New York: Allie's War, Early Years

I also noticed again that his eyes were the strangest color, in that they had almost no color at all. His irises were nearly clear, although it was easy to miss until you were staring right into them. Other than that, though, he looked human. As human as me.

I was still studying his face when he shifted his body so that his back was to the door of the hotel. It occurred to me that he'd done it to block the view the doormen had of the two of us. I stiffened, not sure I liked that very much.

Stepping closer to me, he lowered his voice.

"I'll take you back to your hotel," he murmured. "I promise I will, Allie. I just need to talk to you first...it's important."

"Here?" I said, looking up the side of the building again.

He frowned. "I thought you'd prefer here...at least to where we just left." Seeing me hesitate, he took another half-step back. "I have no ill intentions. I want to talk...then I'll bring you back to your people...I promise." As if reading my mind, he added, "...You're already late. Another hour won't make much difference. I can help you come up with a story if you want. If you don't want to tell them what happened, that is."

"You just want to talk?" I said warily.

"Talk," he confirmed. He made an odd gesture with one hand, that made me think of 'scout's honor' when I was a kid. "I won't hurt you, Allie."

I frowned a little when he said my name. But I guess it didn't surprise me really, not after everything else. At any rate, I had a few questions for him, too.

"All right," I said.

Waving a hand towards the doors, I began to walk under my own power, although I moved stiffer than I could remember having done before, even when I sprained my ankle skateboarding. My arms hurt especially, and still felt a few inches longer than they should be.

"...Lead on," I muttered, following him through the glass doors.

***

He was staying on the sixtieth floor, which probably shouldn't have surprised me, either. It was definitely the highest I'd ever been up in a hotel building...or really any building, at least that I could think of offhand. I wasn't even sure they had hotels in San Francisco with that many floors, but this one seemed full, even as high as we were. We rode to the top with another couple, and there were people in the corridor when we left the elevator.

He took me into a room that was bigger than my shared flat in San Francisco, and that had a view that took my breath away, even though I'm not one of those people who normally gets all weak-kneed about things that only the über-rich can afford.