“Hello?” I called out.
Silence beat around me. A suffocating kind of silence. I wasn’t alone. I backed toward the cart, keeping my eyes on the dark aisle. My phone was in my pocket, and now, I took it out and stabbed at the screen, not even aware of who I was calling. I had so few numbers in my phone, it didn’t really matter.
It rang shortly before it connected.
“Selena?” Brody asked after a long beat of silence.
I was too scared to talk, feeling locked in that fight-or-flight mode that had taken control of me.
I swallowed hard, my lips apart, but unable to move.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” Brody demanded.
In the background, the noises of somewhere busy faded. A slammed heavy door. Gravel crunching underfoot.
“You can’t tell me?” Brody continued. “You had a shift at the library. You should still be there. I’m on campus, at the rink.”
I nodded wordlessly. The soft squeak of shoes walking carefully hit my ears. It came from the darkness of the aisle in front of me. In the far distance, a glowing green emergency exit sign signaled the very end of the room. Had someone come in that way?
“Selena, listen to me. I’m on my way, got it?”
The shoe squeaks came closer.
“I’ll be there soon. Wait for me.”
Then he was gone. I dropped my hand holding the phone and tried to force myself to breathe. I knew what I was supposed to do for an impending panic attack, though it hardly ever worked. I’d had enough practice at least trying. But despite my efforts, my breath still wouldn’t come easy. I still saw spots in front of my eyes.
A shadow moved in the darkness. Someone was definitely there, and they were moving toward me.
“I found you!”
Someone grabbed me from behind, nearly knocking me over. The smell of jasmine and neroli filled my head, and a soft arm squeezed my waist.
“I asked at the front desk which floor you were on and they weren’t sure. You don’t even know how many floors I’ve searched.” Aisha moved around my side.
Her teal-blue T-shirt made her skin glow. The thick frames of her glasses caught the light of the lamp behind me, hiding her eyes for a second.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
My paralysis faded, and I reached out and grabbed her hand. I wasn’t alone.
Then I looked down that dark aisle toward the emergency exit and took off at a run.
“Where are you going?” Aisha called and followed behind me curiously as I ran into the darkness.
Shoes squeaked ahead of me. Whoever had been trying to scare me was running, and they were faster than I was. The emergency door smashed open, and someone darted out. As they passed under the green light, I caught a glimpse of a pale hoodie and jeans, illuminated in the green emergency light for a beat, and then they were gone.
“What was that? Was there someone there?” Aisha caught up to me.
I stopped near the door. It was too late to go after them. They’d be down the stairs and far away long before I could catch up.
But I wasn’t crazy. My instincts had been correct. Who had it been? Nick? Someone else? Were they just trying to scare me, or something more?
“Selena, are you okay?” Aisha demanded and shook my arm.
“I’m fine, nothing happened. Just some fucking loser lurking in the dark. What people will do not to study, right?” I forced a smile on my lips. I didn’t want Aisha worrying about me, and she was exactly the kind of person to do just that.
“So, why were you looking for me?” I checked my watch. “I’m actually done, so I can leave with you.”
