Uncharmed

Chapter 3: Introduction

             Tania woke up with a gasp. Looking about her room, she saw nothing out of the ordinary and relaxed. Just a dream, she thought as she got out of bed. Then she noticed the small scrap of paper that had, written in an elegant script, Alexander, and a phone number written on it. Tania began shaking and had to sit back down. It wasn’t all just a dream. It happened. Holding her arms tightly to herself, Tania attempted to quell her shudders and regain control of herself. Once she had stopped shaking, she went back to bed. There, at least, she knew she was safe.

            As the day progressed, Tania continued to refuse to leave her bed, let alone her room. She was glad, now more then ever, that she had no classes on Fridays. Not that she would have actually gone to them today, but at least she knew she wasn’t missing anything.

            Finally when it was just past six, someone knocked on her door. Tania pretended she wasn’t there. She heard a sigh from the other side of the door and then a familiar voice called “Open the door Tania. I know you’re in there.”

            Tania thought about it for a moment and then got up. She checked to make sure it really was Alexander before she opened the door.

            Alex shut the door behind him and then herded her back to her bed. He tossed the pizza box he carried down onto it and handed her a can of pop before snagging her chair with his foot and sitting down. “Eat. I know you haven’t left you’re room all day and you have to be getting hungry by now.”

            “I didn’t want to go outside,” Tania whispered.

            “I can understand that but you can’t stay in here forever. You’re lucky it was me who came to get you and not your friends.”

            “What do you mean?” Tania asked, freezing in the midst of opening the box.

            “They accosted me. Thought I’d done something to you and that’s why you hadn’t left your room. I told them you might be sick and that I’d bring you food. They’re the ones who told me what kind of pizza to get you.”

            Tania flushed. “I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be. Now hurry up and eat that. It’s movie night so we need to leave by seven thirty or we’ll be late.”

            “What?”

            “It’s tradition. My friends and I watch a movie every Friday at eight. You’re coming. You’ll want to put clothes on while you’re at it. Unless you want to wear your pjs there. Either way’s fine with me.”

            Looking at the clock, Tania began to wolf down her pizza. “I’m going to take a shower.”

            “I’m not stopping you,” Alex replied.

            “Don’t you dare move from that spot,” She ordered him. Alex merely grinned.

            Giving him a glare for good measure, Tania hurried into the bathroom she shared with the girl next door and proceeded to scrub herself from head to toe. The hot water and soap seemed to have a spiritually cleansing affect as well as a physical one because Tania felt much better once she got out. She changed back into her pyjamas, not entirely sure if she could trust Alexander, and went back into her room.

            Alex was sitting in the chair, still looking remarkably amused. Tania went to her dresser and dug clean clothes out, eyed Alex suspiciously and then scurried back into the bathroom to change. Once fully clothed, she dried her hair and then went back to where Alex was still sitting.