Prologue: Perspective

2200

Charlie never knew she could run so fast, yet here she was, the world around her coming to a blur. Loud footsteps moving rapidly down the hall, she disregarded the sound restrictions for the time of day. Her dormitory had strict rules against noise during certain hours of the night, but those were irrelevant now. Close behind her was another student, in full chase, closing in on her. She just needed to reach the door on the other end of the hall and she would be free of him.

Right when she thought she had lost him, Charlie felt a strong push from behind combined with the tight grip of his arms around her waist. Her heart sank as they both crumpled to the ground. She wriggled herself free of his grasp and attempted to get up, but to no avail. Her pursuer foresaw her attempt at freedom and had already begun moving to tackle her a second time if need be. On the ground, she wrestled with him, begging him to let her go. He refused, so she tried to yell out for help just as he placed a firm hand around her mouth. 

A resident of the hall happened to walk out of their room at that moment, and upon seeing what was happening, slammed the door with one hand while dialing for Public Safety with the other.

James, Charlie’s seeming-assailant, knew he couldn’t remain on the tenth floor of the all-girl’s dorm much longer. He brought Charlie to her feet as they began to walk towards the elevator. Charlie played along as they descended to the lobby. James, a charismatic cadet in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps, smiled at the Community Assistant on duty while maintaining a firm grip on Charlie’s arm. His room was in the co-ed dorm on the other side of the student quad, only a few hundred feet away. 

Entering James’ dorm, Charlie, visibly upset, struggled to get free. At one point, she managed to break free, but was foiled by two bodies blocking her path. A few of James’ friends had joined the two to ensure there would be no setback in getting her to his room. Charlie, seeing her situation for what it was, conceded the battle and reluctantly let the group drag her along. 

One of James’ friends opened the door, and what she saw sent a violent shiver down her spine. On James’ bed was an impressive assortment of knives, pills, and tools that could be used to inflict harm. James told her to sit in the chair and not to move. She obeyed, knowing she had no other choice than to submit to his requests. 

James, kneeling to face her at eye-level, quietly said, “Paul and Dana are going to take my knives and medication out of my room for the day.”

She looked around the room, searching for an exit or some place that could provide her leverage over her captors. All she saw was the door, so she took her chance. Jumping out of her chair, she knocked James on his back and took off. Freedom within her grasp, she suddenly jolted forward and her face met the rough carpet of the dormitory floor. James had used his position on the ground to grab her ankle, and she was once again trapped. 

Again sitting in the wooden chair, he firmly grabbed her shoulders as he said, “Charlie, I love you, but don’t you ever do that again. I will not hurt you, but I can’t let you leave. Not yet.” Charlie, shell-shocked from her rude introduction to the floor only moments before, could only muster a weak “ok” in response. 

Paul and Dana, carrying the dangerous materials with them, exited while offering a brief “good luck” on the way out. James thanked them and closed the door.

Now that the two of them were alone, James sat down in his own chair, still blocking the doorway. He looked her in the eyes and asked, “What’s going on with you?”

Charlie, still dazed and a little confused, responded, “What do you mean?”

“Charlie, today has been one of the worst days of my life, and I can’t even begin to imagine how you’re feeling right now.” 

“Why would today be the worst day of your life”, she feebly asked.

“Because my girlfriend, my best and closest friend, tried to jump off of the tenth floor of her dorm today.” James took a deep breath, cleared his tongue, and then continued, “You are everything to me. Without you, I don’t have a reason to keep doing what I’m doing. If you hadn’t written me that note, I wouldn’t have been there to stop you, and that thought terrifies me.”

Charlie stared blankly at the wall across from her, eyes glazed over and motor functions unresponsive. She was hearing the words coming from her best friend’s lips but they were meaningless in her present state. 

“I can either call Public Safety, or you can stay here tonight with me.” Hearing those words sobered her up instantly, and she began crying. Panicking at the thought of Public Safety parading her through campus to mental health services, she begged him to let her just stay the night. 

“You’re going to bed now, then.” 

Reluctantly, Charlie climbed in his bed and closed her eyes. She knew she wouldn’t last the night, but it was a matter of when James fell asleep. 

James sat down on his couch with a laptop, water, Mountain Dew, and headphones. There was no way he would sleep tonight. Looking on his screen, he took note of the time. 

“2300” read the clock. Only seven hours to go. 

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