• And the detective turned and strolled down the street.
    He never looked back. He never saw me standing there, shocked at the way my fiancé had just walked away like that. Perhaps he didn't care, because he sauntered off, just like Jimmy had, although with less seriousness.
    I think my stableness had melted there, and all of my strength was sapped from my body. I felt light-headed, like I was walking on water and flying at the exact same time. My knees suddenly gave out from under me, and I slipped into an unusual black abyss, that I was told only the sick and wick-minded experience.
    My head aching, I awoke later, after what seemed like eons for me. At first my vision was blurry; I couldn't make out anything but fuzzy shapes. I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus in on something, and saw faces. They all belonged to the people who had witnessed the event of Jimmy cracking open the safe. All of their faces carried the same expression; worry.
    My father asked anxiously, "Oh, Annabellele! Are you alright?! You gave us all quite the shock when you just fainted like that!"
    I smiled wearily, "I'm alright, Father, really. Where's Jimmy...? Oh..." I trailed off as I remembered why I had blacked out in the first place. The way my love had high-tailed it out of there, not even impeding his little runaway to notice that I had called his name. The way the air around him seemed somewhat different, as if his soul had darkened, or he just changed completely. I had fainted out of shock because of his actions.
    I wasted the rest of who knows how long (a week, maybe. I never kept count) moping around the house, not wanting to do anything or go anywhere. All I wanted was Jimmy. I wanted him home, and I wanted him to explain himself. To enlighten me on why he acted the way he did, and to make him tell me anything he was hiding from me.
    The only thing interesting in the news that week was about a few safe robberies at some bank in New Orleans. Although, they weren't technically classified as 'robberies'. Nothing was stolen. It was as if nothing at been touched. The only actual damage done was that someone had broken into the safe. It was very strange.
    The next week, however, that man (Ben Price, he told me later, was his name), the one who had seemed to know my fiancé "true" identity (if there was one) had called for me, and wished to meet with me. I immediately agreed. This was the closest source for information about answers I was seeking.
    He met me at the café down the way, right in the center of town. He was dressed not so professionally this time, only wearing a simple, casual outfit. It looked like he was not so serious as I had thought him to be about this, from as far as I could tell. But who was I to tell him off?
    "Ah, Miss Annabelle, how are you? You look very lovely today."
    I faked a warm smile, and answered airily, "Thank you. I am fine."
    I knew he could tell I was being phony, but he did not press the matter. We made some small talk for the next few minutes. I wanted so badly just to burst and demand he tell me all he knew of Jimmy, but my act as a proper lady would not tolerate with me acting as if I were three and ready to throw some silly tantrum. All I could do was wait for the opportune moment.
    After a few minutes of the ridiculous talking, I got fed up, and cried out, "Please! You must know something! Please tell me about Jimmy! Why has he not come back?! Why did he just leave?! Did I do something?!"
    Mr. Price looked at me, sighing, "My dear, please do calm down. I will not tell you anything until you breathe and show me that you can handle the truth."
    I exhaled heavily, and held my tongue.
    "That's better. Are you absolutely sure you are prepared for this?"
    I exclaimed, "Yes, of course! I want to know everything!"
    He cleared his throat, and said in a most firm tone, "I will put it bluntly. Your fiancé is not who you think he is." Before I could open my mouth to protest, he sighed again, "He is a criminal. A most well-known one at that."
    I gasped. No, that was impossible! My sweet, caring Jimmy, a criminal?! "You're..." I stopped myself. He wouldn't pull me all the way out here to tell me that my fiancé was something horrid for just a pleasant joke; Mr. Price seemed much too much a gentleman to even think about doing that. I couldn't force myself to believe he was lying to me. To make this even worse, I now had no one to place the blame on.
    He reached forward, and patted my shoulder. "He's a safe-cracker. You've probably heard of some of the more ludicrous scandals recently." Mr. Price stood up to leave, but stopped, adding, "I forgot. His name is not Jimmy Spencer, or whatever he came up with for an alias. His real name is Percy Garrison."
    And there was where he left me to soak in everything he had just said to me. My husband-to-be was a convict?! I had been about to marry one of the state's most wanted convicts, and he never told me anything. By now, I had started to wonder if "Jimmy" had even truly loved me. Were all those sweet nothings he would whisper in my ear total lies? It didn't seem like it, for I had fallen for him terribly hard. Now it hurt to think what was to become of this whole situation.
    I walked back home alone that evening. This probably wasn't the most intelligent thing to do on my part, for the streets of this town weren't the safest places to be right after nightfall.
    "Well, well. Hey, Johnny, lookie at what we've got here. A pretty little thing all by her lonesome. Perhaps she'd like an escort back to her lovely home, eh?"
    A gravely voice responded to that, "Yeah, I say that we should take her somewhere else though..."
    The first voice laughed menacingly, "Let's go."
