I'm surprised that this boy is following me. Yesterday, he would have ditched me by now. It makes me feel safer with him around. He makes me feel safe.

We round a corner into an alley. I glance back at the boy, and he seems to be limping, putting more weight onto his left leg. I glance down at his right leg and notice a large cut close to his ankle. The blood is running in a stream down his leg, more of it leaking out of the wound by the second. He looks to be weak, probably from the enormous amount of blood loss.

"Stop," I say. The boy gives me a questioning look. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine," he says.

"That," I say, pointing to his blood-soaked leg, "is not what I call fine."

The boy sits against the brick wall, his right leg reclined out in front of him. He stares at the gaping wound. "I'm fine," he repeats, this time quieter.

"You're the worst liar I've ever met."

"I don't need any help," the boy says while crossing his arms, annoyed. "You're not my mother," he says, like he's been wanting to say that for a while.

I ignore him. I look around the alley for some possible use of a bandage wrap. Nothing. I look down at my feet, staring at my shoes. The only pair I have. I don't hesitate. I remove my boot and sock, the muscles in my feet tightening from the cold air.

The boy raises an eyebrow and gives me a muddled look. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up and stay still." I order him, he zips his mouth in a thin line, almost amused by my sudden quip. My bare foot touches the cold, hard cement, and I shiver a bit. I pull up his pant leg, which reveals the ugly wound. I wince at the sight of it. I wrap my sock around the gash, the blood soaking into it instantly. The boy grimaces as I tighten the sock around his leg. I do the same with my other sock.

"Too tight," he says, choking on his words.

"You'll be fine," I say. "It'll help soak up the blood and hopefully put pressure on the wound. It should stop bleeding soon. It's better this way."

I place my boots back over my feet and sit down next to him, giving him time to recuperate. It takes him a moment to relax, and when he does, he turns to me and asks, "Why? Why are you-"

"Helping you? Because I'm returning the favor," I cut him off, avoiding his gaze.

He hesitates. "But... why?"

I don't answer that question. I don't really have an answer for that. Yes, I could've just run away and not helped him at all when he was being attacked, but I didn't. Why didn't I? We hardly know each other, yet we risked our lives for the other's safety. I don't understand exactly why. Maybe just an instinct? Or is it more than just that? Maybe it's just the memory of living on the streets, with nobody but Kael to ask for help?

When he realizes I'm not answering him, the boy turns away. "Either way, thanks for helping me out back there."

I nod. "You're welcome."

The boy flashes me a warm smile, which tugs lightly at my heartstrings. I'm thankful it's nighttime, and the moon isn't as bright as normal. Silence hovers us, a dreading awkwardness filling the air.

"You think you can stand?"

He nods slowly, but his face says possibly otherwise. He uses the wall for support as he stands up, grunting from the enormous effort. Pain is flashed in neon lettering on his face.

"Do you need help to walk?"

I feel bad for asking, partly because he hasn't quite completed the process of standing up. But mostly because it must be a harsh blow to his self pride for having some random girl with the physique of a fourteen year old offering help.

The boy looks up at me from a squatting position. Clearly, he's having the time of his life. "Nope. I'm good."

I roll my eyes, "That was a rhetorical question." I pull his right arm over my shoulders, he winces at my touch. He leans into me, sending rays of heat to my left side.

"Some other time, I can introduce you to android hunting. But right now, I need to get you to safety." My voice is softer, nicer, more convincing. I don't wait for a reply. I am controlling what his fate is tonight, so I start walking out of the alley. More weight gets added to my shoulders. I know that he's growing weaker. I need to do this fast.

"I need you to stay awake," I whisper. He shivers but I make a clicking noise with my tongue. "Relax." I notice him release tension that I didn't know he had and take solace in the fact that I'm calming him down.

A light rain starts to drizzle. It sends a cold shiver down my neck against the heat of the boy. I delight in the contrast. I know he can feel the rain too.

