I would like some reception on this. 
Chapter 2
Aaliyah
The young ___ finished her drink and pushed it aside. The pungent effect of the double vodka helped to ease the matters of the passing day.
“How are things Aaliyah?” The bartender asked inquisitively. The low tone in his voice reflected his heavy build. The whiskers of his stash were worn with age. His name was Mickey; an elderly man whom had been running the remnants of a family business for a decade. He would be the final owner of this shabby bar, one that Aaliyah visited quite frequently.
Too frequently she thought. “Same old,” She responded with not so much as a smirk. “Michael and I have been trying to locate a Pendant.” She explained quietly as she kept a watchful eye on her surroundings.
“Any luck?” Mickey asked as he leaned upon the bar table. He had been listening to Aaliyah’s progress for the last decade –progress that never really went anywhere, but he enjoyed it all the same. Company was company, and at his ripe age of 60, he didn’t have much.
Aaliyah smirked as she looked around cautiously. She took no notice of anything out of the ordinary. No ___ and nobody out to get her. During these times, that occurred all too often. Numerous stories of ___ being hunted by humans -and sometimes killed, often circulated within the gossip of ___ and human alike.
Mickey took notice of the bags under her eyes -and her efforts to keep herself awake, as she continued to look about. Her hair was haggard and messily worn. It was dark black with red streaks running through towards ends of her hair. She often wore the same eye liner for several days, and usually dressed in the same clothes as well; a black sports bra worn underneath her leather jacket. More often than not she would keep the sleeves pulled as high as her elbows. She quite enjoyed this look. For it showed that she wasn’t scared to show the world what she actually was. Her ___ tattoos covered her belly and parts of her neck and face. However, today felt different. There was some sort of presence that she sensed far off.
“We think the Canadian Government has managed to locate one. It’s just west of here actually,” She explained as she pointed her thumb to the left. With her other hand she threw $4.50 on the table and asked for another beer. As Mickey took the change and turned towards the fridge, she continued. “It’s under the control of the military and it’s hidden away in some military base. Michael doesn’t think I should try and steal it, he thinks I might get hurt.” She elaborated with doubts about her friend’s opinion regarding her safety.
“Smart man,” Replied Mickey as he popped the beer open with a bottle opener. He laid it in front of her and said, “If you decide to do that than the repercussions will be significant. You will be labelled as an enemy of the country –and because you’re a ___, I do not think that will bode well for you,” His once heavy tone was quieted under the awareness of his customers. He leaned closer towards Aaliyah and spoke softly. “You’ve been coming to this bar for a decade. Doing the same thing, drinking during the same days and trying to locate these artifacts, perhaps they aren’t meant for you to find?”
Aaliyah snickered in doubt. She knew something that he didn’t know about them, but she wouldn’t dare say that now, not with so many ears around.
“They are, I know that much,” She responded discourteously. “But locating them is another matter entirely. These things are hard to find. For all Michael and I know, some random twat somewhere could have one at home,” She took a sip of her drink. “Besides, what other purpose would the mighty ___ have besides these?” She asked with an elaborated sense of sarcasm.
“The option to do what you want,” Mickey shot back. He could tell she was getting drunk. She had four drinks already, but usually didn’t stop until she had half a dozen.
Aaliyah wrapped her hands around her beer as if to warm it. She thought heavily before she responded. “Impossible,” She finally said. “The ___ have few, if any rights at all, and we’re under scrutiny from the public and government eye. If any fault or wrong doing should be found, we could easily be labelled as enemies of the world. Besides, it took almost a year for me to work things out with Michael, the only hearty human I know; so much as that he even looks after me.” She explained ashamed.
However, the underlying fact was that the options she had were few, and she knew it. Governments of the world would never give a ___ citizenship to any country and because of that, they would be unable to work and provide for themselves. Hence why so many resorted to using their powers –which were often seen as gifts from the public eye, to steal and rob for the basic necessities they needed to live day by day. This particular stereo type tainted the image of the ___ and made it impossible for those with good intentions to do things the way society saw fit and according.
