He rolled his eyes. Typical. When I needed to get here in a rush, half the world and their dogs were in my way. Now that I'm leaving, there isn't a single soul around. He started walking again, cursing Murphy in his head, and then hearing the footsteps coming closer, he swung around suddenly, his hands poised ready above his hip.
'Oh. Hey.' The girl blinked up at Smoke.
'You?' Smoke glared at the girl from the exam room. 'Why are you following me?'
'Following? Oh. No. You forgot this,' She held out a piece of paper. Under the flickering light, he stared at it. It was the pamphlet from the Jesus Christ Club he'd been given earlier on the crowded campus lawn.
'Jesus Christ,' Smoke rolled his eyes to the ceiling. 'You kidding me? You followed me out to give me this?'
'Um well, just being helpful. You never know what people might be possessive with...especially,' She looked at him and then stopped whatever she was saying.
'Especially what?' He glared at her suspiciously.
'Well, taking in mind your answers to the exam?'
'Listen. You aren't the teacher, or professor, or, or, whatever. So, just....yeah, whatever.' Smoke turned to leave.
'Hey. Sorry if I insulted you. I don't really know that many people here, but there are a bunch of us going to....well, I thought I would...' She trailed behind him.
He turned around again, with an incredulous look. 'Hit on me? What, are you, crazy?'
'Hit on you?' She seemed confused. 'No! I would never. Oh my god. NO! I just thought, you seemed a bit like you could use some cheering up, and there are some friends of mine who wanted me to meet them later...'
'Listen kid. You should be in bed whenever later is. It's already 9 in the evening. What is later?'
'Well, later, as in now. I'm going over now.'
'Good for you.' He turned again and disappeared around the corner. What did she mean she would never, was she insulting me? He looked at his reflection in the window as he turned around the corner of the building silently. He felt better. I'm sexy and I know it.
--------------------------
Nerdyy pulled open the creaking door. This was obviously not the same sleek door that their abductor had used. This door was rusty, definitely not used often. He peered through the dark doorway and found himself at the bottom of a long metal staircase that spiralled upward.
'Laylaaa?' He called out, and his voice echoed through that tall space. He looked around then went back out to the sand, grabbing Layla's bag, and returning. He eyed the rust in distaste then looked up, and up, at the spiralling steps. This gets crazier and crazier. How in the world could Layla have gone without telling me? How did she even disappear without me noticing?
He sighed, and then started the climb.
----------------------------
'No, I'm serious, I need to go to the washroom. I have to pee.'
Rinka was silent for a few moments. 'You could have gone before, anyway now it's too late. Time to have drinks with me.'
'I don't drink.' She countered.
'You lied then. You said you had one.'
'I meant, I had...water.'
'You did not have water, you had a drink, I can tell.'
'How?' She glared at him suspicously.
'I am God. I know.' He beckoned at DM to bring them drinks.
'I see. And do you have any other talents?' She sat herself down and prepared to make polite conversation with this arrogant dude.
'I have many talents. Being God is not a talent.' He wondered what he was saying. Am I drunk?
'Don't you wonder what comes out of your mouth sometimes?' She smiled a steely smile.
'How..., what, no.' He blinked behind his sunglasses. 'Tell me, do you ever feel that people can read your mind?'
'Nop. Why? Is that one of your talents?' She looked down at the drink that was placed in front of her. She shrugged and drank it down.
'No, yes, of course. But I meant, in general, as a human being, wouldn't you wonder about people reading minds?'
'I'm not a human being though, you see.' She seemed to be mocking him.
'No, you don't look like one.' He played along.
'What gave me away? Don't tell me my green antennae are showing.'
'No. You were writing in your notebook and reading. In a club. Who does that?'
Her smile disappeared. 'I do. If you have a problem go out in the bushes and deal with it!'
'I'm not saying it's bad. Do you ever get the feeling that we're all in some story some creature has written and we're just playing out some roles that they get to choose who we are and what we do?'
