CHAPTER FIVE.

DIMMED LIGHTS were the only things that made up the streets. It had been a few hours since the day of the dead parade, an hour after the boy named Marcus had left the Chinese restaurant. He had his hood back up, covering his brunette hair. Even as she watched him from afar, the colour of his blue jacket kept him in her line of sight. Back to a makeshift tent site.

Smoke filled the air, Alessia welcoming the smell through her nose, taking in the sight around her. Tents pitched up around the inside of the barbed fence. Barrels containing flames, the heat radiating off them keeping nearby people warm. She took in each of the strangers, measuring up their height, weight, and the rest of their appearance.

It had become instinct for the girl. Observe your surroundings, observe the people around you, prepare yourself for any oncoming attacks. That had been drilled into her head from an early age. Mental notes of taller and individuals who looked stronger compared to others was done by Alessia, her eyes still fixated on the young brunette boy in the blue coat.

He had been standing still for a few seconds, longer than what Alessia had predicted. She grew curious of him. What was he doing? Is this where he lived?

She leant over the rooftop wall, her eyes hovering around the brunette boy. The breeze from the wind colliding with her hair, pushing the hairs straying from her pony tail. Alessia was ready to turn in for the night, even if her attention was still focused onto the boy down below. He made it clear he didn't want any kind of help from Master Lin or the opportunities Kings Dominion can present to him.

So why was she still stood here? Keeping an eye on him?

Willies Wallet. She sighed. Of course, the homeless guy down there stole his wallet before leaving. Alessia had to give to him, that was confident. Considering the difference in Willie and Marcus's body types.

Leaning over the wall, the grip on her bow tightening, Alessia watched Marcus disappear inside the walls of the barbed fences. He definitely stays here.

Whisper of a breeze made her straighten her head, looking out forward, instead of below. Alessia closed her eyes, preventing herself from wanting to roll them at the sound behind her.

"You need to improve on your stealth." Alessia announced, keeping her head forward. Footsteps welcomed themselves into her ears, but they remained behind her. "-I heard Master Lin mention, 'keeping an eye out on me' but seriously Saya? Don't have anything  better to do?"

Alessia pushed herself off the way, turning her body to face the girl. There stood in the shadows, was Saya. Her arms crossed; her katana resting on her back.

"I came to make sure you don't do anything."

"pft- yeah what could i do? I haven't got my best weapons on me." Alessia was met with a deadpan look from the girl before her, the lack of response or emotion bringing Alessia's lip to curl upwards. "For your information, Marcus is down there."

"Where are you going?" Saya asked, watching Alessia walk to the opposite side of the rooftop.

"Going for a smoke." Alessia looked over her shoulder, a smirk appearing on her face. "Fancy something- Smokey." And with a wink, Alessia disappeared off the wall. Leaving Saya to herself.

Sirens wailed through the air, catching the attention of Alessia. Having left Saya up on the rooftop, Alessia was now on the ground, metres away from the boy scavenging through Willie's wallet. She noticed him look up from where he was standing, her not being able to question what had caught his attention.

As the red and blue flashing flights answered the question already. They were looking for Marcus, or for someone. Most definitely Marcus. Especially when he dived behind a dumpster, avoiding their line of vision.

She couldn't help but frown, seeing the police rummage through what she would assume was his stuff inside the campsite. That was all he had to his name. And now it was gone.

"You've got nothing left to loose kid, just join the academy." Alessia mumbled, watching Marcus crawl out from behind the dumpster, making his way out of the homeless site, without being seen. She noticed the corners of his mouth tilt downwards, his arm tightening the strap around his shoulder.

Sad. Loneliness. That's what she saw across his face. She almost felt, remorseful? Shaking the thought from her head, Alessia kept back, staying in the shadows. She didn't see Saya anywhere, nor did she feel her. But she knew she had to be here somewhere, she was sent to be keep an eye out on Alessia. But Alessia also knew she had to be out here for the homeless boy who was now laying across a bench.

