Dangerous Dials

by Katie Miller

Walking home from high school was the best part of her day. Mika loved the wind flowing through her hair and the sound of water rushing by. Trees would whisper to each other as they let their leaves tumble down into the breeze. And sometimes, if she were lucky, a duck family would cross her path as they too started heading home. The river, she had decided some years ago, was the prettiest part of the town. She closed her eyes, a smile gracing her lips as her mind went blank.

Then slowly, like it had every day for the past month, the gnawing sensation of being watched crept up on her. It happened so often now that Mika hardly noticed. She shook it off as nothing and put the smile back on her lips.

But today was different. Instead of disappearing, the feeling only got stronger. Despite her best efforts to ignore it, the sensation wouldn’t leave her. She could feel her body flush under the heated gaze. It roamed her body, her hair, her back, her legs. All of her being explored.

When she couldn’t ignore it anymore she spun around to see what was behind her. Much to her surprise and annoyance, her eyes fell upon a boy with untidy brown hair and big, brown, sad eyes, like a puppy that had been kicked.

“Oh,” she sighed. “It’s only you.”

“Mika,” the boy began.

“Why are you following me?”

“Huh?”

“Why. Are. You. Following. Me,” she repeated.

“I’m not…I mean, I wasn’t. I just saw you, I didn’t even know you came this way…but, well, when I did, I thought…”

“Look Tom, just say what you’re here to say. I need to get home.”

“I was hoping, you know, that we could…well, you know,” his eyes glanced toward her then quickly looked away.

She sighed heavily, pulling a hand through her blonde locks, as she realized what he was trying to ask.

“Look, I told you before, it just won’t work, okay? You always come asking and the answer’s always the same: No.”

“But-” he tried, only to receive a disapproving look. “Well, could I at least walk you home?”

“That’s very nice of you and all, but I’m fine by myself,” she said, putting on her sweetest smile.

“I…” he trailed off, then hung his head as he started walking away. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Mika.”

She nodded and continued walking home.

The chime of her cell phone went off, pulling her out of her thoughts. She opened it to see that she had received a text message.

Lari: Hey Mika~

How was your day?

Her heart skipped a beat as a slight blush tinted her cheeks.

Mika: Hey Lari J

Tom was at it again L

But it’s okay, I’m over it now

Mika let a content sigh escape her lips. Talking to Lari always brightened her day. Ever since he had dialed her number by accident a month ago, he had been an important person in her life. He was there for her when she was sad, happy, angry. He always knew exactly what to say, so that her tears would become smiles. At times she felt closer to him than any of her friends at school.

Lari: L I’m sry you have to

deal with that.

If I lived closer to you

I would be there every day to tell him off!

Mika imagined Lari as her knight in shining armor, sending Tom away and sweeping her off her feet.

Mika: Hehe

That’s sweet of you.

But don’t worry, he can’t get me too down.

After talking to you

I already feel better J

She sighed again. She really did feel better. It was amazing how all of her frustration could disappear in a matter of minutes.

Lari: That’s good to hear

I’m here for you

Talking to you always brightens my day

Mika let her smile grow as she read the last message.

* * *

“Hey Mika,” her friend, Linda, said with a smirk. “Look who’s coming over.”

“Oh gosh, it’s Tom again, isn’t it?”

“Why don’t you just give him a chance? There’s no reason not to, and he’s really nice. It couldn’t hurt.”

“I already told you; I really believe Lari’s the guy for me. He’s totally perfect. I don’t care that he lives so far away. We’ll make it work.”

“About that… I wanted to talk to you-”

“Mika,” Tom interrupted.

“Sorry, could you hold on a sec, Linda was saying something…” Mika said, her voice giving away her irritation.

“Oh no, not at all!” Linda said, winking at Tom. “She’s all yours.”

Her friend skipped off, leaving behind a slightly blushing Tom and an annoyed Mika.

“Mika…”

“Tom, I’ve told you a million times. Haven’t you gotten it yet?”

“I’m not here to ask you out.”

“I…oh wait, you’re not?” Mika’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay then, what is it you needed?”

