“And I'm pretty sure that no one seems to be asking my opinions on any of this." Now she was freaked and angry, a bad combination.

"I just want to go to school and graduate and now maybe date along the way, but now the two of YOU are making decisions about MY life?" She threw her hands up and then stormed toward the basement door. She felt silly about the whole thing, seeing as no one had really done anything more than casually annoying, but she needed to make a scene. It gave her some feel of control to be the one throwing a fit.

Unfortunately she did not get very far. Heda rushed up and picked her up off the ground and carried her kicking (but thankfully not screaming) out onto the porch.

“What are you . . . doing?!" Madison hissed and grunted. She sneered.

“Can't you see that I was trying to make an exit?"

“Yeah, but our date is that way and your scene was going in the wrong ass direction."

“But, stalkers . . . me!"

Heda laughed.

“This is why I'm the English major and you're not.

Better with words."

Madison stopped her babbling long enough to look annoyed.

“Hey, I'm on the radio. I talk for a living. I just happen to be a bit jumpy after finding out that I may have been targeted for death by --"

"There is no evidence that this private investigator and the kidnapper are even vaguely related. Ed said that a bunch of investigations have taken place on campus involving lots of people for lots of reasons. You can't lose your cool or too much sleep over this when it could be nothing."

“Don't say that. Sasha is always saying that one of the quickest ways to die in a horror movie is to say, ‘it could be nothing.' And that's the kind of vibe I'm feeling here."

"Madison, you're going to be fine."

“No! That's one of the other things you say in horror movies that gets you killed." Madison pondered the notion.

“Also, don't say, ‘It was just the wind,’ ‘you crazy kids,' or ‘I don't seem to get cell phone coverage out here.' All those are bad too."

“Sasha needs to stop watching so many horror films."

"She finds them cathartic. Which kind of scares me." Madison scanned as far as she could.

"Are you sure you still want to go out?"

"Yeah, I really do. How about IHOP?"

“Mmh, pancakes," Madison practically drooled.

"I guess we can risk a little drive."

An hour and a half later, the two of them hauled themselves back into the house after way too much breakfasty goodness at an ungodly hour.

"You are a bad influence," Madison said, her stomach feeling a tad too full.