Running From Time

Chapter 5

I packed the last of my things and looked up at Lydia, suitcase in hand. She smiled at me and grabbed her own case, wheeling it out of the front door. I followed and heard the familiar clickety-clack of the wheels of my case. The sunlight made me wince as I looked up at the bright blue sky, knowing that I probably wouldn't be seeing this for a couple of weeks.

It had been a couple of days since I'd had to set fire to my friends and I shuddered at the memory. I still hadn't found who had killed them, but when I did I knew I'd have to do something. Although, I had a pretty strong feeling that it was Hoodie Girl, but I couldn't prove anything. Thinking of that girl, there was a strange feeling that I'd had the past couple of days. I had been very uneasy, because I had realised that the feeling of danger that I seemed to get whenever something bad was about to happen had never been present around Hoodie Girl. My body and mind were completely at ease around her and this confused me as she was definitely a threat to me.

"C'mon Chris, we're gonna be late!" Lydia's voice suddenly cut through my internal monologue and I jumped slightly. She noticed and snorted.

"Sorry. I was just..." I trailed off as I realised that she probably wouldn't have wanted to hear what I was thinking.

"Well, we need to get to the airport or we'll be late for the flight." I nodded and she smiled, walking towards one of my cars.

Once we were in the car, I turned my music up and started to bounce along to it, singing at the same time. She looked completely nonplussed and I thought of turning it off but realised that it would probably be super awkward without it. I put on one of my unreleased songs called 'Zero' from my new album and started to sing along but she just looked bored. She brought out a book with a completely black cover and started to read. I frowned and kept my eyes on the road.

"Chris, do you think you could turn that off? I have a headache and I don't really like that song." She said after a little while and I turned it off immediately, thinking that that was a bit of a rude thing to say. Nevertheless, we travelled in silence for the rest of the journey.

After what seemed like an age, we reached the airport and I hopped out first, keen to breathe fresh air. We checked in and then were instructed to wait in the waiting area for about an hour. I sighed as I realised that we were probably going to be sitting in silence for the next hour. Although there were shops very nearby and I almost ran to them in my excitement to get away from Lydia. Guiltily, I looked back at her. I mean, she was great but she'd been so boring today and I was a bit sick of it. She motioned for me to look round the shops and I smiled, relieved.

There were all kinds of shops, ranging from convenience stores to shops selling televisions and computers. I snorted as I imagined someone trying to lug a TV through the airport. To my left was a small newsagents selling sandwiches and I walked towards it, realising my sudden hunger. It was midday, after all. I walked down the aisles of the small shop and grabbed a cheese and bacon baguette, checking the price. Just as I was about to turn to the checkout, something caught my eye. A dark figure was standing behind a food display, mostly obscured by a dark hood. I narrowed my eyes and growled very softly under my breath. Hoodie Girl.

"What the heck are you doing here?!" I hissed at her, walking very quickly and deliberately up to her. She stood her ground and I frowned.

"Stay away from me." I said with a glower and my eyes flashed green momentarily. She jumped slightly and I snorted. Quickly, she darted away and I saw her running through the crowd in the waiting area.

I arrived back in the waiting area after about half an hour, having bought the sandwich, some chocolate and some stuff to drink. Lydia was sat on her phone with headphones in and I approached her quietly from behind.