#5

"I think the better question would be who are you?" Ky asked.

He was standing about six feet away from her, across the living room. He was tall, as she'd expected, and he looked like he did in the photograph. Dark hair and green eyes, but he looked worried or stressed. There were dark wreaths of bruise underneath his eyes, like he hadn't slept well in a while or he'd been in a fight. She didn't know which, but he looked tired.

He was also standing there in only his boxers. Ky almost felt like giggling. She found this scene rather amusing. Here she was, a hunter of the dark city, and there he was, a man in his boxers. She squashed the urge, and asked him the important question.

"Where is Tabitha?"

"How do you know Tab? And who are you?" he asked again.

"I'm a friend of Tab's, and we've been friends far longer than you've been lovers."

"What's your name? Wait, how did you get in here? Why is the balcony door open?" If he his mind had been sleeping before, it was coming to full wakefulness now.

"My name is Skye. Tabitha gave me a key, and I love the view from her balcony." Ky never used her given name with strangers. It was an old tradition- knowing the true name of something or someone was giving them power over you. Tabitha was the only human to know her true name. Thinking about that brought memories to her mind of sitting in this room with Tabs and Tabs telling her the name she usually gave out was an awkward one, and so Tabs had renamed her Skye, because it was where she lived and close to her true name, so she'd never forget to answer to it.

"Shit, I miss her," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked, still looking at her with a perplexed frown on his face.

"Nothing. You still haven't answered any of my questions. Who are you? What are you doing here? Tabs doesn't usually let her boyfriends stay in her apartment." Which was true, but thinly true. Ky had walked in on Tabs a few times with a male friend in the apartment, but it was rare.

"My name is David Brendon. I moved in with Tab about a month ago, and I haven't seen her in a couple of days now. Have you?" He looked sincerely worried when he asked, his eyes glinting down at her (wait, when did he get that close to me? she thought) with hope starting to spark in them. His mouth curled up at the corners, not enough to be a smile, but at the least a beginning of one.

"Please, tell me, have you seen her? I've been so worried. She means everything to me."

"I haven't seen her either," Ky said. "It's been a few months since I've talked to her, so I came by to see if she'd mind some conversation. When was the last time you saw her? Exactly when?"

He sat down on the couch, and his head flopped back. "Two and a half days ago. It was Saturday night, around ten o'clock. I was already in bed and reading a book, and she came in to tell me she was going out to meet a friend. I asked her who and where, but she was mum about the details. She'd had this friend she'd spoken of occasionally, but in the barest of ways and she never talked much about her. That's all I knew- that it was a her. Anyway, she left and I haven't seen her since. I got worried when she didn't come home that evening, but I figured she'd be home in the morning and I just went to sleep. She wasn't back when I woke up and she didn't come home all day Sunday. I tried calling her cell phone, but she didn't answer. I left I don't know how many messages. I was starting to get frantic. I called the police, but they said she had to be missing for forty eight hours."

He laughed, a deep sardonic one. "When I told them the situation they said more than likely she went out with a friend to a bar or club, met a guy, went home with him and now she's avoiding coming home or answering the phone because she feels guilty. They told me she'd probably come home late that night or early Monday morning. She'd have to change to go to work, right? Well, I got a little pissed off at them for being so...." He struggled for the right word.

"Nonchalant?" Ky offered.

"Yes, nonchalant. They acted like her disappearance meant nothing. I tried to tell them that she wasn't that kinda person. She didn't go to clubs or bars and pick up guys. We met at the public library. They wouldn't listen though. So I asked if I called back on Monday evening and said she still hadn't shown up and if she'd missed work that day would they start an investigation? They said call and see, but forty eight hours have to have passed by the time they begin their investigation.

"So I called them tonight at ten o'clock, on the dime, and they said they would start the investigation in the morning. I was shocked. When I got upset, they said they had less manpower at night and it would be pointless to start now. I swear this city is going to hell on a one way train. No stops, no getting off, no way of turning back. We're all just gonna fry."

He sighed and closed his eyes as he laid back, his story told.

Ky started to ask him questions. "She didn't say anything about who she was meeting with or where? Nothing at all?"

"No. Not a word. When I walked out here and saw you here," he opened his eyes and looked at her, singling her out in an empty room, "I thought you were the mysterious friend. I was hoping you were here to tell me something- anything. At this point, I would be happier knowing she was avoiding me cause she did cheat on me, or hell, even if she wanted to leave me, as long as she was okay."

"No," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. It's mine for letting her be so damn secretive. I should never have let her leave without telling me who or where at the least. Dammit!" He leaned forward and put his face in his hands. He sniffled, for just a second, and Ky turned away. His last word had broken on a sob and she could tell he was fighting down the tears. Looks like Tabs finally found a guy who was both sensitive and caring and strong, or at least, appearing to be strong, she thought.

Still facing away, she decided to distract him from his misery for a moment. "Do you want some coffee?"

"Sure," he answered in a quiet mumble. Her ears picked it up, but another person would've had to ask him to repeat himself.

She went into the kitchen, turning on the light and bustling around. She cleaned up for a minute, giving him time to regain his composure. "So, tell me about how you and Tabs met. You must have been dating a while for you to care so much, but I don't remember Tabs mentioning a guy at all the last time I talked to her."

"Well, I was in the public library about four months ago to do some research for my thesis. I'm studying for my doctorate in ancient history, mythology, that sort of thing. Anyway, she was standing there . . ."

Kat made coffee and sat down to listen. She wasn't much of a story teller herself, but she enjoyed listening.