“I wanted to ask if maybe we could be friends. Just friends. And we’ll see where that goes.”

“Well, I don’t really think it will go anywhere…but I’m fine being friends.”

“That’s…that’s great.” Tom gave a half smile. “Well, I’ll see you around then, Mika.”

Mika watched him run off, smiling in spite of herself.

Maybe he really is a nice person.

* * *

Later that day, Mika was lying on her bed in her room, not thinking about anything in particular. The light pink walls and breeze coming through the open windows, quietly blowing around sheer white curtains, were extremely relaxing. She hugged her teddy bear closer, relishing the soft material against her skin. The chime of her cell phone brought her back to reality.

Lari: Hey Mika

How are you doing? J

How did he always appear at the right times?

Mika: Hey Lari

Actually my day was rly good J

I hope yours was too?

Almost instantly, she got a message back.

Lari: What made it so good?

No homework or something?

My day has just gotten better

Thinking back to the conversation with Tom, her soft lips broke out into a small smile.

Mika: Well Tom,

He finally gave up J

He agreed to just be friends.

Isn’t it great?

She rolled over on the bed, swinging her legs happily, as she waited for his reply.

Lari: I’m glad you’re happy, Mika,

But I don’t like this Tom guy.

Didn’t you say he was following you

a couple days ago?

Mika frowned. Although it was nice to think that Lari would worry about her, he didn’t even know Tom.

Mika: That was a misunderstanding.

And he is a nice guy.

It was just annoying when he kept

asking me out over and over again.

She sighed and played with her hair, waiting for her phone to ring.

Lari: I’m sry if I upset you.

He just doesn’t seem right.

I don’t want you to get hurt J

You’re very important to me.

* * *

“So…what do you want to start on?” Mika asked, her fingers drumming on the table’s surface.

“Uhh…whatever you want is fine. I don’t really have a preference…whatever you want.” Tom scratched his cheeks nervously.

I knew this was a bad idea. I should’ve suggested we work with more people. This is so awkward.

“Well…did we get any homework for science?” she tried.

“I don’t think so…”

“Well, how about math?”

“’Course we got some for math. I mean, it’s Mr. Eman.”

“So true. He’s so annoying,” Mika said, a light laugh escaping her lips.

“Yeah, what kind of person teaches a subject they don’t even know?”

“And he always assigns homework about stuff we don’t know.”

“Stuff he doesn’t know either,” Tom pointed out.

“Totally.” Mika laughed.

Tom began imitating their teacher’s nasal voice, repeating his quotes. Mika began laughing harder. She fell out of her seat and onto the floor, clutching her stomach, desperately trying to catch her breath.

“That’s just too much.”
“What?” Tom teased. “That’s exactly how he sounds… ‘Now children…’” Tom began his imitation of their math teacher again, causing Mika to laugh even harder.

“Oh gosh. My stomachs gonna burst! Oww.” She finally got up, fighting through her giggles.

“Oh no. Mika, Mika, get up! The librarian’s coming over, hurry, hurry before she kicks us out.”

Mika stood up on shaky feet, stumbling into her chair while wiping joyful tears from her eyes. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.

* * *

“Hey Mika, can I talk to you?” Tom’s soft voice sounded behind her.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” She beamed up at him from her chair.

“I mean, like…alone.”

“Oo, Tom and Mika sitting in a tree-” Linda sang.

“Oh, be quiet. What are you? A third grader? Besides, it’s nothing like that.” She finished with a “humph” and stood up to follow Tom.

It had been over a week since she and Tom had become friends, and they got along very well, spending hours doing homework, talking and simply hanging out. She didn’t mind being around him in the slightest. It felt right.

“Mika…” Tom’s voice drew her attention back. They were up on the school roof, the wind whistling. Her hair flew around her face, obscuring her vision slightly. Tom reached out a hand as he stepped closer to her, his fingers lightly brushing her golden hair back so that she could look up at him.

Was he always so tall?

