The little light [Ali]

The pizza shop couldn’t even afford a scooter like in the movies. Ali had to resort to his brother’s old bicycle that hadn’t seen much use since junior high. Traffic in the UWS was scarce tonight which made Ali’s trip bearable. In his ear, Scarlet Blaise’s voice soothed him into a dangerous lapse of thought. His phone’s mp3 function had her album on a loop. His body kept pedaling but his mind was absent. Ali’s eyes scanned the starless night sky, and he smiled at the sight of a commercial jet flying a little too close for comfort. He dreamt that, someday, he was to fly first class nonstop, touring the world as a rock and roll maestro. He returned to reality by gripping his handle-brakes hard. A brainless driver zoomed through a stop sign intersection, nearing running into the Fereydun teen. He sighed and resumed pedaling towards his pizza place for another late night delivery.

His eyes couldn’t help wandering to the night skies. He now expected to see a news helicopter getting its nightly photos but instead saw something a bit peculiar. A mysterious glow took up his right eye periphery and then faded in an instant. He turned, whilst braking, and caught a full view of the light. It was a floating, moving figure in the night. As it noticed him, it made a quick dash in the opposite direction. Ali faced his bicycle towards the figure and then pedaled like crazy.

Digiesi, his boss, wouldn’t know if he was a little bit late. Ali trailed the figure into a shady alleyway and arrived at said alley a few moments after. He leapt off, started walking the bike, and took off his headphones to take in the sight. His heart beat was ridiculous, almost bursting out of his chest. It wasn’t due to the bike ride; the boy was somewhat fit. The cause was right in front of him. Ali gazed, with a lack of understanding, at a beautiful, magical creature. This being’s stunning locks were caught on a fence that divided them. Whatever it was, it let loose a girlish cry. Ali was mesmerized to say the least. What the heck was going on? His integrity forced him to act. Crying was basically the key to his heart. A teardrop could make him do crazy things.

“Shh, don’t move.” The boy dropped his bike and raised a finger over his lips. Hopefully she’d take the cue. She’d won the lottery on people to find her like this. Many magical folk would capture her, and if a sleeper did, then she’d be the ‘cause for an agency headache. He moved closer to inspect the problem. It wasn’t that bad but anxiety can make anything unreasonable. At once, Ali saw her face, her glowing eyes, and the feelers on her forehead. Some kind of mermaid? What are you? He wanted to help but was unsure if he had permission. The teen raised his gloved hand to the section of fence that her hair was caught in. He wondered how silly he looked in his pizza-boy getup. Now was not the time to be self-conscious, though.

“Can I, uh, help you with that?” Ali spoke softly, due to exhaustion more than anything else. This was no longer a normal graveyard shift.

Partly, Ali worried if his pay was to be docked for lateness, but that was only a tiny, negligent part. On a larger scale, his mind was blank as to what he stumbled upon. The boy exhaled a soft chuckle upon seeing her cheeks expand. He was convinced that she was absolutely terrified of him and her current circumstances. He moved close and untangled her hair from the fence’s clutch. Her hair reminded him of his sister’s, being all mystically radiant and whatnot. Of course, Sora didn’t walk down the street with bright blue locks but ignore that. Ali was grasping at straws for thoughts and words. He wasn’t sure if he was up to speak again because the tension was a little awk. The teen figured that finding her here was nothing short of a mistake but really wished that wasn’t the case. To anyone else, it might’ve been, but maybe lady luck had given him a crazy episode in jest. Just looking at this bizarre girl eased his fretfulness. He doubted that the vice-versa was in effect. She must’ve been petrified.

Maybe I should write a song about this. The thought made him smile with vigor. Quickly, that smile was erased. Her words, her voice, all of it rang through his being. It was such a magical tone, something he expected from the most proper fae. What she said was a little concerning, but he thought to follow through with his chivalry. Before he could do that, however, she actually FLOATED over the fence and closed in on him. He felt his mouth getting dry and gulped to relieve the nerves. The scene felt a little Disney with how she acted, touching his nose and circling him. To be honest, the only thought that ran through his mind is if his customer gave him acid or something. Not remembering that far back kind of strengthened that theory. All in all, Ali was finally at ease with this scene and savored every bit of it. Miss mermaid was absolute eyecandy, which made savoring a bit easy.

