The cashier smiled brightly at her and said, "Good afternoon," in a cheery voice.
"Hey." Pexy nodded at the girl and continued walking, heading back towards the elevators.
She pressed the button for the fourth floor and waited patiently until one of the elevator doors opened, letting her walk inside. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and waited. Finally, the doors slid open, allowing her to step onto the floor and enter a long hallway. She passed several doors and came to the sixth. She knocked three times on the door. No answer. She knocked four times on the door, this time louder. Still nothing. She sighed and took the handle to the door.
Slowly, she pushed the door open and peered inside the room. Everything was dark. Only a small sliver of light shone from under the door. She took a cautious look around, making sure that the coast was clear, then she crept inside and shut the door behind her. Her footsteps echoed throughout the room, making her aware of how completely alone she was.
Carefully putting down her backpack, she turned on her flashlight and switched it on. She looked around, searching for anything that she could use as a weapon. She quickly spotted a trash bin and ran toward it, grabbing it from the side. Then she turned to see where the intruder was hiding. The room was empty. There seemed to be no point in waiting any longer. The sooner she left the building, the better. So, turning off her flashlight, she crept out.
She slowly walked out of the apartment building as quietly as she could. She kept glancing around her, looking for any sign of movement. But after five minutes she felt satisfied that nobody was nearby. So, she started to run. As she ran, she searched for her mobile phone among the pockets of her pants. Her hands brushed against the cool metal surface of the telephone, and she finally remembered that she was in possession of one.
In an attempt to conserve her energy, she took slow steps, occasionally stopping to catch her breath. Her chest tightened as she ran, making breathing painful. Her legs were weak, but the exercise helped her to keep going. The pain faded away gradually, but she still felt dizzy as soon as she had to stop and regain her breath.
Suddenly, the sky began to change colour, indicating that twilight was approaching. Pexy's breathing quickened, and the dizziness intensified even more. Fortunately, she stumbled upon a bench which offered her relief. She sat on it and rested her forehead on her knees, closing her eyes to rest a few seconds.
As she lay there panting on the bench for almost ten minutes, she became aware of another presence near her. She lifted her head and saw that a person had appeared next to her. It was a man. Probably in his early twenties, he was wearing a white tshirt and brown shorts. He was holding a plastic cup of coffee and was drinking from it.
He looked at her as if wondering whether she was going to attack him. Pexy just stared at him, wide eyed, trying to decide whether to scream. But he didn't seem to expect her to do anything.
Finally, he finished his coffee and put the cup aside on the bench next to her. Then he stretched out his hand to touch her shoulder. Pexy instinctively recoiled from it, then suddenly remembered all the training she had ever received from her father. Slowly and quietly, she reached into one of her pockets, took out her pepper spray and pointed it at the stranger. "Don't move!"
He blinked in confusion. His eyes widened in fear when he saw the gun in her hand.
She took a deep breath and lowered the weapon. It wasn't worth hurting anybody just because of some dumb mistake. Not yet, anyway. "I'm sorry," she mumbled softly. "I didn't mean... I didn't want to hurt you. Please don't hurt me."
She watched the stranger stand up, then start to walk away. She quickly followed him, keeping a safe distance between them. "Wait! Please!"
But he didn't listen to her. Instead of slowing down, he ran in the direction he came from earlier. With panic growing in her heart, she chased after him. Thankfully, she managed to stay within sight of him. After running several meters, she managed to grab hold of his arm. "Please," she begged him. "Stop."
He immediately spun around, yanking his arm away from her and pointing his knife towards her. "You! How did you find me?" he demanded angrily.
"You know my name," she replied softly, her voice trembling, "why don't you tell me yours instead?"
He glared at her. Then he narrowed his eyes and smirked. "I have no reason to tell you who I am," he replied in the same harsh tone before glaring once more at her. "What are you doing here, kid? Why are you following me? And why do you have a gun?"
Pexy bit her bottom lip, unsure of her best way to proceed. If she told him about the cameras, she could end up getting into serious trouble. On the other hand, if she lied to him about her name, he might get suspicious of her. They probably weren't alone anyway, so it wouldn't make much sense of difference, really. But at least if she told him the truth, at least the chance that he would believe her was high. However, she wasn't quite certain that she trusted him enough to tell him.
For a while she was silent, thinking over her options. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh and decided to be honest. If she got arrested, it'd save her some trouble. Besides, maybe telling him would be good for her. She already knew what happened to girls who didn't talk to strangers. And she could always lie about her name if she wanted to, right? Maybe the guy would believe her. Maybe it wouldn't matter. Either way, she didn't want to go to jail. She never had.
"Do you believe in destiny?" she asked, ignoring his previous question.
He raised one eyebrow. "Sure," he answered cautiously. "Why? What does this have to do with you?"
She shrugged. "Nothing. I just wondered if you thought that someone is destined to meet your match. Someone you've seen and known for years. Someone whom you feel drawn to."
He frowned. "If you're asking about love, no. I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH ANYONE."
Pexy frowned too. This wasn't exactly what she expected him to say, considering all the questions she had been asking herself all day. Still, she didn't understand what she was supposed to say. So, she just stood there for a couple moments, not sure what to do.
Finally, the guy spoke again. "Can we go somewhere else now?" he asked her. "I can't stand the noise. Can we just go back to your place? Or mine?"
Pexy looked away. She was starting to feel uncomfortable being close to him, especially after what he had done to her yesterday. So, she just shook her head in response.
"So…" he continued, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms across his chest. "Is it true you're scared of heights?"
Her jaw dropped at his question. What?!
"W-what...?"
He smirked. "Are you afraid of heights? You don't have to sound so surprised. Do you take drugs or something?"
Pexy clenched her fists. Of course. It couldn't be helped. She hadn't planned to show that particular weakness to anyone ever since she was a little girl.