DECEMBER JANE

December: Harrowed Boy

Last week, I had that Kate character leave me on the highway. She ran away down the road, which was odd to me, but that gave me a headstart in my own direction.

I told Smiles I didn't feel safe leaving the hospital that week. To my surprise, he didn't protest at all to my appeal.

While I had the time to work from the safety of my room, I began to brainstorm some ideas. I needed to kill whatever that thing was that followed me. If looking at it would kill me, I'd look away; if the pages would fend it off, so would fire. The smoke bomb project I had worked on before had some decent elements of reactivity. The mechanics made sense, and considering I was trying to murder said creature, an actual explosive bomb might be just as easy for me to handle-- hopefully. In the early blueprints, the design was absolutely hellish to work with.

I walked back to my spot again, earlier than usual today. It was eight A.M. when I left the hospital. I'm not sure why I kept coming back, but when I arrived, I saw the girl was already there, waiting for me.

"You're wearing that?" she asked.

I frowned. "Yeah. I wear this every day."

"No, no. You can't wear that."

"I'm sorry, when did I give you the right--"

"We're getting you some proper Sunday clothes. Come on." She reached out and grabbed my arm with a tug. I stayed put. "No."

"You told me you were coming!" She whined.

"I was also fighting the equivalent of satan!"

"Precisely!" She smiled. I slacked my shoulder with a sigh. "I've never even gotten your name," I remarked.

"Laori," she said flatly. I gave a nod to it. "Beautiful," I said. "But really last minute, ay?" She didn't respond, but rather just stared at me. I tugged lightly again, though still not released from her grip. "You want me to go that badly?" I said. She paused, then shrugged.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm wearing this."

She grinned. "Not that ratty coat, at least."

My jaw dropped. "Ratty?!"

"Okay, maybe not," she said. "But please drop that off in my car before we go in."

"You could wear it," I joked. She giggled. "Oh, really?"

I started to follow her in the direction of the highway. She walked with a lot more confidence than when I met her first.

"I haven't got your name, either," she said. "December," I replied. She nodded in response. "Pretty name," she said. "What do you do for work all the way out here?"

I struggled to find an answer. "Study."

"What, exactly?"

"... science stuff?"

"What science?"

"You love asking questions," I quipped.

"And you love avoiding them," she said, tilting her head.

"Okay, fine. Let's say I'm on college break."

She frowned. "'Let's say'?"

"Take it or leave it."

We made it to the highway and took a left, following the winding road. The scenery was gorgeous as it framed the road. It was autumn, as far as I was concerned. Time wasn't real at this point.

"What's today's date?" I asked.

"Oh, it's the 8th," Laori replied.

"Of what?"