“I wouldn’t hurt someone who’s hurt. And, I don’t think I’m evil. I try really hard not to be.” He grinned at her veering upwards. He prayed to Ahura Mazda that she wasn’t a siren or an innocent succubus. The magic world had different variations of all sorts of creatures. He really liked this one and hoped his impulsive feelings weren’t for naught.

“Sure thing, friend. You know, friends know each other’s names. I'm Ali.” He raised a hand to hold hers, hoping that she’d return the gesture.

Delighting in the moment, Ali wished to not be analytical and note all her reactions. The teen assumed that part of her fantasy was that she was mysterious. His mind wandered to his duties. Pizzas weren’t going to deliver themselves. Something within him shut out that nagging thought, which was curious since he was often prompt with his job. He prided himself on bringing in a weekly check, while his sibs were out doing classwork on metro trains. Nope, obligations didn’t really matter right now. As her namesake popped, Ali felt as if he was jolted back into reality. He grinned at how dotty she was but worried about her wellbeing. All it took was a drunk couple, stumbling into this alley (doing unforgivable things!), to expose centuries of magical anonymity. As an agency agent, he often joked at how fragile this whole sleeper/waker debacle was. He couldn’t rush into action, because, well, that’d just upset her like before. So, Ali played along and relished their little moment.

“Bubbles, huh?” What a cheerful name. Just like the blond haired girl in that 90s cartoon. “Hand-shake, it’s like a greeti-” The clipped walking sound of pedestrians. Bubbles bolted behind the trashcan, knowing fully of her differences. Sleepers didn’t understand; this was something he knew well. She grabbed ahold of his hand once more to lead him away from the scene. Whisked away, he scooped his bike up with his opposite hand and matched her pace. It all happened so quickly that Ali needed an instant to salvage a working train of thought. Where exactly was she taking him?

“Uhm, Bubbles. What’s up? Where are we headed?” He looked up at the floating figure, who looked both anxious and thoughtful.

After holding onto his suspicion, Ali finally released it during the dash to Bubbles’ home. The transition was a bit difficult actually. The boy’s impulses had to battle two imposing consciences: one, he really needed to return to Digiesi’s to finish his shift; two, something within him truly believed Bubbles was in fact a siren of some sort. Considering she was pulling him underground, that wasn’t so far gone. In the end, he dropped his bicycle on the way out of the alleyway and ran with her towards the manhole. Being the stealth adept that he was, Ali was light on his feet while she floated. They ditched the scene like nobody’s business.

She had it so easy, being able to simply float to her living space. Instead, the magi had to climb down into the city’s darkest, murkiest place (if you discount a few spots in the Bronx). After moving through the claustrophobic tunnel, he declined onto a pasty surface. The gross floors of the underground were also ills Bubbles didn’t have to endure. The path she led was hardly scenic. Her glow illuminated much of the way, so it was hard to lose her. As an instinct, the magi kept a hand on his apothecary pouch. It wasn’t simply a precaution towards her but to any monster that lurked beneath the city streets. He soon found himself entering her humble abode, through a door covered by timeworn boxes.

“Whoa, chez Bubbles.” He grinned while giving the whole place a look-sy. The only shocking element to the room was the bookcase of stories. Either they were all stolen or she knew other folks who dwelled above the surface. It was in this moment that he scrutinized her fully. The light in the place was further illuminated by a candle she picked out. The way she glowed and how dazzling hair moved, it again made the scene dreamlike and surreal. He took a seat on the pillow she recommended and wanted nothing else but to stare at her glowing green orbs. What was he to gain in this place? Why as he here?

“What?” That wasn’t what he expected but it didn’t scare him off. Ali figured that she wasn’t even born a human, but her curiosity was a bit offbeat as well. Were her motives this innocent? It made him feel stupid for thinking that she was any sort of threat. The boy scratched the back of his head and coughed a laugh. “That’s totally fine. If you tell me a little about your kind, too.”