Moon

I dashed down the street, going in the direction where I felt the scanner buzzing more violently.

  I kept glancing back every few seconds, though I had to keep calm.

  Maybe they didn't hear it all. I tried to tell myself. I got away.

  I breathed a sigh of relief as I turned a corner, finding myself under a bridge.

  I glanced around, and my heart sank as I saw a teenager, maybe 16, huddling in a sleeping bag, nearly freezing to death.

  She had long, ragged brown hair, her skin sunburned.

  Her sleeping bag looked semi new, and she had a black backpack beside her.

  I couldn't stand it.

  A child, forced to live out in the cold just because she "wasn't good enough for society."

  I felt my insides boil over in rage.  If she was one of my people, I could take care of her. I could watch over her.

  But since she was human, there was only so much I could do.

  I walked over to her slowly and calmly, and she woke up, panicked.

  "A- are you a cop?!" She exclaimed, her emerald green eyes afraid.

  I shook my head, my hands up to show I was only trying to help. "No, I am not a police woman." I said slowly.

  I took off my sweatshirt, slipping the scanner in my pocket.

  She eyed my daggers nervously.

  "Here.  Take this.  It'll keep you warm." I handed her my hoodie.

  She gladly took it.  "Thank you..." She mustered, on the verge of crying.

  It was as if she never got the help she desperately needed.  She didn't deserve this.

  She had a good heart. I could tell just by looking at her.

  "Here." I said, kneeling beside her, making a plate of food appear in my hand.

  "H- how did you do that?!" She exclaimed, backing up a little bit.

  "I am not like you." I said softly, sighing. "For your own safety, I cannot tell you who or what I am.  But I can promise you this.  I'll do my best to get you off these godforsaken streets." I vowed.

  She looked at me with wide eyes.  Her mouth constantly opened and closed, as if she was trying to say something to me but couldn't find the right words.

  "Please, eat." I begged. "I'll see what I can do to get your head under a proper roof."

  She shook her head. "Not the police...  Don't turn me in to the cops." She stammered fearfully.

  I nodded. "I won't. I promise."

  My head swiveled around, looking for a place to get her inside.  I saw an abandoned apartment. It looked lived in, but I knew better.

  I pointed to the building. "I'll go scope it out, okay?"

  She nodded as she continued to shovel food into her mouth.

  She was clearly malnourished.  I could see her bones popping through her skin.

  I ran inside to check the building, and it was dreary and dark, but at least it had carpets and clean furniture was left behind.

  I checked everything. The cupboards were empty, but I filled them with food.

  The fridge was also empty, so I stocked it with water, Gatorade, and a couple bottles of juice to keep her systems running and her blood sugar up.

  I even stocked the bathroom with day-to-day medical supplies like bandaids.

  I made sure whenever she was running low on supplies, the next night the cupboards would be fully stocked again.

I came back out and she had cleared her plate.

  I kneeled beside her again. "Come on. I did the best I could." I said kindly, my hand extended to her.

  She took my hand, and I lifted her off the ground, carrying her inside.

  She was barely 70 pounds, and she was roughly my height, 5ft 3.

  She clung to my neck, clearly unsure if she trusted me.

  I opened the door, and she started bawling the moment she looked inside.

  She clung onto my neck, and I sunk to the floor with her, holding her close to my chest.

  Her stammers and cries were filled with words I couldn't understand, so I held her tighter.

  After she had calmed down, I brushed the tears out of her eyes.  "What's your name?" I asked softly.

  "Jasmine." She responded.

  I smiled kindly at her. "Jasmine, my name is Gracie."

  "Hi, Gracie." She gave me the tiniest smile.

  I chuckled a little.  "I will keep watch over you.  But you need to try and get on your feet."

  "I've tried getting a job for weeks." She hissed.

  I sighed. "Physically."

  She nodded, biting her lip as if she felt guilty.

  I stood, setting her feet on the ground.

  She wobbled, clinging onto my shirt, but I held onto her and she hung onto me.

  "Easy, now." I said calmly.

  She slowly stood on her own, and I let go.

  She looked at me and nodded.  "Thank you."

  I nodded back.  She would be fine once she ate a bit more.

I gave her a quick tour of where all the food and medicine was, and I rubbed aloe on her face to calm her sunburn.

  She looked at me as I wiped the access aloe off her face. "It's really wierd..." She trailed off.

  I sat on my knees in front of her as we both sat beside the front door. "What is?" I asked.

  "I had a dream last night. An angel came to get me."

  I felt a little smirk appear on my face.  "Where did they bring you?" I asked, intrigued.

  She shrugged. "I dunno. The streets were made of this purple stone, all the buildings were black, and they all had these pretty flower boxes..."

  I blinked blankly.  She was describing my Realm.

  "That sounds like an interesting place..." I said, trying to keep talking so I didn't rat myself out.

  She nodded. "Then I saw pegasi and dragons flying around..." She sighed. "It was the best thing ever."

  I nodded, sighing. "It sounds...  Wonderful." I sighed again.

  She deserved to live with us.  She deserved to have a fresh start.  But I knew she was human. She couldn't live in the Realm.

  "You okay?" She asked.

  I nodded. I handed her a necklace with my crest as a charm.

  "You ever need me, you just yank that off your neck as hard as you can.  Don't worry if it breaks." I said, slipping it over her head.

  She nodded. "You have to leave, don't you?"

  I nodded slowly. "Yes." I sighed.  "But I'll come check on you every now and then, okay?" I promised.

  She nodded, and we gave each other a hug, and I left.

  I had to find that relic. I had no doubts that others would be searching for it, too.

  I walked outside, trotting down another street as I pulled the scanner from my back pocket.

  I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge.

  "Hello, Alpha."