Nine

Chapter One: After She Went

Chapter One: After She Went

Rain drums on the roof and pings against the classroom windows as we filter in and sit in our desks. The dreariness of the outside matches my mood.

The trees that border our school parking lot sway with the wind outside, some gusts causing leaves to shower down across the pavement.

The puddles forming outside seem to weigh me down as I sit gingerly in my seat. My eyes flicker upwards, scanning the faces of the students entering behind me.

The blonde girl who sits behind me enters the room looking unbothered or uninformed, though at this point I don't see how anyone in this town couldn't know.

Her bag bumps my shoulder as she brushes past me and to her desk.

I blink as the next person enters. Brown hair and dark eyes. Pale skin. A light gray jacket around his shoulders. His gaze meets mine and I can't decipher the emotion I see.

Sadness? Like everyone else. Regret? That makes me flinch but I push it from my mind. Now is not the time to be selfishly invested in my own emotions.

My eyes don't leave him though as he travels down my aisle slowly until he eventually trails his fingers along the border of my desk. "Hey," he whispers, a piece of hair falling in front of his eyes. He doesn't bother to move it.

"Hey." I swallow. "How are you?"

Stupid question, but he smiles grimly, the smile not reaching his eyes. "I'm... alright. How are you?"

I shake my head, words forming on my lips but the bald head of Mr. Vega enters the room and his sharp voice rings out, "Gray, to your seat."

Ronan's face twitches but he nods and raises the corner of his mouth slightly before continuing three seats down to his seat.

The room is only half full, but the tardy bell has already rung and Mr. Vega is already at his podium.

Instead of the usual early morning chatter Mr. Vega has to shut down, it's complete silence, and not a comfortable one. A smothering silence that prevents us from attempting to speak.

Our teacher clears his throat. "Uh," he pushes his glasses up. "I'm aware of the event that occurred Friday night.. And there's counsellors present for anyone who may need one. But for now, I have our first quarter exam study guide ready for you to work on..."

I stop listening and turn my sight to the clouds rumbling outside. I knew teachers would talk about it. And I lied when I told myself I'd be fine in here.

Friday night.

I'd done so well in pushing it from my mind.

The speaker in our classroom suddenly beeps, and Mr. Vega's instructions are interrupted by our principal's voice erupting through our classroom. "Good morning, Oakside High," her voice sounds tired, exhausted even. But mostly saddened. "Today is Monday, August 27th, 2012. And as most of you know, three days ago, on Friday, August 24th, our junior student Emilie Campell went missing." My heart stops and my head spins as Ms. Miles voice gets faster.

"Counsellors are here today for anyone who needs them. And our local police and detectives are also present if any of you have any sort of information." Her breathing sounds shaky. "Let's have a moment of prayer for Emilie and for Emilie's family." She sniffles. "Let's pray the Lord is keeping her safe." There's a long moment of silence.

And then, "Have a good day, Oakside High," the beep sounds loudly throughout the room, letting us know Ms. Miles's announcement is over.

Our classroom seems to twist and turn as Mr. Vega shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That much emotion is just unprofessional," he mutters and returns slowly to his desk. "How are we supposed to have a good day with a blubbering principal and a-" he breaks off and shakes his head.