Nodus Tollens

XX.

"Juliet? Juliet."

I swatted away the insistent hands that were shaking me and groaned as I slowly opened my eyes.

I blinked rapidly to clear my blurred my vision and the first thing my eyes were greeted with was Arsen peering down at me looking slightly worried, but mostly annoyed. I let my eyes fall shut again and another groan passed my lips.

"Please tell me I'm dead."

"No, just dramatic."

I opened my eyes once more and sat up, pushing him aside. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Well, when the elevator stopped you screamed bloody murder and then passed out."

My jaw dropped and a sharp gasp almost chocked me. I looked around frantically and realized I hadn't been dreaming, and I was actually trapped in an elevator.

"Oh my god," I jumped up and ran to the sealed doors and began banging on it. "Help! HELP! Somebody help! Get me out of here!"

"Juliet-"

"I'm too young to die," I cried, kicking at the doors. "There are so many things I haven't gotten to do! I haven't started my clothing line! I haven't had tea with Donatella Versace! I still have one more store to shop at in Paris!"

"Julie-"

"Let me out!"

"Juliet!" Arsen spun me around and grabbed my hands. "Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. How can I calm down!? We're stuck in a moving death trap!" I looked around the closed space, my breath picking up speed. "Is it just me or are the walls closing in on us?"

"It's just you," he pulled me down with him to the ground. "Take a deep breath, and stop screaming like a crazy person. I've already called up to maintenance, and they're working on the problem right now. It should take half an hour. An hour at the most."

"An hour!?"

"Deep breath."

I inhaled deeply and then slowly let out the breath.

"Good. How's your head? You hit it pretty hard when you fell."

"Fine," I propped my legs up and buried my head in my knees, squeezing my eyes shut. "Although, I do have the sudden urge to puke though."

"Try to hold that down," he said. "Remember we're in a confined space."

"I would rather not be reminded of that. Thank you very much."

"I didn't know you were scared of elevators."

"I'm not scared of elevators," I shifted my head so I could look at him. "I just don't like them all that much, or any closed confined space I can't get out of immediately."

"Well, just remember to breathe slowly," he advised me. "Or you'll start hyperventilating again, and pass out...again."

"Right," I cleared my throat and straightened up, shoving the fear as far down as it would go.

"You know, you could call your dad," he suggested. "He might speed up the process of getting us out of here."

I paused, seriously considering it, then promptly decided I would rather rot in here than talk to my father at that particular moment.

"I'd rather just die in here."

"Well, that's dramatic."

"No, it isn't," I said indignantly. "I hate him."