Dark Angel (A 001 prequel story)

Bonus: AU// Broken Walls

Rose looked up at her target.
Her favorite cookies were on the highest shelf. She pondered her options. Her powers would make it easy to make a pack fall into her hands, instead of raising on her toes and trying to reach it.
The mall wasn't crowded.
If there were cameras she could deal with them too.
How long would it take for her to make a pack fall?
She could feel her powers begging her to be used, to tap the right invisible threads.
Julian was around and he would become very angry and annoying if he caught her doing that in a public place.
It had been more than a year that she lived with him, with no prospects for her future other than being his housekeeper while he worked as a reporter to earn some money and feed both of them.
Often she had to reminded herself why she had to stay hidden, ignored by the world. She remembered her family being massacred under her eyes, before the blackout in her memories. The year of her life she had forgotten about, lived somewhere in a town called Hawkins.
Rose knew she had special abilities. Abilities that Julian didn't know how to explain to her and that freaked him out.
But if someone else would find out about it, it would be the end of her freedom.
Act normal, she reminded to herself.
She raised in her toes to reach for the pack, but a hand snatched it before she could grab it.
She turned, alarmed by the presence of a stranger behind her that she hadn't heard approaching her.
He was a tall young man, piercing blue eyes crowned by dirty blond hair.
He smiled at her, offering her the pack.
"They are my favourite too" he said.
She took the pack and tried to move away from him, bumping against the shelves.
He didn't seem to want to step back.
"Thanks" she mumbled, hoping in vain that he would step back.
He stared at her with some amusement, making the moment become very awkward. Then he seemed to realize it.
"Sorry. I should start with: hi, I'm Henry".
He offered her a hand.
She looked at it. She hated strangers, seeing them as a menace if they acted kindly. She just wanted to stay away from them.
But there was something about him that made her want to give him a chance.
Although in that moment, feeling cornered in a mall made her wish to use her powers to push him away and make him regret talking to her.
"Hi, Henry" she said awkwardly. Staring at him made her feel dizzy "I need to go".
"Just a moment, please" he didn't move away. He took the pack that she was hugging and place it into the cart behind him "Can we talk? In private? It won't take long, I promise".
Rose started to breathe heavily.
No way she was going to be somewhere private with a creepy stranger.
"Please, Rose" he insisted.
She widened her eyes. Was he a stalker?
"How do you know my name?" she snapped.
"I'll tell you. In private" he insisted.
"I don't... think it's a good..." she said clumsily.
"Rose!".
Probably she had never felt more grateful to hear Julian's voice.
Finally Henry stepped away from her to face the reporter.
"Something wrong? Who are you?" Julian asked peering at the stranger with clear diffidence.
"It's alright. You know me" Henry leaned towards him to whisper "I'm from the lab".
Rose stared dumbfounded at him. What did it mean?
Julian's reaction didn't help her to understand.
"Thank you for helping her" Henry added "I just need to talk to her for a moment".
Julian looked between them, then nodded "It's alright. I'll wait right here. I think it's safe, Rose. If it's not, you can take care of yourself".
Sure, I can torture this weird stranger. Although he looks too handsome to deserve to be wasted. She told herself.
"Come. We just talk" Henry waved at a door to a fire escape.
If he had bad intentions, he'll regret it. She promised to herself.
"Who are you?" she asked when they were in the fire escape. She kept a safety distance from him.
"You don't know me but I'm a friend. I've helped you escape your prison just before Julian took you away".
The smell of the knowledge that had been robbed from her was so inviting.
"Then you know what happened to me? Why I forgot a year of my life?".
"Yes. I do" he said confidently.
She raised her brow, expecting for more.
"But that's a story for another day. I just wanted to see you, Rose. To know if you're alright".
Was that all? She blinked in confusion "I think I am. If you're from Hawkins, you've travelled this far just to tell me this? How can I know you're not a jailer? One of those who held me captive and probably tortured me?".
"What do you think I truly am? I know about your powers. I know you can sense the truth about me".
She breathed deeply, feeling almost about to panic. Like she was helplessly exposed.
She focused on what he suggested. She didn't feel him like a treat. But there was something weird about him. He made her feel dizzy. She wanted to trust him, but what if she was deviated by his handsome face and his friendly attitude?
"You're... weird. Who are you? What do you know about my powers?".
He stepped closer and she stilled, unwilling to move away but if he made a wrong step she would react.
"I have them too. We are the same" he confided softly to her.
The idea that finally she met someone like her, who had her powers, who could understand her was like seeing her biggest dream come true.
"Show me" she challenged him.
He smirked and raised a hand.
She felt an invisible force pushing her against the wall, her shoes scraping the floor.
She almost lost balance, but he caught her wrist to hold her up.
The unexpected touch made her react. She raised her free hand and tried to shove him away.
But he didn't budge.
"Easy" he said chuckling.
He let her go as soon as she regained her balance.
"You're strong" she said feeling silly.
"You are too. There's no one like us, Rose. I wonder if you agree if we meet, occasionally or regularly".
No one like us.
"I've met someone else who has abilities too" she blurted, like trying to expose him and his supposed lie "She uses illusions".
"Eight" he said promptly, then corrected himself "Kali. You're right. She can manipulate what you see, create illusions. But that's nothing compared to what you and I can do".
Hearing that he knew Kali comforted her a little.
"So what do you say? Do you agree to meet me again and know more about yourself?".
She nodded. It didn't feel a hard choice.
"Great" he seemed triumphant and picked a card from his pocket "You can find me here every morning. Come when you feel ready to see me again".
She looked at the location and the address written on the card "Do you work in a church?".
Good Lord forgive her if she had unholy thoughts for a handsome churchman.
He couldn't stifle a laugh "No. It's a just a peaceful place".
"Okay, then" she hid the card in her pocket and walked back to find Julian.
"Please, let me pay back for your help" Henry handed him a wallet.
Julian widened his eyes at the sight of cash.
"Just take it" Henry said firmly before he could complain "I'll see you soon, Rose".
His eyes lingered on her as he smiled broadly, then he disappeared.