The Lost American

Chapter One: Strangers

For hours on end, the twisting alleys of the Finish town of Helsinki had tortured Micheal-ann Welsh, taking her every single place than her cousin's flat.

She had left the small pub where her cousin had abandoned her mid afternoon, the crowded smoky place giving her an awful headache, and she was positive it was past eight by now. Micheal-ann honestly hadn't seen the point in asking any of the few people she had seen for directions, considering she had no blasted idea where either the pub or the flat were. The fact that she didn't speak a lick of Finnish contributed to her predicament as well.

Stopping at a four way cross of back alleys, Micheal-ann groaned in annoyance and pulled her thick beanie off her head. Light brown curls dropped a bit past her shoulders, framing a heart shaped face. Her pale pink lips were slightly chapped from the frigid air, her cheeks slightly rosy underneath her tan Mediterranean skin.

Micheal-ann licked her lips before stuffing the hat into her thick coat pocket, tucking a few stray strands of curls behind her ear. She looked about for any signs, anything that might give her an idea as to were she was. Honestly she knew it wouldn't make a difference considering she didn't have a map, but she also hoped for a sign symbolizing a hotel or phone.

When she found none, Micheal-ann sniffled, rubbing her small pink nose, kicking at the filthy stones with her leather knee high boots.

The sky was dark, speckled with distant stars that waned ever so often from the rising smoke from random buildings and factories. The city was calm, the noise of city life faint, and more of a relaxing hum.

Micheal-ann felt the need to brush at her dark green coat, as she played the child's game of eenie-meenie in mind to find which way she should go next. Just as she landed on the alleyway to her right, a noise sent chills straight up her spine. It was the sound made when someone sucked the air between their two front teeth, and it sounded far to close for comfort.

Whirling around, her Celtic green eyes wide with surprise, she instantly felt like an idiot. A man a little taller than her five'six height, stood dangerously close to where she had just been, his head bald, a sick grin on his thin lips with eyes so close to black she could hardly find pupils. Honestly, she could kill her cousin for leaving her at that pub now.

He said something in Finnish, and his voice scraped against her ears like nails on a chalkboard. Micheal-ann began to glance around the alleyway for anything she might use to defend her self, and almost cursed when all she found was trash, and a few broken records. The man spoke again, this time his lips curling up to show yellowing teeth, as he took a few steps forward.

Out of simple instinct, Micheal-ann followed his movements, taking a few steps back as well. Her mind raced as thoughts of fighting her way out began to surface. The man wasn't skinny, and she could see through his thin clothes that any muscle he once had was turning quickly to fat. All in all, she could put up a hell of a fight, her own body honed by years of swimming.

The man made a jerky move and Micheal-ann couldn't help the shocked cry jumping back like a cat might do to water.

Suddenly another male voice filled the alleyway from the left alley's darkness. It also spoke Finnish but this man's voice was deep and lilting, the foreign words spoken with such eloquence Micheal-ann almost lost her train of though in them.

It was now the bald man's turn to jump away from her as if she suddenly had contracted the plague and with a few uttered Finnish words, he hustled away with as much sound as he had made in sneaking up on her. Watching his back fade into the darkness, Micheal-ann sighed in relief.

"You ought to be more careful as to where you decide to rest a moment." The same voice that had spoken in Finnish, now filled the dark with the same robust sound, this time in English. Micheal-ann chuckled nervously as she strained to see the man who was speaking. A wave of relief went through her at first, someone who spoke English!