Chapter 19: The run

“So you have five minutes”. She said and walk to the front window and stayed there looking at the crepuscular sky.

‘Maybe if I tried to seat by the edge of the seat I could fall on the floor’. I thought and tried so uselessly because I couldn’t move closer to the edge when I was almost five centimeters away.

“Have you made your choice?”. She said still looking at the sky outside.

“Not yet. Maybe if you tell me why you need my tears for that you help me speed up the process”. I said as an answer trying not to alert her about my escaping plans.

‘Maybe if I try to fall on one side or on my back I could get free but if I fall hard on my back I could get a concussion better on the side then’. I pondered.

“Faith, destiny, life, death, beginnings, endings on and on choose what suit you best”. Nicole said.

“What do you mean by that?”.

“Nothing of your concern and you should mind your own business that is the way young people use to say when they don’t want for strangers to meddle in situations where their opinions is not required, isn’t it?”. She answered exasperated surely by my questions.

‘I have to hurry up she can turn around anytime and catch me in my attempt to get free of this chair. But even if I succeed in freeing myself from this chair how would I escape the library the front door is closed by who knows what so I should probably go in search for the back door’. I pondered considering my options.

‘But if the back door is closed too or worse there isn’t back door how would I escape. I don’t have anything useful to defend myself’. I looked around for another escape option except the closed front door.

By the side of room it wasn’t small nor big either, there were rows of bookshelves arranged by subjects and in the back the paying counter. I couldn’t see any other door after scanning the room.

“Why I can’t move from that chair?”. I asked her.

“For your own good?”.

“How come?”. I couldn’t see her point when she said that how could it be for my own good when she was keeping me captive.

“I needed you to stay and hear what I had to offer”. She said.

“You could have done that without retaining me on this chair and maybe I wouldn’t be feeling so frightened by you right now”. I said trying to make break no matter what curse she had cast on this chair because I realized that as I couldn’t move to the front edge of the chair it was the same for both side so it was important for me to fall in one or another side given that the range of movement allowed to me was limited.

Nicole turned to face me with a neutral face, I couldn’t guess if she had bitten the bait or discovered my lame scheme to make her release from my restraint.

“You mean that if I set you free you won’t be frightened by me anymore?”. Nicole asked walking toward me.

“It would surely be better that being held on this chair against my will”. I said.

“If I set you free you will accept the deal”. She said this time close to my ear making me shiver by the coldness of her breath.

Nicole turned my head to face her and she looked at me intensely waiting for my answer.

I tried the best I could for my voice not to flinch a little bit and give that I was lying.

“It’s my first option”. I responded as I mastered all the willpower I could to prevent me from flinching.

My heart was pounding so fast in my chest that I fear for a second she could hear it.

‘Oh Dear Lord let her believe me’. I pried.

Nicole stayed there staring at me for what seemed like a eternity before retroceding and walk forth and back.

‘I hope she weighting if must or not free me and she would choose the first option’. I thought waiting for her to finish pondering.

“Ok I will free you”. After saying that she took her journal opened it. “But something you must know for sure is that you can’t possibly exit this place without me allowing it”. She said then started mumbling in a language I couldn’t understand.

‘It’s must be the journal I have to find a way to snatch it away from her’. I thought but I knew it wouldn’t be easy for me to succeed in getting the book away then escape even if I could get the journal I didn’t knew what enchantment she had cast on the door making it impossible to be open by no one else than her.

When Nicole finished mumbling, she closed the journal then looked at me with a stern expression.

“You can move now”. She said. When I was about to stand up she raised her hand stopping me in doing so. “But remember one thing for sure you can possibly escape from here”.

‘Even so I had to take a chance’.

“I know I don’t want to escape either, I just wanted to stretch a little. For being bound to the same position for so long my butt and limbs feel numb that why I want to stand up, may I ?”. I asked her.

“Do so, then give me your answer”. Nicole responded.

“So you’re a witch or something alike?”. I asked her trying to lure her attention away of what I intended to do.

“If indeed I’m a witch did that mean something special for you”.

“No really, I have seen movies about witches in most of them they are depicted like wicked women with evils wishes so they can’t do good they only work for destruction”. After saying that her expression became cooler than before so I quickly tried to amend my mistake. “But I don’t mean you don’t get me wrong”. I said hastily but that didn’t seem to appease her mood.

‘Oh no quick, I have to think about something. No matter what I need to get that journal’.

“Sorry if I offended you with my question but I was just a little curious because I can’t rationally explain what is going on here I still think this some sort of dream and I would be waking up in any minute”. That seemed to appease her given she obviously relaxed a little.

“I can assure you that this is totally real”. Nicole said then raised her hand and traced a figure in air with her index which started to glow then out of nowhere flames appeared defined more neatly the figure, a triangle with strange signs inside and at the vertices. “And yes you are right, I’m a witch”.

“You’re kidding me right”. I said my voice shying a little because I felt more frightened but I still got closer to her convincing myself that I needed to do it I order to get that journal. “Witches only exist in fantasy stories”.

“Human tends to call all thing fantasy or legend if they fail in explaining it with their so called science, but you are not like the average human don’t you? You might knew that are things than can be explain with reason or science”. She stoop up and went to the window leaving the journal on the table.

‘Do it now’. I heard a voice in my mind. But I doubted that must be a trick she was playing leaving her journal into my reach making easy for me just to snatch it away.

“I don’t understand what do you mean?”. I asked as I got nearer to the journal.

“About the things you can do”. She turned to look at me. “Have never wondered what is the reason of all this? You are just like me”. She said.

“You mean a witch?”.

‘She must be kidding me’. I thought.

“No, not a witch at all but...”. Nicole stopped and walk toward one of the bookshelves took out a book which strangely resembled to the one on the table. “What you are only a few people know exactly, but for what I know it not just a human”.

Nicole started pacing while flipping the page of the book between her hands. So I turned and looked closely to the one on the table.

‘That can’t be, it’s just a optical effect’. I thought because on close analysis the journal change to an ordinary notebook then back to the old journal again.

‘Or maybe this is it, the real book is the one she is holding and this one she left it here just to trick me, a witch for sure always planning evil. I have to get the one in her hands’. I decided.

“I’m just like everybody else”. I said as I returned to the chair to collect my backpack.

“No, you aren’t you are...”. She stopped and came near me, then outstretched her right hand to lift up my face so I was looking at her directly. She was holding the journal loosely with her left hand.

‘This is my chance, I need to get that book and went for the windows as quickly as I can”. I thought and did so.

I couldn’t even understand how I succeed it one moment Nicole has her hand on my chin the next I was outside running feeling my skin burning because of cut I get all over me after smashing myself to the window glass. I feet started burning but I didn’t mind them so I continue to run.