They had never stood so close together, and seeing him up close was completely different than seeing him from a distance. His eyes, which usually looked big and sad, were so clear, so deep, she felt herself getting lost looking into them.

“Mika, I know we agreed to be just friends. But, well, can’t you just give us a chance? I’ve had so much fun this past week, and it seemed like you did too. So I thought that maybe you might’ve changed your mind.” He took a deep breath. “Just one date. If it turns out badly we can go back to being friends and I swear that I’ll never ask again.”

* * *

Mika: Lari!

I rly need your help!

Mika was fretting, pacing in her room and biting her nails. Her mind was a jumbled mess, refusing to think.

Lari: What happened?

It’s okay Mika,

I’m here for you J

She took a couple deep breaths and then started typing.

Mika: Tom asked me out again today.

And, well, I said yes.

But I don’t know if this is a good idea.

Help!

Lari will help sort this out. He always knows what to do.

She waited two long, excruciating minutes.

Lari: you shouldn’t go.

How is that supposed to sort things out?

Mika curled up in a ball in her bed, trying to think, to decide what to do. For hours she lay there, barely moving, drifting in and out of consciousness. She was so deep in thought that the brown eyes peering in from outside her window went unnoticed.

The boy’s hair waved around in the bone-chilling wind. His thin fingers grasped at the windowsill and the tree branch he was crouching on. The silver of his cell phone sparkled in the moonlight. And although he was only in a thin sweatshirt and shorts, his grin was wide.

“Good night, Mika. Don’t worry, I’m always here, watching over you,” he whispered, and then ran off down the street.

* * *

“Mika, Mika, open up,” Linda called as she pounded on the door.

Mika stumbled to her bedroom door, opened it slightly, and peered out with sleep-glazed eyes.

“You know it’s open, right? Why’d you have to make so much noise-”

“Because I heard the good news, of course. I’m so happy you finally got some sense knocked into you! Anyway, what are you doing still asleep? Tom’ll be here in 30 minutes!”

“W-wait,” Mika stuttered as she was pulled into the center of her room. “I haven’t even decided if I really want to go or not.”

“Like hell you haven’t. Now where’s that nice black and white shirt…”

Mika sighed in resignation and pulled out her phone.

Mika: Lari,

I’m sry but I’m gonna go with Tom.

No reply came.

* * *

Tom arrived exactly on time and, thanks to Linda, Mika was ready. They left right away, heading down the street. After many awkward minutes, Mika decided to speak up.

“So, where are we headed?”

Just act normal, act normal.

“I thought we could go see a movie. Cliché I know, but you said before that you wanted to see that one movie that just came out…”

“Oh! The City? Yeah, I heard it’s really good.”

“Great! The City it is.”

After that, the walk went smoothly. They either talked or were in a comfortable silence. Neither one noticed that a brown-haired teen was trailing close behind.

“Oh good, we made it just in time.”

“Two tickets for The City, please.”

“Oh no, I can pay for myself.”

“Mika, please.”

“…Thanks.”

They passed the refreshment stand, neither one very hungry, and went directly into the theater, grabbing seats right before the previews started.

“Hey, sorry, I’ll be right back,” Mika whispered to Tom.

“Okay, hurry back, it’ll start soon.”

“Yep.”

Mika opened up the door to the bathroom, finding no one else inside. She went over to the sink and turned on the hot water. Over the sound of rushing water she heard the door open. She looked up into the mirror to see a grinning boy behind her.

Pervert.

Just as she was about to tell him off for going into the girls’ bathroom he spoke up. “You look nice today, Mika.”

Her eyes widened as he stuck a needle into her arm.

* * *

“Mika, Mika dear. Wake up.”

“Hmm?” Mika opened her eyes to see a boy inches from her. “Ah! Help, help-”

“Shh, sh. It’s alright, I got you away, see?”

“Wha-what are you talking about?”

“I got you away, I knew you didn’t really want to be with him. You’re just too sweet, my Mika,” the boy said, stroking her hair. “But don’t worry, we’re together now, there’s no need to pretend anymore.”

