Snippet #1155548

Amunet waited until Norman's figure grew small in the distance before speaking. Amunet chewed on her lip and glanced around the city. Obviously, she needed to go where the political offices were if she was going to find any evidence as to where her targets were, but where exactly were the political offices. She never paid attention to these things before...that was Isis. With a twinge of pain in her heart, Amunet looked to the downtown skyscrapers to the west. It wasn't too far, but she didn't like the grim emptiness of everything. She almost wished she had died or lost her vision like Kit instead of having to see the world so dead and decayed in its emptiness.

"Well," she said with forced cheer, trying to brighten the darkness this scene had put in her soul, "I guess we should start heading West if we want to be back in three hours." Trying to ignore her creeping feeling of regret for her mission, Amunet took Kit's hand and gently led her in the direction of the downtown area. The walk felt longer than it looked, and by the time they actually reached the tall buildings, she was getting tired. Not exhausted, because she was used to long journeys, but enough for her to know that Kit was probably exhausted. Still guiding Kit by the hand, Amunet sat her on a street bench and sat beside her.

"We'll take a bit of a rest," she explained to Kit, stretching into relaxation. The weather seemed so perfect, sunny with a touch of breeze to keep everything cool. She surveyed everything with a sleepy haze until a movement in the alley across from them caught her attention. Focusing on the place she had seen the movement, she watched carefully until she caught another movement. Cautious, she stood and, keeping her eye on the alley, she said to Kit, "Stay here. I'll be right back." Then, with the quiet grace of a predator, moved across the street. She needed to make sure that whatever was hidden in the shadows was not a danger.

~~~

Derris rummaged through the trash. No matter how much he could fins in the contents of the trashcans in the alleyways, he was still hungry and the edible trash decreased daily. Still, he was too afraid to venture out into the street. The thought of being open to the world terrified him for reasons he couldn't fathom. It was the same terror he felt when he woke from his nightmares, so he preferred not to wonder where it came from. Each time he tried, he just ended up crumpled on the floor clutching his aching head. To the outside eye, Derris barely resembled a child anymore. His dark hair hung in greasy locks to his shoulders, and mud and grime caked his pale skin, hiding what its true color may be. Even his clothes were in tatters, ripped, worn, and long past overuse. Lastly, he was starved, so skinny, and so hungry. He had become so wrapped up in rummaging for food that he didn't even notice Amunet slow approach. When her footsteps crunched in the trash, however, he spun around and backed up, watching the stranger with obvious distrust. Amunet had been watching him with pity from the entrance of the alleyway. The moment he saw her, she knelt to get to his level and held her arms out with the palms up, a defenseless position to show her friendliness.

"It's okay," she coaxed in a soft voice, "I promise I won't hurt you. I want to help you. I want to get you some food, but you'll have to come back with me." Slowly, she reached her right hand out further, offering it to him. Derris didn't budge, continuing to just stare at her suspiciously. Sighing, Amunet leaned back until she plopped onto her butt and folded her legs casually. Glancing around, she spotted a marble nestled in the trash. She snatched it up and held it up, indicating to the boy that he needed to watch it closely. In slow movements, she folded the marble away and made it disappear. Despite his caution , Derris couldn't hide his delight, and it shined through the grime on his face. For his benefit alone, she had it appear then disappear again and let it stay gone. Smiling, she reached her hand out one more time.

"My name is Amunet," she said kindly. Derris, curious about the strange magic-lady, took her hand without hesitation. Amunet gave him a pleased grin but stayed seated.

"What is your name?" she asked when he didn't offer it on his own. Derris looked surprised at her question and frowned a bit in thought.

"Derris," he replied, his voice so soft that Amunet wouldn't wouldn't have heard it were it not for her enhanced senses.

"All right, then, Derris. Let's go meet my friend," she explained, standing and leading Derris back to Kit, "Kit!" she called as she almost reached Kit's bench, "This is Derris. Derris, this is Kit."