I turned my head away from his direction as I entered, the smell of him was enough to drive away rats. At that thought, I named him the Pied Piper. I'd have to tell someone the great and wonderful story of him, or write it down somewhere later. After I finish my bloody school work that just keeps piling up in front of all the fun things I try to plan.

 

"What can I get you?" The young girl behind the counter asked me. I wondered if she, like me, was used to living off of thin air, nearly suffocating under the weight of university.

 

"An extra large double double, please." She smiled at me, a smile that showed genuine happiness. Apparently she wasn't used to living a half life, and I hated her for it. She doesn't know anything.

 

It seemed that school had made me bitter as well as unhappy. Perhaps I should have gotten a black coffee instead, I mused as I sat down.

 

I dabbed my pinky finger into the coffee, testing the temperature. Deciding it was too hot, I gazed around the store instead. The was a couple sitting on the other side of the room from me, quite obviously interested in one another as they were leaning over their table across from each other, deep in conversation. I wondered if they were talking about sex or something of the like. They probably hadn't shared that yet so it still held some excitement to them. Just wait until it happens and they get bored of each other.

 

Shit, again with the bitterness. Not thinking, I brought the coffee up to my lips and drank, as if the hot coffee would warm away my contempt. It did not succeed in doing so, instead it just burned my tongue and made me even more sour. Jeez.

 

Still, the heat radiating off the paper cup was nice, so I wrapped my hands around it. Onto the next specimen.

 

There was a guy sitting at a computer, typing very agressively. In fact, everything about him beamed agitation, though not necessarily mad, or angry, rather. He possibly could have been mad as in crazy. Maybe he was just overdosing on caffiene and ranting about some stupid shit in a chatroom. It's so pointless to put anything on the internet though, it gets lost amongst everything else.

 

Though sometimes you just have to get it out, even if no one reads it.

 

The girl at the counter was talking to a guy wearing the same apron as her, marking him as an employee. She casted a nervous glance at the guy on the computer. Her co-worker just shrugged and appeared to be reassuring her that it was nothing to be concerned about. Hmm. He was actually pretty good looking.

 

He looked over at me and caught me staring at him. Shit. I casually moved my gaze to the left, as if I'd just looked at him on my way to looking at the menu, which was written in chalk on a blackboard behind the counter.

 

Feeling the need to further convince him that I hadn't been staring at him and that I had, indeed, been perusing the menu, I got up and walked to the counter. The guy walked over to me and asked me what I wanted. He was even friendly about it. I bet he's used to girls staring at him.

 

"Yeah, could I get a.. cheese croissant?"

 

"Yep, no problem." He said, and flashed a smile. Was it a prerequisite that all workers here had to have a cheery disposition? He handed me my croissant, I thanked him, and sat down at my table.

 

I put the croissant down, I really didn't feel that hungry. Feeling my coffee, I found that it was now colder than I'd like it to be, I'd wasted too much time lost in thought. I picked up the cup and downed the entirety of the contents. I received a jolt of energy and looked around the cafe again, noticing that the lights now appeared brighter, especially contrasted against the night outside. That's caffeine for you.

 

There was another guy typing on a computer, but he seemed composed. I deduced that he was doing something work-related, he was even wearing a suit which must be the dress code at his office. Better than an apron, I'd say.

 

Whatever he was doing, he was concentrating very hard on it. I could tell by his unmoving posture. And though his glasses were reflecting the light off his screen and preventing me from seeing his eyes, I imagined that his eyebrows were furrowed.

 

What was someone like him doing in this shop? I figured the most likely thing was that he enjoyed the silence, just now noticing that there wasn't any music playing in the background, not even a radio behind the counter. The lack of music seemed to brighten the atmosphere even more. What the hell?

 

I took a quick but large bite of the croissant and swallowed it with little chewing beforehand. I feared the caffiene was having a concentrated affect on me because my stomach was empty.

 

Within a minute, nothing of the pastry remained but a few crumbs on the table. I felt more at ease and sat back in my chair, trying to relax further.

