It had been hours since then.

Noah lied on the ground, his mind blank as time passed. He could only focus on the new bruise on his cheek, along with the dry tear stains.

He didn't know what to expect; only God knew what's Alexa had in store for him. Maybe the wait was pet of the punishment, it already kept him scared in a corner.

Finally, he sat up at the sound of knocking, knowing who it was.

He didn't want to go through this...

Not again...

Noah looked at the window; he hadn't used his powers in a long time.

But to save his own life? He had to.

He ran over, opening the window as he heard Alexa calling for him to open the door. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, turning into his hawk form and flying out of his apartment.

Magic wasn't rare where he was from; his father was a creature of great power, and even though his mother was human, she had her own powers too.

Noah's twin sister and him were mortals, but had a bigger chance of surviving things other humans might not, along with their own magical abilities and forms.

Unfortunately, a little after Alexa and him started dating, she forbade him from ever using his powers, something he always had the freedom to do, and loved to.

Because of how long it had been since he last transformed, he wasn't able to keep his hawk form for too long, soon landing in an alleyway and returning to normal.

He walked down the crowded streets of Central Park, looking up at the dark musk of sky that covered New York City. A wall would usually calm his troubled mind, but tonight, the barely visible stars did little to ease his fears.

His phone kept buzzing at Alexa's calls and texts until he turned it off, lowering his hood to cover his face more.

Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe fate; maybe it was the only place he felt safe at, as strange as it sounded, but it wasn't long until he saw the familiar Stargazed sign.

He didn't want a drink, not this time. His head still aches from all that happened.

Still, he walked in. For a while now, he felt as if this was the only place where Alexa couldn't find him.

Couldn't hurt him.

As always, Nate was the first to greet him after sitting at the counter. "The usual?"

To Nate's surprise, Noah shook his head. "Not this time, I'll just have some water.."

The bartender stared a bit surprised, but then went to get the water. As this happened, Noah's only thoughts were from earlier that day; he feared going back to his apartment, he knew Alexa waited for him there, his own home wasn't safe anymore..

"Here you go." Nate said as he placed a glass of water in front of his customer, who jumped a bit at the sound.

"... thank you..."

"Nathaniel!" Another voice spoke from the background. Noah could heat soft footsteps behind, and eventually beside him.

Nate let out a small groan before looking at the person who called, and so did Noah our of curiosity. The girl from this morning, the one who helped him, Iv was her name? She leaned against the counter with a tired expression. "I need your help!"

"What is it this time?" His question came out more as a command, and Noh was starting to get confused.

She sat beside him. "I have a PowerPoint due in three days and I lost my drive, can I bower yours?!"

"I dunno, Iv, you've always had a talent for losing things."

"I promise I'll give it back as soon as I'm done!"

Nate let out a sigh in defeat. "Alright, you hace English Literature tomorrow, right? I'll give it to you then."

She smiled. "Thanks, Nate!"

Noah kept shifting his gaze from Nate to the girl, an eyebrow raised. From their conversation, he could assume they went to school together; he already knew Nate was studying to be a journalist, his job here was simply to keep himself steady.

It wasn't long before the girl turned to him, his green eyes widening a bit at the realization of his staring, looking away.

To his surprise, she have him a warm smile. "Oh, hey Noah."

He stayed quiet for a bit, looking at her. "You.. remember my name..?"

She let out a small laugh at his question. "Uh, kinda hard to forget the guy I had to drag home."

Noah's cheeks quickly grew red in embarrassment. "I-I never apologized for being like that.."

"Nah, don't worry about it. Though I'll admit it's a lot easier to talk to you when you're not drunk or hungover."

He grew even darker at her words, pulling his hood to cover his face mode. "You're not making this any better.."

She let out a snicker. "Sorry, how about we start over?" With a warm smile, she offered her hand. "I'm Ivangelys Anderson, but I prefer to be called Iv."

Noah looked down at her hand, then at Nate who gave him a small nod, shaking her hand. "Noé Cipher.. Noah.."

"It's nice to formally meet you, Noah." She said as she pulled her hand away.

It was surprising to him really. He found himself talking to Iv and Nate for around two hours. He was cautious of the words he used and what he shared, but he talked to them as if he'd known them for a long time.

Even when Nate's shift was over and went home, he and Iv continued to talk, and for the first time in a long while, he felt safe..

Eventually, she stood up. "I should go, for classes tomorrow morning."

Noah nodded before standing up as well. "I should be going too.."

Before he could say his goodbyes, he saw Iv offering a small paper to him. "Here."

"What's this..?"

"My number, incase you ever wanna hang out again." She gave him a warm smile, and although he hesitated because of the thought of Alexa finding out, he took the small paper.

"Thanks.."

She gave him a small wave as she walked to the door. "I'll see you around, Noah."

Noah stares at the bar's exit. It was strange, he had only spoken to her twice in his whole life, and yet he felt comfort at the memory of their conversation.

He looked down at the paper; he didn't dislike the idea of speaking to her again.

But what would Alexa do if she found out about it..?

Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the bar, placing the paper in his pocket, making a point to hide his new friendship with the girl in red.

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!

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