Chapter 1 - Female IntroductionShe had always had a tough life. Her parents died young and she had nowhere to go. People supposedly trained to do so, had tried to find homes for her, but without success, no-one wanted the young girl, always making up excuses so she wouldn't feel bad, then wandering into a different room and adopting one of the cuter girls. She understood that now, she wasn't to be deceived by their lies. But over the years she had grown very bitter, almost resentful to the outside world. Her trust towards people had become wafer thin. This was made apparent when she turned 16, and the staff at the temporary home she had been staying in decided no-one had interest in her. She knew what they meant though, the longer they kept someone there, the less funding they received; it was supposed to be an in and out happy familys scenario; that just didn't work for her. And so, she was kicked to the streets, cast out into the big wide world. Of course, nothing really changed, she was still ignored. Moving around, trying to find an area of the town which was relatively free of criminals but still near enough to the centre to get what she needed. She had settled in the local park, spending most of her time leaning against an old oak tree, assessing her surroundings. All things considered it was a peaceful area. To her right, was a glistening pond, filled with ducks quacking as someone more fortunate than her threw away bread to the ducks. She had bathed in the pond a few times later at night, it wasn't the best way to clean, but she didn't have much choice. She scowled as she observed the children screaming with joy as a swan floated on by to enjoy the feast. "What a waste" She thought. More than once she had crept behind these people and stolen a single slice of bread, it wasn't much, but it certainly put her growling stomach to rest. Often she wondered if her stomach would let her down, her ability to sneak would be given away by a loud grumble. To her left, was the park itself, filled with climbing frames, swings and loud children, all blissfully running around without a care in the world. She watched them with bitter contempt, wishing they had all suffered like she had. Their parents hurried over soon over to shoo their children away, as they had seen her watching them... Everyone seemed to fear her; it was a lonely life. On her journeys between the streets shed begun to see more and more posters advertising help for the underprivileged; She had considered looking into it, but she deduced that it would be useless, just like every other government scheme shed watched occur, nothing to help her. As night started to approach she held her teddy bear close to her starting to reminisce about life since she left the home. The teddy she held so dear, she had stolen from a department store just across the pond; she deemed it was owned by people who would hardly notice such a little thing go missing, they had bigger things to care about. As time moved on, the teddy started to mean a great deal to her, often her only friend. Something she really needed on the cold winter nights. She wore what remained of a lime green wavy dress, which bore the marks of its time enduring the harsh living conditions, including a tear down the middle which exposed her pale skin which, undiagnosed by doctors never bore the tanned colour expected of a girl who spent all her time against the elements. Her hair on the other hand was stark white, no doubt bleached by the excess sunlight she had been forced to endure; it fell in waves halfway down her back, shimmering as the sunset reflected off each strand. During the summer days, she had been on the beach, looking on with envy as others enjoyed their ice-creams and lapped up the sun with smiles on their faces. She almost forced a grin as a thunderstorm swept inland and ruined the holiday atmosphere. Of course, she had taken advantage of all the chaos and managed to steal a short translucent skirt from one of the bags left unattended by a frantic parent running after their child yelling to get out of the water. It didn't really cover much, but it protected her from the bitter cold, which was all she really needed to avoid hypothermia. Once the summer months had faded into Autumn, much more people were spending their time at swimming pools, from which she managed to steal a pair of white bikini bottoms in her size, while she had to try quite a few pairs, she felt it was worth it, as the comfort and warmth was far better than the rags the home had left her in. She was almost caught though, this scared her; as she performed the delicate tweaks with a hairpin to open the locks, multiple times she had froze with bated breath, thinking she has heard someone coming. She hadn't ventured back to that swimming pool since, as she was under the opinion that one of the security had recognized her on the way out the building, from when he volunteered at the home and she didn't want to be reported for loitering, much less than for stealing. Due to the time she had these clothes, she often had to perform makeshift repairs, such as a ribbon used for wrapping presents which was threaded into the material of the dress so that it wouldn't fall off her as she moved, as the straps had snapped some time ago. She had also used some discarded glue from a child's arts and crafts set to attach the individual cups from a discarded bra to the inside of her dress. It was as though someone's bra straps had snapped and they ripped apart the bra in rage. Either way, she used the remains for support and for extra warmth.As the sun dipped down under the taller buildings in the city, she lay back against the tree staring up at the stars as the orange haze faded to leave her to the dim glow of the park lanterns.

