Stand Alone

Chapter Five

I was still quite tired so I decided to take a quick ten minute nap before having to head out to get to the university campus on time. Daniel left ten minutes before I did both of us taking our own cars. I still wasn't happy about the fact that I had to leave my gun at home but I guess I'll just have to deal with that for now, how bad can it be. Well, the answer to that would be, very bad. I'm not used to be in a place that's as crowded as this and without any form of protections I felt very vulnerable and unsafe. It wouldn't have been so bad if there was at least somebody here I knew but there wasn't and it was really starting to take its toll on me by the time I had finished just two out of my scheduled five lessons for today. I was constantly looking around me as I walked trying to stay out of the way of as many people as possible. I was suspicious of everybody. I needed to get my head straight so I went to the bathroom to sort myself out.

Stop worrying so much, this is university not the marines, what's the worst that's going to happen? I pulled myself together and walked back out with a clear head. I was perfectly fine, I had just managed to calm myself down and tell myself I was overreacting when somebody pulled me into a dark corner where I couldn't be seen pushing me up against the wall and covering my mouth, not that they needed to because I wasn't going to scream. I quickly pulled them off me flipping the position and pushing them harshly up against the wall pinning their hands by their head. "McKenzie calm down it's only me." Daniel's voice rung through my ears and I sighed a breath of relief letting him go.

"Don't ever do that again." I snapped. "You're lucky I didn't have my weapon."

"Calm down. Your fine, I'm fine there's no harm done." He reassured as I ran a hand through my hair gently pulling at the roots. "You need to try and act a bit more normal McKenzie, you seem to on edge and it's going to be way too easy for anybody to tell."

"I need to act more natural. I'm trying to hold myself together because I'm unarmed, on my own and surrounded by a bunch of people I don't know. I've just come out of a war zone so excuse me is that's making me feel a little uncomfortable." I snapped again, I was trying to calm down but it wasn't working.

"Would you like me to stay with you for the day because most of our lessons are with each other anyway?" He asked even though he knew I couldn't.

"I want you to but you know we can't. We're not meant to know each other." This was just frustrating me more and more. "I hate university." I groaned leaning against the wall.

"Right I'm staying with you today. Most people make friends on the first day anyway and right now I don't want to leave you in the state you're in, I don't think it's safe." He leaned against the wall right beside me and I was thankful for having him there. This was the first time in five years I had left a marine base and I wasn't coping with it as well as I hoped I would so I really didn't want to be left alone. "Here." He said handing me his Glock 18 pistol which I took gratefully slipping it into the waistband of my skirt after making sure the safety was still on because quite frankly I didn't want to accidentally shoot myself in the leg. I then rummaged around in my backpack for my plain black hoody to conceal the weapon now hidden at my waist. "Better?" He asked.

"Yeah thanks." I smiled before walking back out and into the open area of the campus grounds. I stayed right beside Daniel the entire time but we didn't talk so it just looked like a coincidence that we were walking in the same direction.