| Heero quietly exited his hotel room, shutting the door as carefully as he could so the noise created would be kept to a minimum. He made his way down the darkened corridor, the silence echoing in his ears. What if his parents noticed he was gone...? The swift pounding of his heart seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet of the hall, and he increased his pace as though the smallest hint of noise would give him away. As he left the hotel doorway he paused for a moment and suddenly frowned. Why was he doing this...? It wasn't like there was anything particularly interesting to do on this colony, and besides which it probably wasn't even very safe to be out at night on his own. Not that he couldn't take care of himself... From the look of things, this colony certainly seemed to have a very active nightlife...it was almost as busy now as it was during the day, and the glowing lights of the buildings on the upside of the colony made it almost seem as thought there were stars in the sky. Heero shoved his hands in his pockets and started to walk along the street, his head slightly bowed to avoid meeting the gazes of any suspicious looking passers-by. It felt good not to have to follow his parents around...maybe that's why he was doing it. What am I trying to prove to myself...? This is totally pointless... He scowled at the ground and thought about turning back, before shaking his head in frustration and continuing on. No...I should at least make this worthwhile. Even if they have discovered I'm gone, there's nothing I can do about it now. He came to a stop beside a random cafe, and sighed in annoyance. Guess I'd better do something... He turned and entered the building cautiously, glancing around as he realised that it was nearly empty. Oh well...Guess I won't be making any friends, after all. Heero wasn't really very sociable by nature, but he had hoped that there might be at least someone interesting here to talk to - it would make the so called "family trip" more bearable at least. He took a seat by the window and sat slouching in the chair as he ordered some tea. ...God I hate life sometimes. He glared unhappily out of the window at the passers by, his eyes glazing over as he retreated into his thoughts. I should go back. Why...so you can be yelled at for sneaking out? No...I...I... There's nothing for you there. ... ....and you know it's true. Why go back at all? Yeah....I don't have to go back...I could...I could just stay here. Or buy a ticket off this colony. I hate my life, my parents....I could just be free.....on my own... "Here." He was jolted from his reverie by the bored sounding tone of the waitress setting his tea down upon the table surface. "..." He kept his gaze down and just waited until she had left him alone again, suddenly finding the tea fascinating. He took sip and grimaced as the unpleasant flavour hit him. Ugh... He pushed back his chair abruptly and stood up, tossing some coins onto the table as he left. The dark streets were not pleasant to walk through, and gazes he kept receiving were certainly unwelcome too. ...Why do people keep looking at me like that...? He glanced around uncomfortably, and bowed his head as he had done before. Even so, he could not escape the feeling that he was being watched, and after a few minutes of this he glanced up to see a strange burly man approaching him from across the street. The smile the stranger wore was disconcerting, and Heero deliberately changed direction to see if the man continued to follow him. He did. And swiftly and unexpectedly, Heero found himself cornered. TBC.... |