THE ORDINARY

She shopped for some Allium bulbs, coupled with some other necessary stuffs to ward off the malicious auras, hovering all about the mansion.

As she hesitates, looking for more useful things to buy, she stumbles upon a woman with red hair and awkward looks.

Without difficulties, one could tell from her tattered appearance that she was ....! Lia paused and stared at the woman, looking for the best word to categorize her, Insane or weird wouldn't be too much to call her.

She quickly apologizes for the collision, and was about to proceed her way, when the weird and tattered woman grabs on to her wrist. Then, leans in and whispers something to Lia.

"Do you think this meeting was a coincidence?" She asks unexpectedly. Without waiting for Lia's response, she answers her own question. "No, it is not! It couldn't be, for nothing happens out of the ordinary! The path which you must follow has been predetermined, as well as this fated meeting which has been mapped out today. But do not fret child, for I am only here to remind you of the very tone of which fate called your name" She grabs Lia's palm and flips it, in a bid to read it, but suddenly tossed it aside in horror, and squeaked involuntarily as if she was burned by the unconsented touch.

"Who are you?" She asks Lia who was spooked by her unusual question and behaviour.

"I would equally ask you the same ma'am, this is the first time we are meeting right? But never the less, I'm Lia and you are?" She asks, trying to sound as polite and relieved as possible, even if the red haired woman's strange behaviour, was starting to make her skittish.

"Am not asking for your acquaintanceship, I am only asking to know you. Who really are you?" The red haired woman questioned, and then mutters some words into the thin air. Suddenly, she stops and pushes Lia's palm aside. With a mystifying look, she warns.

"Stay away from me and don't ever cross my path in this lifetime, witch!" She dashes out of the shop, leaving Lia in a complete daze. She was perplexed by the woman's displays. Few seconds ago, they were cool and nothing would have warranted such mean and harsh words.

"Attention whore!" She cursed back in retaliation. But what she did not find funny was the fact that everyone keeps asking who she was, even if they've had a shabby knowledge of who she is.

It made her concerned, if it had anything to do with her blank past. As she thinks about the events of earlier, a feminine voice said something that made her snap back to reality.

"Don't ponder too much on her words. She is just a silly psychic who derives pleasure from the pain and frustration of others. Rumor has it that, she almost poisoned her husband and kids with her strange herbs, because she believed they would be the end of her in the near future. Fortunately, she has served her time in jail, where she convinced the others that she was a dark angel, sent to reveal their mysteries and help avert the negative energies that accompanies them. But now, her craziness has even ungraded. She goes about the entire city reading palms and seeing weird visions for people, especially of their dooms day. What you experienced earlier was only a bit of her. I think she was kinder to you, compared to others who allows her to read their palms" The cashier explains to Lia.

"I think what you are trying to explain with all these informations is that, you saw me talking to an insane psychic who could probably hurt me. But you ignored the possibility and didn't even care to warn me?" Lia fumed with anger. "And why would the management allow her roam about the store in the first place, disregarding safety?" She bellowed.

"I thought you knew who she was and still allowed her. I've wanted to interfere, but you looked settled and quite relieved with her, so I thought I shouldn't bother your conversation" The cashier says apologetically.

Hearing these words, she knew it was her fault as much as the cashier's. When the red haired woman first gripped her wrist, she didn't object to the unconsented touch, her calmness only made the cashier think she was familiar with the psychic.

As she steps out of the shop, there she was; the red haired woman, standing by the corner of the shop as if she was waiting for her. Lia tries to walk past and pretend the psycho wasn't there. But the red haired woman trailed her, in a bid to get her attention again.

"What!" Lia yells at her, and watched the red haired woman jump in apprehension. She was obviously scared of Lia, but followed her regardlessly for whatever reason she deemed worth risking.

