You Saved Me

Hour Eight: A Plan

"It's been eight hours! Are the police doing anything to help us," Noah cries and jumps up from the ground.

"Noah, you heard them! Potential bombs at doors and he may have hostages we don't know," I try and reason but I am getting frustrated too. I don't like staying in school any longer than I have to, especially under these  circumstances. Noah takes me by the arm and looks at me.

"We need to get out of here," he whispers  and lays down next to me, I can tell the small room is making him anxious and jumpy. I start to feel tense to and I roll on my side to distract myself with his eyes.

That was corny.

"And how do you think we can accomplish that?" I murmur questioningly. He sighs and thinks for a while and looks at me again, this time he seems a little more hopeful on this supposed escape we are executing.

"Well, we run and if we get chased I use you as a human shield and quickly get myself to safety," he nods his head as if the plan will work out perfectly and I push his shoulder, laugh and turn away from him. 

"You are annoying, you know that," I giggle.  

"I think we just need to escape, Kate," he looks at me more seriously and then takes my face between his hands.

"The police aren't doing shit, and we have been here longer than we should be. We need to just run for it, Kate. No matter what," he kisses my lips to make me less nervous but it doesn't help. What about Alex? What about the rest of my friends? My brothers? The second we are free from this I will be done, I'll be leaving my friends and family behind to die while I am free from danger. That is fucking terrible. I can't do it. 

"I can't Noah, fuck no. I can't run out the doors knowing my brothers are there, knowing Alex is hiding in constant fear. It's just not right. I can't leave this place where Blair died. I'm leaving her behind if I do hat, I am leaving everyone behind Noah, don't you get it! Fuck." I wipe away my tears as Noah pulls away from me. 

"Look at it this way, if an airplane is ever crashing and you and your child are in it. You have to put your oxygen mask on first so you don't pass out before your child needs help. If we are the first to escape we can figure out the door that doesn't have a supposed bomb on it and let the police in to the school to find this guy." Noah reasons. 

"I don't know I don't fucking know Noah I can't decide right now," I put my head in my hands. Too much is fucking happening in my head. 

"Well if you don't decide by the end of this hour I'm leaving you on my own," he snaps and leaves my side.

"You don't have to be such a fucking ass about it," I growl. 

"Don't you think this decision isn't hard for me to," he yells," My sister is out there somewhere, so are my friends. But this is the only way I can think of bringing them to safety!" 

"Don't shout," I snap and stand up, moving away from him, angrily and annoyed. Leaving all my friends and family kills me but some where in my mind I know he is right.  

"Whatever, if you don't decide by the end of this hour I am leaving without you. Okay? so choose wisely because I am not staying here longer than I have to and I am not leaving all of my friends and family to protect for a girl I basically just met today," Noah gibes and my heart cracks hearing the words coming out of his mouth. 

"Fuck you, asshole." 

I  quickly walk from the safety of the conference room and into the library where I continue to randomly walk in and out of shelves of books. To calm myself down I run my fingers along the spines of the books as I pass and let my mind wander from all the negative things in life. I close my eyes and lean against the shelves. In a few months I will be in New York, with my best friend and we will take over the city with our style. At least that is what we always said, not that it would ever really happen. I would be living in a dorm overlooking the greatest city on Earth and I would intern at Vogue or some popular magazine that would recognize me. Alex and I would spread our fashion opinions until we hit 30, have a kid and a husband and then start our own company of multiple clothing lines. We'd travel to Milan, the fashion capital, we would live the life with each other. I smile fantasizing about the future and all the good things that were coming ahead. This one day can't ruin everything for our plans. I won't let it happen. The future won't change because of today, because of that monster. Blair will be with us in spirit at FIT and he can't rip that away from us.

I push my hair up in a ponytail and take a few deep breaths before I finally get up again and walk towards the conference room. I need to get out, for the future, for Blair, for my brothers and parents. I just need to get out. 

When I walk back in Noah looks up with tears in his eyes but I feel no sympathy for him. I just pull up a chair next to him and say, "I am coming with you. Be ready right when the hour hits." 

And then I start to pray. 

---

"Kate, wake up.  Five minutes to go," Noah gently shakes me and for a second I wish he would hold me but the short nap didn't give me amnesia, it just gave me oblivion. 

"Okay, okay," I start to combine all my items and shove them in my pockets wherever I can.  Noah is watching me and I struggle to fight down my nerves and tears. When  finish I look out the window to reassure myself that my parents are out there, the cops are out there, the future  is out there. Just the right motivation. 

"The closest door is down a flight of steps and through a hall, we have to move quietly but extremely quick. You have to look one way while I look the other way at all  times or else w can be dead so easily. If he  starts chasing us run zig-zag don't go straight it is easier to shoot someone running straight." he gives mall these little tips that I absorb whole-heartedly. 

"Kate, listen, no matter who or what we see we need to keep moving. We are risking everything here and we can't have any distractions slowing us down," Noah looks me dead in the eye and I nod not agreeing but knowing it's what has to be done. 

"Take your phone and put it on silent, I am putting mine on full blast and when we reach a certain point you have to call me okay? Hopefully that will keep him occupied for a bit," I do what Noah says and look at the clock, two minutes to go. We silently walk to the entrance of the library. Noah turns on his ringer and slides it just outside the library entrance. Then he opens the door more and checks the hall both ways. I look at the clock as we leave the library, leaving our safety, risking our lives. We start to run.