    A sudden pain in the back of my neck made me slip back into the same darkness that I had experienced earlier today. This was my second time today that I had fallen into unconsciousness.
    I awoke, yet again, into some dark place. It felt like it was moving, since I found myself suddenly pushed against a wall (I'm guessing).
    That same gravely voice, 'Johnny', that I had heard earlier spoke again, "Oh, Mark, our lovely guest is awake now."
    'Mark' answered back slyly, "Perhaps we should reveal ourselves now."
    The moving feeling stopped, and then a few seconds later, moonlight thrust itself into the darkness. I saw two figures standing in front me, and their smirks were the only thing that was visible in the heavy darkness right now.
    The one named Mark was evidently the leader of the two of them. He seemed more cunning and wiser than his partner. He also looked shadier. "Hello, my dear. I'm Mark, and this fellow here is Johnny. And we want to welcome you to New Orleans."
    I glared at the two of them. How long had I been out for? The back of my neck was searing with pain, so I'm guessing they must've hit me pretty hard. But why kidnap me and take me to some random city?
    "Well, missy, we need you to come with us. We're meeting a guy for lunch, and we don't want to lose you, so I'm afraid you must come." Mark chuckled.
    They gave me no choice. Mark was immediately in front of me, and before I could register it, he had swung me over his shoulder. I had only one option left at this point. I didn't like it, but I could only do what any lady would do in a problem like this. Scream as loud as I possibly could, in hopes that someone would come to rescue me.
    A shriek flew out of my mouth. "Help! Somebody-"
    Mark instantly growled, cutting me off, "You scream again, and I'm afraid I'll have to knock you out again. I really don't want to, but if you continue..." That was my cue to be silent for the rest of the comfortable bouncing trip on this guy's shoulder. I do believe that being abducted gave me a slight sarcastic edge.
    "Hey! You!" A shout came from down the alley. My face cracked out into a beaming smile. Someone had heard me!
    "Let the lady go, or you'll regret it!" My savior yelled at my captors. Why is this voice so familiar? It's very masculine, and it has a deep tone. No! It couldn't be him...Then again, in the news; there had been reports about safe crackings in this city, so it could be possible since he's apparently some state-renown crook.
    I was set down not so agreeably (to my degree), more thrown down against the alley wall, than anything. Mark and Johnny started to size up my savior, who just smiled with a challenge-to see if they could actually take him down. I bit my lip as Mark rushed forward with a punch to hurl, but he neatly dodged it, making Mark go sprawling down the alley. Johnny tried the same technique, only to end up with the same result as his partner.
    "Hello, Annabelle. Fancy meeting you here." My savior said, making me cry out.
    "Oh, Jimmy-sorry, I mean-Percy! Is that you?!"
    He smirked radiantly, "I do believe so."
    "Explain yourself!"
    He sighed deeply, "Darling, what is there to explain? I returned to my criminal ways, and didn't want for you to be caught up with me and my past, so I left. Except, apparently, fate doesn't want me to leave you alone."
    "So you still love me? Because I could never forget you. Even though you lied to me. And even though you just walked off. I know I'm probably being way too easy with you on this, but I can't help it. I-" I whispered softly, hoping that even Percy could hear it.
    "I get it, Annabelle. You forgive me. Thank you, even though I don't deserve it."
    Unfortunely, Jimmy hadn't knocked my captors out all the way, as Mark butted in with, "How touching. Really. Who would think the notorious criminal Percy Garrison had a sweetheart?"
    Percy spun around, snapping, "You b*****d! You just leave now, and leave us alone!"
    I flinched at the sound of his voice. "Jimmy" had never risen his voice, nor gotten angry. Then again, this was a completely different man standing in front of me.
    He stepped back quickly, and then shouted, "Annabelle, get out of here!"
    A gunshot suddenly rang through the alley. Pain erupted in my upper left arm. Another "bang!" and then the pain spread to my right arm.
    Everything was numb. I felt no pain as I collapsed. All I could hear was Percy screaming. All I could make out was him grabbing the gun that Mark was holding and firing. Three times.
    "Annabelle! Annabelle!"
    I could see warm crimson around me. I heard another thud right next to me. Something warm grabbed my hand, and I turned my head, looking straight into the eyes of Percy Garrison, whose hand now grasped my own as if I was his last lifeline in this world. Which I probably was at this moment.
    He managed to strain out some words. "Annabelle...I love you, and I'm sorry."
    I croaked, "I love you, too...Jimmy."
    Our lips met for a brief second, and Jimmy Spencer pulled away, laughing.
    "Oh, Annabelle. I'm...sorry. I really do love you."
    His hand tightened his grip on mine, loosened, and then Jimmy Spencer left this world by laughing. I could feel my own life slipping away by the second. I wished it to hurry. I wanted to join my Jimmy on the other side. I smiled, wanting to die happy as well.
    "I love you even more, Jimmy."
    And with that, I was airborne in some fantasy world that could only appear in the wildest of dreams.