She Will Be Loved (Aerina)

[Levi Green]

It was an autumn day, filled with the crisp smell of impending rain and the refreshing breeze that marked that brief time between sweating and freezing your balls off. The streets were littered with colorful leaves, plastic headstones, pumpkins and bats, blending into a cacophony of colors that marked the October season all over the country. The city buzzed with distant and distinct life, like a power box. Some people headed home after a long day of work, some people were just leaving to start errands and start their daily routines. For some it was the bets day of their lives for others, the worst.

Today, it was a perfectly average day for Levi Green as he sat in the middle of a crowded bus, trying to drown out the noise with his gameboy. He took no interest in the couple cuddling ahead of him or the man ranting behind him. The life in the bus was nowhere near as interesting as the life in his little game world, though he came up for air every once in a while to make sure he didn't miss his stop.

During one of his quick jumps back into the real world, he spotted an angel getting on the bus. The perfect mix of a woman with both girlish and womanly assets. He found himself awestruck to see something so beautiful, so perfect in the real world and found himself instantly infatuated. Unfortunately, she seemed more interested in the empty seats behind him than the empty one beside him. Levi felt his heart crushed in an instant and went back to his virtual world, where everything turned out perfectly.

[Deleted]

Aerina was accustomed to public transportation. Back home, it was the primary means for nearly everyone to get around the city. Of course there many people had cars, but there were many many more without, and so they all piled into the double-decker buses, stood shoulder-to-shoulder, and waited patiently for the ride to be over. The buses here in America(at least here in Pilot Ridge, she heard that those in the larger cities were just as bad as back home) were very roomy. Most riders were even able to have their own seat!

Rina used the bus system often, to get to the store, to get to the University for her afternoon and evening classes, and to get back to Hammel at the end of the day. Today she was on her way to the University for her college algebra class. With her books in her bag, her cell phone, and keys with a pretty feather keychain that she inscribed her name onto, Aerina was more than ready to go! She'd done her hair up only halfway today, letting her brown curls fall across her shoulders and down her back. Her face was always properly made up, though she used extra concealer today on account of a sudden flare up of acne. She wore a pretty blue and green sweater, the frilly collar of her light pink blouse folded our of the low neckline. Her blue denim jeans were expertly hemmed so as to accommodate her short stature, with beautiful pink and blue sequin butterflies embroidered on the two back pockets. Aerina thought she looked something she liked to call casual-amazing. Tee hee, she was so clever!

Anyway, the 15-year-old girl bounced up the steps of the bus with a bright smile on her face, swiping her pass-card for the fare, and then venturing towards the back of the bus where there was a pair of empty seats. Aerina liked the window seat. She scooted across to the window then pulled out her phone to send a text to her friend Bunny, asking how she was doing(the poor girl hadn't been feeling well lately). As the bus lurched forward, Aerina smiled and giggled at Bunny's enthusiastic response.

[Levi Green]

Levi stared ahead, trying to get the angel behind him out of his head through various scenarios. He tried to go back to his game, but visions of the beauty clinging to his arm and cheering on his Pokemon filled his head. He tried to think about the next episode of his favorite anime, but this beauty managed to worm her way into his mind, smiling at him, teasing him, slowly bringing her lips to his ear and pressing herself against his arm...

He tried to steal multiple glances over his shoulder during the ride, redirecting his gaze into his lap the second she noticed his stares. Part of him wanted to go over and talk to her, the other half told him she was too far out of his league, a goddess in human form. A glimpse into the divine that would disappear as soon as her stop appeared.

[Deleted]

Aerina looked up from her phone to watch the scenery go past. It was such a nice day, despite being so cold. She wasn’t used to cold weather, so she had to go out and get a whole new wardrobe of winter wear. Well, she had to ask her parents for the money first, which wasn’t hard getting them to agree. The phone in her hand buzzed again. She glanced down to it and laughed, her smile spreading from ear to ear. Oh, her friend was so funny! Aerina quickly typed out a response, then pressed the ‘send’ button.

It was about this time that Aerina casually looked around the bus itself as she waited patiently for her stop. There were a various number of people, and they all seemed like pleasant people. She noticed a boy…or rather, a man sitting a few rows in front of her and on the opposite side of the bus who seemed to be looking back at her. At least, she though he might be? He turned forward once their eyes met, leaving the curly-haired brunet a mite curious. Her phone buzzed again, and she returned her attention to her text conversation. Aerina would continue this pattern for the next several minutes, until her stop came finally.