"It's raining," the boy observes through half lidded eyes. The sudden voice from him shocks me, but I now know that his energy is not fully drained yet. The thought warms my spirit, bringing a smile to my face.

"I can see that," I respond and pull my hood over my head.

***

When we reach shelter, the rain had soaked through our clothes. My shirt uncomfortably sticks to my body, showing off my absence of a chest. I still pray for my twin peaks to grow, but lately I've been starting to lose hope that I'll ever grow out of my childish body.

The boy was still leaning on me for support, practically sleepwalking through the entire city. I reached for the door with my free hand, hoping that Kael wasn't home yet so I wouldn't get in trouble for staying out too late. But I'm not as stealthy as I had hoped.

Kael and Maire sit expressionless on the other side of the door, obviously waiting like parents for their prodigal child to return. A look of puzzled confusion settles over Maire's face, but she doesn't say anything. She knows that I'm waiting for my brother to react.

I watch Kael's expression change from mad to angry to furious as he takes in the situation I'm currently in: soaking wet, in the dead of night, holding some strange boy I found on the street... not to mention that he had gash wounds from our encounter earlier today with a mutant.

Not the prettiest of pictures, especially from his twin sister.

It's been a while since I've seen Kael this angry before, it seemed like I was the only person in the world to ever be on the receiving end of it. His eyebrows furrowed in a mess of fury and confusion, nostrils flaring, his lips pressed together in a tight line.

Before he could interrogate me, which I know will happen at some point tonight, I spoke first. "I will tell you the whole story later. I just need a moment to get situated."

Neither of them protested, which gave me sufficient time to lay the boy on my bed. I'll have to share a bed with Rei again, but I don't mind. Her small frame only takes up a quarter of the bed.

I hear Maire's footsteps echoing up beside me. "Do you know his name?"

I shake my head. "I only met him last night."

She gives a sidelong glance, and grins at me. Her eyes hinting at something as she bats her eyelashes. I ignore her, but it's hard to refrain myself from grinning at my idiotic best friend, and stare at the boy whom I brought to my home.

I never stopped to admire him before, but seeing him in this light settles nicely on his features. He sleeps peacefully, almost showing no signs of distress from his injury. His light brown hair is tousled and hangs on the pillow and his forehead at uneven angles. Long eyelashes closed shut, lips slightly parted and a small crinkle deepening on his forehead, I wonder what dreams cloud his mind.

I snap myself out of my daze, not wanting to continue analyzing him any longer. My only concern should be focused on fixing his wound. I pull his pant leg up cautiously, not wanting to wake him from his slumber, and continue to examine for any warnings of breakage. Much to my relief, the boy seems to be a heavy sleeper, or his energy is drained due to exhaustion. Today has been a long and eventful day for both of us.

I slide my fingers down his leg to find my sock completely drenched with blood. "Damn it," I quietly whine. "Those were my last good pair."

I untie my drenched sock and wring it out in the wash bucket, my hands staining with his blood. The smell tickles my nose, almost to the point where I can taste it: metallic, like a rusty fork.

The boy's light snores fill the room, along with my rasped breathing. I continue to wash my socks until almost no trace of blood remains, the rest now absorbed within the fabric, a point of no return.

I turn around to find the boy flipped over, one arm under the pillow and the other twitching on his side. I walk over to him and bend down to his ear level, a smile tugging at my lips. "I don't believe I told you my name, but you can call me Scout. I also don't know if you're listening or I'm just talking to myself but that's okay because I tend to do that anyway.

"I don't know your name so I'm calling you Larry." I pause to gather my thoughts and for dramatic effect. "Larry, the bleeding stopped and you should be alright by tomorrow. I'll introduce you to everybody tomorrow."

I stare at him for a bit longer, drinking in his delicious appearance at this moment. He breathes through his mouth, his snores becoming increasingly louder. I resist the urge to brush his hair from his face, the thought of my fingers running along his face sends a rush of excitement to my chest.

The buzz soon vanishes, replaced with the feeling of trepidation when I look to the door that leads to the balcony.

