1. Tempest

tem·pest [tem-pist]

noun

a violent windstorm, especially one with rain, hail, or snow.

a violent commotion, disturbance, or tumult.

Kepi, another violent windstorm in the form of an 18 year old girl.

I grabbed some strawberry icecream out of the fridge, stuck a spoon in my mouth, and slammed the fridge door with my fluffy, polka dot socked feet, while clutching a cup of caramel coffee, a bag of yellow M&Ms, a bag of pretzel sticks, a pizza box with drool-worthy scents wafting out of it, two nail polish bottles, and four ultra cool horror movies, while balancing my phone between my head and shoulder, all at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking. This was what I called a true friday movie night. I usually did it with my best friend Molly, but she was on a date. Or so she's claiming.

''So you are saying, that you are ditching a night of fun fun fun with me, your best friend in the whole world, to go on a date with a guy who you've only met three times before and probably will not end up marrying?'' I asked her as I settled down on my bright blue sofa. I placed the calories and sugar on the coffee table in front of the sofa. With my hands now empty, I leaned back and crossed my legs on the table, and transferred the phone back to my hands.

''Yes, that's what I'm doing. But Kep, you haven't seen him yet! He's soo cute. You don't really mind do you?'' Molly asked.

''Nah, I was just checking if you know what you are committing, ditching is a felony in some states, you know.''

''It isn't.'' She insisted.

''Well, maybe not here in New York, but who knows, they could always change it,''

''OK, well, if I stay any longer in the bathroom he'll think I'm either ditching him or taking a dump, and you know how the first might be a felony in, like, Egypt or something, so I'll hang up. Bye, Kep!'' And with that, she was gone. I put the first movie in, Alice in Alice. Five minutes into the film, I was convinced that anyone named Alice, I will never look at again the same way, that girl was very creepy. The microwave's alarm went off, and I got up to get the pure, sweet buttery heaven.Yumm.

On the way back to the couch, and don't ask me how I even thought of pulling something like this off, I stopped in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror by the door of my bedroom, placed the bowl of popcorn between my legs, and attempted to tie my hair into a high bun. I was in my Eeyore tank top, in my very short dark-blue striped PJ shorts, and my infamous fluffy polka dot socks. Then out of nowhere, a loud, ear-piercing scream reverberated through the apartment. I was so caught off guard that I jumped back a few feet, the delicious buttery snack scattering across my once clean floor like wild fire. ''No!'' I screamed as I lunged for the flying popped-corn. I hurriedly tried to abide to the five-second rule, as I, now laying splayed across the field of popcorn floor, spread my arms wide and shovelled all the popcorn towards my chest. I think some even went in my bra. At least my bun was alright, I tried to think positively.

This is the kind of thing my friends, family, and pretty much everyone who knew me the slightest, referred to when they said that my name was perfectly spot on, whoever came up with it. My name, Kepi, is an Egyptian name that means 'tempest'. I knew this, and they knew this, because I googled my name when I was 9, and made sure everyone knew that Kepi meant Tempest. Anyway, like the current fiasco I just made on my floor, and just the violent commotion of a person I am, Kepi AKA Tempest AKA violent disturbance, was really a spot on name for me. These were the times I remembered how right my friends and family were whenever they mentioned my name being perfect for me.

I put all the little corn folks, yes, corn folks cause 'popcorn' is way too ordinary for me, back into their rightful bowl. Eventually, proceeding a thourough investigation that could beat the skills of some CIA agents, I found that the scream that probably even the deaf could've heard was from one of Alice the creep's victims in Alice in Alice which kept on playing after I left. I was about to settle back on the couch and bury myself under a supposedly life-saving duvet, when I felt a faint breeze brush my shoulders. The window was open. Huh, I didn't remember opening it. I got up from the couch, and curiously walked over to the open window overlooking Manhattan at night.

Then it clicked, I didn't remember, because I didn't do it! All of a sudden, I felt a presence behind me. Before I could panic, or turn around and bring forth my hidden Jackie Chan moves, another shrilly scream echoed through the room. I yelped, forgetting that the horror film was still playing, and hid behind a curtain, a curtain! And I thought that if I was in a horror movie about to be murdered, I'd be smarter and kill him instead, but clearly not! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! What was a curtain gonna do? A deep, throaty and oh-so sexy chuckle, that definitely didn't belong to Alice from Alice in Alice, came from the opposite side of the curtain I was hiding behind.

''Oh god, what am I gonna do now? The curtain is restraining me from her!'' He mocked. I was yet to see his face, but I could so see an amused smirk on his face as he said that. After that, quiet. Waiting for the inevitable in the silence, not counting the creepy voice of Alice, was more terrifying than Alice herself. I could see his big form growing even bigger as he slowly came closer to the curtain. If the curtain wouldn't be between us, we would be so close to each other, we could've been kissing. I took slow, deep breaths that slightly swayed the curtain in a rhythm.

It, I prefer to think of my murderer as an It, not a He, with one quick, swift movement, swiped the curtain aside, surprising me loads. Intense, bright, blue eyes locked with my electric green ones.

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