" Annil the Scarlet "
It was 8th period ( study period ) at Saint Anthony's School on a Friday afternoon. All the students had a long hard day, and they were very eager to go home. Some did their homework, others fooled around, and others were just talking with their friends. The homeroom teacher, Ms. Calina, tried to settle down her very loud class.
" All right, it's... " she looked up at the clock, " 2: 25. Please start going to your lockers and cleaning up the room. Bus riders, don't be late."
The class groaned and did as they were told, yet still some others made a lot of noise, and still did their homework, and still talked with their friends. Some things could not just be helped... especially in the class of room 8B.
Victoria Renalls sat at her desk, trying to finish her darn math work before the bell rang. Her book was big, and she did NOT fell like carrying it home, as she walks to her house everyday after school. It was only ten minutes away, but with her math book, it was forever.
Loud rain began to pour outside, and she sighed. In early autumn, rain always fell. Too bad it had to be on a Friday and on a day that she ignored her dad's suggestion of bringing an umbrella.
" Oh, great; just brilliant." Finishing the last problem, she folded her paper, stuffed it in the red textbook and reached into her bag for her locker key. Even though she stayed back at the gym to watch volleyball practice, she just HATED it when it rained after school. For one, there were EMBARRASSING intercom announcements about her not walking home and calling her ride, and when the rain did pass, it left huge puddles on the road that often ended up on her WHITE uniform. Who's brilliant idea was white anyway?
She found her key and went to her locker, which was ALWAYS crowded with her other classmates.
" Watch it, you're book's gonna fall -"
" Can you guys, like, hurry up -"
" Watch your face - "
Everyday it was the same old dialogue. Victoria held her books patiently as her friends before her did what they had to do.
" Hey Vicky, going to the gym?" It was Serena Arner, one of Victoria's very good friends.
" Yep." Victoria moved closer to her locker as some of her classmates cleared out. " I'll be so THRILLED when I get home, and I'm gonna stay up till three watching Lord of the Rings." She laughed, for her friend said the last line with her.
" You always say that."
" Yeah, and it's impossible to do. I always go to sleep right a one." Victoria opened her locker and stuffed her books inside. Serena did the same in her own. When they were done, they stood there and talked a little more about Lord of the Rings.
Just then, the beep of the intercom went off, and Mrs. Irene Caine, the woman at the Help desk, spoke through it.
" I have a message here for Victoria Renalls."
" Class, quiet down," Ms. Calina called out. " Okay."
" Can you tell her to call her ride? She's not walking home today."
The class looked at Victoria and laughed good naturedly. Victoria laughed as well and faced the intercom, saluting.
" That's not funny," said Mrs. Caine.
" All right, got it, Mrs. Caine," said Victoria before the woman went off. Ms. Calina looked at her, who was still laughing. She caught her eye and stopped. " Sorry, miss, I was just joking."
The class went back to what they were doing, and after everything and everyone got settled, they ended the day with a prayer, and left at dismissal.
" I'm coming with you to the gym," said Serena to Victoria, waiting for her to put her stuff in her bag.
" Okay." She was done and left to get her lunch pail.
" We're still on for this weekend right?" Clarissa Dean was another good friend of Victoria's. She loved anime, and was an incredible drawer. " We're watching that new movie at the mall."
Ryan Hall joined in the conversation. " Yep, I'm going. Saturday at one," she confirmed. Ryan was another good friend. She was usually the one who criticized in the group, and really liked nothing, but " hated" everything.
" I'll be there," said Serena. " I wouldn't miss it for the world." There was a fake English accent in her voice. Victoria laughed.
" And I'll be there too," she said, in an accent as well.
" Hey Jackie, Judy, ya goin'?" asked Clarissa to the Owen twins.
" We'll be there," answered Judy from her locker. The Owen twins were very nice, and Judy was an excellent drawer, and Jackie was very smart ( not that her sister wasn't ).
" Okay, I gotta go," Clarissa flicked her short, black hair and left. " Bye you guys, bye Ms. Calina!"
" Bye!" Everyone responded.
" On the morrow," Ryan mocked before she left. Victoria smiled, catching the sarcasm.
" Morrow."
She and Serena left with a final good-bye and walked down the steps farthest from the gym, since the rules forbid them to go down the closer steps. " Safety reasons" Sister Dorthy Austen had said, the principal of the school . The students thought all of it as bull though.
" I really hate this," complained Victoria as they walked down the steps.
" Hey, exercise," said Serena. They walked to and through he cafeteria to go to the gymnasium. The rain outside stopped, but the sky was still dangerously dark. It seemed like the time of evening. There were more stairs, and they finally went into the building. It was always dim in there for some odd reason.
" Maybe we'll use our class funds to donate new lights," suggested Victoria as they went to their " spot" at the other side of the gym .