I find Kael and Maire dangerously close together, a protective arm wrapped around her waist, her head nested in the crook of his neck. They've been steady for almost six months, but I sometimes forget that they harbor feelings for each other except for the times when I catch them stealing glances at each other, or moments like these.

The sight of them together almost makes me sick with ravenous longing.

"Hey."

Their heads snap in my direction and they exchange glances. Maire whispers in Kael's ear, quiet enough that I couldn't hear anything but her faint mumbles. He nods as she stands up, smiling sympathetically at me as she carries on through the door I came from.

"Scout, a word?" From the corner of my eye, with his arms crossed, Kael impatiently drums his fingers on his elbows. His legs stand tall, feet spread apart displaying his authoritative power over me. I met his stare, knowing the fact that if he didn't ease soon, I would submit under his authority.

I walk to the edge of the balcony, dragging my feet across the cement, and lean over the railing so the entire city of Seattle is within eyesight, so close that I feel like I could almost touch the buildings. A gust of wind rushes past me, my hair flowing with it.

We find each other's stare again. His lips are pulled to a thin line, jaw clenched, his eyes searching my face for answers. I notice his fingers fidget with the hem of his Unit jacket. He's holding back.

"What's his name?"

Kael turns his gaze back to the city. I can tell by the way his face holds no expression, like a faceless man where features should be, that something has changed between us. Maybe he's finally learning that I'm not the little girl he needs to protect anymore, that I've always been capable of protecting myself.

"I'm not sure. I met him yesterday. He saved me from two mutants. I had to repay him back. I got my chance today when he got hurt trying to fight back more mutants. I couldn't not help him, I just couldn't."

Kael doesn't look at me. "Sounds like he likes getting into trouble with the same mutants I try to protect this city from."

I scoff. "He's not like that."

His eyes flicker towards me. "How do you know that?" He snaps at me, his voice suddenly turning sharp. It sends a dagger to my chest, not impaling me completely but shooting pricking pains to my heart.

"I don't... I don't know." I swallow a thick lump that's growing in my throat. Tears well up in my eyes, but I try my hardest to blink them away before he could see them.

I will not show weakness.

"Are you that naive? Every day, I risk my life out there for you. I thought you were smarter than this. Bringing him here? Do you know what you're risking? He may seem nice now but tomorrow he could steal everything we have. He knows where we live, he knows our faces, it's not like we have enough money to put a lock on our door."

Before I could interject, Kael turns frantic. "You do know that we are not allowed to have Rei in our custody, right? Children are not allowed to be alone or without a blood relative. He could tell someone that we're breaking the law and take her to the Orphanage.

"If they find out that I was hiding a child, they could strip me of my title. I wouldn't be able to protect you anymore. Hell, if they found out that all of us were hiding Rei, we are all obligated to face felony charges. We could be killed."

I grab his elbow and turn him to face me. "That's not going to happen. I'll talk to him. He owes me. I saved his life."

"He doesn't owe you anything. He's putting himself in danger by knowing about us. You shouldn't have taken him here. He needs to leave now." He tries jerks his arm away from me, but my grip is too strong.

Kael underestimates my strength sometimes.

"He's out cold. Nothing could wake him up right now. I'll think of something, I swear. Please trust me."

I notice him release tension in his shoulders, and his whole body becomes relaxed. "You're so stupid, Scout. Whatever you do, you're always going to be my sister. You better fix this soon." I can't see his face. Just the back of his head talks, a blank slate where features should be.

Hot streaks of tears cascade down my cheeks as I release his arm. He stands there for a second, his back facing me, torn between staying or leaving me alone on the balcony. He decides to leave, and I watch my brother disappear through blurred eyes.

The dagger, however, decided to plunge deeper into my chest as Kael left. A burning sensation suffocates me as I fall to my knees, a part of me ripping away. My other half.

I curl myself into a ball on the cement as I sob into my shirt.

For the first time being on this balcony, I notice the rain has stopped.