27.

Oliver arrives back to that library of his, fully expecting to see Alison waiting for him there. She is not close by the door, she is not in the aisle-ways between shelving, she is not in the room at all. The room itself is not as Oliver left it. There are slight differences. To Oliver, it is as if some kind of struggle has taken place, not a major struggle or perhaps a heavily one-sided struggle but a struggle all the same, and to him this is not a good thing.

Mike's temporary release from obscurity came before Oliver's most recent return to the library. Neither Mike nor Oliver knows of the other, sure how could they? Despite all and despite anything that has come before, neither can know of the other, each being from different worlds. Even with all of what the library is and all of what Oliver does know, he does not know Mike in any way, shape or form.

His release put him in close proximity to her; an unwanted task is his to perform. Why he must do this and what else may come is not at all being considered for to Mike it can only be an unknown or a presumption at best. The more he considers, the more difficult it will be to complete.

More than just wanting to go home, Mike needs to go home, and this is his motivation. He cannot spend an eternity in a grey open space. An eternity there would be the ultimate torture. There is no thought at all that if his mission is completed a second might be asked of him. As far as he knows or feels, he is going home once the deal, this deal, is done.

Outdoors and no more than fifty feet away from his ... target, Mike begins to follow Alison. Being where they are and not being the only two within the immediate vicinity Mike, can only follow for now. He has time to kill so to speak but he does not want that, nor does he want to act out a kill. Time gives his mind opportunity to think. Indeed, he does not need that. He does not want his own conscience to haunt him before he even has opportunity to do what he has been sent to do.

He follows her into a building, a school building. Neither of the two belong here and neither of them look out of place in this building so no one near-by even take notice of Alison or the guy following her into the school library. Alison enters the library expecting to see Oliver there, but he is not, not yet anyway for this moment is one prior to his return.

Upon noticing she is alone, Alison moves further into the library, further in than just being by the door she entered by. Seconds pass and the door re-opens. She fully expects to see Oliver. When she sees someone else enter, someone she does not know, she offers an 'hello' and receives one in return.

'If you are looking for something specific, then someone will be here in a bit to help you find it' she says in the hopes that the arriving person will take this and leave.

'Oh, I am not looking for a something, I am looking for a someone, and it looks as if I have already found her.'

It is not long before Oliver does enter the library, thing is that when he does, he is the only one there ...

***

Strange how something as simple as a football game can change so much. Victory is sweet and if two more victories are achieved then so too is another championship. The buzz of the win does bring a party atmosphere though that party atmosphere goes right out the window once the bus Judy and Ellie travel on returns to their dormitory.

All the singing, chanting, and cheering on the bus comes to an abrupt end and silence takes over. Judy and Ellie get off the bus, one after the other, as word soon spreads that another body has been found.

Judy and Ellie look at each other; neither wanting to know while also needing to know who it is that has been found. Is it someone they know personally? Is the newly deceased male or female? They fear the worst. They almost sense the worst. With the dormitory being on school property there is another arrival before an identity can be revealed.

The arrival is that of the bus which carries the school football team. Steve fears the worst despite being sure that both Ellie and Judy are safe as they both were at the game and Steve is sure that they both are somewhere near-by at this point. Maybe there is some word on Mike, little could Steve know of Mike's involvement within this moment.

Murmurs sound out and quickly spread around all those gathered. The found body is that of a girl. Her identity soon too comes through those murmurs, and this hits Ellie all the more than it does Judy. Ellie just has to go see Alison for herself and in all the mayhem Judy and Ellie are separated.

Judy for a moment tries to go with Ellie, though finding this to be a difficult task, she soon decides to go indoors instead. Of course, with all the mayhem is happening outside, inside so happens to be quiet, maybe a little all too quiet. Judy wanting to calm herself, wanders the corridors of the dormitory for a moment or two and as she turns one corner in particular she almost collides with a certain someone. That certain someone is none other than Queen Bee herself.

At this moment, Queen Bee definitely looks as if she had not been expecting to run into anyone let alone Judy and as they begin to swap words, the Queen looks as if she is attempting to hide something or possibly someone who may or may not have been further down the corridor she had come from.

'You alright?' asks Queenie.

'Yeah' replies Judy having not expected to hear those words come her way from whom who stands before her, 'you?'

'Me, oh I am fine. It's just that ... you knew that girl, didn't you?'

'Alison yeah, we would not have been so close as you are your cheerleading friend but still, I knew her.'

'Yeah, looks like we have something in common but ... well ... best I be going now ...'

Judy takes a step back to let Queenie by while at the same time being surprised by how pleasant this moment had been despite how awkward and macabre it also was. Unfortunately, they would not quite get to part so easily for as Queen Bee was about to move on, a voice from several feet behind her speaks.

'Sorry girls but I need both of you to stay right where you are.'

The spoken voice belongs to Mike and with him having been part of the football team, both girls know of who he is and they both also know of his disappearance. What could he possibly want just showing up like this?

So, Mike completed his task, and it would seem that his reward is his return to where he belongs, or is it? He does not belong in the female dorm block, and it also seems, not that the girls could know all so much, that he is not done. He and Alison are back in the world from which they both came though one will never see the light of day again. For Mike, what next? Will he be destined to see the light of day again or has he slipped into or been forced further into darkness?