Mother Nature's Spotlight 2/4
Title: Mother Nature's Spotlight
Chapter: 2/4
Author: kiroyo
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I own this page of lies.
Rating: G
Pairing: Aoi x Uruha
Synopsis: When our skin touched and our eyes met, I knew we were meant to be.
Uruha’s pov
The past few days were a blur. I had been running on insufficient sleep and deadlines chase me even in my dreams. Day after day I slugged through with only caffeine and an ounce or two of bread to get me through the cycle of school, home and assignments. Sleep was a luxury, yet at the same time, while I was physically running on autopilot, my psych being was on code red.
Something was off about my surroundings recently and I just couldn't put a finger to it. That itself scared me. But not knowing what exactly it was gave me chills down my spine.
A week ago
"Hey Uruha, did you see someone trying to pass you something during class just now?" Ruki asked. I paused in the gathering of my materials and looked over to the direction Ruki pointed. "Nope. Who was it? What was he or she trying to pass?" "I don't know. I thought you might know him. It was a slip of paper..." Ruki said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "It seemed to be really something really urgent though.’Cause he seemed rather... Desperate." Ruki laughed, winking at me cheekily before he left the computer lab. I waved him off and shook my head as I smiled softly after him. Then I too, proceeded to exit the chilly room. As I closed the door behind me, I heard a couple of clicks, which was pretty odd. Then again, the school’s ancient, which could only mean that the doorknob’s acting up again.
Stifling a yawn, I rubbed my eyes as I leaned over the railing. One floor down, I spotted Reita zipping between other students and rushing into a lecture theatre. He moved too quickly for me to call out to him and knowing that asshole, he must have overslept and had to make up for his late shift at the bookshop... Again. Shaking my head at that useless being of a friend, I returned my gaze to the mass of people who moved at a speed which rivaled my great-grandmother. Then another person caught my attention. Tall, lean and silver-haired, he too hustled between cliques and threw frantic glances to his left and right before disappearing through the entrance of the faculty.
How strange.
A weird sense of déjà vu bubbled beneath my skin but I brushed it off and fatigue guided me towards the direction of home. All I remember after that was shoving the keys into the gate, throwing my bag to the side and toeing off my shoes.
When I opened my eyes again, the blaring rectangular white screen of my laptop stung my vision as I awoke. Papers filled with scribbles only intelligible to me were scattered all around my desk and a sharp pain jolted up my spine when I sat up and straightened up my back.
A soft ring from my laptop summoned my attention. A new notification - someone had tweeted to me: Hi, could you meet me outside the school's campus? I need to pass you something really important.
I cocked my head to the side. Sleepy as I was, I was sober enough to be certain that I did not recognise this user. Hence, I moved the cursor over the 'x' and closed it, but as soon as I did so, another window opened.
A MSN conversation: Hey did you receive my tweet to you? Could you meet me at 2pm tomorrow? It's really important.
Now I was wide awake and almost completely spooked out. I had no idea how a stranger could tweet to me, but even more so, how a stranger could initiate a chat conversation when I hadn't accepted any requests. Then I heard another click again. I stared at my mouse for a few seconds before shaking my head and ridding myself of any paranoid thoughts. It must be my lack of sleep.
I hurriedly exited it as well, and shut my laptop down before freshening up and headed out to my first class of the day. It was a miracle I hadn't overslept.
As I padded down to school with earphones stuffed snuggly into my ears, something begun to feel out of sorts. My ears pricked and my heart begun trashing itself wildly against my ribcage. Not daring to slow down or speed up my pace, I carefully slipped out my iPod out of my jeans and lowered the volume.
Uneven footsteps and clicking echoed from behind.
'Fuck fuck fuck' infiltrated my mind immediately. Hurriedly shoving the iPod back where it was, I willed myself to calm my breathing as I quickened my speed towards the direction of school. The sound behind seemed to died down a little and soon I arrived at my destination. Right there and then, I had never felt happier and safer to be surrounded by ironically, even more strangers.
The day went by uneventfully after that, until the last lesson.