In a hurry, Aerina bounced up, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and rushed out the front door of the bus, passing by the black-haired man who she noticed earlier, but paid little mind to at the moment. In her rush, she didn’t notice her keys falling from the pocket of her bag, along with a butterfly hair-clip that she’d bought the other day. She rushed down the steps of the bus and stepped off it.

[Levi Green]

Levi continued his observation of the beauty form the back of the bus, a wave of disappointment hitting him when she stood to leave. Their meeting, while brief, would be in his dreams for nights to come, marinated in sorrows of what could have been if only he had the strength to...

Her keys hit the floor with a soft clank that echoed in Levis head. He was instantly filled with dread and then excitement. Dread for all the awful things that could happen to such a pretty thing if she lost her entire keychain, alone, in the middle of the city. He could see it now, vividly in is mind. She'd return home, reach into her pocket and find nothing there. A single tear would fall down her face as she tried to figure out a way inside, left forsaken while her parents were away on a business trip. After the sun went down, the cold would set into her bones and she'd be stuck wandering the streets, looking for any hint of warmth, any scrap of food to feed her hungry belly. She'd wander into a back alley, where she'd meet any horrible fate found in a back alley in the middle of the night.

It was following this thing that excitement filled Levi's heart as he realized how much of a hero he was going to be in the next few moments. Levi, the man who would rescue this girl from a horrible fate, an unknown and mysterious savior. He tried to keep his smile to himself when he stood and picked up the hairclip and the keys, taking a moment to look over the keys to get a glimpse into her life. The various keys gave no insight into her person, but the name on the feathered keychain had a name on it. Good, now he could go online and make sure she made it home alright. After all, if she dropped her keys again, terrible things could happen. He was just looking out for her best interests after all.

As quickly as he could, Levi ran to the front of the bus, shouting out, "Wait, miss! You dropped these!" He held the keys up in plain sight, dangling them like a token of his affection with the best friendly smile he could muster with his large frame.

[Deleted]

Rina almost didn’t hear the shout of the person from the bus. She may have been small, but the butterfly whisperer was quick on her teeny tiny feet! She had to be back home when trying to navigate her way through the masses. Aerina was a girl whose only speed was ‘in a hurry’.

But it was the jangling of the keys that really caught her attention, much more than the voice of the man who had called out to her. Aerina turned her head just as she’d started her way down the sidewalk back towards the bus and let out a sharp “oh!” at the realization that those were indeed her keys. She skipped on her toes back to the bus-stop where the man was and held out her hand to receive her lost item. “Oh my, thank you so much!” she exclaimed up to the man, presenting him with her brightest, most thankful smile. She didn’t want to lose the keys, yes, but it was really the keychain that she didn’t want to lose. If she lost the key to the dorm, then Aerina would simply ask the dorm manager for a replacement. It was easy enough for her to do. Still…it was nice to not have to go through all that trouble.

The bus drove off, leaving the two of them on the street beside the bus-stop. Aerina turned her head to follow the bus for a moment, then back to the man who rescued her keys. “Oh no! Did you need to be on the bus. I’m sorry! You missed it because of me!” Aerina didn’t want to be the cause of this man’s inconvenience, though there was little she could do but apologize. Aerina was still in a hurry, after all.

[Levi Green]

"Don't worry, I don't have anywhere better to be," Levi said, proving he was a filthy liar. He had better places to be, mainly back at school. Chances like this rarely showed themselves to the chivalrous man and were more often than not met with someone immediately crossing the street. But this girl was nice, friendly, and most of all caring.

Levi took a few seconds to think and held out his hand. "Do you need someone to walk with you? It's starting to get dark." He said, ignoring the fact there was at least two more hours before the sun even began to set.

[Deleted]

“Still….it must be inconvenient for you,” she continued. Aerina didn’t like being the reason for taking up anyone’s time when they’d rather be somewhere else. He was probably on his way to somewhere and now his plans were cancelled and ruined for the day! Aerina fidgeted with her fingers as she sent him an apologetic look.

Aerina did have somewhere she needed to be quite soon, so she didn’t really feel like she had the time to spend much more apologizing to this person. But then he offered to walk with her, and that was….favorable. He was rather good looking. And quite the gentleman. But that still meant that she would have to share the pace with someone else, instead of moving at her own and Aerina didn’t know if she could afford that. “I don’t,” she replied with a small smile. “But you’re welcome to walk with me anyway. I have class at the university,” she explained, pointing in the direction of her destination. Assuming he agreed, Aerina would start walking in that direction at her usual brisk pace, which honestly might not be as fast as she thought it was, not with her short legs.

