You Can Run To Me

Forty-Six

It was a Saturday and Natalie was bored out of her mind staring at a textbook in her room come coffin. It was certainly about as quiet as the grave in here. Everyone else seemed to be outside enjoying the moderate sunshine this April day was affording them. Natalie, though, was studying. She had shut away her phone and told everyone to leave her be for a few hours. There was a Law mock this week and the professor had insisted that it would somehow count towards their final grade. Natalie wasn't completely convinced by this, but the urge to cram just in case was just too strong. Or at least it might be, if it weren't so darned nice out there. Maybe she should just take the textbook at with her and get the best of both.

She found herself gazing lustfully out of the window and quickly decided against that idea. No way would she get anything done out there. She needed something to help her focus, though. She leaned toward her bag and pulled out her phone... and a set of earbuds. The least she could do was listen to music as she worked. She plugged in the jack and instantly her phone screen lit up, demon that it was. Right at the top of her notifications was, predictably, a message from Ephren. She had meant to go straight to her music, but that was of course a naïve hope. Helplessly she tapped in her pin and brought up her messenger.

I know you said ur busy

But its been at least an hour now

Miss u

Can we pls meet up

If u wont come to me Ill come to u

I warned u

As if planned, the second she read the last message, there came a knock at her door. She huffed histrionically so he could hear.

"Go away," she called out half-heartedly.

Silence from the other side of the door.

Natalie shrugged, surprised he'd given up so easily, and turned to her work with renewed resolve. Her phone would stay off this time. Then came another knock. Nat jumped, though how she hadn't expected such a thing from him escaped her.

"Ephren!" she cried, making his name a complaint.

Again, though, he didn't speak. Rolling her eyes mentally she figured she might as well play this one out. She turned back to the textbook, scanned to the bottom of the page and realized she had already read it. She turned the page. He knocked again, but this time she was ready for it and kept her mouth shut. When there was a gap of well over two minutes, she guessed that he must finally have gotten the message. Except, of course, then there was more rapping at the door. Fuming, she sprung up and flung open the door.

There was no one to be seen.

Leaning forward slowly, she poked her head around the door. The whole world seemed to have faded into silence, leaving behind only the sound of her breathing. It was obviously just Ephren playing a trick on her, and a mean one at that. Except the corridor seemed empty to her. There was no way he could have moved that fast, right? Where could he have even gone? She jumped back and shut the door, perching back on the edge of her chair with her knees up to her chin.

The door reverberated softly as it was tapped at once more by... a set of knuckles? Natalie pulled a pencil – not one of her best ones, of course, only a mere HB – and tiptoed up to the door. The knock came again just as she was about to put her hand on the handle, making her flinch. She steeled herself, trying to let her rational mind convince her animal instinct that this was going to be Ephren. She hoped she wasn't going to try and stab him with this pencil. The thought distracted the mouse within just long enough for her to yank the door wide open and rush towards whatever was on the other side.