That was where he was going to sleep tonight. Alone. Unguarded. Vulnerable. Everything Alessia never wanted to be. Shivers ran through Alessia, even with the many layers that covered her skin.

He must have been freezing then. Alessia thought. He only had a thin coat on. That wouldn't help him.

Alessia kept to the shadows, for the following hours to come, the night time sky of San Francisco taking up some of her attention, with the rest fixated on Marcus. She had no idea why she was still stood out here. She had no reason to be. She could just walk back to Kings Dominion, insisting she never saw Marcus again, not giving Willie back his money.

It serves him right for allowing Marcus to take the money anyway. But here Alessia Managold was, standing in the shadows, acting almost as a bodyguard to the freezing homeless boy resting on the bench.

There was so many skyscrapers and tall buildings looking out to the wonderful views of San Francisco. One thing for certain, Alessia preferred the view at night. And it seemed a certain boy did too.

Alessia had been focusing her attention onto filing down her nails when she saw movement. He hadn't stayed rested for long on the bench, Marcus deciding only half an hour was acceptable for a rest.

Alessia agreed on that. She never liked to sleep, it was the one time she couldn't be prepared for an attack. It was the one time she was vulnerable, accessible for any attack to come her way.

With the way he was moving, Alessia could tell something had sparked in the teenagers mind. It looked like he was on a mission. Was he finally heading back to Kings Dominion? Maybe he's taking up Master Lin's off-

Her thoughts ran short when Marcus turned left, heading in the opposite direction to the academy for assassins. She kept far enough back for him to notice her presence, but close enough to be able to keep an eye on him.

She followed him all the way to a tall structure- a tall building, having similar exterior structures to the leaning tower of Pisa. Without the leaning part that is. What the fuck was he doing?

But as they rose to the top, Alessia stopped. Her eyebrows furrowing as he walked to the edge, leaning over.

Holy shit- was he going to jump?

Alessia opened her mouth, closing it again quickly after. It's often very difficult to talk to someone once they've made up their mind. Alessia knew that. She experienced that failure once before. She didn't want to experience that again. The one thing Alessia did know, having learnt it, is that reverse psychology is sometimes needed.

"Well- what are you waiting for?" She watched him jump, Marcus nearly loosing his footing just from her voice. He turned around to see Alessia standing behind him, resting against the concrete wall. Her arms were crossed, the same for her ankles.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell?" He exasperated. He was definitely not expecting company.

"Well what you waiting for? It's easy. One step over the edge, and bam! All problems solved. Can't be that hard right?"

Wrong. All so wrong. She knew it. The fact he had the guts to even stand so close to the edge. Alessia never managed to get the courage to do that. Instead, she decided on-

"What are you doing here?" Marcus asked again, cutting Alessia's thoughts short. "Why are you even letting me jump?"

"Well-" She pushed herself off the wall, stepping closer to the boy. "-if I can't stop you, I might as well be the last person for you to talk to. Sometimes someone you don't know can get through to you better than a friend could."

"But i do know you?" That made Alessia laugh.

"Oh boy- you know nothing about me." The corner of her mouth tilting upwards, made Marcus freeze. That look was nothing but friendly. "Well with that being said- I think you either get it over with, end it. Or- use some of that skill you have, to your advantage."

"What could that possibly be?" Marcus stood shocked, not believing what was happening right now. This girl before him, was telling him to jump, but also not at the same time? It confuses him.

"I won't lean you to jump or not- that's for you decide. So- with that." She turned her back, Alessia lifting up a hand. "See you around."

"-Or not." She winked, waving her fingers before disappearing back down the stairs. The shadow behind the stairs moved as Alessia did. But she knew damn well it was not her own shadow. Nor was it the boys above her. Alessia didn't acknowledge the shadow, other than saying one thing, before continuing her descent.

"Goodnight Saya."