~*~Chapter Seven- M.I.A~*~
Morgan lay awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She remembered the look on her cousin's face, a look she hadn't seen before. Helplessness, fear. maybe there was something really wrong with De. Could she have really imagined someone in her room? Morgan turned onto her side and stared at the digital clock on her bedside table. One thirty four, the florescent yellow numbers seemed to burn into her mind.
She heard a soft scream, and sat up in bed. She strained her ears to hear any noise. After a few minutes of sitting in silence and holding her breath, she relaxed and lay back on her bed.
"Morgan, stop being paranoid," She scolded herself. "You're acting like a child."
She reached across the bed and found the extra pillow, which she put over her face to block out the hall lights. It didn't help her fall asleep. She sighed and stood up, then walked outside into the hallway. She tapped lightly on De's door.
"Who's there?" De called.
"Me. Let me in."
Morgan waited as her cousin undid the locks and dragged something across the room. She opened the door, and Morgan stepped inside. De relocked the door and pushed the bedside table back under the doorknob.
"Hi." She said, panting slightly. "Why are you here?"
Morgan shrugged. "I was worried about you."
"I'm fine," De shrugged. "Just waiting till morning."
Morgan nodded. "You really saw someone, didn't you?"
De blinked. "Yes."
"Oh." Morgan glanced at the bed. "Can I sit?"
De nodded. "Go ahead."
"Have you heard from Erica or Julie?" Morgan asked as she sat on the edge of the bed, wondering whether or not to tell De about the scream.
De shook her head. "No, I guess they're asleep. Why?"
Morgan shrugged. "Just wondering if they're awake too. Then we could leave."
De sat next to Morgan. "What's wrong?"
Morgan shook her head. "Nothing. Why?"
"I've known you my entire life," De said softly. "I can tell when you're upset."
Morgan looked down at the carpet. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm upset."
"What's wrong, then? Why do you look like you've just seen a murder?"
Morgan took a deep breath. "I think I heard a scream from downstairs."
"What?!" De cried, standing abruptly. "Who? Erica? Julie?"
"I don't know," Morgan moaned, shaking her head. "I don't even know if I heard it. I could have been dreaming."
De ran to the door and pushed the table out of the way.
Morgan stood up. "Where are you going?"
"Downstairs obviously," De said, unlocking the door and pulling it open. "Are you coming with me or not?"
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," Morgan said as she followed De into the hall. They hurried down the stairs and stopped at Erica's room. Morgan knocked on the door. "Erica?"
There wasn't an answer.
"She might be in Julie's room," De suggested, turning and rapping on Julie's door. "Julie? Erica?"
There still wasn't an answer.
"Alan?" Morgan cried, pounding on his door. "Are you in there?"
"They left!" De exclaimed. "They left without us!"
"Wait," Morgan said, opening Alan's door. "His room's unlocked."
She turned on the light, and De followed her inside. "Oh, his computer's on." De said, crossing the room. "Let's see if they left a note or something."
She scanned the monitor screen quickly, then turned to Morgan. "Hey, Morg, does 'all work and no play makes Alan a dull boy' sound familiar?"
Morgan nodded. "Yeah, it does. Why?"
"It's on his computer," De said, motioning to it. "About five hundred times."
Morgan crossed the room and read it. "Wow, someone was bored."
De nodded. "Yeah, I guess he was. But where have I heard that before?"
"A movie, probably," Morgan said, shrugging. "I think it's from that one movie about the hotel in Colorado."
"The Shining," De said, nodding. "Yeah, you're right."
"So, what does that mean?" Morgan asked nervously. "He's gone insane?"
De shrugged. "He could have. I wouldn't be surprised."
"Why don't we go and check on the S.W.U?" Morgan suggested. "Maybe they've seen something."
De nodded. "Okay."
Morgan lay awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She remembered the look on her cousin's face, a look she hadn't seen before. Helplessness, fear. maybe there was something really wrong with De. Could she have really imagined someone in her room? Morgan turned onto her side and stared at the digital clock on her bedside table. One thirty four, the florescent yellow numbers seemed to burn into her mind.
She heard a soft scream, and sat up in bed. She strained her ears to hear any noise. After a few minutes of sitting in silence and holding her breath, she relaxed and lay back on her bed.
"Morgan, stop being paranoid," She scolded herself. "You're acting like a child."
She reached across the bed and found the extra pillow, which she put over her face to block out the hall lights. It didn't help her fall asleep. She sighed and stood up, then walked outside into the hallway. She tapped lightly on De's door.
"Who's there?" De called.
"Me. Let me in."
Morgan waited as her cousin undid the locks and dragged something across the room. She opened the door, and Morgan stepped inside. De relocked the door and pushed the bedside table back under the doorknob.
"Hi." She said, panting slightly. "Why are you here?"
Morgan shrugged. "I was worried about you."
"I'm fine," De shrugged. "Just waiting till morning."
Morgan nodded. "You really saw someone, didn't you?"
De blinked. "Yes."
"Oh." Morgan glanced at the bed. "Can I sit?"
De nodded. "Go ahead."
"Have you heard from Erica or Julie?" Morgan asked as she sat on the edge of the bed, wondering whether or not to tell De about the scream.
De shook her head. "No, I guess they're asleep. Why?"
Morgan shrugged. "Just wondering if they're awake too. Then we could leave."
De sat next to Morgan. "What's wrong?"
Morgan shook her head. "Nothing. Why?"
"I've known you my entire life," De said softly. "I can tell when you're upset."
Morgan looked down at the carpet. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm upset."
"What's wrong, then? Why do you look like you've just seen a murder?"
Morgan took a deep breath. "I think I heard a scream from downstairs."
"What?!" De cried, standing abruptly. "Who? Erica? Julie?"
"I don't know," Morgan moaned, shaking her head. "I don't even know if I heard it. I could have been dreaming."
De ran to the door and pushed the table out of the way.
Morgan stood up. "Where are you going?"
"Downstairs obviously," De said, unlocking the door and pulling it open. "Are you coming with me or not?"
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," Morgan said as she followed De into the hall. They hurried down the stairs and stopped at Erica's room. Morgan knocked on the door. "Erica?"
There wasn't an answer.
"She might be in Julie's room," De suggested, turning and rapping on Julie's door. "Julie? Erica?"
There still wasn't an answer.
"Alan?" Morgan cried, pounding on his door. "Are you in there?"
"They left!" De exclaimed. "They left without us!"
"Wait," Morgan said, opening Alan's door. "His room's unlocked."
She turned on the light, and De followed her inside. "Oh, his computer's on." De said, crossing the room. "Let's see if they left a note or something."
She scanned the monitor screen quickly, then turned to Morgan. "Hey, Morg, does 'all work and no play makes Alan a dull boy' sound familiar?"
Morgan nodded. "Yeah, it does. Why?"
"It's on his computer," De said, motioning to it. "About five hundred times."
Morgan crossed the room and read it. "Wow, someone was bored."
De nodded. "Yeah, I guess he was. But where have I heard that before?"
"A movie, probably," Morgan said, shrugging. "I think it's from that one movie about the hotel in Colorado."
"The Shining," De said, nodding. "Yeah, you're right."
"So, what does that mean?" Morgan asked nervously. "He's gone insane?"
De shrugged. "He could have. I wouldn't be surprised."
"Why don't we go and check on the S.W.U?" Morgan suggested. "Maybe they've seen something."
De nodded. "Okay."