She just stared at him. 'Yeah... I think I need to use the washroom now.'
-----------------------
Nerdy huffed as he reached the very top. I am so not looking down. The staircase was flimsy at best. He was tired, and he really had to pee. There was a trapdoor of some sort above and he was ready to heave-ho at it, when he noticed something that looked like a doorbell.
Well, when life gives you doorbells, you, err, press the doorbell. He pressed the doorbell. The trapdoor started moving. Suddenly he was squinting into bright fluorescent light. He climbed through the space and found himself in a toilet stall.
Just what I needed.
-------------------------------------
Smoke entered the basement with another tray. It was empty. He put the tray down on the table already littered with used plates. They escaped.
He knew he should have used his own facilities. These warehouse basements were filled with ways out. That's orite. He pulled out his gun from his hip holster and checked the magazine. He saw the ripped out door, and approached, with the gun held ready. Kicking it open and sidling inside, he stared up at the shaky metal staircase. Hell no.
He backed out and ran out the other door. He took the elevator up and left the supply room and entered the mayhem.
-----------------------------------------
Rinka looked at his watch. That girl wasn't back. While she was gone, he was going through her notebook. He was getting worried. Everything he was reading was strangely familiar. There were names mentioned that he knew, and he was worried how she knew them.
He got up. He had to check this out. He walked towards the ladies washroom and was about to go through again, when a bunch of girls walked by giggling and a few caught his eye. He straightened up and leaned against the wall casually as if he was just waiting. As they passed, the ladies washroom door opened and a girl walked out, looking a bit self conscious.
'Hey excuse me, is there anyone in there?' He asked.
'Umm, no. There's inside while I was in there. Or maybe someone's in the stalls, I don't know.' She smiled politely and then walked away.
'What a nice girl,' He thought. Then pushed the door open, and went inside. It was empty as she'd said. But that last stall was still locked.
He faced the mirrors again and checked himself out absent-mindedly while hitting the redial button again. Come on Taka, answer your damn phone.
The sound of ringing came suddenly from behind him. Aha. He turned around and rapped on the stall.
'I don't know what you hiding in there for. Come out now. Before I kick the door down.'
The toilet flushed twice and the door opened.
He stared in confusion as he came face to face with another man.
'What are you doing in here? This is a ladies washroom.' Rinka eyed the man.
'Well, if you don't mind me, I need to wash my hands twice. I didn't know that. I was, errr, relieving myself.'
'What do you mean you didn't know. You had to come through the door which is marked Ladies.'
'Yeah, but you're not a lady yourself are you?' Nerdyy dried his hands.
'Where did you come from then? What are you doing with Taka's phone? And why are you carrying a woman's purse?' Rinka was stupified.
'I came from the secret passage in there.' Nerdy pointed to the stall.
Rinka walked into it and glared down at the toilet bowl. 'You came from here?'
Nerdyy was fixing his hair. 'Yes, that's right.'
--------------------
Smoke ran around the corner towards the washrooms and bumped into someone.
'Oh, I'm sorr...' He trailed off as he stared down at the girl from the exam room. 'What the hell?'
'What are you doing here?' She stared at him in shock.
'Seriously? Why are you following me? Who sent you?' He glared down at her.
'I didn't know you would be here! I told you, I was meeting a couple of friends here...'
'You really expect me to believe that?'
'Well you will just have to, because that's the truth! Deal with it.' She glared at him, and stomped off. Why couldn't I just be home today? These British people are so strange.
She looked at her watch. She was just a few minutes late, but there was noway anyone could get mad at her today.
She pulled out her phone and tried calling her friends. There was no answer. Great. How do I find them in this crowd? She stood on a chair to see better.
Suddenly the lights went off. The crowd let out a chorus of exclamations and groans. She scrambled down, feeling her way in the dark, and suddenly lost her balance and fell to the ground.