After a long pause of silence Aaliyah finally spoke. “There’s nothing out there for us.” She said as she had another sip of her drink. She felt as though her mind was a cluttered mess. She didn’t know what she was doing and she didn’t know how to fix things for herself or her people. The only particular lead and possible option that could lead to a greater outcome was the Pendants of ___. True, she didn’t know what purpose they could ultimately serve, but they appeared to be quite mysterious. She also had one when she crawled out of the crater that was caused from her spaceship; which occurred a decade ago.
“There’s a whole world out there,” The bartender replied as he busied himself with wiping a dirty cup. He looked around before continuing. With barely as much as a whisper he said, “I know you’re a ___. You can run away, make a life somewhere, anywhere. You don`t have to live in the filth of this city.” His voice carried a sense of compassion and sympathy that hit Aaliyah hard.
The only person who was aware of her bitter circumstances besides Michael was Mickey. He was much older than she was -and because of that, she confided him in. She explained her confusion about her identity, her leads and misleads when it came to tracking the Pendants and sometimes her dreams when –if she ever, collected all the Pendants.
“I’m going to make the world a better place.” She often said dreamily. Perhaps the Pendants could give her the power to force the humans to accept her and her brethren as people of the world. She knew the effects of one of these magnificent artifacts, but she only ever had the one. She often pondered what would happen if she had all seven under her control. The thought of it made her smile.
She bit her lower lip to the thought of this and what Mickey said. But before she could respond someone walked in who caught her eye.
****, she thought to herself; realizing that she got caught off guard. The topic at hand had been deep and emotionally driving; hence why Aaliyah failed to detect this ___ that she sensed previously. Mickey took notice of her reaction and looked in that particular direction. Immediately, he knew what she was worried about. This awareness worried him as well; for if these two decided to scuffle, they could easily destroy what remained of the family bar.
“What can I get for you sir?” Asked Mickey contently.
Aaliyah glared at the ___ in contest; a warning for things to come if he didn't watch what he was doing. The ___ simply smirked at her and turned his attention towards Mickey. “I’ll have a beer, and one for the lady over there.” He said with a point in her direction.
Mickey looked over to Aaliyah worriedly and fell silent for a moment or two. “Very well.” He said with a nod as he turned around and walked back towards the fridge. The ___ dropped some change on the table and surprisingly, went walking in Aaliyah’s direction.
Aaliyah examined him curiously. He wore a heavy black sweater with the hood pulled up. It was drenched completely through and appeared to be rather haggard and worn from wear. His eyes shun a glistening green underneath the strands of black hair that fell affront his face. His face bore a striking similarity to Aaliyah’s. ___ tattoo’s populated the curvatures of his cheeks and enamored his beautiful looks.
He took the stool on Aaliyah’s left and sat down with not so much as a glance at her. She found that queer. Does he know what I am? She thought to herself. She took a sip of her drink before she turned on her stool.
“Don’t f___ with me,” She said contently. Her tone carried a warning that she knew he would comprehend. “I know what you are; what do you want?” She demanded as she curled her bottom lip.
The ___ suspired to her attitude, but ignored it and introduced himself. “Carlos,” He said pleasantly as he extended his hand towards Aaliyah. She glanced at it and decided to ignore his courteous gesture.
“I asked you a question” She retorted as she sipped her beer again. She was trying to act intimidating, but she didn’t know if he was actually buying it. His uncaring responses made her think not.
“Yea I know, but I’d rather know your name first. Tell me your name and I’ll tell you what I want,” He said with a smile. “I know you know I’m a ___, but chill.” He added as he took hold of his drink.
Mickey exchanged it for the payment and went back to cleaning the bar, all the while keeping an eye on this new customer. Never before had Mickey seen him, and to make matters worse, he was a ___, the same as Aaliyah.
She kept her thoughts to herself for a brief moment but chose to give him this one a chance. All too often she would ignore the advance of others and was reluctant in building any lasting friendships. Perhaps if she tried to indulge her trust in others, they would do the same with her.
