A light in the black (open)

[codychambers]

Cody was in no hurry to leave. There was still plenty of people in the mall, and it was dark outside. Unfortunately, it was time for the mall to close. He always had a hard time choosing what to do when the mall closed. It never closed when it was supposed to, since there were so many people who weren't finished shopping, but then when he left the parking lot would be empty. He could leave now, but then he was throw himself out in the dark that much sooner without anywhere else to go. He weighed his options as always, destined to make the same decision as always.

Cody walked over to a store, knowing several teenagers would still be inside. The cashier made a small frown at the new arrival, ready to close up and go home. Cody itched the back of his head nervously until the sleeve of his long sleeve grey shirt tickled the back of his ear. He rubbed his ear and returned his arm to his sides. Deciding to try to at least fit in with the five teens still inside, he turned away from the cashier and began browsing the shelves, looking for an imaginary nothing he couldn't afford.

With his full attention dedicated to his false searching, he didn't notice the person beside him until he bumped into her. They quickly shifted towards each other, slightly embarrassed by the collision. Cody was captured by her appearance instantly. She was a cute, black haired girl with an intoxicating smile. She chuckled a bit as she spoke, telling him she was 'sorry about that'.

Cody blushed with embarrassment. Cody drew his chest back and put his hands in his pockets. "Oh, sorry. My fault." He quickly turned around and slowly walked away, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he took, and listened to her laughter. He was glad he didn't glow like a casino whenever he was embarrassed like he used to.

As he left the store, he noticed that many shops had the door gates down and locked. Unwillingly, he made his way to the exit. He focused on the cool night air on his face, trying to ignore his fears gnawing at him stomach at the site of the mostly empty parking lot. Out in the distance, a brightly lit letter T stood tall and proud of it's inhabitants. Cody stared at the building, thinking about the what being a Titan meant. "Someday, I'll be like them." He clutched this feeling of strength, and started toward the most brightly lit direction.

[october]

October pushed her hair back. It was black streaked with light blue to match her eyes this month. She had surprised herself that she hadn't changed it yet. Then again, she was growing it long. It was far enough that it brushed her shoulders, but not quite to where she wanted it yet though. Oh well, these things took time. Like it took time to find herself a vic-- err, friend.

She wandered down random streets, her heavy boots barely making a sound due to how graceful she was. She could be absolutely silent in the damn things and kick anyone's butt. Well, she thought she could kick anyone's butt. There were those out there that she would sooner run from than try to beat down.

With a small sigh, the young woman glanced up at a large building shaped like a "T". How obnoxious. Weren't heroes supposed to hide where they lived? All she knew about the place was that it was Titan Tower, home of the Teen Titans. Who was on the team and what each one could do was a mystery to her. She just had the basics and didn't care for more unless it directly effected her.

Speaking of direct, she bumped into someone, making her stumble a little. Oh, hey, sorry about that, She said, looking back to the person she had walked into. He was about her height, cute, but he looked on the young-ish side. You okay? She asked, putting a hand lightly on his arm. It was an automatic reaction, her mind instantly thinking that one of the gems she usually carried on her person had popped open to a throwing star. Tonight, she was lucky as she just had a few knives stashed around her person and the long knife hidden down her spine beneath the cropped jacket. Very lucky, indeed.

[codychambers]

Cody kept walking toward the light. The mall was in a pretty popular area, so something had to be open. There was always the movie theater. He hadn't seen a lot of the movies that were out, and a couple of them were begging him to come watch them. Some of the lights were starting to turn off around him, making him more and more nervous.

Think about the movies, Cody. The movies. Cody's mind darted to different movies he had recently seen. They stopped on Alice in Wonderland. He likes it so much he bought the movie and the soundtrack. The light of the building next to him went out, and darkness rushed in to fill the void. He began singing a song under his breath , focusing on the lyrics. "One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. " Another light went out, causing Cody to sing a little louder as a response. "And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all."

Cody was too caught up in his song to notice the girl nearby, who's dark clothing allowed her to fit in the darkness so well. They both stumbled, and he fought the urge to smack himself. Stupid Cody! Pay attention! That's twice in half an hour! He barely heard the woman's words cutting through his thoughts, asking on his condition. "Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Sorry abou..." His words cut off as he looked up to the face of the latest victim of his clumsiness. Even by the dim light of the moon and surrounding lights, he could easily tell just how cute she was. He started blushing again, and prayed it was dark enough that the stranger couldn't notice.