A shadow was lingering behind the door’s small glass pane. As soon as I had taken my seat, that shadow had resumed its position and randomly alternated between the two doors of the classroom. My heart begun to pound again; I grew more fidgety and unsettled by the minute and I watched with dread and fear as the minute hand ticked closer to the end of two hours.
Before I knew it, class had ended and everyone dispersed out of the doors, where the shadow still strayed. Soon I was the only one left in the classroom, and I waited for my chance where my classmates were crowding at the doors to squeeze my way out and dashed down the corridor through the exit where the shadow was absent. Spiraling down the stairs, I ran till my lungs gave out into the open of the school campus. The gates were barely 5 meters away from me and I was going to reach it, and get home soon-until something cold and hard wrapped itself around my arm.
I was immediately immobilised.
Tall, lean and silver-haired, dark pools of asphalt bore into mine as the person panted and spoke. "Wait. Give me 5 minutes. There's something I need to give you." His free hand dug into his pocket and when his eye contact broke away, I twisted my arm out of his dead vice and gritted my teeth when his nails bore and tore into my skin, creating bloody half-crescents. I was almost certain I couldn't get away, with him now shouting "Wait!" while I struggled. My left hand pried his alarmingly strong fingers off and finally I turned on my heels and took off. I ran, with such desperation I never knew I had, straight back to the dormitory.
After the door slammed shut behind me where I thought I was safe in my sanctuary, I collapsed against the door to catch my breath when my phone vibrated.
My breath hitched as my eyes read the text which just came in:
Hi can I meet you outside your school gates tomorrow at 2pm? I have something really important you must have.
Instantly, my blood ran cold and the hairs on the nape of my neck stood. I couldn't fathom what was going on, and I had enough common sense to justify that someone was stalking me. But why and for what reason, that I could not answer.
A week later; Present
I stayed cooped up in my dorm for the entire week after that; too freaked out and fearful to leave the doors lest I'll never get to return again. Life seemed back to normal while I retreated here though, Kai breathed down my neck every day hounding me for my part of reports, Ruki bitched to me over the phone about assholes in class and Reita whooped my ass nightly at every single RPG we play. Slowly and gradually, I began to tuck my insecurity and the encounter with the stranger at the back of my mind. There were no weird tweets, conversations and texts so I decided that I was alright to return to school the next day.
But I was wrong.
Everything begun to go haywire the moment I stepped out of the house. A mad series of clicks started as though I was being swarmed by a colony of bees. Something ominous loomed at the stairwell next to the lobby where I waited for the lift. I was trapped instantly. I couldn't make a run for it, nor could I speed up the lift and jam the doors shut. Fortunately or not, nothing followed after me when it came and I entered. However, the footsteps which I heard the week before had returned. I had barely made it out of the complex and I could already hear it loud and clear behind me.
I had no stamina to run anymore.
Fear was pumping through my vessels so loudly it begun to block out the footsteps. I couldn't gauge the distance between us anymore as I hastened my walking while I wheezed through alleys, taking a detour to the university. Half of my mind reasoned that it could throw him off, while the other half of it prayed to God that he won't get to me before reaching the school.
What my panic-stricken mind fueled by adrenaline hadn't considered was me getting lost.
My legs came to an abrupt halt when I met a cement wall. Three thick walls secured me in and Mother Nature joined in mocking me, obscured dark clouds over the sun, making my surroundings even darker. The lower half of my body begun to grow numb as the tap, tap, tap, of the footsteps echoed off the walls with startling clarity. A slim figure begun to take shape in the dimness that was closing it on me.
I was certain right there and then that this was going to be the end of me.
"Uruha..."
A soft whisper called my name. Tall, lean and silver-haired, that pair of black asphalt eyes trained on mine straight on again. Something wet and cold made its way round lower half of my face, ridding me of my breath.
Ah, I remember now. As my consciousness begun to fade, I remembered:
Didn’t I pick up a wallet for this guy at the bookshop?
A/N: I think this must be one of my longest chapters ever. Word count: 1,723 Okay I should stop amusing myself LOL And I actually managed to update 3x this week!? Yayyy!