Chapter 2 - Male IntroductionHe never really fitted in anywhere, throughout school he had made few friends but often they turned on him and pushed him away for no other reason than to make others laugh. As a result he'd become very much a recluse, preferring his own company. After leaving school he'd managed to find his place, working his way up through a small business to become the youngest executive they'd ever had at the age of 28. An impressive feat, but he wasn't that proud of the accomplishment, often being quite depressed and using the work as his means of escapism. When that didn't work, he spent money on video games, attempting to lose himself within the worlds just for a moment in order to avoid the darkness which plagued his mind. This was something he'd been doing much less as of late. Since being an executive and gaining the ability to control his own schedule, he'd been working longer hours rather than going home to sit in an empty house. Sure he was paid more money, but he had no use for the money, he had everything he could buy, but didn't have the happiness which people dream about.He locked up the door to the office block and made his way out into the quiet street just as the sun went down, knowing it's best not to be around this area after dark, and proceeded to wander down the street aimlessly, remembering life since he left school, how much he preferred it. At least, he felt it was more much meaningful than school was, there didn't seem to be periods of time when he felt what he was doing was meaningless. This helped him a lot with his self worth. But over time he watched managers and other staff abuse the systems in place, taking advantage of the generosity of the company, performing subpar work, but still getting paid a full wage, even the directors seemed to be aware, though none tried to make a difference. He worked primarily in the rehabilitation and support of the underprivileged, he dreamed of helping those who had suffered through no fault of their own and had put up adverts and posters around the city to bring people who may be suffering silently to those who could help without judgment. That's what he strived for, change. Hoping if he can change a company to be better or how those less fortunate were treat, he might manage to change himself too. His attempts to change the way the company was run, hadn't gone down smoothly, even though his views were justified, the staff had threatened to go on strike regarding the previous decisions made by former executives and how little the management were involved on a day to day basis. They wouldn't see reason. He tried to put all the stress from his mind, he needed time off, but knew that time alone wouldn't do his mental state any good. He wore a suit every day, always appearing professional to the public. A short sleeved white shirt was hidden underneath a black jacket which came down to his waist, but always remained unbuttoned so that he never felt overdressed. He'd always preferred short sleeve shirts, but they were seen as less formal, so he wore a jacket to cover up this fact. He found it laughable that a suit is the only time you can really get away with wearing all black and no-one feel the need to comment. He'd bought this suit from the department store from over the pond in the centre of town. It was a nice area, but he never ventured that way very often, so he decided he would take a longer route home and get a change of scenery. He recalled being stopped by the security of the department store on his way out, who were questioning everyone about whether theyd seen anyone suspicious around, or anyone carrying a teddy bear the same as the ones on sale, as one had gone missing. He was going to question why one small bear would matter so much, but he had made similar fuss over staff stealing packs of blu-tack from the stationary cupboard, so he could understand; sadly he was unable to provide information to be of any assistance. His hair was styled in the morning, his short dark brown hair slicked back, giving the pretence of someone who cared very much for their appearance, but by the end of the day, it was always unkempt and erratic from the stress the day brought.He turned the corner and glanced over the pond; it looked particularly beautiful that night, and decided to take a gander through the central park as the sun descended below the towering buildings. It was serene that such beauty could be found in the middle of such a busy city.