"Sorry about that," he finished his sentences, regaining his composure, "I guess I'm just having and off day." he let his eyes drift, noticing the dark again. He may have just lucked out. Here he was all alone in the dark, and poof! A girl appears and he accidentally runs into her. Maybe it was a sign.

[october]

October didn't feel quite so bad since it seemed the boy hadn't been paying much attention either. Well, she felt a little less clumsy. She smiled at the boy, shifting her weight onto one leg. Wasn't he kinda cute? She wasn't sure why he stopped mid-sentence but it wasn't like it was a big deal. It gave him that awkwardly cute kind of vibe. She didn't catch the blush in the dark and wouldn't have really commented on it anyway if she had. Don't worry about it. We all have our days, She said, waving it off.

Holding out her hand to shake his, she introduced herself, I'm October. She gave another bright flash of a smile and let her face settle into a more neutral look. Lucky for him, she wasn't out for blood tonight. Then again, he wasn't really a target for her anyway. She did tend to have a type. She wasn't an at random serial killer when she was really in the mood for blood.

He didn't need to know any of that though. Was that Alice you were singing just before? She asked. Hey, look at that, her subconscious was paying plenty of attention to things around her. She hadn't realized he had been singing until just that moment. That's one of my favorite stories, even all its adaptations. October gave another small grin and nodded for him to walk with her. She liked the dark, but she didn't really want to stay standing outside of Titan Tower. One did have to be cautious, ya know, just in case.

[codychambers]

Calm radiated from October, and the boy in the gray and black striped shirt started to relax in response. With a friendly smirk, the seventeen year old reached out and accepted the hand shake. "I'm Cody. Nice to meet you, October." Yes! A person! Hi person! We should hang out! Don't you want to hang out with me?

October caught Cody by surprise when she brought up the song Cody had just been busy. He hadn't realized he had been singing out loud. It wasn't the first time, or even the tenth time. It's surprising the things you unknowingly do to calm yourself when you are nervous. "Uh, yeah. White Rabbit! You know it? I love Alice. 3-D, mini-series, Disney, any of them. I loved Through the Looking Glass. Most people like the Mad Hatter, but my favorite's the Cheshire Cat." Cody chuckled a bit, thinking about the grinning feline. Great character.

By that point October had not only calmed the brunette boy, but had him relaxed and comfortable. She only succeeded to increase those feelings when she nodded for him to follow, and he happily obliged to the gesture. He was sure he had made a new friend, and a fellow Alice fan at that. At this moment, the dark wasn't scary at all.

[october]

Well, this was particularly nice. October hadn't expected to meet anyone tonight. She had been planning a little scouting for her next victim but she could push that back a night. Luckily, her blood lust was still low enough to have a normal night. Go her, she got to be normal. That was a particularly rare thing lately, so she was glad she had walked right into Cody.

And a fellow Alice fan. A boy after her own heart so far. How anyone could like the Hatter over the Cat is beyond me. Cheshire Cat so kicks everyone's ass in the coolness category, She replied, completely agreeing with everything the boy said. She didn't even understand how people could dislike Alice. It was all so much fun regardless of what you caught. Everything just showed a real fun trip waiting to happen.

She smiled at the thought but pushed it away. There were other things to think about right now. Like what to do with Cody now that she had invited him along to walk with her. Hey, you up for a milkshake? I know where they make the best in town, October offered. Considering that she went from place to place to see where to get the best of what, she would know just where they could go. Fun thing was that they had more than just the usual three flavors.

[codychambers]

Cody couldn't help but laugh when October mentioned how the Cheshire Cat kicks everyone else's ass in coolness. "So true! It's good to see I'm not the only sane person in the world." The teen gave of a slight chuckle at his own comment, completely entertained.He looked up at October's face some, trying not only to keep eye contact but to see her face better. How odd. The human light bulb was having trouble seeing someone's face in the dark.

Of course, Cody would have no problem seeing her face in a well lit room that served milkshakes. The boy eagerly nodded once at the comment. Absolutely. I love milk shakes. Cody had went through a similar situation with a few people since the attack, usually it was only because he didn't want to be alone, but this was different. He actually wanted to be friends with this new person.