 

From my peripheral vision I watched as the couple left, hand in hand. Propping myself up a little, I watched them through the window. He opened the car door for her and she sat down in the passenger's seat gracefully. He paused and they talked briefly before he closed the door and walked around to the other side. I could almost hear her thoughts of indecision, whether or not to let him take her back to his place. In my mind, she decided yes, but who knows?

 

Although if it were me.. I thought, because it's easier to live vicariously than go out to a club and find my own boyfriend, I'd base it on something random, to make it exciting. Like.. I'd fuck his brains out if the next stop lights we got to were green. Life needed more spontaneity and less pros vs. cons lists.

 

Sneaking another glance over at the cute guy behind the counter, I checked what time it was on the clock behind him. I sighed resignedly and got up from my seat. I had already been out later than I should've been, it was time to go back to my dorm room. I wondered what my roommate had been doing while I was out, maybe she had her boyfriend over. He might still be there. I paused outside under the fluorescent lights, thinking of this. I caught a glance of my reflection on the windows and found I didn't look much better than that guy I'd looked down upon earlier, ol' Pied Piper. A silly jacket couldn't fix looking this bad.

 

In an instant I felt upset enough to throw it off and chuck it into the alley beside the cafe. How stupid I was acting! Instead I kept it on and slapped my cheeks a little to bring me back to reality and normalcy.

 

The street was empty and I crossed quickly, a giggle escaping as I half-skipped across it. It was better to cut through the park than downtown. The path through the park was more appropriate in that moment, rather than the alternative which was full of people. Civilisation. Plus, the park had nicer scenery, being there felt almost like being out in the country with all the trees and flowers. The scent of the nature certainly couldn't be beat by the exhaust of cars and stenches wafting up from the sewers.

 

"Ugh, and I just can't stand that smell." I said, to no one in particular.

 

The lack of stars up above killed the possibility of it being a country retreat in the middle of a big city. The night was clear but still nothing could be seen up there but the flashing lights from helicopters or airplanes. And the moon. It was full, and it held my gaze there. I watched it as I walked blindly, my feet leading me along the path that they thought they knew well enough not to need my eyes. I started humming softly, a childish sort of lullaby. I didn't recognize it but it sounded pretty.

 

My feet, previously so determined, stopped short in a small enclosure of bushes. I brought my gaze down from the heavens and looked left to right, trying to identify my surroundings. I looked forward and stood facing an old tree, slightly gnarled and twisted. There was a figure there, resting in the crook where the tree branched out.

 

"Hello?" My voice was so small, I doubted the person, if it was a person, would hear me. "Is someone there?"

 

I waited for something to happen, for the night around me to make a move against me, for the shadow in the tree to emerge and strike me down.

 

Nothing happened, but I didn't feel safe yet, because I didn't feel alone.

 

I didn't want to go any closer than a few feet back from the tree, where I was standing, but I refused to simply throw a rock at the thing, what if it was just some harmless bum sleeping in a tree? If that was the case, they surely couldn't be comfortable.. still, throwing a rock was out of the question. The only actions remaining were to run or to approach it. And, I thought sardonically, as a character in any horror movie ever made, I'm going to do the stupid thing. In this situation, who plays the person yelling at me on the television screen to run away?

 

In an instant, I was snapped out of my reveries by whispering, coming from the tree of course, confirming that it wasn't dead or non-living, and was enough to set me running. I turned around and worked my legs as hard as I could. At the opening of the enclosure, I could no longer resist looking back. I kept running as I did so but what I saw stopped me. Not because I was scared by it, or shocked or awed, but because it physically stopped me. A vine or a branch wrapped around my torso, I couldn't tell in the dark, and bound my arms at my waist, along with halting my escape. I was dragged backwords, bent over slightly and trying to stop myself by digging my heels into the ground trailing beneath me. 

 

It stopped me in front of the tree, I could feel its proximity behind me. And then I could hear it behind me, it was whispering again. Whispering so close to me. I pictured an ugly creature behind me, breathing on me, not even mumbling in English, just gurgling with its half mouth. Ugly, disgruntled features. I cringed. It was inches from touching me, reaching out to strangle or dismember me. Still making that quiet yet threatening noise, seconds from attacking me. Intimidating me as entertainment. It sounded almost like hissing now.. it was prepared. Now was the second when it would strike. Any moment now. Bzz.

