Summer. A time I used to associate with picnics, beaches, festivals and BBQs. Now it just meant one thing: exams. No doubt all the good little boys and girls (like Olive and John) were super prepared with colour coded flashcards and neat lecture notes but organisational skills are just one of the key skills I lack (with some of the others being patience, motivation and diligence) and all I had was a disorganised mound of scrappy lecture notes, most of which had a higher percentage of doodles than actual content.

When I wasn't rapidly cycling through the notes as though I could somehow learn what was written on the paper through some odd form of osmosis, I was staring at textbooks, highlighter poised (mainly because I had just found my highlighters in my drawer and they looked all shiny and new in their packaging and I just had to use them for something) oscillating between hope (I still had time left to revise, my exam isn't until tomorrow) and despair (MY EXAM IS TOMORROW AND I HAVEN'T REVISED! THIS IS ALL THE INTERNET'S FAULT ! WHY WAS I LOOKING AT YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF GOATS THAT SING LIKE USHER INSTEAD OF REVISING?!)

So that was how I spent my early summer. I'd not revise, the panic and start revising manically, then I'd take the exam, then I'd be relieved that I'd finished the exam, then I'd convince myself that I needed a day to relax, which would somehow lead to several days of relaxing. And then the cycle would start over.

Not only did I have my complete lack of motivation until it was basically too late to contend with, I also had to spend (what felt like) every waking hour on the phone to a certain airline who had somehow managed to mess up my booking and were now telling me there was basically no way they could get me home without flying me via Australia. Several hours of hold music later and they eventually offered me a flight to New York and then a couple of days later a flight from New York to London.

So I finished my exams which was such a relief I cannot tell you, packed up my stuff and headed out to New York. It was a couple of days before my flight for London so I thought I'd do a little shopping. It was perfect for a while; the sun was shining, there were blue skies and I had several shopping bags on my arms. And then I had to stop for coffee.

Really in retrospect I didn't need a coffee. I could have done without one, gone on with shopping. I mean there's every chance he would have found me wherever I was but it was easier to blame it on the coffee. It trivialised it all, made it seem like less of a big deal. And anyway it would be a good opener when I came to tell Olive the story: it all started with a cup of coffee and then suddenly I was kidnapped and presumably knocked out because I don't remember being taken to the empty white room where I was forced to stay for an indeterminate amount of time with no idea what was happening or why and if I'd ever get out –

Okay I was panicking a little. I took a sip of my Frappuccino in an attempt to calm myself. It was all watery from all the melted ice and not particularly calming. I placed the half empty cup on the floor delicately, carefully thinking the simple action over carefully to avoid thinking of anything else. I stood up straight again, focusing on moving each muscle, on executing the simple move. That seemed to help if only a little. I could still feel the panic bubbling inside of me threatening to force upwards and completely overwhelm me, but, for now, I had a lid on it. For now I was just about capable of rational thought.

Right so let's focus on where I was. There was usually an air vent to crawl through or something right? A big part of wanted to run round the room in a blind panic searching for an air vent or a secret door but I took a deep breath and managed to rein the panic back in again. I had to be calculated and logical. I took a slow step forward running my hand along the wall hoping to find a secret join. In all honesty I wasn't exactly hopeful. This room took minimalism to the extreme. The walls were painted white, the floor was white marble, the celling was heavily sculptured and perfectly white. The only things marring this room's perfect whiteness were me (grey top, red hair, slim green jeans) and my half full cup of coffee.

I took another slow step forward, continuing my search for anything that could get me out of here. There were no doors or windows visible but there had to be a door somewhere, I mean how else would I have been brought in here? All I had to do was find the lever or the button or the switch or whatever that would open up a section of the wall and then –

And then what? What would I do then?

No don't think about that, let's just take this one step at a time. With that I took another small step forward concentrating hard on the plain wall. I heard a slight noise behind me, that was thunderous in the silence that had dominated the room. I whipped round to see what was happening.

"Sarah?" a very familiar figure asked.

Short chapter I know, I'm very sorry. Will you forgive me if I tell you it's because I'm feeling very very ill right now? But I updated anyway because it's a Thursday.

Will you also forgive me for not getting back to the reviewers and those who have messaged me? Just shows you how the best laid plans of mice and men can fall through huh. I was half way through the chapter for the reviewers and the messagers as well. I'll get back to you all as soon as I feel capable of staring at a very bright computer screen without feeling like I'm going to faint and/or throw up.

Also my laptop has to go back for repairs (again) at some point, only I'm not sure when. If you don't hear from me next week, or at any point, assume that's what has happened. I can't imagine they'll ever have it for longer than a week though so I'll probably only miss one Thursday updating.

Thanks for reading

xxx