Student's Day Out

TWO: SEARCHED
"Of course I know it has moved... though I'm not sure about the hour."
"9 to 11 am. Monday morning."
"No? really? That means it's at the exact same time as my statistics course."
"Problem?"
"No, I wasn't going to go for a second time anyway,... it's just I would have liked to at least go to the first lesson to hear if anything had changed. Nele will fill me in."
"Ok."
Ese checked her watch, "Would you mind if I call Seena? She told me she'd be out on a break this exact minute and I promised her I would call more... Besides maybe you know something you could say to her. I'm really clumsy when it comes to mandatory 'spontaneous' calls." Ese grinned.
"Sure."
Ese switched on her sell and watched as the screen lit. Finally she pushed the speed dial button labelled 'Seena' and waited for the connection to be made.
"I made her read Malpsychan and Koldiceen stories by the way." Ese said.
"Really?"
"Yeah, she thought they were ok which immediately raised the question: 'I'm still going to get the queen, right?'" Ese laughed, "It's not funny really, I always have to watch out what I say around her... she still acts rather annoying when I bring up Kyrenath's clutch." Ese sighed, "She's playing it, I know, but it still makes me twitch."
"Well she can have the queen in this clutch. Koldiceen is not nearly good enough to get anything that big."
"She did sink the titanic, that's got to impress the Laedrys."
Neeku laughed and shrugged, "What's a bored ice-demoness to do?"
"Ahhh! Connection." Ese said. "Hi Seena!"

On the other side of the line, about 60 kilometres away in a straight line, Seena answered her mobile phone. She had been working for 4 hours straight now and her feet were already bothering her. She sighed and promised her feet a foot rub later that day. Her feet shivered with delight when they heard the promise.
"Yes Ese?" she said.
"Just thought I'd call you out of my own free will."
"Sure. Would you have if I hadn't told you?"
"No, then I would have forgot about it and the intention would have been lost forever in the endless murky and foggy void of my mind."
"Let's not go there... It's hard enough to wander around the hospital."
"Neeku says hi by the way."
"Hi back!"
"See, now Neeku is happy. You did something to make a difference. What's been happening there?"
"Making Neeku happy changes everything of course." Seena answered sarcastically, "Makes me forget what I've had to live through."
"Awww..." Ese said with somewhat distracted, unreal pity. Not because she didn't care, but she had learned that her sister tended to overdramatise just a tad.
"You would really say aww if you had to see what I've had to do."
"Enlighten me."
"There is this lady, mildly dementing, who keeps asking me where I am from... and when I tell her Willebroek she keeps singing this one line from a song apparently about the bridge in Willebroek."
"Hmmm... Don't know it, must be old."
"Very likely."
"Have you tried saying you're from Blaasveld? Small enough for no-one to know it." Ese said trying to cheer her sister up a bit, which of course didn't work. It never did, but Ese was hopeful that one day it might.
"Very funny. But that wasn't the worst of it."
"What else?" Ese demanded looking at Neeku with a smile.
"There is this really old dirty guy who keeps buzzing me and my friend. Last time I took the call and he wanted a bedbath. I have nothing against giving bedbaths, but really if that old man goes 'Make sure you clean well downstairs because I can't reach there' and touches the place he wants cleaned.... well you can consider I didn't really feel the need to imply."
"Ahh..." Ese said, not really sure what to answer to that story.
"I left and told him to wash himself."
"Were you friendly?"
"I wasn't rude if you mean that."
"You were your normal charming fiery self?"
"I constrained myself from taking out a ritual dagger and stab his eyeballs out, though I must say I've thought about it."
"As long as you can distinguish reality from fantasy you're not schizo yet!" Ese laughed back, "Rats! There goes my theory about what is wrong with you." 

The call could have gone on like that for some time and probably would have if Neeku hadn't said something disturbing at that moment. She had been spinning around a bit, looking at the buildings and the sky, listening to Ese's part in the conversation. She was sure she would hear all about it in a minute so she was more paying attention to what was around her when she had noticed him. Him, the dark figure watching them. Neeku wasn't very sure but she thought she remembered seeing him on various other times during the day. The more she thought about the more certain she became.
"Ese... I think we are being followed."
Ese lost her focus on the telephone conversation for a moment.
"Followed?" she asked.
"Followed what?" Seena asked.
"That man Neeku said turning a bit away, back in the shadows is watching us and has been for some time."
"Are you sure you're not hallucinating?"
"There is a real object so it would me having illusions, but no. I'm quite sure. Do you remember him?"
"Ehhh... I'm not the kind of person that notices other people... He hasn't come too close though, I am the kind of person that hears when people are following. Hey wait! Not him, but when that cute male student was following us I looked back a few times... to make sure I didn't hit him in the head with my bag - and I think I might have seen that man too."
"Sure?"
"No, might be folie à deux." Ese smiled, "Always wanted to say that! But I'm really someone who can be persuaded real easy. I would make a lousy witness."
"Let's walk a bit further, keep to busy streets and see if he's still there."
"Ok, let me wrap this up."