 

It was buzzing? Bzzz. What kind of thing was this, the candy man? Ready to kill me with bees? That thought made me laugh a little.

 

I laughed?

 

I opened my eyes, not having realized that I'd been shutting them tightly, and re-examined my surroundings.

 

I wasn't turned from the tree, I was facing it. And I was about two meters away from it. I flexed my hands and found that nothing was restricting their movement. Bzz.

 

Again! What the hell? The source of the sound wasn't coming from up in the tree, but down on the ground. I knelt on the grass and felt around, the buzzing continuing. Finally my hand came upon something smooth and I recognized it as a phone. It was vibrating. Huh, my phone must have fallen out..

 

wen r u coming bak to the dorm, im not stayng up allnite. if u dont return soon forget bout my help. txt me bak plz

ill be there soon, dont worry, im fine. its all ok. bye

I texted automatically and returned my phone to my pocket. I stared in front of me at the silhouette of the tree. It was shrouded in darkness. It looked even darker than before. Silently, I prayed up to the moon that it could light the area so that I might see what was in the tree. I felt more convinced than ever that there was something there.

 

"I know something's there. You can't.. fool me. I can't be tricked." I put my hands on my waist in a defiant position. My mouth even turned down in a pouting expression.

 

Then, without warning, I collapsed. Thankfully, I landed on my butt.

 

"Haha, whoopsadaisy!"

 

I sat there on the grass for a good while, just swaying my arms around myself and running my fingers through the grass, which tickled quite a lot. I was grinning wildly until my fun time was interrupted.

 

"Need a hand?" So cavalier, despite having interrupted me. Teehee.

 

Why yes, I do need a hand, thank you.

 

"I saw you staring at me." He sounded so cool and sure of himself, yet friendly and kind. Just like at the coffee place.

 

N-no, I wasn't staring. "You're.. mistaken." Was the tree moving again? I felt something snake around my waist.

 

"Your interest couldn't have been mistaken." How did he even notice me? He was so cute..

 

"N-no.." Man, it was getting kind of hard to talk. My tongue felt heavy.

 

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You know that, love." Love? Who, me? "Either way, you're coming with me. Doesn't that sound fun?"

 

No, I..  "I have studying.. I have to," it's important. Do you not know that? Don't you know me?

 

"You don't have to worry about frivolous things like that anymore." Really?! "Don't you think you should thank me for lifting that weight off your shoulders?" He smiled, what a nice, friendly smile..

 

I'm free of school, finally! I couldn't thank him enough, though I was finding it difficult to thank him at all. "Yeah.. th-thank you." 

 

"Don't mention it. Now come on, my car's just over there. Go on ahead of me. Steady there.." 

 

He helped me walk at first, but then I managed to do it by myself! I was so proud of myself for not needing his help, even though I was feeling pretty unsteady. I smiled real big and spread my arms in a gesture as if to say, "Look at me!" because I couldn't actually say it, for some reason.

 

I turned my head a little, I wanted to make sure he was watching me. Do you see? He brought his hands up to my shoulders. His palms were so warm against me. Mm.

 

He started massaging my neck. I could feel his breath. "Want to hear something funny?"

 

I did want to know, so badly! I tried nodding my head in excitement, but my muscles were too relaxed. It must've been from his massaging..

 

He whispered really softly, almost like that thing in the tree! I reflected. How weird.. I leaned my head back to listen closer but he tightened his hands around my throat and prevented me from moving.

 

"I drugged your coffee." Haha, what did he say?

 

"Wh-hh.. hhha!" His grip on my neck tightened. I tried to resist but I couldn't move. My arms refused to move up and wrench his fingers from my throat. It's so hard to breathe! My mouth refused to open and scream for help. I need help. My legs refused to run or kick, they were even failing to support me; all of a sudden, they buckled.

 

He lowered down with me, kneeling on the ground. My vision's going all fuzzy, with sparkly dots..

 

His knuckles were white; I knew, though I couldn't see them. I could feel him shaking slightly and his grip was so tight. My whole body feels fuzzy..

 

I couldn't picture his face though, and I wanted to. I wanted to know what expression he wore. Oh well, it was about time I got used to disappointment.