Chapter 6: A New Time

I crawled towards the house, dragging my limp leg behind me. I thought about screaming but that would attract too much attention, plus I'm on Earth, and I don't know how welcome I'll be once it's discovered what I am, it's really a coin toss. I got to the back porch and used my arms and elbows to lift myself up the stairs. That's when I yelled just loud enough for the residents to hear,

"Is anyone home? I need some help! Please!" I managed to get onto the porch and lean myself against the door. It was about half a minute later but the door did open and I fell inside. Behind the door was a man, just as beautiful as Smoke, I never thought I'd see that. He had 3 beauty marks, one under each eye and one in between his eyebrows, turquoise eyes, light-caramel skin, and dark brown wavy hair that stopped just above his shoulders.

"What the heck happened to you?" Okay... he sounds unsympathetic and he's already asking questions. Can't I get a break?!

"I ... was sexually assaulted and tied up." I didn't want to admit this to a stranger but what else could I say to describe my current predicament, I need to go to a hospital, to get my joint reset. That's not something my natural high recovery rate can fix. He sighed then lifted me up and carried me into the house. Once inside he dropped me on the couch callously and it hurt like hell! "Hey! I'm injured!" I shouted but he just walked away without saying a word. I took deep breaths to help ease my pain, It was maybe 20 minutes later when he returned with a paper bag, he squatted down next to me and looked at my dislocated leg then he swiftly popped it back into place. I screamed. The initial pain was hard to bear but relief came soon afterward then he placed an ice pack onto my lap and left the room. I laid still for a while after I got bored of that, I sat up and looked around. I've never been in a house this grand, so much open space, hardwood floors, there's even a spiral staircase! I personally really love spiral stairs... I wonder if this man is a wealthy elite or something?... but I don't see any servants or anyone else in the house. About an hour passed when the boy came back downstairs, he was wearing a robe and grey sweatpants, but no shirt. I looked away because I didn't want to stare, but it was clear he worked out. He had a black tattoo of flames peeking from under his robe, on the right side of his chest.

"You're still here?" He stated apathetically. I wanted to say I had nowhere else to go... but I can't tell him how vulnerable I am, that was my mistake last time.

"I... just wanted to thank you. And I still have trouble walking." I said instead. I am mostly healed but he doesn't need to know that. How long does a human take to heal anyway? A few days?

"Then thank me." He stated. His bluntness made me laugh a little, but my laughing caused him to pout.

"Thank you," I said once my giggle fit subsided.

"What's your name?" He asked while walking into the large kitchen. There were no walls between us so I watched as he pulled the orange juice carton from the fridge and drank directly from it.

"Snowe," I answered. He looked at me then he squinted and asked

"You're named after Snow White or something?" I titled my head in confusion... Is that a celebrity on Earth?? If I don't know who she is... will I look suspicious?

"No... It... was snowing when I was born." I explained instead, telling a half-truth. He then smiled for the first time since we've met.

"My name is Raijian but you can call me RJ... or just Jey, even Rai, I don't really care." Raijian... that name... It's a semi-common name on Infaniya, for those who choose Fire because it means Fueled by Fire.

"Oh... Thank you, RJ for everything... As soon as I recover I'll leave." I stated, though I'm technically well enough to leave now, I don't have any ID or documentation on Earth, I don't know where I am and I'm broke. I'll need time to get those things. "Do you... have a computer I might use, I need to contact my family, and my phone got stolen."

"You don't want to use a phone?" He inquired.

"I don't know any numbers by heart." Which is true. Why learn them when my phone is always with me? He sighed and grumbled leaving the orange juice on the counter and slamming the fridge door slightly. He must be really upset ... Not much time passed when he came back with a laptop.

"Here... don't worry about giving it back, you can keep it. I never used it anyway." I gasped, then he shoved the laptop into my hands and yelled. "I'm going to bed now, bye!" He slammed the door behind him but... he gave me a gift and he's letting me stay... am I wrong to assume that he's a kind-hearted person? Yeah, I'm being too Naive, need to stop letting my guard down. I opened the laptop, it was much thinner and lighter than any I'd ever seen and the screen's picture was so clear. New User Registration was on the screen so I guess it's true he never really used it but is he really just going to let me have it? I finished setting up my account then once I connected to the internet I saw something shocking, the date,

"It's 3117, not 3017?!" That's more than 100 years into the future... that can't be right. I started checking the news, and events regarding my people that I never heard of kept popping up. I always stay current so that's all the confirmation I need. RJ came out of his room groaning.

"Why the f**k are you screaming?!" Then he looked at me and saw I was crying. He sat down beside me and in a softer voice asked, "What's wrong?" I wiped my eyes.

"Oh... uh nothing, I'm... just so happy you gave me this laptop! The quality is amazing!" I answered.

"...You yelled the year." He commented. I laughed nervously... "... Were you locked up for 100 years?" He asked.

"What?! Of course not! Do I look 100 years old to you?" I stated Jokingly, he sighed and said,

"I know you're an Infaniyan, no need to hide it... just answer my question." He sounded testy but, he was actually worried about me. I can tell.

"I... no... I lost that time, I was assaulted then 100 years passed and I don't know how it happened." All I remember is my brain screaming for me to run and that intense fear, the strong urge to escape. "I'm only 19," I noted.

"... me too..." He was quiet for a while. "That sounds... difficult to deal with." He commented. I was going to reach out to the Infaniyan Identification Corporation so they could create an Identity for me or get me back home but I'm so overwhelmed with emotion rn I can't concentrate. "Do you want to be alone?" He asked.

"No," I whispered and he groaned as if that was not the response he was hoping for, but he stayed with me silently for hours until I managed to fall asleep.

I was alone when I woke up face down, drooling on the couch. There was a fleece blanket thrown over me. He's very considerate.

"Good morning," RJ stated once I opened my eyes, he was standing in the kitchen,

"Do you want tea or coffee?" He inquired,

"Tea..." RJ pulled multiple boxes of tea from the cabinet and yelled out their names, I chose Green Tea. Why is he being so nice to me?

"Your hair turns white when you're sleeping." He commented. I gasped, I guess I'm not used to hiding my powers so of course I screwed up. I'm glad I don't actually need to hide from him. He handed me a warm mug of green tea, sweetened with honey. "It suits you. The hair." Then he sat beside me with his Black coffee and quietly took sips. I noticed him scrolling through the news on his phone but not saying anything. He was in such a rush to leave me yesterday... is he sticking around now because I said I didn't want to be alone?

"Thank you!" I just realized I forgot to acknowledge his compliment, my enthusiasm made him laugh,

"You are a weirdo, aren't you Snowe?" I pouted and refused to answer. Instead, I put my tea down and put in my request for documentation and a way to return home.

30 minutes later I was rejected. The email read

"The Infaniyan Snowe S. Stratus is deceased, any further attempt to use this identity will be dealt with accordingly, to the full extent of the law."