Julian ran down the streets, pausing only to give hasty "Sorry!"s to the people he bumped into. "Hi Mrs. Begilman!" "Mornin' Ester!" "Hey Mr. Sheldon, how's your store doing?" He passed an alley and stopped. There, lying against the wall was a crumpled up shaking human form, hidden in its cloak. Normally, he would have given it no notice, for there were always homeless people lining the streets of Meridiana, but there was something different about this one. Or maybe he was different today, because he really couldn't see anything since the poor soul had buried itself in layers and layers of cloth.
He approached the form cautiously. "Hello." The stranger looked up and Julian could see that it was a young woman, in her late teens. Her hood could not hide her eyes that were glazed with pain. "Hmm?" "My name's Julian. Are you okay?" "Oh. No. I'm all right. Really." She gave him a shaky smile. "No you're not, you're sick. I think you should go to the hospital." "The hospital couldn't help me." "Well...well maybe I could. Do you need anything?" A quiet chuckle. "Julian, no one could get me what I need." Julian looked at her closely. Her face was very pale and she was wracked with seizures. He pulled out her black gloved hand from the folds of her cloak, and examined it. Her skin was pale, but it was also slightly greenish, and there was an air around it...like green lightning. She yanked it back and said, "Go away. Please." "But I know what you need!" She was alarmed. "What?" "Stay there," said Julian, already starting to run, "I'll be right back."
Julian ran to Adrian's apartment and began to shinny up the drainpipe. He was grateful that Adrian's window was open and climbed in. Adrian had told him that Cybersix was his friend, a very good friend, and that was how she always seemed to know what Adrian knew. Julian also knew that Adrian always kept at least one vial of that weird green stuff under his bed, "just in case Cybersix needs them." He was a smart kid and knew that whenever Cybersix was running low of...whatever that stuff was...she would have seizures and her arm would crackle with electricity- just like the way the girl's hand was. Julian did not know what Cybersix was, or where she came from. He figured that the woman came from the same place that she did. They even looked alike.
Julian ran back and saw that she was still there. "Here!" She looked up in wonder as he showed her the green, glowing vial. "Where did you get this?" "It doesn't matter. Drink it. I think you'll feel better after drinking it. The woman's suspicious nature was overcome by her hunger and desperation. She took the vial from Julian's hand and drank it.
She shuddered and gripped her stomach, clenching her teeth together. But it only lasted for a moment and when she looked up, color had returned to her cheeks. She smiled. "You- I was-" she was flustered. "Thank you." "Aww, it's okay," said Julian. Then, to their amazement, he hugged her. She was surprised, but she returned it. "Hey, do you need a place to stay?" asked Julian, "Because I have one...it's not pretty, but it's better than staying on the streets." "It's okay," she said, standing up, "I'll manage. I have to find someone, anyway." She started to walk away and turned around again. "Thanks again. Really, I... that's the nicest thing anyone's done for me since I came to this town. Thank you for the vial and...for being so kind."
