Rinka, as his sister called Bulb, knocked on the door. The door opened as outgoing girls rushed out, gossipping, giving him looks. He scratched his head. Locked inside, my foot. The door is open.
Just in case, he stuck his head in. There was a little enclave and another door leading to the main ladies washroom. He sidled in, and then yanked the door open.
There was a shriek. Two girls were standing at the sinks, staring at him in shock.
'Sorry, ladies. Looking for my sister.' He gave them a nonchalant look. 'Maybe you've seen her?'
'Dude! We won't fall for those lines!" They gave him dirty looks and pushed past him and left.
He shrugged and then went in, kicking the doors open in the line of toilet stalls one by one. They were all empty except the last one. It was locked.
'Ok. Found you. Get out now.' He turned to the big mirror behind the sinks and checked himself out, fixing his hair. There was no response. Instead, the outer door opened and a man entered.
Rinka raised an eyebrow from behind his sunglasses. 'This is the ladies washroom dude.'
'Yeah, trust me. I know. I just came to get a picture.' The dude raised the camera hung around his neck and snapped several pictures consecutively.
'Picture?' Rinka raised an eyebrow at the dude with the camera. 'Do you want me to break the camera?'
'Hey, you're not that bad looking. Trust me. The girls outside told me you were here so, yeah.'
'What yeah?' Rinka approached the dude menacingly.
'Uh, nothing. Just memories of the night at the club.' The photographer ran out.
Rinka looked around and then back at the last stall. He kicked it. There was no response still.
'Time's up. Get your butt out of there now. I don't have time for this.' He took a last look in the mirror and went out again.
---------------
Nerdy looked around. He couldn't see Layla.
'Lulu?' He scanned the hills of sand stretching out along the entire warehouse floor. 'Where are you?'
There was silence. 'Luluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu?'
Nerdyy was really confused now. How in the world could she just disappear? And on top of things, he was getting desperately thirsty. His stomach growled. And hungry. He walked back to the table, and checked out the plates. There was some chicken left on Layla's plate. He sat down and started cleaning it up. He looked around for some water to wash it all down, but all the cups were empty. Oh no, this isn't good. I really need to wash this hangover out. He heard the sound of a toilet flushing.
He froze, and his eyes slid left, and then right. Nothing. Maybe I'm hearing things?
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Rinka sat at the bar, leaning back with his elbows, watching the crowd. He couldn't see Layla, or anyone he recognized, but he sure was seeing a lot of girls. He sighed, and pulled out his phone, hitting redial. It rang and rang, then just when he was going to hit end, it picked up.
'The number you have dialled is not in service. Please hang up and try again.'
He raised an eyebrow. 'What did she do now? Drop her phone in the toilet?', he muttered to himself.
He swivelled to face the bar, and got dizzy. Maybe a few too many drinks. Too many? Never. He nodded at the bartender for another drink. DM stretched and came over to pour him another drink.
'You ok, mate?' DM asked. 'You said you were looking for a girl. No luck then?'
Rinka shook his head. 'No luck.'
'Why don't you give her a try,' DM nodded towards the end of the bar counter. Rinka looked over and then turned back and raised an eyebrow at DM.
'She's been there for a long time. Couldn't hurt to give it a shot init,' DM shrugged.
Rinka scratched his head. 'Is this an insult?'
DM took a step back. "No mate, insult? It was just a sugg..'
'I told you I'm looking for my sister, and you suggest random girls to me? What an insult.'
'No man. I thought.. well, nevermind then.' DM shook his head and went to tend to another patron.
Rinka concentrated on his drink, finished it, then slowly turned to check out the girl at the end of the bar. His eyebrow went up again.
'What the hell is wrong with her?'
---------------
Nerdyy dropped the phone in relief. He had no idea where Layla was, but something must be wrong, because she left her bag. She never leaves her bag and never her phone.
A few moments earlier, while he was on his knees trying to find the crack in the wall for the door, the phone started ringing. He had scrambled to find it, and when he looked at the display he almost dropped it again.
It was Rinka! Layla didn't want her brother to know she was with him. Wait, why not? Rinka and I talk to one another. He shook his head, whatever her reasons were, he respected them. He didn't want to get her in trouble. More trouble, that is.
The phone kept ringing. He winced. It was piercing his head, remnants of that hangover. Make it shut up! If I just end the call she might get in trouble, if I answer it, she might get in trouble. What do I DO? Breathe, Nerdy, breathe.
He took a deep breathe. Then he cleared his throat, and hit Talk, and spoke into the phone. 'The number you have dialled is not in service. Please hang up and try again.' He quickly hit end and dropped the phone in relief.
----------------
Rinka sidled up next to the girl. She didn't look up. He cleared his throat. She didn't look up. He hummed a bit under his breathe. She didn't look up.
'Is she deaf?' He wondered out loud to himself.
'Excuse me?' She blinked at him through her glasses.
'Oh. Sorry. I was uhh, wondering...' Rinka looked at her and wondered again what he was doing talking to this strange girl.
'What you're doing talking to a strange girl?' She raised an eyebrow at him. He blinked.
'How, what, no. I wasn't thinking that at all. Why would I think that? That's...rude.'
'And wondering out loud, right beside me, if I was deaf, isn't rude?' She rolled her eyes.
'Well, no. I was trying to get your attention.' He didn't like her attitude.
'You could simply say 'excuse me', like normal people do,' She smirked.
'Yes. But I'm not normal people.' He smirked back.
'Yeah. I can tell.' She went back to her book.
'So. Why are you reading a book in a club?' He looked at her askance. 'You know that's not normal also?'
'I never said I was normal also.' She continued reading.
'Everyone thinks you're crazy.' There. He said it.
'I don't mind. I'm crazy. Let them think that,' She grinned at him.
'Are you drunk?' He looked at her suspiciously.
'I am not drunk. I just had one drink.' She tossed her head.
'So can I entice you to have a drink or two with me?' He smiled at her behind his sunglasses.
'I, uhm.. Have to go to the washroom.' She started closing her book, and made as if to get up.
'No luck. I already checked the ladies washroom. There are no windows to escape from.' He sat back coolly.
------------------------
'Laylaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!' Nerdy was getting desperate. 'Where the heck can she be?'
He had tried shifting heaps of sand with his shoe, hoping maybe there was some trapdoor she had fallen through. Nope. He stood in the middle of a pile of sand and held his head. How the hell do I get myself in these messes? He looked up at the ceiling that was painted over as a Saharan sky, and froze. He squinted and tried to focus. I know I saw something.
He backed up, trying to catch a better glance at the ceiling, and went falling backward, losing his balance. He hit a wall, hard.
'Umphhhh.' He slithered down to his knees. Suddenly something covered him. He freaked out for a second, then realized it wasn't moving. He pushed himself out from underneath it, and found himself holding the canvas that was covering part of the wall. 'Holy...'
Behind the flap that was removed from the wall, was a door!
