It was late Thursday evening when she got the phone call.

Christine was sitting in her apartment---one she could hardly afford--- looking at her newest deadline for her photography class, when her phone rang. Begrudgingly, she got up from her warm sofa and trotted to her bedroom where the cordless was.

"Hello?"

"...Christine?" A familiar voice shot through the silenced line.

She knew that voice. She knew who belonged to that voice. Oh, to count the months for when she longed for that voice. Sweet adolescence was something to be marveled at, and yet she wished for the hours in which she could sit with that voice.

Invisible tears began their formation.

"W-w-who is this?" She had to be sure.

"Christine, you don't remember me?"

Oh yes, yes I do Raoul. Oh, for so long I've waited to see you...

"Who is this?" She asked again, this time with a little more force.

A deep breath was heard on the other side.

Silence.

"Hello?" She offered. Did he hang up? Did he hate her for not knowing who it was? She couldn't be sure.

"Christine, it's me...Raoul Cheney."

Her breath caught in her throat. Her heartbeat seemed to quicken. All time stood still right then and there. Christine knew who it was. She shouldn't have been so surprised, but to know it really was him, to know it was really Raoul there on the other line was overwhelming. She missed him terribly, especially when her parents passed away. She took a deep breath herself, and tried to calm her nerves.

"Oh Raoul..." She whispered into the receiver.

Christine sat down on her bed, one hand on her forehead because she was so relieved and yet confused at the same time.

"Christine, I've missed you so much." He replied.

Again, an awkward silence settled down between the both of them.

She was taken back to the memories when they were younger. When everything seemed possible and there was no darkness in her life. She remembered the way they innocently held each other on the beach back in Virginia, and the way he would play with her hair. The way Raoul would give her flowers for no reason. When they had picnics together, when they read books together, and when they played music together...

Until that fateful day, when she was forced to move, far away from him.

It hurt her badly. The adolescent friend she was forced to leave behind...The way he looked when they exchanged final goodbyes...

That time was over. Here she was, on the phone with him again. Everything would go back to the way it was before she had to leave. At least, she hoped it would.

"My goodness Raoul, you have no idea how happy I am to hear from you again. I've missed you terribly all these years..."

She heard a sigh of relief on the other end. Seems as though they were both hoping the other would whisper words that were left unspoken so many years ago. No words could possibly describe the amount of happiness coursing through her.

"Christine, Christine! I have great news." He chimed in overly excited about something.

Her brows knitted together.

"Um, what's the good news?" For some odd reason, the sound of him being so cheerful made her feel sick. A gripping wave of nausea swept through her, and she tried not to retch on the floor.

"I'm coming to town to see you."

Her mouth fell open, and she quickly forgot about her strange illness. It wasn't possible. There was no way that Raoul would be coming up to New York to see her. She wasn't anyone special. Over the years, she lost her profound beauty, and a dullness began to take its place.

"Oh...Wow." Was all she could muster.

He cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable about her reaction. "Well, are you not happy then? I could easily cancel my flight...If that's what you want..."

She violently shook her head. "No, no! It just...caught me off guard is all." She forced a smile.

"Well then excellent! Aside from the wonderful news," he emphasized wonderful, because he'd been a tad skeptical, "How have you been lately?"

Wrong question, Raoul. Christine thought absently. She couldn't tell him of how the days all blended together, and how each night she would practically cry herself to sleep because she knew she was always on the verge of something else. Instead, she settled for a few details, and tried to sound as cheerful as possible.

She launched into a discussion about her college---even though she mostly lied---she claimed she enjoyed it, and New York was positively amazing. She also mentioned that she preferred to live off-campus (This worried Raoul a bit) and how her job at the tiny diner was simple, yet enjoyable. She also proclaimed herself to be a decent photographer, because since a tender age, she had a slight fascination with capturing, what looked like, life's most miniscule moments.

"So, Raoul, how have you been doing?"

She heard him hesitate.

"Um...Well, actually. Phillip just invested his money into a new stock market, and he's made plenty of money off of that..."

There was obviously something that he wasn't telling her.

"Raoul, are you alright? You seem a little...Worried?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine. Just a minor distraction is all." He attempted to give a short, small laugh, but it came out choked more then it did clear.

Christine wasn't buying it. For whatever reason, she could tell something was deeply bothering him more then it should. She wanted to know. But Raoul made it quite apparent that he wasn't going to clue her in on what was going on. Maybe she should try again? But what if that upset him even more? What if her persistence drove him away, and he wouldn't come to visit after all? She couldn't risk that...Her life here in her tiny apartment was far too lonely for lack of company.

"Raoul, please tell me what's going on..."

"Christine, I'm watching the news, and there have been a series of murders all around your area." It came out too quick, and she could hear the unease in his voice. In a way, it was a comfort to know that he truly cared about her, even after all these years. But what quickly wiped away the comfort was the fact that she knew there was a series of gruesome homicides.

"Oh...well...I know." She only hoped he wouldn't react too horribly.

"You know! Christine, why can't you get yourself out of that...that horrible neighborhood?"

"Raoul, I can hardly afford anything else!" She really didn't' want to have this conversation with him right now. It made her uncomfortable to talk about her lack of money.

"Hardly afford anything," he was shouting now, "Christine, what about the money you should have inherited after your parents were killed?"

Raoul, not now...I won't discuss this now!

"Raoul, don't bring that up. Please...not right now." She could feel the tears flowing down her face. She hardly noticed them until she felt the receiver grow wet.

He gave another heavy sigh. "Christine, I'm going to be arriving on Saturday. Alright? Today is Thursday, so do you think you could take care of yourself until then?"

She nodded numbly. "Yes, I can."

"Okay. I'll call you again soon."

There was something she needed to know;

"Oh wait, Raoul?"

"Yes?" He replied, a hint of irritation seeped through his words.

"Erm...How did you find my number?"

He chuckled, a light and air laugh.

"Dear, you're not that hard to find."

Christine nodded, a little disturbed, and quickly hung up the phone. She glanced at her alarm clock. The numbers read 10:17. She needed to get to bed quickly, or else she wouldn't have any energy in class tomorrow.

After she was done changing into a simple pair of shorts and a blue tank-top, she settled herself down in her comforter, and stared at the ceiling. Something that Raoul said on the phone was a bit unnerving. The murders, she had gotten use to, but what if something bad did happen to her? The grotesque thought left her shaken, and she tried to replace her thoughts with the fact that her adolescent friend was coming to see her. For some reason, she didn't feel too excited anymore. She still had questions, as to why the sudden take in her life, but she decided to wait.

Shrugging underneath the covers, she closed her eyes, and let the unconscious take control.

A/N: This story isn't that great. Sorry, but I'm trying. Next update won't come until a little later, due to the fact that I'm working on my homecoming dress!

Evalyn M. Wright.

-P.S. Thank you to my reviewers. I'll respond as soon as possible.