[Levi Green]

"To the university then." Levi responded with a smile, moving to keep pace with her easily. He walked beside her, keeping his eyes forward despite keeping thinking about the cute way her curls bounced when she walked. He couldn't recognize the scent of her shampoo yet, but he made a note of it to try and find it at the store.

After a few minutes of silence, he finally smiled at her and said, "My name's Levi by the way, and you are?" He remained a liar on the not knowing her name front, but this would help her realize the bond they were already beginning to share.

[Deleted]

As handsome as he was, Aerina did think it a little strange at how eager he was to walk with her…but well, that just meant that he was a nice person, right? If only she had more time to linger, then she could probably give him a bit more of her attention, but…well, her studies always came first, after all. And despite really really wanting a boyfriend, she couldn’t let all that get in the way of her academic goals either. So she kept walking, and if he kept up with her and was able to talk, then that was okay. Aerina might not be able to provide him with the same attention, unfortunately.

Rina nodded and continued forward. It was silent for a while(which Rina also found a little strange), but after a few moments, the man spoke again. “Oh! I’m sorry, I completely forgot about that!” she exclaimed, slowing her pace only the slightest bit. She smiles up at the tall man. “I’m Aerina,” she said, bright and polite. “Some people call me Rina. I’m fine with either.” So far, though, only Zeke called her Rina, and she found that just absolutely precious. Aerina giggled to herself as she thought of the other shy boy. “It’s good to meet you, Levi. Do you go to school here too?” she asked curiously. He seemed a lot older than her, so he must’ve been a college student as well.

[Levi Green]

Levi stared into those lovely brown eyes and soaked up words spoken. Rina. That was already a familiar name. Maybe she felt the destiny spark between them as well?

At the question, he averted his eyes, trying to decide if a white lie would give him better chances here. Sadly that wasn't a lie he could keep up well. "Er, no, not yet. Next year definitely, but not this year. Does that bother you?"

[Deleted]

“Oh? So you’re not in college yet. That means you’re…in high school?” He definitely didn’t look young enough to be a high school student. She was certain that he was older than her, but thought by a much larger margin. Aerina shook her head. “No, not really.” Rina dipped her head slightly and blushed as she confessed her true student status. “Actually, I’m still a high school student over at Hammel, that school on the hill over in Pilot Ridge.” She pointed in the general direction back to the small town where she was staying. “I only take a couple college classes a week, so I’m not full-time at the university.” Aerina often left out the part where she was still in high school. She liked people to think she was older and more mature than she actually was…silly, wasn’t it?

[Levi Green]

Levi cranked his neck to look back at the school, a sense of panic temporarily filling his head. Hammel. He knew exactly what Hammel was, after all, he attended himself. And he knew that that meant there was at least a small chance she was a telepath. A telepath who could see his inner thoughts, judge him like everyone he talked to... or maybe understand him better than anyone else.

But now he was just plain jumping to conclusions. He needed more information before he could move further.

Levi redirected his face back to the black haired beauty, raising his brows in curiosity. "Hammel? Isn't that the meta-school?"

[Deleted]

Aerina watched him, taking notice of his finely defined jawline. He really was handsome, actually, when she took a closer look. And really nice, if a little shy. Zeke wasn’t that much more outgoing though, so she couldn’t fault Levi for that.

She wondered for a moment if he knew that Hammel was a meta-school. It wouldn’t be surprising for locals to know about it, even if it was well known among the student body that they weren’t to advertise it as such. Her silent question was answered when he turned back to face the short girl with a question of his own. Aerina pulled her lips back into a wide grin and nodded. “Yes, it is! I’m not supposed to say so, though, so….” Rina put her finger up to her lips to imply that he keep it quiet. If he had to ask to confirm it, then he probably didn’t go there himself, she presumed.

[Levi Green]

Levi paused to take in the sight of the petite Indian girl offering what could be considered one of the ten cutest poses he had ever seen from a 3D girl in his life. He captured the feeling and filed it away, reassuring himself that most other guys wouldn't be able to appreciate something this great. After all, most other guys were jocks who were more into a woman's appearance instead of her personality. No, he knew it was going to be on him to keep her safe from the vultures. By any means needed.

He offered a genuine smile, shifting his hands into his pockets to counter the slight windchill. "That's pretty cool. What's your... super power? Meta ability? Gift? I'm not sure what they call it..."

A little deception never hurt anyone, right? He could better look after her if she didn't know he could turn invisible.