Chapter One-Observations

He walked out of his tiny, falling apartment. Hell, the whole damn apartment building was falling apart. He pulled his leather trench coat tighter around him, making sure that no one would be able to see that he was armed with his gun. Walking through the hallway, he saw his next door neighbor. She had auburn colored hair, green eyes, and flawless pale skin.

She was sitting on the floor with her legs through the stair rails, so that her feet were hanging in the air. She had a lit cigarette in her right hand. He knew that she lived with her abusive, alcoholic, and drug selling boyfriend. The walls were very thin. As he started to descend down the stairs, a voice made him halt.

"Hello," said a sad, soft voice.

He looked towards his neighbor. Everything about her was depressing-the look in her eyes and her smile. Today, she was sporting a cut up lip. He didn't understand why a pretty and smart girl like her was doing with that bastard of a boyfriend of hers.

"You're the neighbor," she stated. He just nodded his head. "I'm Charm. And you are?"

He just looked at her, deciding if he should tell her or not. "Aaron," he finally replied. Then he went back on his way down the stairs and out of the building.

Charm watched as Aaron walked down the stairs and out of the building. She remembered that he moved in just about a week ago. He's mysterious, she thought, a dangerous and hot mystery. He had short black curly hair and amber colored eyes. His eyes…whenever he looked at you with them, it's as if he is looking at your soul and you have no more secrets. He was wearing a black T-shirt with blue jeans and a leather trench coat. I wonder what he hides under it.

She heard a door slam shut and someone stomping up the stairs. It was David, Charm's abusive boyfriend. He was not always abusive…only when he was angry. She didn't understand why she didn't leave him… No, she did know why. In some twisted way she still loved him. Loved the man she first met, before he started hurting her and before she found out what his other jobs were.

By the way he was walking; Charm could tell that he was not in a very good mood. He walked by her, ignoring her-for now. Probably in trouble was his boss again, she thought. She got up off the floor, put her cigarette out, and started down the stairs. She was going to walk around town until later tonight and then return home. Hopefully, David would be cooled down by then.