"W-what did you j-ust say?" Alita struggled to ask but ended up stammering. Her head was in complete chaos and her body's trembling intensified partly because of the cold weather and partly because of the chills that followed the new information she just received. Was he serious about what he just said? Why would anyone joke with something like that? His face showed no sign of playfulness when she stared intently at him, but she just couldn't believe it.
"Lies." She half-whispered, shaking her head. "You are lying to me." She yelled this time, but with less vigor than the last time she screamed. She refused to believe any word that comes from him, even if he was saying it so seriously.
Axel sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, they quickly examined her body. He noticed that the glowing red mark on her palm had dimmed. It was still glowing but the intensity had reduced significantly. It works together with her emotions, it seemed.
"I'm not lying, Alita." He said tiredly. "I'm going to let you go now. Don't attack me." He waited a little to see her reaction to what he said. He slowly dropped her hand when he was satisfied with whatever he saw in her eyes. After taking one step back, he released her wrists from his iron grip and her hands fell back to her side.
Due to the sudden loss of heat from his hands and proximity, and the gradual dying down of the anger – which had kept her burning hot – the cold wind hit her harder. Even though she was wearing her jacket, she was still visibly trembling. Still, she didn't move. She stood there, staring at him with an unfamiliar gaze. No matter how much Axel tried, he couldn't discern what was running through her mind. He knew she was thinking of what he just said, but he couldn't tell which direction her thoughts were drifting.
A few more seconds passed and she still didn't say anything. He had noticed how the cold was affecting her. However, he didn't say anything because he was expecting her to say something and he didn't want to interrupt her. His patience ran out when she still didn't say anything after a long while.
"Come back to the car."
"No!" She rejected instantly.
"You are shivering. You will fall sick if you continue staying out here." He tried to reason with her, but she shook her head in refusal.
"Please, Alita. I don't want you to fall sick." He continued trying to convince her.
"Why do you care if I fall sick?"
"Because I do. And I want to help you find the people who killed your family." He answered with a steady voice and serious expression.
"Why?" She asked again, this time with narrowed eyes. Why would he be offering to help her?
"Come back to the car and I will tell you why."
Alita's eyes narrowed further, but she said nothing more. After what seemed like a long time of contemplating, she finally moved, evoking a breath of relief from Axel.
She walked back toward the direction of the car without uttering a single word. She was already exhausted so even if she wanted to refuse, she wouldn't be able to run to her house from here. And considering the cold, she may not be able to make it.
When they reached the car, Axel opened the door for her and she climbed in. He shut the door, walked around the car to get in through the other side, and shut the door. Asher, who was already in the car, turned on the ignition and started driving. Once he was away from the parking lot, he turned on the car heater.
Nobody spoke, nobody moved. The car was permeated in complete silence. Before long, Alita's shivering stopped as her body slowly heated up.
"Why do you want to help me?" She asked again when she was warm enough. His offering to help her was one of the most disturbing and unbelievable things she heard that day. She didn't look at him. Instead, her eyes were closed, and her head leaning on the headrest.
"Because I know exactly how you are feeling. I felt the same way when my family was murdered. Mine was even worse because they were killed by our kind... By vampires. I couldn't rest until I found them and killed them all. There's just one person remaining and I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to strike..." He paused for a moment, then continued.
"I know exactly what you feel, Alita. Nobody should be made to experience such kind of pain. That's why I want to help you find the person behind it. With the resources at my disposal, we'll get faster results. Please allow me to help." He ended his explanation, but the next thing that greeted his ears was her sniffing and he immediately knew she was crying again. He turned his body so that he will be able to see her properly. Her eyes were still closed, howbeit, tears streamed down her cheek.
The sight broke his heart into a million pieces. "I'm truly sorry for all you had to go through. I'll try to make it up to you by making sure you get justice for your family. Please stop crying." He pleaded.
"My sister is still missing. I think they took her that day and are still keeping her till today." Alita sniffed again and opened her eyes. Her tears kept flowing as she remembered Alexa's face that night.
Axel knitted his brows at this. "You have a sister?"
Alita nodded. "Yes. They took her that day."
"That can't be right. I am very sure we killed all the breathing vampires we found around your house that day." Axel commented as he remembered what happened that night.
"I am very sure." Alita said and she iterated everything that happened that night to him.
Axel listened carefully, occasionally clenching his fists and knitting his brows where necessary. "What's her name and how does she look?" He asked when she finished the narration.
"Her name is Alexa. She's my twin and she looks exactly like me except for the eyes. Her eyes are blue, unlike mine." She described.
"If she is in Havilla or Creola, I promise I will find her. But if she is somewhere in Greenlight City or the other two human-dominated cities, I may not be able to do much. Nevertheless, I promise to do everything in my power to find her." Axel assured her.
Alita blinked. A strange warmth enveloped her heart and hope bloomed again at the thought that she would be able to see Alexa again. More tears rolled down her cheek. This confused Axel. He began to think maybe there was something more making her cry.
"Please stop crying." He implored.
"Thank you." She whispered while wiping her tears with the back of her fingers.
"I know you are hurting, Alita. But I want you to know that in the same way there are good and bad humans, there are also good and bad vampires. The wrong deed of one person shouldn't be enough reason for you to condemn the entire race. That wouldn't be fair." Axel solemnly said.
After another three minutes of absolute silence, the car came to a stop.
"I'm sorry about your shirt. I really wished I could at least pay for it." Alita commented when she got out of the car. Axel stood right in front of her, but this time, there was no mischievous smile on his lips.
"If you want to pay for it, then have dinner with me tomorrow. I'll consider it as full payment for the shirt." He said.
"Okay." She agreed.
"Goodnight, Alita."
"Goodnight, Axel." She wished before she walked into her apartment.