Lady Radiance: Fall

Chapter Four: Sightless Steps

<< 12:09am - Thursday, August 24 >>

Arianna's boots splashed in a muddy puddle. She held the newly purchased blanket to her chest.

Why the hell is there a puddle? It hasn't rained in days! Pushing away the thoughts of what that puddle could be, Arianna found her way to a body trying its hardest to be comfortable on the pavement. Their eyes were closed; they most likely had no clue that Arianna had wanted to help them in some way.

The street lights all around them flickered. Arianna frowned. The physics of electricity wasn't Arianna's cup of tea when it came to sciences, but perhaps there was something she could do. Arianna laid the blanket over the person.

As Arianna increased the gap between her fingers, the street lights faded. Once they faded to a point where the lights stopped flickering, Arianna shot the light up to the sky. She smiled. Her powers became easier to control, but she had to be careful. There were a lot of things up there that light could've hit. But would it be that strong to hurt anything?

Arianna shook her head. What happened happened. At this point, she couldn't do anything if the light hit an airplane or a satellite. What would happen if it hit a star?

Arianna turned back to the sleeping person. They'd tucked themselves into the blanket, even bunching some of it up to form a pillow for their head.

Arianna smiled. She was making a difference. But whatever small gestures she had been doing for people ever since climbing down from that building wasn't enough. Of course, the homeless appreciated her help. She did anything they wanted her to do. Anything to give them security.

The lack thereof scared Arianna. Arianna recalled barely being able to sleep at the Children's House. How do these people sleep?

She did everything she could've for the people here. She purchased things for them. Found somewhat sheltered locations. At times, she created light to help search. Sometimes, all she had to do was listen to their stories.

With every person she helped, she could see the gratitude shifting onto their faces. And they all let Arianna know that much, too. Even the sleeping person she just stepped away from. The way they tucked into the blanket.

The way they needed the blanket. Arianna blinked back her tears and kept walking forwards. She walked on wandering her eyes around the city. These little acts of charity helped these people. Arianna could do it all night if she wanted to.

But she had to do more. People had to notice her. Real heroes were noticed. Praised. Loved.

Arianna's sight fell upon something unusual.

A man sat outside of a house, hands holding his face. The open door let out a warm yellow light. From what Arianna could see of the main room, the furniture tipped and tore. Windows were broken. The lights hung from a single wire.

The curiosity burned inside of her. Arianna knelt down a few feet away from the miserable man. "Is everything alright?" She asked, using a deeper, 'heroic' voice she developed throughout the night.

"What's this now?" His incredibly gruff and broken voice croaked. The man looked up, his eyes bloodshot. From stress or from tears, Arianna couldn't tell. He gave a confused look towards her. "Kid, what are you doing out this late?" His posture shifted to one of worry, the worry no longer being his own. He worried for Arianna.

Arianna shrugged off the gesture. She was the one who was supposed to give the reassurance. Not the other way around. "I am here to help." Arianna took a deep breath. The man didn't seem convinced that Arianna could actually help him. She had to not only deal with his situation, but the emotions that obviously boiled within him. "I am no child. My worries lie with your late night presence on this road." Arianna gestured to the opened door. "You live here, don't you?"