“Aaliyah” She finally said after a long pause.
“And where did you get that name from?” Carlos asked curiously.
Aaliyah smiled. She knew that all the ___ on Earth didn`t have names at the time of their arrival; and because of that, they were forced to name themselves. Their varying locations determined what names they had to choose from; this was at least applicable for a majority of the ___, but a select few didn’t abide by this principal.
“Well... I heard a song on the radio that I really enjoyed. After hearing the artist’s name, I determined that was the one I liked the best,” She explicated as she reached for her drink. “It fits.” She added as she took a drink of her beer. “And yourself, where did you get yours from?”
“I like the sound of it. Carlos,” He explained as he looked at Aaliyah. “I know what you have,” He added nonchalantly. “You seem like a nice girl so you don’t have to worry about me trying to steal it or anything. I don’t typically get upset, unless someone is a complete *******.”
“Like ___?”
“Anybody,” He retorted. Bringing the topic back to the previous one, he asked. “What use is it to you?” He finished his drink and pushed it forward. The bar tender pointed towards his empty bottle and Carlos nodded. He threw another $4.50 on the table and looked at Aaliyah, whom fell silent. “So?” He asked pressingly.
She felt reluctant in answering that particular question. She hardly knew this man. However, she went against her instincts and answered.
“It’s not,” She lied. “But I’m thinking it might be if I can collect them all.” She added as she fingered the chain inside her pocket. Even now, the Pendant was heavy and she could feel it weighing her down.
“Collect them all?” Carlos asked. “How do you know how many there are?” He handed Mickey the $4.50 with a pleasant thank-you before turning his attention back towards Aaliyah.
“Sources,” She remarked with a smile.
Carlos smirked. “I assume you have one,” He said as he dug through his pockets for a brief moment. He pulled out something that glistened underneath the dim lights within the bar. “Well... I’ve got one as well.” He added as he put it before Aaliyah. He leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. “I’m not here to steal from you; I’m trying to find these. I’m not sure why, but they must carry some meaning; why else would they be here?”
She reached forward and picked up the Pendant. She examined it thoroughly and compared it to her own. The thin chain was exactly the same. Long, sturdy and made of some difference substance than any she recognized. She and Michael had often tried to find the particular material that these Pendants were made of, but they found no matches. Additionally, the links were solid and sturdy; unbreakable by the hands of a human.
“Look familiar?” He asked as he leaned back on his stool.
“It’s slightly different from my own. Regardless, ___ is inscribed on it, so it must be one.” She said as she handed him the Pendant back. “Wear it.” She added.
Carlos paused momentarily and looked as though he didn’t know what to say. “I can’t...” He finally said. “Nobody can.” He added doubtfully as he slid the chain around his neck. In the most mysterious manner the chain seemingly slipped off, as though it had went through his neck. Carlos smirked as it fell to his lap.
She fully expected that to happen, because even she hadn’t found anyone able to wear these Pendants. The chains would mysteriously fall off everyone’s neck but her own. This was also her own little secret. If anybody -human or ___ alike, found out that she could wear them, than undoubtedly, someone would come after her. Still, being able to wear them didn't draw her any closer to the answers she was looking for. Because of this, she decided to share what little information she had with Carlos.
“You seem like a nice guy, and yes, I do have some information that I could share with you. If you’re willing to wait until tomorrow you can meet me at a Cafe down the street. I’ll be with my friend Michael and we’ll be going over some things. You’re more than welcome to come if you want.” She said as she called Mickey over.
“Certainly, as long as you’re there, what time in particular?” Carlos asked curiously.
She asked Mickey for a pen and paper and wrote down the address and time. She slid it over to Carlos with a smile. He picked it up and flipped it over. Once he saw her number he looked up at her and smiled.
“Try not to do anything stupid in the mean time.” She told him as she picked up her Pendant and slid it around her neck. It fell in front of her chest but it didn’t fall off. She looked up to him with a smirk and took her leave.
Chapter 2 - Aaliyah
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