Serena laughed. " You always say we should donate something. Why don't we just replace the whole school?"
" Not a bad idea."
They set their bags down, and Serena went to get the attendance book, as she was the girls' volleyball team manager. They both tried out for the team, but unfortunately, did not make it. That reeked real bad.
Victoria went to the phone by the coaches' office to call her ride. Since the weather appeared to be okay, she decided that maybe she will walk home after all. They hung up and she went back to her place, taking out her homework, and watched as the boys and girls practiced.
It was nearing four o'clock, and Victoria and Serena were making origami cranes for Ms. Jane Parkin, the girls' volleyball coach. They sat there, fumbling with the microscopic paper and watching the volley balls, as some would sail their way and hit one of them in the face. The rain was on and off, and it was on like a faucet then. Victoria groaned.
" Damn it! I have to walk home too!
" Do you need a ride?"
" Nah. What's a little bit of rain gonna do?"
There was a roar of thunder and some of the students screamed. The two rolled their eyes. Some people were just so immature…
The large lights above flickered, and then went out, casting the gym into total darkness. There were no windows that were not shuttered, as though it would help with the gloom outside if they weren't. People started to scream, and the coaches were yelling at them to quiet.
" Well, this is great! Can anything get worse?" cursed Victoria.
" Don't say that!"
" Where are you?" She reached out her hands and felt to her left. Serena was still there.
" I'm right here! Where are you?" exaggerated Serena, and flung out her hands. One of her fingers collided with Victoria's eyes.
" Ow shit!
" Oh, I'm sorry!" Serena was laughing and Victoria could only glare at her in the dark.
" Thank you but I take my contacts out BEFORE I go to bed!" She rubbed her left eye.
" A-re... you okay?"
" Yea, I'll live. How am I supposed to walk home NOW?"
The rain had sounded in the area and there were more sounds of thunder. The other people in the gym began to make noises of fear.
" Mr. B, I can't see -,"
" Just calm down, Cindy."
" Hey this is cool -"
" Shut up, Emma -"
" Where are you -?"
" Where is who -?"
The ridiculous conversations went on, until one of the coaches, Mr. Bryan Gillian, shushed them. " All right, just calm down. Randy went to go get the flashlight, so we can fix this."
Some minutes passed by, and the emergency lights went on. It was still very dim, but everyone was aware of where they were, and where other people were.
" Everyone, let's get together," said Mr. B ( Bryan Gillian ). " Come to the middle of the court."
Victoria and Serena went down the bleachers to the court and sat with the rest of the people.
" Ma-n, Mr. B," whined Cindy. " This is scary."
" No, it's cool."
" Shut up, Emma!"
" Hey, Cindy!"
" Sorry, Mr. B."
" We'll stay in here until the lights come back on, or when your parents pick you up," said Mr. B. " We're just going to have to stay here, and keep ourselves occupied."
" Well," Victoria checked her watch. It was 4:15, and practice didn't end till five. " It's 4:15. We could tell stories…"
" Oh, how boring!" said Karen Oden, Victoria's cousin.
" Then what should we do, my queen?" said Victoria, rolling her eyes.
" Shut up, Victoria."
" Make me!"
" Hey, hey, hey," said Mr. B. " let's just sit here and relax."
A loud roar of thunder came, and then the ground began to shake, as though the roar had vibrated the earth. Everyone ran at Mr. B's instructions outside, and crouched and covered their heads by the door. Some of the students were screaming, others were praying, and others just huddled, stiff with fear.
This lasted for three minutes, though it seemed like forever, and there were only gentle aftershocks. The rain stopped altogether, and the wind was fast blowing the dark clouds aside, revealing the clear sky again. Everyone lifted their heads and looked about.
" Is everyone all right?" called out Ms. Parkin. " Is anyone hurt?"
" No," came some replies.
" Holy shit, that was scary," said Karen.
" No duh," said Andrew Pennles. " let's do that again."
" Shut up, Andrew," yelled some of the girls.
Mr. B looked inside the gym. Victoria and Serena opened the door wider to look inside. There were five large lights on the dark ground, still illuminated by the emergency lights. Mr. B cursed silently.
" Listen, everyone, we can't go back in. We'll have to wait out here until you guys go home."
Victoria and Serena looked at each other.
" That was freaky: hard rain and then a massive earthquake. This is some conspiracy," said Victoria, glancing inside the gym above the other students' heads.
" I know! But don't say anything; it could be one."
" Yea, whatever." Victoria glanced out and up at the sky. Light gray clouds were like a sheet over the earth. That wasn't normal for the weather, she thought. First terrible, them calm again. What was going on?
Author's notes:::::: If this sucks, please tell me, if u want this to continue, please tell me. I will post up the next chapter soon, so tell me what ya think.
Thank you