Chapter: 2/4
Author: kiroyo
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: I own this page of lies.
Rating: G
Pairing: Aoi x Uruha
Synopsis: When our skin touched and our eyes met, I knew we were meant to be.
Uruha’s pov
The past few days were a blur. I had been running on insufficient sleep and deadlines chase me even in my dreams. Day after day I slugged through with only caffeine and an ounce or two of bread to get me through the cycle of school, home and assignments. Sleep was a luxury, yet at the same time, while I was physically running on autopilot, my psych being was on code red.
Something was off about my surroundings recently and I just couldn't put a finger to it. That itself scared me. But not knowing what exactly it was gave me chills down my spine.
A week ago
"Hey Uruha, did you see someone trying to pass you something during class just now?" Ruki asked. I paused in the gathering of my materials and looked over to the direction Ruki pointed. "Nope. Who was it? What was he or she trying to pass?" "I don't know. I thought you might know him. It was a slip of paper..." Ruki said as he slung his bag over his shoulder. "It seemed to be really something really urgent though.’Cause he seemed rather... Desperate." Ruki laughed, winking at me cheekily before he left the computer lab. I waved him off and shook my head as I smiled softly after him. Then I too, proceeded to exit the chilly room. As I closed the door behind me, I heard a couple of clicks, which was pretty odd. Then again, the school’s ancient, which could only mean that the doorknob’s acting up again.
Stifling a yawn, I rubbed my eyes as I leaned over the railing. One floor down, I spotted Reita zipping between other students and rushing into a lecture theatre. He moved too quickly for me to call out to him and knowing that asshole, he must have overslept and had to make up for his late shift at the bookshop... Again. Shaking my head at that useless being of a friend, I returned my gaze to the mass of people who moved at a speed which rivaled my great-grandmother. Then another person caught my attention. Tall, lean and silver-haired, he too hustled between cliques and threw frantic glances to his left and right before disappearing through the entrance of the faculty.
How strange.
A weird sense of déjà vu bubbled beneath my skin but I brushed it off and fatigue guided me towards the direction of home. All I remember after that was shoving the keys into the gate, throwing my bag to the side and toeing off my shoes.
When I opened my eyes again, the blaring rectangular white screen of my laptop stung my vision as I awoke. Papers filled with scribbles only intelligible to me were scattered all around my desk and a sharp pain jolted up my spine when I sat up and straightened up my back.
A soft ring from my laptop summoned my attention. A new notification - someone had tweeted to me: Hi, could you meet me outside the school's campus? I need to pass you something really important.
I cocked my head to the side. Sleepy as I was, I was sober enough to be certain that I did not recognise this user. Hence, I moved the cursor over the 'x' and closed it, but as soon as I did so, another window opened.
A MSN conversation: Hey did you receive my tweet to you? Could you meet me at 2pm tomorrow? It's really important.
Now I was wide awake and almost completely spooked out. I had no idea how a stranger could tweet to me, but even more so, how a stranger could initiate a chat conversation when I hadn't accepted any requests. Then I heard another click again. I stared at my mouse for a few seconds before shaking my head and ridding myself of any paranoid thoughts. It must be my lack of sleep.
I hurriedly exited it as well, and shut my laptop down before freshening up and headed out to my first class of the day. It was a miracle I hadn't overslept.
As I padded down to school with earphones stuffed snuggly into my ears, something begun to feel out of sorts. My ears pricked and my heart begun trashing itself wildly against my ribcage. Not daring to slow down or speed up my pace, I carefully slipped out my iPod out of my jeans and lowered the volume.
Uneven footsteps and clicking echoed from behind.
'Fuck fuck fuck' infiltrated my mind immediately. Hurriedly shoving the iPod back where it was, I willed myself to calm my breathing as I quickened my speed towards the direction of school. The sound behind seemed to died down a little and soon I arrived at my destination. Right there and then, I had never felt happier and safer to be surrounded by ironically, even more strangers.
The day went by uneventfully after that, until the last lesson.
