Title: Like Cracked Steel

Description; Bella's older sister Alice tries to shield her from street life, but when Alice is incapacitated Bella takes matters into her own hands. That's when death finds her. His says his name is Hades, and they've met before.

Authors note:

Hey guys. I don't usually put writing online, but might as well start sometime. Give it a shot. Lemmie know what you think. I haven't written much in a while, so still trying to grasp my bearings a bit. Hope ya dig it.

–O.K.

One

Shockingly, Bella had no idea how to sell drugs.

Somehow, after living with a dealer for six weeks, she still wasn't sure how much an ounce of crack even cost. Did they even sell crack by the ounce, or was that weed? Fuck. She pulled her knees up under the edge of her thick army jacket, curling under it in a ball against the brick alley wall.

Think realistically. Logically. Logistics. She had three hours until James got back, and probably about one hour until Alice woke up enough to realize she was missing, but not coherent enough to realize Bella had left a vague note. Fifteen minutes to get back to the apartment, ten more minutes before she was far enough away to be even moderately comfortable enough to just think about the little baggy burning a hole tucked between her underwear and her thigh.

Alice's face stared at her from the backs of her eyelids, eye puffy and purple.

"Hey, uh, you lookin for somethin?" She stuttered, rolling her lips inward as she addressed the two guys across from her, both huddled over some cards. They rolled their gazes toward her, peeking out through mops of thickly dreaded hair.

"Why, you offerin?" The one sneered, eyes traveling from one trembling end of her body to the other.

Way to look tough, Bella, she thought.

"Sixty for an ounce." She said firmly. That sounded right.

The one who'd spoken laughed, "Baby if I'm buyin, it ain't gonna be drugs."

She froze.

The other man, huddled under layered sweaters and blanket capes squinted his eyes from beneath his layered cloth turtle shell; "Hey… Aren't you James's girl? No… no you're that other chick's kid, aren't you? Alison or some shit, right?" He moved to stand, shifting closer, "He know you're out her running his shit?"

She was gone before he had a chance to say another word, launching herself off the ground so fast she fell flat, scrapping the palms of her hands against the wet grit of the street before propelling forward and around the corner, stumbling as she ran.

Bad, bad idea, Bella. Bad bad bad bad idea.

Her lungs burned, her legs finally giving out just as she reached a bench outside a small twenty four hour store. She tugged the top of her jacket over her head as snow speckled her burning cheeks and nose. Her heavy huffs sent fog blasting into the cold air.

She needed to get back to the apartment. She needed to check on Alice, she should have never left her. She should have never done this. There had to be another way to get some cash, just enough for a damn bus ticket.

"Hey."

She turned sharply, expecting one of the guys behind her. Instead it was a thin, lanky blonde guy. His hair crowned his head like a halo, reaching out in thick curls to catch the snow.

"You okay?" He said after a pause.

"Um." Bella stared at him, hand reaching into her pocket for the comfortable weight of her letter opener.

"You, uh, look cold—listen its real late, you need to call someone? We've got a phone inside." He gestured inside the little shop.

Yeah and what are you gonna charge for that phone call? She thought.

"It's really okay, it's just real cold out here and, shit, no offence but you look awful. You can sit right here by the door, I'll stay behind the counter—I promise." He slid a hand into his hair and ruffled it, eyebrows knit together.

Bella slowly stood, hand firmly clamping the cool handle of the letter opener as she slowly maneuvered to the other side of the bench.

Alice would slap her for this, but in the few minutes she had spent on the bench she had realized just how cold it was getting, too cold to think straight. She just needed a few minutes to warm her blood and get it flowing enough to think of a plan, plus it would be harder to find her in there on the off chance those guys had decided to follow her.

She followed the guy inside, his smile sending cold ice into her stomach.

But he was true to his word, and slipped behind the counter immediately as she began to step through the door.

The TV droned on quietly in the background. Short isles of snack food were poorly lit under the flickering lights, a crate of stock sitting right beside the door. Bella parked herself lightly on top, watching the guy nervously.

"I'm Jasper, by the way."

"Okay." She said.

"You want the phone?"

"No."

