Chapter Four: Grope In The Dark

When classes ended for the day, Emma began her trek towards the school gate, but she wasn't alone! She had Lucy, Josie and Nico for company. They all chatted as they walked except for Nico who would rather relish his solitude. No one bothered him as such.

"Emma.. Please can you pass over your Practical Workbook when you're done with the assignment for tomorrow?" Lucy begged, humbly.

"Ugh!" Emma exclaimed, "how am I supposed to get it done by midnight and get to you before dawn?"

Lucy seemed confused.

"Scratch that! Never mind what I said, I will snap the answers to—-" She stopped mid-way as if her mind was doing her a fast run.

Josie noticed, and asked; "You okay, Em..? Did you -"

"I have to get back, guys!" Emma announced, glancing first at the twins and then at Nico.

"Get back where?" Lucy eyeballed her, "where the hell are you getting back to?"

Emma sighed.. "To the Locker Room, dum-dum! Unless you really do need my help with that assignment, I need to go get my Practical Workbook."

"What?" Lucy shouted hysterically, "how could you forget something as major as that in your Locker?"

"Do you really need me to answer that?"

"Run along Em. Just stay safe." Josie told her, peering at her through squinted eyes. The sun outside was burning hot by now.

"Thanks Jo.. I really should get going."

"Nah-huh! Hold up, Emma. Jo, what do you mean by suggesting for her to go back in?"

Josie shrugged her shoulder innocently while moulding her face into an expression, 'What did I say wrong just now?'

Lucy continued, "She is going nowhere alright! Not with what we know about the killings and stuff."

"For the love of god, Lucy. It's the Locker Room. For all we know the Janitor would be there, doing his usual rounds. Plus I am Emma Anderson. I can always protect myself."

"Sure you can, honey. Also don't forget the Janitor is an Oldie there's only so much he can do to protect you anyway. " Lucy told her before starting to chew on her nails. "Why do I suddenly wish that that Irish boy had stayed back to keep an eye on you for us.."

"Leave Landon out of this, Lucy. Besides, we both know who would do the protecting between us both."

"She's right, Cee." Josie concurred.

"Yeah. I know, I know.. 'Kay. But I still got a bad feeling about this."

"Why don't I walk you back, Emma?" Nico's words dazzled all three of them. Emma the most! Because he'd for some awkward reason been too quiet, seeking his solitude the most and staying away from walking with them. It was already a surprise that he joined them on their walk today and now this? He could become so caring and considerate just like that?

"Sure.. I could follow you back if you want." Nico re-asserted.

"No thanks." Emma said kindly and beamed a refreshing smile at him, "I'll be fine, Nico. I can handle myself." She told him bluntly before turning to stare at the others, "Same goes for you two.. You honestly have nothing to worry about. I can fend for myself!"

"Why do I suddenly feel the need to accompany you now?" Lucy told Emma, gawking at her with her Alice-blue eyes.

"Don't!" Emma refuted sharply, "I think the talk is long up. Catch you guys tomorrow."

"Laters.. "

Since Emma already made up her mind, she quickly flipped a turn and began to saunter away from them. True to Lucy's concern, the Locker Room at this time was gonna be dead empty. That's right! DEAD-EMPTY! But Emma already decided how she was going to dash in and out of the School building as fast as she could. In her heart, she considered it insanely unreasonable to make her friends wait on her.

As she sauntered further away from them, her ears began to pick up the sounds of their words clearly for her to hear. When did she suddenly get to earn this ability?

".. You know I think it won't be insane if we cast a protective spell on her without her knowledge." These were Lucy's words.

"Protective spell? Are you crazy?"

"Yeah.. I kinda agree with Jo here. That is an insane move to make. Not when we know the character of the person involved here."

"Right. Tell me about it, Nico. I don't know why she has to be such a control freak.. "

Ignoring the rest of their talk, Emma focused her eyes on her path instead as she took fast strides towards the Complex.

The sun began to give way to a cooler climate by this time.

Once inside the building, Emma hastened quickly to get to the Locker Room. She succeeded in picking up her Practical Workbook and began to head right out. One minute she caught a glance of the Janitor doing his rounds.. The next minute, he was gone.

'Weird!'

Decidedly, she continued to saunter through the hallway which led down from the stairs. As she pulled herself forward, Emma noticed as the lights suddenly began to flicker shut.

SHIT!

The more she walked the more the lights began to get even more unstable. In the heat of her confusion, her eyes quickly darted towards the mirror doors by her side and she could swear she caught a glimpse of something.

"Who is there? Show yourself!" Emma remarked boldly and when the lights came on again, she peered into that angle still thinking if she could get a clearer picture of what she'd scarcely just seen. Nothing surfaced.

'It's all up in your mind.. '

Suddenly, all the lights down the hallway went out and Emma began to trace her hand into her bag to locate her mobile phone. Her vision becoming poor at the advent of this darkness, she walked some more before having herself crashing into a wall. Her books slipped off her hands and fell.

"Shit!" Emma cursed out loud, her desperation of finding her phone began to grow an uneasy feeling inside her.. One she would not admit to having.

"It is a bad habit to grope in the dark.. And alone.. Emma."

At the start, her mind froze as she pondered on how the situation had suddenly become so. But most importantly, who the fuck was he?!