"Hey man, where are we going?"
"I don't know!" the hazy figure shouted with utter glee. "We're exploring dude!"
"O….ok."
"Dude! Jackpot!"
"… What is it?"
"I don't know… let's check it out!"
"I… I'm… hesitant."
"Oh, c'mon you wuss! Let's go!"
"I… guess we can."
The duo walked into a deserted building, watching their steps carefully.
"You think this place has a light switch?"
"I'd rather not find out Aaron."
"Oh, here it is." Aaron threw a switch and the building came to life! Generators whirred. Lights flickered. And a short tremor threw the companions off of the catwalk and down, down to the lower level.
"Owwwwwww. Aaron… Aaron… Aaron? Where are you?" Andy then heard the noise he would never forget: The morrow freezing shriek that changed his life forever.
Andy woke up drenched in his tears and sweat.
My dearest little brother,
I don't expect you to understand my departure.
I hardly understand it myself. I'm sorry, Andy.
I'm so, so sorry. But I can't stay here right now.
I won't be gone forever. I'll come home as soon as I can. I promise.
Take care of Mom and Dad for me.
All my love,
Kat
Andy read the note for the thousandth time. It never left his side. He always had it with him whether it was in his pocket, in his bag, in his backpack, wherever. It always stayed with him.
It had been almost a year since he last saw Kat. The day was coming up fast, and there was still no word from her. There was so much he wanted to tell her. So much he wanted to… "Hey! Watch where you're going, dork!" Andy brushed off the comment of the guy he had just run into and kept walking. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Come back here." The buff guy reached over and grabbed Andy by the shoulder.
Andy sighed. "Richey, I'll give you two seconds to remove your hand from my shoulder."
Richey laughed. "Is the little freshman threatening an upp…" he never finished his sentence. Andy spun and grabbed Richey's forearm and twisted it behind his back and under his opposite armpit.
"No, I was advising the upper classman. Please leave me alone." He shoved Rich into his locker, picked up his books, and walked away.
He walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. The teacher gave him an accusative stare as Andy sat down in his seat and then started class. "Okay people, quiet. I've got your tests scored and recorded, so let's pass those out first." He walked around and passed them all out face down on the students' desks.
Andy picked his up and turned it over. Beside the fairly bold "C-" was the note, "See me after class."
Oh, great. Now I get an extra lecture about grades slipping. He just sat there with his head in his hands for the rest of class.
When the bell rang, everyone piled out of the classroom chatting and laughing. Andy just sat in his desk and waited for his teacher to say something. Mr. Fischer stood from his desk and walked over to Andy. He took off his glasses, sat on the adjacent desk and sighed. "Look Andy, I know it's been hard for you since Kat ran away and Aaron disappeared, but your grades have taken a nose-dive from straight A's to… well, I might have to fail you. This test has been one of your best scores in a while. … Is there any way I could help?"
Andy looked up for the first time and with an emotionless voice replied, "No, Mr. Fischer. I'm sorry, but I'm beyond the hope of help now." He got up quickly and quietly, and before Fischer could say another word, he was out of the room.