She sat silently as the waves crashed noisily against the rocks below. The
ocean stretched on before her forever and seemed to end suddenly with the
last bit of light that peeked over the edge of the world. The wind swirled
around her in a circular motion, causing her hair to swish around her face,
and then the air current seemed to dissipate as a ripple distorted the
girl's vision and the last bit of light from the earth's star disappeared
behind the horizon.
The ripple that had been haunting her eyes finally caused her to blink, much against her will, and a tear fell softly down her cheek and landed soundlessly on the palm of her hand. She stared down at the water in her hand and then to the massive ocean waves that collided with the cliff below.
Closing her hand over the tear, the girl stood, her eyes never wavering from the ocean below. Letting out her breath, the girl closed her eyes -- and fell.
****************************
~What did you see?~ the voice asked slowly.
She breathed in and whispered, "nothing of importance to you."
~Everything is of importance to me.~
"Not this," she softly replied. She took another sip of her coffee and watched out the massive windows as people hurriedly passed, trying to catch up with their hurried lives.
~Do you believe that?~
"Does it matter?" Apparently she asked it a little too loudly, because a woman in one of the aisles of stacks glanced her way, an annoyed look on her face. "Sorry," the girl mouthed, and pretended to go back to reading the book in front of her. Again, she looked out the window and watched as all the people on the street below scurried around the town like too many mice in a cage.
~It must matter to you if you will not tell me.~
The girl let out a short breath and turned the page of her book. "Don't assume things."
~Is my assumption correct?~
There was a slight hollow noise as the girl let her head drop to the table. She sighed, then lifted her head up suddenly, as if she had heard something.
"Where is she?"
"She's here somewhere, just be patient."
The girl's body stiffened. ~Move.~ She would have done so, but she was frozen. ~Now!~ The teen grabbed her book bag, shoved her book in it, and slung it over her shoulder.
"Where are they?" she whispered.
~To the south.~ The girl grabbed her coffee mug and started moving to the east stairwell. Making sure to not move quickly, so as to not draw attention to herself, she approached the stairs and stopped short as a man walked up the stairway and glanced around.
"Oh, damn." She said that more to herself than to the voice, but it still heard her. She turned around slowly and walked into one of the stacks. The man's shoes made a distinct sound that seemed to approach her.
~Move south.~ The girl was about to protest, but she heard a sharp, ~do it!~
She started walking through the massive shelves to the south and passed two other men in one of the gaps between stacks and simply kept moving. Her easy-going stride turned into a brisk walk as she entered another gap and switched her position between shelves.
"Hey, you!"
The walk became a run as the south stairwell came into sight. She practically flew down the stairs and past a security guard when she heard a voice yell, "stop her!"
Since this wasn't the main entrance to the building, she got past the front with few people in her way and ran out the door and around the corner.
The man who had come up the stairs and the security guard burst out the doors and looked around, expecting to see the girl who had attempted to evade them. A sharp curse came from the man and he then order the security guard to go back inside to see if "the brat" was still inside.
Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, the girl kept herself plastered to the side of the dumpster across the street in the alley and waited for the man to leave. The only problem was: he didn't. The two other men that had been in the building came out and joined him. He sent one east and one west; each of the men jogging, looking for any sign of the girl.
The man himself crossed the street, standing right out side the alley that the teenage girl was hiding in. She listened intently as the sound of the man's shoes against the grungy ground approached her hiding place.
The ripple that had been haunting her eyes finally caused her to blink, much against her will, and a tear fell softly down her cheek and landed soundlessly on the palm of her hand. She stared down at the water in her hand and then to the massive ocean waves that collided with the cliff below.
Closing her hand over the tear, the girl stood, her eyes never wavering from the ocean below. Letting out her breath, the girl closed her eyes -- and fell.
****************************
~What did you see?~ the voice asked slowly.
She breathed in and whispered, "nothing of importance to you."
~Everything is of importance to me.~
"Not this," she softly replied. She took another sip of her coffee and watched out the massive windows as people hurriedly passed, trying to catch up with their hurried lives.
~Do you believe that?~
"Does it matter?" Apparently she asked it a little too loudly, because a woman in one of the aisles of stacks glanced her way, an annoyed look on her face. "Sorry," the girl mouthed, and pretended to go back to reading the book in front of her. Again, she looked out the window and watched as all the people on the street below scurried around the town like too many mice in a cage.
~It must matter to you if you will not tell me.~
The girl let out a short breath and turned the page of her book. "Don't assume things."
~Is my assumption correct?~
There was a slight hollow noise as the girl let her head drop to the table. She sighed, then lifted her head up suddenly, as if she had heard something.
"Where is she?"
"She's here somewhere, just be patient."
The girl's body stiffened. ~Move.~ She would have done so, but she was frozen. ~Now!~ The teen grabbed her book bag, shoved her book in it, and slung it over her shoulder.
"Where are they?" she whispered.
~To the south.~ The girl grabbed her coffee mug and started moving to the east stairwell. Making sure to not move quickly, so as to not draw attention to herself, she approached the stairs and stopped short as a man walked up the stairway and glanced around.
"Oh, damn." She said that more to herself than to the voice, but it still heard her. She turned around slowly and walked into one of the stacks. The man's shoes made a distinct sound that seemed to approach her.
~Move south.~ The girl was about to protest, but she heard a sharp, ~do it!~
She started walking through the massive shelves to the south and passed two other men in one of the gaps between stacks and simply kept moving. Her easy-going stride turned into a brisk walk as she entered another gap and switched her position between shelves.
"Hey, you!"
The walk became a run as the south stairwell came into sight. She practically flew down the stairs and past a security guard when she heard a voice yell, "stop her!"
Since this wasn't the main entrance to the building, she got past the front with few people in her way and ran out the door and around the corner.
The man who had come up the stairs and the security guard burst out the doors and looked around, expecting to see the girl who had attempted to evade them. A sharp curse came from the man and he then order the security guard to go back inside to see if "the brat" was still inside.
Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, the girl kept herself plastered to the side of the dumpster across the street in the alley and waited for the man to leave. The only problem was: he didn't. The two other men that had been in the building came out and joined him. He sent one east and one west; each of the men jogging, looking for any sign of the girl.
The man himself crossed the street, standing right out side the alley that the teenage girl was hiding in. She listened intently as the sound of the man's shoes against the grungy ground approached her hiding place.