• The air was cold and rigid. It was a winter December morning, about 10 o'clock. The sea breeze made my face cold as ice. My teeth chattered, from hypothermia and fright. I was afraid I wasn't going to die. So here I stood, on the railing of a bridge in Chicago, about to fall to my death in an icey river with hundreds of people surrounding around me. Some were telling me not to jump, others just screamed in horror. I closed my eyes and extended my arms out away from my sides. All the people around me gasped as they saw me roll up onto my toes. As soon as I began to lean forward, someone came from behind me and pulled me back, holding me close in his arms. The crowd sighed with relief and I gasped in amazement. I never expected anyone to save me. And even in the cold, five degree weather, he was warm.

    I didn't recognize him. Maybe I never met him before. The expression on his face was flustered as he looked down at me. The strange man was much taller than I was, with blue eyes and brown hair down to his shoulders. I heard him sigh right before he said "Suicide won't solve your problems. And there are children around." His voice wasn't as deep as I thought it would be, but it was soothing. All I could do to respond was sigh. I had forgotten how to speak. He looked into my eyes and waited for a response. After a moment I remembered how to say, "I know." The wind picked up and whipped my hair around my face, just then I realized the crowd cleared. The strange man was gazing out at the sun, rising above the river.

    "Why did you save me?" I asked calmly. He broke his gaze and looked down at me, but didn't answer. I looked down at the ground and quietly said, "Okay then." Finally he let go of me. The air was so cold I wanted to jump back into his arms, but I didn't. he grabbed my arm and began to walk away, so I followed close behind. As we walked down the streets, it seemed as though nothing ever happened, like no one saw me about to jump. I wanted to know who he was, why he saved me, and where he was taking me. But all the words were stuck in my throat, literally. Choking me breathless until I began coughing. Then he turned around and looked at me. Something about the warm smile that stretched across his face made me catch my breath. When I was able to breathe again he turned back around and started walking again. I couldn't take it anymore, I had to know who he was. "What's your name?" I asked him. He stopped and turned back towards me. "Cameron." I nodded once, thinking if I've ever met someone with that name. Nothing came to mind. I guessed he knew I wasn't going to ask anything else, because he began walking again, gripping my arm tighter.

    As we walked down the street, I heard yelling comming from an alley just a few steps away from us. I don't know if Cameron heard it because he kept his same pace and looked straight ahead. I looked down the alley as we walked pass it, to see a group of people ganging up on one girl. She yelled at them, cursing and threatening. They were all dark skinned, like a black cloud spitting blood on the asphalt. I stopped and stood still. Cameron said something to me but I was too interested in the fight to listen. "Why can't you help her? You saved me but you'll let her bleed and be beaten to death?"

    He sighed and rolled his eyes, dropping my arm and walked toward the brawl. The beaten girl dropped to her knees after being punched in the stomach. Five of the people were females and three were males. The guys sat on a dumpster and watched Cameron walk over to them. Two of the girls were holding the blood-stained one still while one punched and kicked her. The two other girls were sitting by the guys.

    "Hey! Leave Ria alone." He yelled out.
    "Or else what?" One girl holding her yelled back.
    He walked over to her and grabbed her arm, squeezing it tight so she gasped and pulled it away from him. Without anymore discussion she said, "Leave her."
    The group gave me and Cameron an evil glare, then walked away. She stayed on her knees and said, "You didn't have to."
    "I know." He responded.
    "Then why?" She looked up at him and he looked at me. She looked in my direction then back at him. "Her?"
    "Yeah. She wanted me to."
    "Why?"
    "I don't know. You think I read minds?"
    She just smiled.
    I walked to them with my arms crossed, trying to block the wind from reaching my body. "Uh, are you ok?" She looked up at me and smiled again. "Yeah. Thanks." I smiled, too, then Cameron held out his hand to help her up.
    When she grabbed his hand I felt a sudden rush of jealousy, and I didn't know why. A burst of wind flew through the alley, making my hair fly upward and messing up his hair, too. Ria fixed his hair and said, "Can I do your hair, Cameron. It's long yet so plain. He just looked at her and nodded a clear 'no.' I couldn't help but laugh.
    She looked at me and fixed my hair too. "So, whats your name?"
    "Holly."
    She smiled and held her arm out to shake mine. "Well, hi there Holly." I shook her hand and smiled, too.