"Okay." He picked up the TV remote, flipping through channels slowly.

"I love night shift," He said, "My dad lets me run the shop alone, so I can switch the channel to whatever and no one cares."

So he was one of those types that felt uncomfortable with silence. She felt herself relax a bit, and nodded.

He muted the TV, looking over at her for a moment, "You sure you don't need to call anyone?.."

Yeah, she was sure. Hello Mr. Policeman, can you assist me home? I seem to have attracted the wrong crowd when I tried to sell two gentleman this fine packet of cocaine, and could really use some assistance returning to my sister and her boyfriend, whom I borrowed the drugs from.

"It's fine, really." She said.

He smiled and nodded.

Bella was starting to feel her fingertips again, and she stood. Alice would be awake soon, and it was obvious she was not cut out to sell narcotics on the street. Her only shot was returning the drugs to James's stash before he realized, and figuring something else out. Soon.

"I should get going. Thanks." She rolled her shoulder as she stood.

"Yeah, hey, wait—" He rushed around the counter and she froze.

"Jesus." His eyes were wide, the package of granola bars falling to the floor as his arms snapped up in surrender. Their eyes locked, her knife blade held posed between them.

"I-I," She stuttered. She wanted to drop the letter opener, but she couldn't. Her arm was locked in place, somewhere between then and now, memories locking the muscles so all they could do was tremble.

"Here," He slowly knelt, watching her as he leaned to pick up the bars and push them across the floor so they scattered at her feet. The knees of his jeans thick with dirt and dust as he rose back up.

Bella knelt, picking up the granola bars and bundling them under her arm, the tip of her knife dropping as she backed slowly. He watched her, eyes hard.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, thank you, really." She whispered, before whipping out back onto the street.

Hands, grabbing. Pressure. Blazing, yellow eyes. Short black hair, picking and pulling. She made it a few meters before slumping against the building and dry heaving into the snow.

Alice, yelling, her face millimeters from Bella's own, her tears dropping onto Bella's cheeks and she screamed foggy, static words. Arms pressing Bella's head to Alice's warm chest as it vibrated with sound. Counting the thick veins in Alice's small arm as she rocked Bella and cried.

Bile dropped from Bella's mouth into the snow. The granola bars tumbled around her as she fell.

It was midnight. The occasional headlights flew over like ghosts over Bella's small body, curled into the pillow of snow, pulsing with light like the occasional heartbeat.

Under the foot of built up dirty snow, she was invisible to the world. Shaking, and lost in the past.

She was so cold. She was the cold. Thick and frozen.

Well. She tried.

Tomorrow was going to be hellish. Maybe she'd lucked out and James had been picked up while he was out. Maybe Alice would still be passed out when Bella got back. Maybe the safe would still be opened a crack, just enough to replace the drugs and get the hell out.

She huffed from her nose, blinking snowflakes from her lashes. Hell, Alice was so much smaller—maybe Bella could just drag her out. She'd done it before, anyway, when Alice had camped them out in that building and shot up when she thought Bella was asleep a few summers ago. She hadn't been sleeping, thankfully, or it might have been too late when they finally realized the building had caught on fire. It had been enough for Alice to clean up for a bit, until they ran into James.

Sirens sounded in the distance. Had Bella been cold? She thought so, but her feet were so uncomfortably hot now. She kicked off her boots, burying her socked feet in the cool snow before doing the same with her hands.

She was so tired. She just had to shut her eyes for a second, just one second—enough to erase that hard look in Jasper's eyes as he watched her retreat from his dad's shop. Just enough to think back to curling up against Alice, warm and full…

She awoke to cool hands on her cheeks. Her eyes opened, hooded and lazy as they gazed at the face inches from her own, leaning over her.

Long, bright auburn hair spread like light around a symmetrical jaw line and deep, swirling black eyes framed in thick lashes. Warmth oozed onto her face as she stared into his expectant, searching gaze.

"Are you an angel?" She slurred, lips thick and tongue swollen.

"No," His voice was deep, volcanic, "I'm death."

"Oh." Bella licked her top lip, but couldn't quite get her tongue out entirely, "Shit."

She slipped into the darkness.