"Seena?" Ese asked.
"What's happening?"
"Most likely two young women who have watched too many American stalker movies than is good for them, but Neeku thinks someone is following us."
"In Leuven?"
"I wouldn't believe it so easily if I hadn't heard stories. Well at least it's day. I'll call you back later, k?"
"Have you gotten my single yet?"
"I have." Ese answered dutifully, "Bye!"
"Bye!" Seena said and heard her sister disconnect. 
That was weird. Being followed. Ese wouldn't know it if it happened, but Ese had said Neeku had seen him and Neeku seemed rather stable. Unlike her sister, Seena thought with just a tad of remaining sisterly strive. When she looked up, her head frowned because she couldn't help feeling worried, she saw that one of the lights was burning. To her horror it was the light of the old man she had walked out on.
"Liz!!!" she shouted and hoped her friend would take this one. The call faded to the background of her mind and she decided that they were sensible enough not to get in trouble and able tot take care of themselves. But maybe she'd better call her sister again when she was free from duty... that is if Ese had left her mobile on. 

In Leuven Neeku and Ese were walking a bit faster than before to the PSI. They could already see the building in the distance. After some near-dead escapes on the city's sidewalks and crossovers they reached it and entered. The outside of the building was grey and dull with only the 30 odd bikes in front adding any colour. But what colour, some of the bikes were painted bright yellow or pink to stop thieves from taking them, a pain most students faced once their stay at the university and a certain few even a couple of times a year. Neither Neeku or Ese had a bicycle in leuven, they knew better so they walked right up the steps and entered the glass doors. 
Inside the faculty headquarter was a round hall with concrete walls. To all sides were doors, alleys and easy getaways. being students for 2.5 years Neeku and Ese knew their way around the building like they knew the back of their hand. On one time Ese had even walked around here in the half dark at 9 pm trying to convince a security guard that they had in fact reserved a classroom for an experimental study. Satisfied the guard had left her alone and she had had to go back alone in the dark and silent hallways. Ironically it was one of the most fun memories she had. The other fun memory associated to the building was most likely the electro-shock study she had participated in. Low voltage of course, but it still had been interesting.
"So what do we do now?" she asked Neeku.
Neeku led Ese to the large boards displaying info. "I doubt he will come in here... besides there's only one way out."
"Isn't there an access to the parking lot behind?" Ese asked.
"Do you know how to get there?"
"I think there's a fire escape on the second floor." Ese shrugged, "But I don't want to get caught going out if I'm not sure we are being followed."
"That's why we're here." Neeku said. 
She walked closer to the hall center where a large octagonal glass barrier separated the hall from a small inner garden. "Let's just see if he's out there."
"Right." Ese inched forward and looked through the glass.
Slightly deformed the two of them saw the man standing outside. He was leaning against a wall of one of the student houses at the other side of the street. There was something that didn't quite fit in the scene. His look maybe that didn't look much like a student goofing of or -the opposite end- hurrying home to study. 
"What do we do now? He's obviously still there." Ese remarked.
"I say we get help."
"Your dorm?" Ese asked, "Maybe there's someone around there."
"Our best option I think. I don't see any of my friends around here... It is a free week."
"Yeah... and I don't know too many people that could scare off people either. If I had known that I wouldn't have wasted my time on interesting people I could talk to." Ese smirked.
"What about me?" Neeku asked.
"Well you're very interesting but you're not exactly big. At least my weight will keep me from being carried off."
"Not funny. That's bad for your self esteem and we know where that ends!"
"Suicide Lane." Ese grinned, "That will be hard for someone with a fear of dieing."
Neeku shrugged. "I say we go out again." she changed the topic back to more urgent problems of mental stability.
"I think we have to." Ese sighed and followed Neeku out.
Maybe they would have taken the park route on a normal day, maybe not. They sure weren't going to try it today. On a summer day it would have been safer but in winter there was hardly anyone around. Quickly they made their way through the street only to find themselves cut off from safety by a second man who knew the first. The two became more bold by the minute. The first actually pointed, slightly, but still they noticed it, to them and nodded to the other.
"Quickly!" Neeku whispered and ducked into the DeBeriot Lane. 
Ese for a moment wondered if that was a smart move to make. Sure they would be safer behind a locked door, but the street was almost deserted, it winded and you could hardly see what happened around the corner. But she didn't have much choice. She followed in behind Neeku and ran a short distance to catch up. 

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[STATS]  [STORY]  [DRAGONS]

Neeku, Seena and Ese are Candidates at Isla Weyr.
All Firelizards adopted at the FGPC at Isla

Lantessama Isle
Font used is called 'Da Bomb'
Background was found here