Bolting down the two flights of outrageously expanded stairs, I stopped in my tracks to listen. No pages being flipped by another student in a quick midnight cram: no; it was an eerie silence you imagine when an animal is being stalked by a larger predator.

The front desk caught my attention; Rick, the night security guard was always there. An authority figure always oozed from his gaze, which, I won't lie – he was a decent looking older man; but, I'm not into that scene.

Nothing ever got by this his intimating presence.

One time – this, older lady came somberly down the stairs (seemingly harmless) but, as she came by the mighty Rick, he stopped her; patting her down to reveal a Kamasutra book tucked under her panty hose behind her lower back, tethering just above her arse. She claimed she was 'just wanting to learn all she could to keep her husband from having an affair with her sister.' I overheard the whole scene as I came out from the ladies' facilities downstairs.

I held my giggle, (turning a bright red, I'm sure) with my passing by her. Rick nodded my way as he always did when I came through, almost every other night. I'm not a bookworm – I promise.

Someone, like that – like Rick – isn't prone to having improper morals seeping within their veins; one to not be absent from his job.

I felt afraid at that moment of catching the empty desk now, considering that I anticipated he would be down here, then - to see he wasn't anywhere to be found; it left me wondering if something incredibly bad has happened to him. Which led me to, yet, another conclusion: do I consider looking for him, or get my own arse out of here and to the safety of my Amazonian roomie and her abilities; or the more important fact that I'll possibly disappear myself if I should stick around long enough?

After a little heated debate with an inner scream to not walk – RUN again! out of this library's doors. I gave myself a choice: either, he (the mentally unstable...err... guy is still upstairs) is contemplating of reattempting another confrontation, or... I book it like Hades across the newest greener side of the courtyard; as if the wind had become a willed special power of mine.

Yet, I could still ponder this, and just wait.

As I found that that was exactly what I was doing. An echo screeched across the two-story foyer. Manifesting a tingling up my shines... to a stifling of my calves... to an in-voluntarily clenching of my button derrière... to shingling impulsively from the small of my back to the tip of my spinal cord.

"Uhh...Yea... No!" I murmured.

Like hell! With an outstretched clutched elbow to the door, I was out and down the stairs into the courtyard within seconds.

Something will teach me to quit being nice to anyone, and remember that often at night, the creeps have an immense way of showing up with hardly a nill of notice.

Of course, that (best) friend of mine doesn't seem to have the will to show up when she is needed. For a supernatural ass kicker, she sure is all about oneself rather than the tiniest projection of the whole that is of the-human-race (her best friend included) having someone of a few grander attributes, than screaming, to defend them. I guess that's what happens when you get too engrossed in shticks... tuna... pork... whatever she's flavoring this month.

My flared-up griping soon halted as a menacing howl bled through the air from behind me.

Ripples of fear split my flowing auburn hair.

Don't you dare look back. Curiosity has never come out unscathed!

Ya stop... ya die. I kept drilling myself.

Get home! Nik, and Ben will be there. I hope!

I see quickly, that they've not done the repairing to the mortar around the bricks from all the rain we've been having lately.

Great, real slackers we have working around here!

The scaffolding rendered the front entrance useless, which made it another mission (in-itself) to tread along the perimeter of the building to the simple side exit door. Of course, it only opens from one side - which would be the side that I'm not currently residing on!

"Come on! What's a gal running from a possible psychotic undead boy gotta do?"

This is getting tragic. I'm trying to give myself a fighting chance, and it's going rather longer than I had anticipated.

Running up the front concrete path; keys in tot; easy-does'ing-it; ever so slightly with balancing my weight with the haul of all the tools and brick towering easily twenty feet above me.

It always seems to take five-hundred-plus hours before you can get the damn key to fit right in the frickin' door.

I suppose that's what nerves get'cha. The shakes from all the wrong reasons.

Ugh, finally! after jab; near right positioning, to another jab – it opened.

I slammed the door behind me, eyes pinned at window level, as I sketched out any differences from the familiar trees speckled all over the place.

Eyes rolling over every inch of concrete, or grass plastering in and out of streetlamps; to smeared-like-shadows; until a sudden blur of movement sheened across the walk-way. I nervously laughed; backing away in a freeze-form haze. "Not this girl." I abruptly cooed, darting up the stairs.

Why did I let Nik convince me to stay in an apartment building with no perfectly good elevator? "Oh, it's good, for... exercise." I mocked. "Keeps your glutes up and tight."

I sighed getting to the final step to our hall. I was all but hovering down the typical low bearing grey carpet.

My pace slowed as a guy, (cute, but clearly could hastily become stranger danger) came from the other end of the hallway.

Keeping my body taught, a key in between the index and middle finger of my right hand, (thanks to Nik's aggressive instructions on staying relatively intact) resembling a short (unnervingly short) knife.

I've seen him before. I believe he's in one of my classes.

At this point, our eyes met and with an identical smile to Blayke's.

I instantly guessed that they must be siblings, or he is (at the very least) closely related to the family. There was no doubt about it; that family carried the beauty gene well.

I pressed my lips into a slight smile. Hiding the panic feeding within.

"Hi." he spoke softly.

"How's you do?" I quipped. ohdeargawd.

"I do's... just fine." He charmingly countered.

I felt strange (a good strange – if there is such a thing) and at ease.

For whatever reason, I was relaxed; content in participating in this exchange of playful tones. "Are you mocking me?" I snorted.

"No. Not all at." He said reassuringly. A light spray of fuchsia spreading over his cheeks and ears. I thought it was immensely cute.

I know my face burned sixteen shades of chartreuse red. My chest flew with gallops of thunder. "Thank you." I managed to murmur.

"For what?" he bounded.

"For not being like the endless ego statistical male's running a-muck here."

His hand reached out to shake. "Talek." he politely addressed.

I tilted my head with the announcement; taking his hand into mine. "Dannity."

"Talek? What a unique name."

"If that's what you would like to call it." He chuckled.

I smirked at his comment.

"I feel as though I've seen you before." I speared through my brain for this lack of information. "Umm... do we have a class together or something?" I asked after failing to recall anything of value.

"Yea...we have Professor Taylor's, 'mythology,' together." He revealed. "Kinda boring, dont'cha think?"

"Depends of what you think is, 'boring.'" I retracted the (death) key after realizing I was still holding it between my fingers as a weapon. "Do you not believe in myths?" I asked.

"Do you?" He quickly challenged. His right eyebrow twitched upward.

"I think I do." Yep, I'm lying only because it's necessary. "There's a lot of unusual things out there." I taunted. Ooh... speaking of unusual: Riley then flooded me like the Nile River quenching the parched dessert's thirst.

As I reaffirmed my attention, He beamed "Yea, can't argue with that."

I guided his glance with my pointed index finger to my historic pine door. "I should go." I admitted.

"Yea, me too."

Taken one step, I slightly turned halfway back, "It was good to meet you, Talek." I said assuring.

His face lit up; a ten-million-dollar smile reached across his cheeks. "You as well, Dannity."

I turned and heard his door close just as I had opened mine.

Now, where's my best friend at? I've got some ventilation; strangulation, and a tub of ice-cream to devour this night after I get her to find the where abouts' of Riley are.