"You opened my eyes to see, you gave me that privilege. Didn't I resist for a long time? But you wouldn't let me live peacefully, until I told you what exactly you wanted to hear. Why haunt me now? Please don't hurt me" She desperately begs Lia who was confounded by the woman's fear of her. With the current state of their situation, she should be the one scared of this insane woman. "I must tell you one more thing before you go further from here. Avoid every road that leads to the East!" The red haired woman warns and hurries off, before Lia could ask why. She shrugs and continues her way back home.

"At one or twice in our lives, we are bound to encounter some severe minded persons. Tonight was that night for my own encounter, so I do not blame myself for stumbling into the wacko lady!" She shrugs again and continues her way home.

On her way back, she encounters some perverts who made rude compliments to her. At this point, she knew she had to hurry, to avoid their disturbing remarks. She quickened her footsteps into a frantic one, in a bid to escape from the perverted thugs. But she could only walk as fast as her agitated feet could carry. She knew what they would do if they eventually catches up with her. Recently, there has been rumors of rapes and murders associated with the thugs. At that critical moment, a man appeared from no where and drags her off the track to prevent the perverts from seeing her. His big sized palm gaged firmly around her mouth to stop her from screaming and consequently, disclosing their hideout.

"Shh!" He hushed her down, and then his deep voice, whispered something into her ears. "Follow me, I know a safer road that would take you home and also keep the thugs out of your tail" Although she questioned the anonymity of the man whose face was veiled to his eyes, but she had no choice but to trust him, if she wanted to be safe.

She nods and quietly follows carefully behind the anonymous man. But as they walked, she noticed something unusual about him. When he leaned to whisper into her ear, she perceived a strong scent of alcohol. This arouse her suspicion, and prompted her to question her reliance to this strange man. Unknown to her, she has been double crossed. The man with her, was non other than the pervert who made remarks about her. Seeing that she has been played right into their trap, she immediately retreats, and tries to escape from him, but was stopped by the others who were already behind her.

"Looks like our strategy worked pretty well!" One of the men snickered wildly, exposing his brown colored teeth from the partially lightened dark alley. Lia smiled disconsolately, as she understands the strategy the men talked about.

They purposely scare people into running, only to have someone pretend to help them escape and then, being them right back to the same spot without their knowledge. She immediately regrets her choice of trusting the stranger, like she did with the psychic in the shop.

The man with her unveiled his face revealing a cruel and dreadful smile, one that portrayed that, he was set to do something evil to her.

"It has been a while since I laid my hands on a real beauty" He said with a smug smile engraved on his lips. "If you are obedient and cooperative, my boys and I will be quick with this. But if you rebel, we might do something worse to you" The perverted thug leader threatened, as he stares at her hungrily, with the intention of gobbling her. She struggles for a while, to free herself from their claws. But she was out powered by the four muscular men.

"I warned you sweety, didn't I? But you chose to act other wise" The perverted thugs leader glared at her with intense hunger and lust. At that moment, she closed her eyes, ready to accept her ugly fate of being taken advantage of. She waited for seconds, still nothing happened. In her heart, she thought the men where taking their time to make fun of her and then, enjoy the moments of horror on her face as they gobble her up. But then, she hears a whooshing sound, when she opens her eyes, the men were all laying in a vegetative state, wincing in pain.

She couldn't believe the picture in front of her. So, she tucked her hair aside to take a clearer view. But the reality was glaring, her oppressors were laying lifeless on the floor, unable to move a limb. She turns to the other end of the alley and saw him; the night roamer, standing in his magnificence. Then, he disappeared into the moonlight.

She was not afraid, as it was not a strange encounter anymore. Everyone knew the night roamer, an anonymous magical figure that saves the night and day. Nothing could be described of him, but a vague dark mist, whooshing sound and then, the joy of safety. Luckily, she was opportuned to see a figure of him in the moonlight.

When she gets home, she couldn't sleep. All she could think about was the thin line hanging in between her safety, and her innocence being ripped away from her. But she was glad, that the night roamer intervened.