The doors crashed open and the boy appeared, looking like he’d seen a ghost. He ran to me, eyes sweeping the area.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked, more infuriated than I really thought was necessary. I mean, what did he care if I was just attacked by two strange men who had suddenly disappeared into the night?

“I-,” I couldn’t formulate a response, and I wasn’t even sure if telling him would be a good idea. I sat there, staring at him. His hair was black in the light from the full moon. The color of darkest ink, or onyx maybe; he was so pale he looked translucent; with high cheek bones and an angular face he looked like a fallen angel, or maybe the devil in disguise.

“Your hurt, come on” he said, and stood, dragging me with him off the ground. I cringed at his touch but I didn’t fight him when he slid his arm around my waist and ushered me towards the club. Walking was a chore. I felt light headed and surreal, and like I was about to throw up all over this guy’s leather jacket. He steered me carefully through the crowd and up a flight of stairs to a bathroom on the second floor. The florescent lights disoriented me, stabbing into my brain like a spike. I yelped when I was suddenly in the air and being placed on the counter like I weighed an ounce. He knelt down in front of me and started to push my skirt up above my knee.

“Hey!” I yelled, beating his hand away. He looked up at me, scrambling my thoughts with eyes as green as emeralds, as clear as crystal, and as beautiful as the rest of him. I blinked and looked away. He looked down, a slight smile on his face.

“You’re bleeding,” he informed me, pushing my skirt up over my knee.

I looked down at my left leg, and sure enough bright red blood trailed over it. I couldn’t see a wound but I felt a concentrated amount of stinging just below my knee. The sight of the blood made me feel dizzy and I looked away. John Doe grabbed a paper towel from next to the sink and ran it under some cold water and began mopping up the blood. I leaned my head back against the cracked mirror, feeling oddly peaceful and faintly sick. Even as I sat there, staring at his face as he concentrated on mopping up my leg, I couldn’t quite call back that rage that had pulsed through me only half an hour ago, though I could feel it there in the back of my mind like a long ago memory.

He stood suddenly, bringing me out of my reverie.

“You should put some antiseptic on that as soon as possible, but I don’t think it’ll need stitches.

I nodded and tried to hop off the counter, I even heard the click of my heels as they hit the tiled floor, and then I was on my knees again, stunned and feeling like I was about to throw up.

“Please be careful,” he said exasperatedly, picking me up by the upper arms and placing me carefully on my feet. “You took quite a crack to the head.”

He touched a spot on my forehead and I winced as a sharp, stinging pain raced over where his oddly cool fingers touched. I looked up, because even in the heels he was taller, and met his eyes again. I felt a subtle ache in my chest, but still I couldn’t quite bring myself to recall that anger of only an hour before.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice oddly husky. He smiled slightly, his eyes softening.

“My name’s Derik, by the way,” he informed me, carefully releasing my arms. I wobbled slightly but remained vertical. “Do you have a name?”

I felt a pang of nervousness at giving him my name, but he had just saved my life so I guess I owed him something. “Riley,” I told him looking away from those befuddling eyes.

“Riley. Well, Riley, I think we’d better get you home, or at least in safer hands.” He said the last quietly, almost to himself. I shivered uncontrollably and nodded carefully, heading for the restroom door. I had gone only two steps when the walls shifted and the ground was rushing up to meet me. Derik caught me before I hit the ground. “Whoa, there, you might be worse off than I thought,” he said as he steadied me again, “maybe a concussion. Come on, we really have to get you out of here.”

He placed his arm around my waist again, and I wanted to pull away from him, hating the small smile that played on his perfect mouth, but I knew I was in no shape to attempt another escape. I let him support me out into the club and down a flight of stairs that I knew for sure I never could have tackled without his help, praying the entire time that I wouldn’t throw up all over him.

As soon as we were off that last step, Charlotte and Kaylee rushed up to us, their expressions half panicked and half surprised. Relief washed through me at the sight of them unharmed. I smiled reassuringly at them and tried to pry myself from Derik’s clutches. His arm tightened around my waist and he led me to a table on the ground floor and placed me carefully in a chair. He made sure I wasn’t going to fall out of it before turning back to Charlotte and Kaylee. He said something in a low voice and their eyes got wider. I put my head down and the cool metal helped the growing headache. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing and attempting to block out the blaring music. After a few minutes, or maybe an hour or two, a hand touched my shoulder and a voice spoke in the vicinity of my ear, “You have to stay awake, I don’t know what might happen if you sleep right now.”

My eyes flew open and I sat up, my vision swimming, to see Derik’s worried face at my shoulder. I nodded slightly and he helped me stand, keeping a hand on my arm to ensure I stayed upright, and I felt that now vaguely familiar disgust at his touch. He whispered in my ear, “Charlotte and Kaylee are going to take you to a doctor. You should be fine, but I may attempt to check in on you tomorrow.”

“How would you find me? You don’t know my last name; I could live in another city a lot farther away.” I was babbling, but I found I couldn’t stop.

“I’ll find you.” He said it with such conviction that I really couldn’t bring myself to doubt him.

“Feel free to try” I challenged, suddenly wanting nothing more than to escape. Charlotte took hold of me and started leading me through the crowd, Kaylee moving ahead trying to clear a space. I glanced back over my shoulder at Derik. He stood there looking beautiful and somber, and as I watched he caught my eye for the last time that night and mouthed, “I’m sorry,” before turning on his heel and disappearing into the crowd.