Mika tried to get up, but her body wouldn’t respond with the drug flowing through her veins. She tried wriggling her toes, then her fingers; nothing worked. The boy was staring down at her in her struggle, just staring. She knew that gaze, it felt so familiar.

From the river! So it really wasn’t Tom.

“Who are you?”

The boy laughed, “Of course you know who I am. You’re so silly, Mika.”

I need to get away. I need to distract him. Lari. I need to contact Lari. He’ll help.

“Whe-where are we?” Mika asked, her voice trembling as her eyes darted around. They seemed to be in a dirty alleyway somewhere.

“It doesn’t matter, Mika. We’re together. That’s all that matters,” Mika was beginning to be able to move her fingers. “I’ve been waiting for this. You have too, right? Right, Mika? You want this?”

“Yeah… um, sure.” She could feel the phone in her pocket, if only her hand moved a bit more.

“I’m so happy to hear that Mika, It’s just you and me now.” She suppressed a shudder as he stroked her cheek.

I need to keep him happy, just a little longer, just…

“Smile for me, Mika. You are always smiling, show me your smile.” Mika tried her best to smile, to please her captor, scared of what he might do if she didn’t. Her body tingled as feeling rushed back. If she stalled him for a few more minutes, she could run away. “That’s it, such a beautiful smile. You’re so beautiful, Mika. So beautiful.”

He reached down and clutched her weak body in his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. His face contorted into a smile as hers molded into a grimace. When he laid her back down, she slipped the phone from her pocket, hiding it against her thigh.

In three…two…one!

Mika bolted from the ground, stumbling from the sudden use of her relaxed muscles. She pulled out the phone and started typing as she blindly ran.

Mika: Lari Help!

Bony fingers grabbed her ankle, pulling her feet out from under her. She crashed back down onto the concrete. He flipped her over, placing a leg on either side of her hips, holding her down. As he pushed her arms above her head he lowered his face so that their noses were almost touching. His grin never faltered.

A phone started ringing. “Oh Mika, we don’t need these anymore, not now that we’re together.”

What was he talking about?

The boy pulled out his silver phone, opening it and turning it to show Mika. Her own plea for help glared back at her.

“No, no, no, no!” she screamed as realization swept over her. She struggled against the limbs binding her. “Let me go!”

“Shh, Mika. It’s okay, shh.”

Mika dug her nails into the fingers clutching her wrists. A scream escaped Lari’s mouth. With her arms free she scrambled from underneath him. She heard a growl from behind her and heavy feet pounding the cold ground. His body rammed her back onto the concrete. Her head smashed down, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

Mika’s eyes fluttered open. The smell of blood assaulted her senses. Her head was pounding. She lifted tentative fingers that met wet, clumped hair.

“Ow,” she muttered as she looked around.

Where was Lari?

Her fingers brushed at a piece of paper. Looking down, she picked it up. In scrawled handwriting it read:

My dearest Mika,

Don’t worry, I’ll be back for you.

I’m always here.

Lari

Mika wildly looked around, but there was no one to be seen. On trembling feet she got up, bracing herself on the wall. She made her way to the street, realizing that she had been behind the theater the whole time. When she started making her way to the entrance she heard feet running toward her. She froze as arms held her tight.

“Thank god you’re okay.”

“Tom?” she asked. “Oh god, Tom.” She turned around, hugging him, burying her face in his chest.

“I’m so sorry, Mika.” She looked up, giving him a questioning look. “I heard your screaming and hurried out here, but that guy he ran off before I could get him! I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head, “Thank you for being there. Thank you so much.”

“We’ll get the police and tell them.”

“Yeah. Can we go right now?”

“Of course. We don’t want him to get any more of a lead then he already has.” They started walking in the direction of the police station.

Tom felt a tug on the back of his shirt as Mika stopped.

“Tom, I…”

“Yeah?”

“Well, I just wanted you to know that it really means a lot that you’ve stuck with me, that you’re helping me…”

“Of course, Mika.”

“And I wanted you to know that I’ve realized that I…” she trailed off.

“Yes?”

“I…well, you know.”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “I know.”

Hey