Chapter 2

**

It was a dull Friday morning minus the usual rush of people speed-walking down the streets, hurrying towards their respective offices. The roads wore a barren look with just a few cars and taxis whizzing by, reflecting their flashy bodies on the glass entrance of The Saturdays Café. 

This little cafe was most common old-fashioned face amongst the various skyscrapers that surrounded it. It was popular amongst all ages, the party-goers, students, couples and even the old crinkled grannies and grandpas. It was owned by a British-Pakistani couple who took it upon themselves to interact with each and every single customer of theirs. This particular trait was the secret behind the huge audience they handled every day.

Some say it was their dream plan, the others see them as an old married couple enjoying their last few days in the company of their friends. But they all loved the handsome Turkish old man and his plump and adorable wife. 

However, today it was almost empty with just a few customers scattered here and there. A group of college students sat at the far corner of the café, a newly married couple sat a few tables near the counter, a brooding teenage boy sat alone at one table, the table a few feet in front of him was occupied by another grief-stricken teenage girl, while the others occupied three tables on the left of the glass door. 

The place smelled of baked cookies, vanilla and various other flavors that hung in the air like a thick presence, catching everyone within its range.

A few minutes passed by and the brooding boy perked his ears, turning his attention to the waiter who approached him. His beady black eyes inspected the older man from head to toe and settled down only when he was sure the guy was just an average waiter and nothing more. 

'What may I get you, Sir?' he asked politely. 

"Nothing." came the abrupt reply. 

The waiter sensed the distressed mood of the lad and tried to lighten the atmosphere by bringing him up to date with the latest addition in the café menu. But it didn't change his behavior even the slightest. The boy kept frowning and the waiter gave up eventually leaving him to his own worries. 

"What should I get you, Madame?" the waiter approached the lonely girl after having taken orders from the rest of the customers occupying the café. 

"Nothing. Thanks for the offer though." The girl gave him small smile and continued to stare at the cell-phone in her hand, as if it held the most important information in the world. 

A single tear fell on to her hand and she hastily wiped it away.  

"Madame?" the waiter was now truly concerned for the girl's well-being. He wondered about the nature of crisis that might have fallen upon the girl. 

"I am fine. I am fine, don't worry", the girl's voice was filled with tears yet she kept up the brave front. This unsettled the waiter even more and he hurried towards his boss asking for guidance to relieve the girl of her grief. 

"Sir, what should we do?" the waiter spoke in hushed tones, every sentence that he uttered increased the creases on the old man's forehead until he looked at the troubled girl sitting a few tables away from him. The old man believed in 'keeping the customers happy' policy. His nature automatically urged him to go forth and help the poor girl. But before he could make any progress with his new customer, the girl stood up and left the café in a hurry. 

The lone boy watched with keen eyes as he stared at the retreating back of the girl. She was beautiful to say the least. Silvery blonde hair falling past her slim waist, long legs and well-toned, supporting her curvy frame as she step out of the café. To any normal person, she looked like a typical hormonal teenager facing her daily preadolescence problems, but he knew something was different. 

For some reason he felt a strange pull towards her, like a string attached to his heart muscles urging him to chase her. Why? He wondered out loud. The pull was so strong that he had to grip the table tightly to support his body that betrayed his emotions. For the first time in years he truly wanted to be with this girl. No matter how absurd it sounded he knew he had to follow her. 

"Hey! Wait up!" he cried and ran outside in the direction she had taken just moments ago. 

But he couldn't find her anywhere; she had disappeared into thin air much to his disappointment. A cold dread slipped inside his heart. He feared of not seeing her again, of never being able to know the troubles that plagued her, for never being able to hold her in his arms. 

The boy frowned at the direction his thoughts had taken. What was this weird feeling? He had never even met the girl before and he was already thinking of being in a relation with her. Why? What was going on?

Just then a flicker of silver caught his eyes and he saw the tips of the same silvery blonde hair disappearing into one of the alleys nearby. 

He ran towards it, following the trail, while his heart thumped loudly in his chest. It was all happening so fast that he never noticed his feet picking up speed as he reached the place in no time. 

"Huh?"

The girl looked up at him in surprise and took a hesitant step backwards. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips slightly apart from the heavy breathing. The boy scowled as he looked at her. 

Did she really think he was going to hurt her? That was just plain stupid. He couldn't possibly hurt her even if he wanted to, not with his stomach doing back flips on seeing her. She was definitely something more than the average. He could feel the difference in her aura, a slight shimmer that wasn't seen in the humans. 

She had a very powerful presence; it was the first thing he noticed as he got close to her. 

A blush crept up her cheeks and her gaze dropped to the ground. The boy raised his eyebrow questioning her suspicious reaction. Did she feel it as well? Was the feeling mutual? He already knew she wasn't normal. 

The girl was silent the whole time he battled with the growing curiosity in his mind.  

Her eyes inspected the stranger in front of her thoroughly, not wanting to mistake the boy as someone she might be familiar with. The feelings she got from him were very disturbing.  

The most unsettling truth being that his mind was at the same frequency as hers, this could mean only one thing, and that was impossible, at least she thought it to be impossible. 

Her mind formed the question and it was out of her mouth before she had the chance to filter it or think twice before insulting the strange boy in front of her. 

"What are you?"

**