The Ghost Of Love

Alicia was about eighteen in the year of 2013 but she wasn't interested in today's fashion like most girls were. Actually, she was infatuated with Medieval times and had wished she was born in that era. Little did she know, during those days it was a harsh life. She would often wear long dresses and even bustier outfits which made her look thinner than she really was. It's not that she really needed it though. Alicia had light hazelnut eyes, dark red lips, and long strands of dark brown hair that ran past her shoulders. She always looked incredibly young and if it wasn't for the dark makeup she wore, Alicia might have seemed a little more innocent - like the rest of the girls who would wear pink and only dab on some blush. This wasn't her style though and she couldn't even imagine fitting into a pink tight dress.

This phase began when she was sixteen and ever since then, she wasn't able to break the phase. She could never find the dresses she liked at the mall. A tattered dress had fallen over the grass as she walked forward as the lace occasionally became stuck in some weeds, she would have to pull it. The dress eventually slimed down once it reached her thin waist line and if you would look up, you would notice how the lace filled out nicely, showing off her supple breasts. A heart and locket lay on her chest, joined by a small flower clasp in the back. Inside the locket was a dear picture of her mother. Alicia and her mother were very close and always had been. This was her only friend in the world and the one woman she cared for the most. Although she was growing up so quickly, they didn't stop talking. Alicia was getting to know who she was and would go out more often, missing most time bonding with her parents. Most of her dresses were dirty because she's venture out into her favorite fields to enjoy nature. The city life was just too much for her and she could care less for what it had to offer. Dining in fancy restaurants or going to the theaters wasn't what she wanted. Plus, Alicia had no friends. Her guard was always up when it came to people.

She glanced off into the distance, admiring the fields of gold which were caressed by the sun. Everything looked so beautiful and Alicia was happy to get out. Most of her time was spent doing mindless things like hiking, bird watching, and so on. She didn't have a job or any responsibilities whatsoever. Alicia didn't even have a boyfriend despite how beautiful she was. In fact, most men were infatuated with her but some of them could not even muster up the courage to talk to her. Alicia wasn't a shy girl. She was friendly towards everyone and even though she only spoke when asked, she often would have much to say.

Something peculiar caught her eye but she wasn't sure if it was some kind of strange hallucination. After all, the sun was blinding her and she had to raise a hand just above her brow to see. A strange man was walking in the distance and he looked as if he didn't belong in the city. He was adorned in a leather jacket, with lace cuffs that spilled out around his wrists. The man had light blonde hair with a few streaks of brown, giving his hair the sort of contrast you could never forget. Oddly enough, he wasn't walking. It was almost as if he was sailing along but it was so far away, Alicia couldn't tell. Did he come from the nearby drama theater and was lost? His outfit didn't make sense as he was fitted in clothing from the 1800's, except for that leather jacket of his. Alicia almost thought she was day dreaming, until he sensed her presence and turned toward her and began to walk closer and closer....

Alicia saw his face clearly for the first time. His sharp black eyes had transferred to a green hue but it very well could have been Alicia's imagination. With thin straight lips that looked incredibly cold, he may have stayed the night. They weren't the color of flesh. He looked like he had been walking for days and by the color of his pale lips, he might have been suffering from staying out during the cold nights. Was he camping out here? Alicia was utterly confused because his attire was absolutely spotless. Nothing about him was dirty. He only looked sick to her, like some sort of virus had come over him.

A few steps further and he would be in front of Alicia as she froze, not saying a word. Most of the time, Alicia was scared of men. She looked at most of them as monsters, quickly traveling back in time to when she was just a nine year old kid. The memory took over her mind and she recalled the sting of a hand that had whipped across her face like nothing she'd felt before. It was her father, drunk again and beating on her. Alicia winced at the very thought of this, and she quickly blacked out her thoughts. She never wanted to think of those horrible years again. She was glad he was gone now. Oddly enough, her fear of men wasn't present. A warm feeling overcame her and she knew this man didn't mean any harm to her.

