:|Another Time, Another Place|:

:|Chapter 9|: Akari's POV

I felt like such an idiot after talking to the same guy that I had talked to this morning. This guy seemed so much nicer than before, and he didn’t sound exactly like he had before either! Thank goodness I was a little drowsy on the phone earlier. I politely told him that I had to go to the ladies room and then he bid me farewell as well. Turning around, I casually walked towards the ladies room. Hopefully he hadn’t suspected anything. I sighed in relief when I was about to turn the corner; well, that was until someone grabbed me.

I was about to let out a shout of surprise and panic, but then a hand came crashing down onto my lips. I was about to bite the hand to get it off me, but then I heard the person talk. I sighed and relaxed when I realized that it wasn’t some ninja coming to kill me; it was just Ahnyx. He turned me towards him when he knew that I was okay now, but I began to panic again, wondering how we were supposed to leave now.

“What are we supposed to do now that he’s out there?” I whispered frantically. Instead of answering though, he sighed and motioned for me to follow him quietly. I was going to ask where he was taking us, but that was when the exit sign in the back came into view. Ahnyx seemed to sense something behind us and sped up the pace. I held onto him tightly as he did so, scared that I’d be left behind.

When we reached the exit door, Ahnyx motioned for me to stay still and be quiet. I nodded curtly, glancing around to see if anyone was coming. When he peeked his head out the door though, I heard a curse leave his lips, and I knew that we were most likely surrounded. We had to think up a strategy and fast, before Ryan, or whatever the guy’s name is, finds us. I looked around for a moment and then sighed when I noticed that there was a door the led to a supplies room that was empty. I tugged on Ahnyx and motioned for him to see and he nodded, leading us towards it when we heard footsteps coming down the hall.

When we were tucked safely into the storage room I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that we were safe for the moment. I then turned to look at Ahnyx, who seemed to already be staring at him. His expression seemed a little weird, but I shrugged it off and then looked around the room as we waited silently for the footsteps to leave the hall. After they faded away, I turned my attention back towards Ahnyx.

“So what are we going to do since we’re surrounded?” I asked hesitantly. He paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to reply to my question. Then he gave a big sigh before speaking.

“Well, I’m not all too sure actually. We probably should have left earlier.” I looked away at the last comment, knowing that it was my fault that we were caught because I had answered his phone.

“I’m… sorry.” I whispered, ashamed that this was my entire fault. He stared at me for a moment before rolling his eyes at my words.

“Don’t worry about it; I should have gotten rid of it before going on the road with you. It was my fault that I forgot I had it on me.” I smiled a little at his words and then hugged him, allowing my body to take over in that moment. When I noticed what I did, heat rose to my face and I began stumbling apologies for my actions while he laughed at me. I scowled when I noticed that he was laughing. I then hit his shoulder playfully.

“Shut up.” I muttered darkly. He looked at my expression and released another chuckled before drifting to an end. He then seemed to be lost in thought.

“Okay, so we might have to wait a little longer, I already checked us out though, so we don’t have to worry about that.” I nodded in understanding.

“Uh, do you want me to go check on whether they’re still out there? It’s not like they know it was me on the phone or anything.” He hesitated, unsure if he should allow me to go when it was pretty dangerous. I smiled at him thinking about my safety, but quickly arranged my features into a blank one when he fixed his gaze on me.

“Okay, but you only have about 10 minutes, and then I’m coming out there to look for you.” He sighed, still sounding unsure about letting me go out there. Acting on impulse once again, I pulled into a hug and then kissed his cheek. I blushed when I noticed what I did, but instead of stammering apologies this time, I looked him in the eye and then winked before leaving the room.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be in the hall anymore. I looked both ways before heading towards the exit once more. I cracked it open just a bit and then saw people still scattered about, trying to find good hiding places. I gulped and then almost freaked out completely when I felt a hand land on my shoulder. I turned to see the guy I had been talking to earlier. I tried for a smile, hoping it looked sincere. He chuckled and then spoke.

“Hey, what are you doing over here?” I smiled again, almost shyly before looking up at him innocently and speaking.

“Uh, well me and my friend were playing hide and seek. I know it sounds a little childish, but we’ve played it since we met 5 years ago.” I shyly looked away, as if I were embarrassed. He let out a booming laugh at that and I secretly sighed as I knew that he didn’t expect a think.

“Who’s your friend? I could possibly help you find him.” I smiled innocently again, before discreetly looking away looking embarrassed again.

“Well, his name is… Kyle. I would love to have your help, but then I wouldn’t feel as if I found him on my own; sorry.” I said this sounding sincere and then looked around once more before turning back towards him. “Plus, I love the chase he always gives. Well, I have to go and see if I can find him somewhere else. Guess I’ll see you around then?” I asked, acting as if I were hopeful that we would see each other. I was actually a pretty good actress if I do say so myself. He nodded softly, his eyes staring warmly into my own. I gave him a cute smile and then began to skip down the hall as if I were having fun with this so called ‘hide and seek’ game I was ‘playing’.

I turned the corner and went into the ladies room for real this time, and then called the backup phone that Ahnyx had gotten earlier, after he threw his phone into the pool.

“Akari?” His voice asked softly. I hummed in confirmation.

“Hey, I’m not sure when I’ll be back to the storage room. I ran into your uh… friend and I think he’s still near.” I whispered the last part, unsure if I was being listened to. He hummed his understanding and then he told me to be careful before we hung up. I quietly walked to the door and then threw the door open, hitting someone in the face. I looked over to see a guy on the ground holding his face. It was Ryan. I gulped before letting out a soft giggle to sound innocent.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I gushed, allowing a fake blush to spread across my cheeks. He moaned in pain as his response. “What were you uh… doing hanging around so close to the door?” I asked, trying to sound as if I were truly curious. He froze up for a second before sitting up and looking at me as if he were studying me closely. I tried not to fidget, and instead cocked my head to the side in confusion. He sighed before speaking.

“Sorry, I thought you were someone else. She’s been trying to get me into trouble for a while now, and I thought you were her, talking on the phone with my boss.” I nodded as if I believed him, but I knew that he was lying. Smiling slightly, I pointed to the phone.

“I was trying to get Kyle to tell me where he was… it never works!” I pouted and stamped my foot childishly. He chuckled lightly and then said that he had to leave. I nodded and then went on my way. After he was out of sight, I made a dash to the storage closet. I sighed in relief when I arrived. Ahnyx seemed to be about to walk out and I was relieved that he hadn’t. I pushed him back into the room and then closed the door.

“He was trying to listen into our conversation. I told him that you were my friend Kyle that I was playing hide and seek with. I told him that I was trying to get you to tell me where you were. Hopefully he bought it, because the lie he told me for why he was listening to me sounded so bogus and I hope mine didn’t seem that way.” I was rambling and was cut off when he pulled me into a hug.

“At least you’re safe. Now, we just have to wait them out for a little while longer and then we’ll leave.”