turned a bit red and the bartender whistled playfully. Icarus made the 'cut-it-out' hand across the throat gesture. "So I take it you're not from around here are you?"

"Maxim Pierce?" Max's fingers froze right above the keyboard. His eyes went wide. It couldn't be. He had heard that voice from somewhere before. "Yeah, that's-" Turning around Max saw who had called his name. Her golden brown hair was tied back in a high ponytail, she wore a lab coat of some sort and her eyes were a familiar piercing blue that made you feel like you were staring into the sky itself. Max's breath caught in his throat as he struggled to find the right words to say. It was impossible. Sure, she did look a bit older but this girl standing right in front of him was the splitting image of the girl who's funeral he went to two years ago. Was this some sort of trick? She was supposed to be dead! But here she was, standing right in front of him. There had to be some sort of explanation. Max's thoughts spun wildly in his head. Mixed emotions bashed around and he wasn't sure if he was happy, sad, or angry. She couldn't be her. Maybe a lookalike? But even so....- "A-Annette?"

"Not from around here, no." Lyssa repeated with her own little devilish grin. Not from around here at all. "But I saw you drink that poor girl off her feet." She nodded her head where the ambulance had vanished.

"Anyways, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind walking me home. It's awfully late, and you seem capable enough." Beneath her seemingly innocent gaze stirred ideas of chaos as a skeleton of a plan started forming together in her head.


---

Annette noticed his explosion of emotion. Some humans got it when faced with an angel in disguise, so she was told, and so she assumed it was. Familiarity was written all over his eyes, but Annette simply did not know him. She must have looked like someone else he knew.

"A-Annette?" He stuttered, still staring at her.

Her spine froze as she quickly ran through her mortal memories; hoping she did not make the dangerous mistake of running into someone who knew her in her past life. Her face remained a blank sheet. Nope, she knew no Maxim.

Smiling at him considerately, she flashed him her I.D. "Doctor Smith. I'd like to ask you a few questions about a co worker who was recently admitted into the hospital, in private if you don't mind."

"A bad habit of mine," He sighed."But yeah sure. Just tell me where." If he had his wings, they'd probably going a mile a minute. He still felt cramped up and a little guilty about the girl. But then again she could have stopped drinking whenever she wanted so it wasn't so much his fault.

Without answering him, Lyssa wrapped her arm around his and just started walking. Her apartment was just a few blocks down from the bar... But she had absolutely no intention of bringing this interesting individual to her house. Oh, no. She had other plans for him.

"I'm Lyssa, by the way."

"Icarus." He smiled, trying to be friendly. "So where are you from Lyssa?"He attempted small talk even though he wasn't all that good at it. After all, she might be worth talking to. And she was pretty attractive. "Actually if you don't mind, i'd like to pick your brain a little bit when we get there. Something about you comes off as intriguing." As far as first impressions went, this seemed like his best, especially considering how anti-social he was. But this Lyssa girl drew him in, made him want to learn more.

"Doctor Smith. I'd like to ask you a few questions about a co worker who was recently admitted into the hospital, in private if you don't mind." The girl's voice broke Max's trance. Doctor Smith. So maybe she wasn't Annette. But why did she look exactly like her? It didn't make sense. Grief suddenly swept over him. She was dead. He had been trying so hard to forget about her but then this.... this look alike just had to enter his life. Was the universe really this cruel? He felt like God was taunting him every second he stared into the girl's eyes. It felt like a voice in his head was constantly pestering him saying, "You couldn't do anything to save her. You couldn't even tell her you loved her! Let's see how much more of this you can take before you go insane!" Max was angry. He was angry at the girl in front of him, angry at his life, angry at the world, the universe, God. Angry at himself for not being there for her when she needed him. For being too much of a coward to tell her what he wanted to tell her for years. Max clenched his fists and turned around in his chair so he wouldn't have to look into those beautiful blue eyes any longer. "Sorry, I'm busy right now. Someone else could probably help you with whatever you need."