The Promised School

Bad luck on the staircase

Ray stepped carefully down the stairs, clutching the banister with a shaking hand. His plan formed inside his head like a whirlwind. He could see it happening in front of his eyes, but first he had to... 

He knew where the door would lead them too. Tears, and a lot of explaining. But Emma and Norman had to understand that they didn't have much time.

İf you try to warn him, I'll kill you, and your little friends.

Just let her try.

Ray carried on down the staircase, hoping Emma and Norman had gone to lunch without him. But their was one problem, the lunch bell hadn't rung. 

Dammit...

They would be waiting for him at the bottom. İf he knew Norman well enough then Norman would have figured that he had gone up too- 

Up to where? İf Norman knew he had gone there, surely he would suspect something. 

Ray made a mental note to ask him about it later, and turned to walk back up the other way. Ha, he wouldn't walk down in to their  trap! Did they really think he was that stupid?

He puased. They knew he wasn't that stupid, they had known him all their lives. 

So then...

Ray felt a wave of childish  panic rush over him. 

They would know he wouldn't go down the stairs-

"RAY! THERE HE İS!!"

Dammit. Emma and Norman were probably going to say he owed them or something, but first they would attempt to lecture him, which, amusing as it was, was tedious beyond the limits. 

Another feeling of panic, and Ray turned and hurtled down the stairs. 

What the hell was he doing? Maybe he felt the need to have some fun before everything happened. But wait, this was strange, Emma was just standing their at the top of the stairs with a wide smile on her face.

And where was Norman? 

Oh great.

Of course. Of course. Of course Norman was at the bottom of the stairs, standing with folded arms and a smile that looked a little smug. 

Just my bad luck...

Ray grabbed the banister, and stopped himself. "Norman. Hey. Where've you been?"

Norman chose to ignore this. "Well, well, well. Ray. I don't believe this. Emma and I spent the whole afternoon looking for you, and we would like an apolagy. We aren't speaking to you until you-"

Emma hurtled down the stairs as fast as a bullet, took a leap of about ten  steps and landed not very gracefully beside Ray. She turned to him, looking like she was about to cry.

"Raaaayyyy!!! He's alive, Norman! You're alive, Ray! I'M SO GLAD!!"

"But Emma-"

Norman gave a sigh. İt had been Emma's idea actually, to not speak to Ray until he apolagized, but it seemed Emma wasn't capable of that. 

Emma threw her arms around her friend, causing him to almost fall of the edge of the banister. 

"We thought... With Thoma and Lannion going missing too..."

Ray blinked away tears that were definitely, absolutely, certainly not there, and he tried to take a deep breath, but found he couldn't. 

"Get off me you idiot! I can't breath!"

Emma released Ray, and Ray took a long, shaky breath. 

Then Norman found he couldn't stop himself; he had missed his friend even though it had only been a few hours, and in those hours he had been swimming in worries. 

"Raaayyyy!!"

Norman darted up the stairs and hugged Ray. 

"AAAAGHHHHHH!! Don't you two understand?? I. CAN'T. BREATHE!!"

"Okay, okay Ray" laughed Norman. "You're free to go."

Free? 

Not yet, Norman. 

"WHAT? No he is NOT free!  Don't you remember, Norman?? We're not speaking..."

While Emma ranted on at Norman, Ray leaned over. 

"I have to talk to you later on, Norman."

Norman cocked his head, then nodded. "Yeah, I have something to ask you, too, Ray."

"- So he HAS to play tag with us this time, because it wouldn't be fair anyway, and Ray liked it this morning  and he owes us too, and has he even apolagized yet?"

"Uh..."

Norman looked at Ray. He looked to proud to apolagize for anything, so he decided to take the easy way out. 

"Yeah, he has. He's very sorry and he won't go anywhere without us again."

While saying the last few words, Ray felt Norman give him a mildly painful kick. He looked up to glare at him, but Norman was already glaring at Ray with a passion that made Ray think he knew exactly where he had been.

"Yeah. I won't go anywhere without you two."

İt sounded a bit sappy, but Emma, Norman and Ray knew how to deal with moments like this, and Emma said the magic words and they took of down the stairs and towards the dining hall just as the school bell rung loud and clear.