A shadow was lingering behind the door’s small glass pane. As soon as I had taken my seat, that shadow had resumed its position and randomly alternated between the two doors of the classroom. My heart begun to pound again; I grew more fidgety and unsettled by the minute and I watched with dread and fear as the minute hand ticked closer to the end of two hours.
Before I knew it, class had ended and everyone dispersed out of the doors, where the shadow still strayed. Soon I was the only one left in the classroom, and I waited for my chance where my classmates were crowding at the doors to squeeze my way out and dashed down the corridor through the exit where the shadow was absent. Spiraling down the stairs, I ran till my lungs gave out into the open of the school campus. The gates were barely 5 meters away from me and I was going to reach it, and get home soon-until something cold and hard wrapped itself around my arm.
I was immediately immobilised.
Tall, lean and silver-haired, dark pools of asphalt bore into mine as the person panted and spoke. "Wait. Give me 5 minutes. There's something I need to give you." His free hand dug into his pocket and when his eye contact broke away, I twisted my arm out of his dead vice and gritted my teeth when his nails bore and tore into my skin, creating bloody half-crescents. I was almost certain I couldn't get away, with him now shouting "Wait!" while I struggled. My left hand pried his alarmingly strong fingers off and finally I turned on my heels and took off. I ran, with such desperation I never knew I had, straight back to the dormitory.
After the door slammed shut behind me where I thought I was safe in my sanctuary, I collapsed against the door to catch my breath when my phone vibrated.
My breath hitched as my eyes read the text which just came in:
Hi can I meet you outside your school gates tomorrow at 2pm? I have something really important you must have.
Instantly, my blood ran cold and the hairs on the nape of my neck stood. I couldn't fathom what was going on, and I had enough common sense to justify that someone was stalking me. But why and for what reason, that I could not answer.
A week later; Present
I stayed cooped up in my dorm for the entire week after that; too freaked out and fearful to leave the doors lest I'll never get to return again. Life seemed back to normal while I retreated here though, Kai breathed down my neck every day hounding me for my part of reports, Ruki bitched to me over the phone about assholes in class and Reita whooped my ass nightly at every single RPG we play. Slowly and gradually, I began to tuck my insecurity and the encounter with the stranger at the back of my mind. There were no weird tweets, conversations and texts so I decided that I was alright to return to school the next day.
But I was wrong.
Everything begun to go haywire the moment I stepped out of the house. A mad series of clicks started as though I was being swarmed by a colony of bees. Something ominous loomed at the stairwell next to the lobby where I waited for the lift. I was trapped instantly. I couldn't make a run for it, nor could I speed up the lift and jam the doors shut. Fortunately or not, nothing followed after me when it came and I entered. However, the footsteps which I heard the week before had returned. I had barely made it out of the complex and I could already hear it loud and clear behind me.
I had no stamina to run anymore.
Fear was pumping through my vessels so loudly it begun to block out the footsteps. I couldn't gauge the distance between us anymore as I hastened my walking while I wheezed through alleys, taking a detour to the university. Half of my mind reasoned that it could throw him off, while the other half of it prayed to God that he won't get to me before reaching the school.
What my panic-stricken mind fueled by adrenaline hadn't considered was me getting lost.
My legs came to an abrupt halt when I met a cement wall. Three thick walls secured me in and Mother Nature joined in mocking me, obscured dark clouds over the sun, making my surroundings even darker. The lower half of my body begun to grow numb as the tap, tap, tap, of the footsteps echoed off the walls with startling clarity. A slim figure begun to take shape in the dimness that was closing it on me.
I was certain right there and then that this was going to be the end of me.
"Uruha..."
A soft whisper called my name. Tall, lean and silver-haired, that pair of black asphalt eyes trained on mine straight on again. Something wet and cold made its way round lower half of my face, ridding me of my breath.
Ah, I remember now. As my consciousness begun to fade, I remembered:
Didn’t I pick up a wallet for this guy at the bookshop?
A/N: I think this must be one of my longest chapters ever. Word count: 1,723 Okay I should stop amusing myself LOL And I actually managed to update 3x this week!? Yayyy!