'Ouch.' Suddenly her phone lit up. In the dim light, she saw two shapes in front of her underneath the table. She bit back a scream, then stared in shock.
'Ether? Jiya? What are you doing underneath this table?'
Ether opened his eyes and looked around in bewilderment.
'Oh! You're here!'
'Thanks, but what are you doing underneath this table?'
Ether gestured at Jiya sitting with her eyes closed. 'She wanted to meditate. So we came here to meditate. It's a bit weird, but then I personally find those people dancing and getting drunk weird myself.'
A few lights flared and suddenly there was the sound of music...
'I am a bad bad girl....I'm gonna rock your worldddd...'(listen to song here:http://iq-butterflyeffect.blogspot.ca/)
They looked up over the table to the vision of some girl dancing away on the table. The crowds were starting to dance also. They looked at the girl dancing on the top of the table to the girl meditating underneath the table.
'This is going to be one crazy night.' she whispered to Ether.
'Oh, you have no idea.' Ether whispered back.
-----------------------------
'So explain to me again, how you have that phone? And what exactly you doing with my little sister?' Rinka lit up a cigarette, and offered the box to Nerdyy. Nerdyy shook his head, declining.
Suddenly the lights went out. Nerdyy looked around bewildered.
'Errr, maybe we should check that out.'
'No, you're not leaving until you tell me where my sister is.'
Nerdyy looked around. 'I don't know where she is. I followed her through that secret passage.'
'You followed my sister through the toilet?' Rinka asked.
'Not the toilet! Geez. Come on. It's not normal to be standing in the dark in the women's washroom.'
'I'm not normal.' Rinka exhaled. 'I told you, you're not leaving until you tell me where my sister is.'
A shadow spoke from the doorway. 'And you're not leaving until you tell me where IQ is.'
-----------------
'That's IQ!' Ether said in shock.
'What? What are you talking about?'
'That girl on the table is IQ!'
'IQ! Whereeeeeeeeeee?'
IQ waved happily, if not a little tipsy from where she was dancing on the table.
'You came with her?'
'No, um. Well sort of.' Ether scratched his head. 'It's a long story.'
The music suddenly stopped, and in the silence, there was a gasp and from under the table Jiya crawled.
'Kiaraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa HAPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY' Jiya hugged Kiara tightly.
-----------------
Nerdyy gulped.
In the dark washroom, they could hear the faint sound of punjabi music thrumming and the drip of water from the sinks.
'I don't know where IQ and Layla are.'
Smoke leaned against the doorframe, still a dark shadow. 'You still expect me to believe that?'
Rinka kept smoking silently.
'I err don't know what to expect any of you to believe. But I assure you that's the truth. I'm just as concerned as either of you about the whereabouts of my two good friends but as you can see, I'm just as in the dark as you are.'
Rinka chuckled at his little joke. 'Funny.'
Suddenly the sound of bullets ricocheted, sparks flying. Rinka hit the floor and Smoke flatted against the doorway. Nerdyy blinked and looked around.
'Romeyoooooooooo. I'll save you!' Layla's voice came from the last stall, and she burst out with her gun held aloft, and grabbed Nerdyy.
'Oye. Taka. What you pointing your toy gun at me for?' Rinka got up from the floor.
'Shutup bro. You were bullyinggggg my Romeyo!'
'Romeo shomeo. Who cares who he is.'
'Whatever, bro!' Layla shot at the door, but Smoke was gone. 'Romeyo, run!'
Nerdy turned and ran out of the washroom into the semi-lit crowded floor of the club.
-------------------
'Kiara?' IQ looked down from the table. She saw the trio and climbed down, a little off-balance.
'Easy there, Miss IQ.' Kiara beamed at IQ.
'Oh boy, it's my lucky day.' IQ grinned and wrapped Kiara in a big hug. 'Happy birthday Kiaaa!'
Then fainted.
