"It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them."

— Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Prince

"My name is—" abruptly, a loud slam drilled our ears. "What was that?"

He looked at me for one second and then suddenly he ran fast, going near the noise.

Hesitatingly, I followed him. "You know, in horror movies, we don't go near the mysterious sound, we outrun them!" I told him, logically speaking.

He ignored me until we reached the source of the sound. As I've observed, the loud slam came from the building's door. 

"We're locked in." He said, absently.

I scowled at him. "That's where you got in here?" 

He nodded as an answer.

I huffed. "Well I used another entrance." I told him proudly.

"You did?" He asked in astonishment. He continued, "well, let's get out of here using your entrance, before we get snowed in."

"I like your thinking. You know where the broken back door is at the theater auditorium?"

He thinks first before nodding again. "Race you there."

Before I could even tell him I didn't want to run, he was already gone. I let out a sigh, a shrug and ran after him.

Not so surprised, he was already there when I got there. I was out of breath and I was glad that he didn't make a big deal about it. He reached the handle of the back door and tried to push the door into the outside, however it didn't budge.

"I didn't know that there was a blizzard." I said blankly.

He looked at me. "Me either."

That door was my only way out, so if that's jammed and the main doors too, I'm stuck here... with him.

"How long do you think we'll be stuck in here?" I uttered without looking directly at him. He shrugged as a reply. "Do you have a phone?"

The moment I asked him that, I saw his eyes sparkle. He quickly reached for his phone in his right back pocket. 

"So? Could you get us help?" I know that no one could really help us but I wanna be optimistic; I really need to get out of here and give my sister the envelope before dinner is over.

He shook his head and waves his phone up and down, "no signal."

"Scheisse!" He mumbled that sounded like shi-za. I was impressed, he knows how to cuss in German.

I know it was German because I once tried to learn how to speak in German and I encountered that word.

"Ergo, what do we do now?"

"We wait, I guess. Wait until the blizzard gets weak or moves on?"

"We can't! I need to get back home!" I panicked.

Luke tried to calm me, "don't worry, you won't be harmed, we'll just sit around and do nothing."

I didn't listen to him, I shook my head repeatedly. "You don't understand," I inhaled deeply and continued, "I need to go home!" 

It was difficult to breathe. Is this what they call a panic attack?

"Are you claustrophobic?"

"Not really."

"Okay, just don't worry. This won't take long. Maybe a few hours to top it."

"Books!" I inhaled deeply again, "I need my books. They can relax me. Get me to my locker."

***

He helped me sit down next to my locker. "Combination?"

"One-Six-Eight-Nine," I uttered.

He opened the door of my locker and I saw him frown. "Which one?"

"Destined for Doon." I replied and I addded. "The cover, it has a castle and two girls in it."

He pulled it out and gaveit to me. "Here."

I sat down, Indian style, and opened the book on the page I left it.

Ahhh, I'm finally back in Doon. Hello, totally hot Scottish boyfriend. Yes, I'm talking to you Jamie.

I let myself carry on and read further.

"I'm bored." I heard Luke say. I looked up and saw Luke putting his phone down.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked him sarcastically. Like I really care that he's bored.

"Entertain me!" He said, being hysterical.

I scowled at him. "No." I said determinedly and gave my attention to the book I'm reading.

A few minutes later, "Come on! Just talk to me." He pleaded.

"I can't." I groaned and added, "If I put my book down, the characters might do something without me."

He snorted. "Aren't you curious why I'm here in school?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes." I said and I saw him smile however his smile faded away when I continued, "but I'm more interested in knowing what will happen next to Duncan and Kenna." I mockingly smiled at him and continued to read.

"I forgot my phone here." He said out loud. "How about you?"

I sighed. My mother told me to never be rude so I answered his question. 

"I forgot my envelope." I reached for the envelope, raised it up and waved it.

"Why didn't you use the main doors?" He curiously asked.

"Locked, I thought." I muttered.

"What's so special in the envelope?"

"Sister's future." I grumbled.

"How did yo—"

I didn't let him finish his sentence, "you'll never stop, won't you?" I snapped.

He grinned and shook his head. "Nope."

He added, "why are you so dependent to books?"

I glared at him, taking his statement as an insult. "What do you mean?"

Dependent in books? How in any universe did he thought of that? I'm not dependent to books...

"Your locker is full of books and I'm guessing your house is your own personal library. And base from your mini-attack earlier, you said your books will make you feel better." He pointed out calmly. He continued, "I don't know about you, but you're crazy."

"I'm not crazy." I defended myself. "My mother had me tested."

My mother did had me tested. When I was child, I spoke to my books like they were my friends. Like those other sophisticated little girls in tea parties, however, instead of dolls, I'm having a tea party with my favorite books.

Hmm, I guess that does sounds a little crazy.

"And regarding to your question, I don't know. Sometimes when I've had too much reality, I open a book." I informed him.

"So it's your escape pod?"

I shrugged. "You could say it like that."

"Let's play twenty questions!" Out if nowhere, he suggestted.

"No." I huffed. Wait a minute, did he just...

"Oh God!" I groaned out loud and continued, "you just distracted me from reading! No one ever did that to me!" I said like I was accusing him.

He looked at me confusedly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I grimaced, "Yes you d– You're doing it again! Okay lad, no more distracting. I have books in my locker that may interest you." I said, firmly. "I have—"

He interrupted me, "I don't like reading."

I gasped. "Quoting J. K. Rowling, If you don't like to read, you haven't found the right book." I inquired with intensity in each word.

He laughed at me softly. "Okay, let me rephrase what I said. Reading and I aren't in mutual terms."— he stopped but then remembered something —"Oh but if you have audio books there, I would love to listen."

I frowned at him, "hold up, not it mutual terms?" I asked.

"Every time I try to re—"

Doing my best Master Yoda imitation, I interrupted him, "Do. Or do not. There is not try."

"Fine, Master Yoda." He rolled his eyes and continues, "Every time I read a novel, I read the words but the words doesn't stay in my mind. They slip in but slips out too." He explained, looking ashamed.

"Like when people listen to wisdom and all those craps, they listen using their right ear. And they use their left ear to slip the message out. They don't let the brain eat the message."

"I understand. At least you listen to audio books. When people are like that, they just give up and depends on movies. Which is a big shame." I told him.

"They're missing out a lot." We said in unison. We looked at each other and he winked at me. I blushed hardly and glanced at which page I was reading, then  threw my book at him and laughed loudly.

"Ouch!" He winced in pain. 

I giggled and shouted, "cry baby!"

"Am not!" He protested.

"You are!" I argued.

"Am not!" He shouted and put out his tongue. I put out my tongue too like a carefree kid.

My face fell when I realized something. 

"You did it again!" I said, grimacing. "You distracted me from reading, my epiphany, and now you're going to do it again!"

He grinned wickedly. "You could stop blabbering and we can start playing a game. I mean, you practically just gave me the book you were reading."

I groaned in frustration. 

"Fine." I said in defeat.

He smiled widely because of his victory.

A/N: An early update for you all because, (here in my country) it's 6 hours away from New Year. And because Taylor Swift's Out Of The Woods will be a single and its music video will be released tonight! This is not edited so excuse any grammatical errors. Advance Happy New Year and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

(P. S. Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon is a good book! You should read it if you have the time.)