A hand moved over her shoulder, gently touching it and she heard a gentle voice speak to her.

"My lady, are you alright?" he questioned. She began to look at him with such curiosity now. He had an accent he had never heard before and his hands were as cold as ice. A shiver ran down her spine, and finally as her lips parted, she was able to speak back to him.

"Yes, I am... What are you doing out here and why are you dressed like that?"

He looked bewildered when she had asked him that, looking down to his own outfit. The man seemed a little uncertain of himself now. His brows lifted in a questioning expression.

"What do you mean? My dear lady, I dress like this every day.. I'm not quite sure to tell you the truth. All I remember is waking up on the ground after a fall I had. What tis' your name?"

She never heard a man of his tongue and became intrigued. Alicia mumbled her n name softly and was thinking too much about it. She wasn't interested in conversing at the moment but at the same time she had wanted to know more about him and blurted out suddenly.

"Wait, do you even remember where you are from? Or what your name is?"

The man shrugged with a lift of the shoulders and rolled his eyes.

"I'm afraid not.. but I do still remember my name. I am Derrick Grenson, at your service m'lady... Or you can call me Darren too. My friends used to call me Darren all the time since my mom and dad would always fight about my name. " She stood there for a moment with her mind wandering, wondering why in the world he liked talking like this.

"Hey, stop calling me that! I'm not your lady and my name is Alicia... " Alicia grumbled, slightly annoyed. After a few moments, she apologized to him after seeing the expression fall over his face. He looked slightly sad when she had said that. Reaching down, she took his hand in hers. She had to help him. He had absolutely no where to go and didn't even remember who he was.. or where he came from. Turning around, she began to drag him along with her. He chuckled softly and came to realize most woman were the same. They always had their mood swings and even one little word would get to them. He let her do with him as she please and began to follow. Alicia began to talk to him while bringing him to her favorite place.

"Well, listen Daren.. Even thought I don't know you - were are both going to the amusement fair. I have no one to go with and it's late so I'd rather go with you. And.. since you don't know where you came from, you probably don't know how to get back, huh?"

Darren fell silent at her words and realized this small woman was a bossy one but he didn't mind. In fact, he was enjoying her companionship so on their way they went...

The amusement fair was a few blocks away and as Alicia became closer, dragging Darren along - she finally let him go. His hand was still frozen over, despite her holding onto him through the fifteen minute walk and on top of that, it wasn't even dark  yet. They had about twenty minutes before the sun went down and she decided Darren could be her personal bodyguard for the night. Plus, there was something about Darren that she really liked. She wasn't sure if it was just because he was a calm man or maybe because this was the first person she saw who dressed so similar to her. He was incredibly handsome too and to Alicia, he looked like a model. She didn't comprehend why other girls didn't take notice to him in the streets. Alicia's peripheral vision could notice everything around her and she wondering with such a good looking guy on her arm, if any of the other girls were jealous. Oddly enough, a few woman went by and all of them did not even look up at him. They just went on their jolly way.

Once they got in through the gates, Alicia went to buy some tickets with the money her parents had given her. They would give her about $60 each week and most of the time she would save up since she had nowhere to go. Today she had $180 in her pockets. She was saving all of this money for a special gift for her mother since her birthday was coming up. The beautiful baguette ring she had seen in the catalog had sparkled brilliantly and even had her mother's birthstone integrated. She wanted this ring so badly for her mother but still had to save more. Because of this, she only spent $10 on each of them and skipped eating. Darren didn't look malnourished anyways. His shoulders were thick and it looked like he was a man who worked out and held his protein.

As they walked through the crowd, Alicia was leading. A few people had pushed rudely past her and even bumped into Darren. Yet Darren did not even move. It was as if he had some invisible force protecting him, Alicia thought. Her mind always ran wild and she laughed at her thoughts. Darren leaned forward to put his hand over her should so they wouldn't lose each other in the crowd. As they approached the fun house, Alicia swirled around - extremely excited even though the line was long.