Chapter 3 The Polar MeetingShe knew the feeling of the park all too well at night, it was a place she felt safe. But something was different tonight, she didnt feel in danger, shed learnt how to protect herself against the drunks who would stagger through on an evening. The air was much more electric, perhaps a coming thunderstorm she thought. Her questions were answered soon after, as what seemed to be a businessman was twirling down the path in the moonlight. She stifled a laugh as she watched. He twirled and pranced down the path, unable to remember since when hed had so much fun, he felt free, without a care in the world. He stopped suddenly. He swore he heard a noise, perhaps the rustling of a bush or something more sinister, in his fear he felt the winds change around him, biting at his skin as he proceeded slowly. She gasped quietly as the cold air blistered against her neck, causing her to erupt in a fit of coughs, falling to her hands and knees. He glanced over in the direction of the noise; all he could make out was a figure on all fours with shimmering white hair, blinding him in the moonlight. As he approached slowly, he put out his arm, thinking it would show him as friendly, but in truth, he was terrified of animals, so the reason hed approached this one was beyond him. She reared back, leaning against the tree again, panting heavily trying to regain her lost breath, while he stared at her, the realization that she was no animal setting into his mind. She glanced at him and froze in shock. He froze in fear. They stared at each other for what felt like minutes, both of them frozen in time. Both of their eyes were streaming from the bitter chills which plagued their bodies. This was not caused by the weather. Her shimmering emerald green eyes locked on his dazzling aqua blue eyes. Then the moment was broken, she batted his outstretched arm away causing him to recoil, while she instantly started to question what he was doing in her park. He backed away a little, he was not used to violence, it brought back memories of his childhood, instinctively clutching his arm to his chest and stuttering "I-I was just walking.. I needed a change of scenery. W-What are you doing here? W-why is this your park? She was about to hit him again but she faltered, realizing this was the first person to actually show an interest in her since the orphanage, and even then, they only cared because they were paid. As she lowered her raised arm she saw him visibly relax a little. She glanced over the pond and mumbled, "This is my park because I live here, I have done for over a year, because I have nowhere else". Shocked at how such an event could happen in the city he worked so hard to change, he sat down in front of her, after wiping away a few leaves that were perched on the ground. He tried to visibly show interest in her as she talked, and he responded by telling her about his upbringing, about how his father was abusive and his mother was too busy to have time for him, how he'd been alone all his life. This revelation lowered the hostility in the air, as they shared a common ground, this allowed them to talk more freely.They spoke for what seemed like an eternity, the wind had calmed down and leaves no longer blew into his face. She mostly talked about her life and how she has survived since being forced onto the streets, it seemed that she had needed someone to talk too, even smiling a little at the silly jokes he made. He felt like he was helping someone, finally. As he glanced over her petite frame, he noticed she held a teddy bear close to her chest, it seemed familiar to him. Very familiar.Suddenly the sky lit up white. Two seconds later, the inevitable crash of thunder, as rain started to fall from the sky, which chilled their very bones. He whipped off his jacket and placed it around the girl's shoulders to protect her. While she seemed shocked, she thanked him, telling him it seemed time for him to go home now. He mumbled "two miles" and shook his head, "N-No, I can't leave you here alone... It's dangerous". He looked around searching for something to protect her then as another flash of lightning followed by a quick roar of thunder he panicked and offered her a place to stay for the night, offering safety, a warm bed and some healthy food. She seemed taken aback by the offer, considering it for a moment, but as a flash of lightning struck the pond, visibly electrifying the water, she decided she didn't have the time to choose. She stood up slowly, clutching the jacket and teddy to her as she stood up, her legs and feet were completely uncovered, and she stumbled forward squealing as a jagged stone from the path had dug into her heel. She fell to the floor and he rushed forward to help her but she pushed him back "No! I don't need others". She then tried to walk forwards after removing the stone but only stumbled again, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor and starting to cry in annoyance at her exposed vulnerability. He moved slowly forwards and picked her into his arms while giving her ample time to refuse, and started to carry her away from the danger, as a bolt of lightning crashed metres away from where she'd been lying against the tree. While she struggled at first, she said nothing as she understood now how much danger she had been in and gave up fighting, laying into his chest and relaxing, her hand pressed gently against his dripping wet shirt.

Chapter 4 - Homecoming