A/N: LATE~!
2,606
"Alright class, now please open your books to page sixty-three." Mr. William ordered. The class let out a typical groan and sloppily plopped open their books, a few students asking what page several times. The loudest groan was in the back of the class closest to the door, by Neru Akita. Neru wasn't typical by any means. She was rude, arrogant, rebellious, not lady-like, and preferred calculating pranks rather than algebra. The only reason she hadn't failed multiple times was because none of her teachers wanted to spend another year with her "crap".
"Today, we'll be reading about a little two hours that has been one of the most devastating events in American history…"
A sixteen year old blonde girl groaned as she pulled at the hem on her mid-thigh length black skirt. It had been at least the third time she'd had to pull her skirt down that hour! It didn't help she had to babysit five children she didn't know for a small amount of money because just one concert. Rin glared at the two giggling infants in the twin sized stroller. Next to the babies were one girl around the age of nine and a boy around the age of six. Rin's glare softened, how could she blame the cute, innocent, lil' kiddies? She couldn't.
"Hey, Kagamine, hurry it up," Rin's head snapped up at the voice of her co-worker, Luka Megurine. "we still have a long ways to go before the World Trade Center!"
"Called 9/11." Mr. William seemed to have a dull look of lost in his deep eyes. "It was a crisp September morning on the average ninth of 2001. No American can forget where they were that day; I personally was saying goodbye to my wife and kids at our humble little home in Eatontown."
Rin sighed as she finally reached the entrance of the World Trade Center's North building. Her black stilettos were KILLING her feet by the time she reached the ID checking section. "Good morning ma'am, how're you!" The cheerful employee said. She couldn't help but to be polite with such enthusiasm thrust upon her, aching feet or not. "Hello! I'm great, still drowsy though." Rin replied with a smile, sliding her ID to him. He nodded with a short "nice to hear" before moving on to the next person. Rin could see a strange looking, tall male nervously pulling his ID out and looking around in the third line. She paid no mind and continued to the long elevator ride that awaited her.
"Happy birthday, Marley!"
"Hey!"
"Marleeeeeh~!"
"Mars, happy birthday."
Rin pushed pass the crowd of clapping friends and pushed the button of the elevator to their right.
"Nobody suspected a thing. Not the employees, not the security gaurds, not the children, not the mothers, no one." The class was silent in awe, but Neru just rolled her eyes and muttered a few sarcastic remarks. "Everything was content, happy even… until 8:46AM."
"I'm sooooo dead if I'm late!" Rin cursed, finally reaching the fifty-fourth floor. She skidded on her heels and plopped into her desk chair. "Hey, Rin!" Rin smiled and hugged her friend, Len Kagami. "Heeeey~! How's your morning been so far? Any problems with the Man-Whore of a boss?" Len laughed, still hugging her, "Nah, he's been bearable today. But Gumi, that crazy woman, has been telling everyone she's seen bombs planted on the top and fourteenth floor. She also said 'there's flames in our future', can you believe that?" Rin giggled, both breaking their hug at the same time with a light tint on their cheeks.
"When can anyone believe that chick? I think she's been spending too much time with those sharpies." Len laughed and nodded. "Anyway, what time are you going to break?" Rin asked, filing away some papers of hers. Len leaned against her desk and took a chunk of the half eaten orange on her desk. They'd shared food for years, rather it a bag of chips or a single lollipop.
"Hmm... 8:30 sounds good? It'll take half an hour to leave the building anyway so let's say nine." Len picked at the orange before taking small, cautious bites.
"Braces still bothering you?" Rin asked, looking up from the computer she was logging into to look at his reaction. He just grinned. "Yeah… I didn't think it'd take more than a week but it's already been three." Rin rolled her cerulean eyes and tapped her own braces with her pen. "Yeah, I know the feeling." He placed the rest of the orange on her desk (on a napkin) and stretched. "Well, I gotta get to work before Man-Whore complains about 'disruptive teenagers' in his building again."Rin rolled her eyes, not skipping a beat on her brisk typing. "We've heard more than enough of THAT lecture." Len chuckled and muttered a quick "see ya in ten" as he left her nice sized office.
He'd often joke about wearing a mini skirt to work so "Man-Whore" would upgrade his office as well. Len hadn't found it such a good idea when Rin agreed he could easily pull it off. Rin smiled at the memory. She'd known him since her first day of middle school (when she'd accidently spilt her orange pudding on his lap when he offered to sit with her at lunch). Since then, Rin and Len had been tighter than a pair of Justin Bieber's skinny jeans.
"At 8:46:25 a plane was seen flying unusually low, no one gave it a second thought."
"Is it just me, or is that plane REALLY low?" Rin followed Len's gaze towards the window of the fifteenth floor. It was pretty low… probably a new pilot. "Meh, don't worry about it. Just hurry before we're even later." Len nodded and followed Rin to the elevator.
"Hey, he's going to crash into the North face if he doesn't fly higher!" Rin turned around just as Luka screamed and a loud crash trembled the glass on their floor. Rin screeched and fell against the elevator door.
"Oh my god!"
"What just happened!"
"Help!"
"Then the first plane crashed into the North face of the North building. Reporters raced to broadcast the tragedy, a few citizens caught the crash on tape. They still thought it was accidental, a new pilot making a simple mistake."
"Len, are you okay!" Rin asked, pushing herself off the door to help him up. The fear was evident in their eyes, as well as a mix of confusion and worry. Len silently took her hand and stood. "Do not use the elevators! Everyone please exit to the stairs on your right!" A woman with silver hair and violet eyes directed. Luka was one of the first people to the stairs, completely ignoring the children trapped on the top floors. "Are the children okay?" Someone asked. She received no reply.
Rin and Len were already on the eleventh floor when another crash vibrated through the building, the cries of infants seemed distant in the blur of people screaming and fire fighters trying to guide everyone out of the burning building. Rin hadn't realized she'd been holding Len's hand but at the moment, she was too distracted trying to find the children she'd been taking care of.
"Until the second plane crashed. By then, hope was growing faint."
Len tried desperately to hide the tears when he saw Gumi touch the cross around her neck one last time and step over the edge. As crazy as he called her, he couldn't deny he cared about her enough to feel water build up in his eyes. But feeling his best friend and the girl he was absolutely in love with's hand in his own, he knew he couldn't let Rin feel nearly as scared as he felt. With that thought, Len quickened his pace, trying his best to ignore the ceilings collapsing on the brave firefighters trying to protect them without a hint of selfishness.
Rin felt like she was out of place, in another person's body yet still her own. Her mind couldn't register that her friends and co-workers were burning alive, committing suicide, being crushed in debris and some screaming for help for they were trapped inside barriers of metal and building materials. Rin didn't feel normal hearing her friends pleading for her help. The worse feeling was probably not that she couldn't help them, but that she was more concerned with her own life.
"Under the heat and immense pressure, the building began to slowly tumble to the ground, not only killing those inside, but those on the nearby streets and sidewalks… unfortunately my daughter's preschool was only several meters away." Mr. William's voice was a strained whisper by the end of the sentence. Neru leaned in subconsciously, eager to hear the rest of the story.
"Len, we're not going to make it out in time, are we!" Rin felt she'd pass out with how fast her heart was beating. Len tightened his grip on her hand as he reached the third floor. The building was near collapsing completely, everyone knew it. It was the knowledge of being near death and not wanting to think about it all.
"Rin, you know I love you, right?" Len slowed his pace, not having a need to run any longer. Rin's sobs continued even harder, she could only manage a nod as she kept her eyes glued to her shoes. She was too scared of seeing anyone else die, not able to block the screaming from the higher floors. Rin whimpered helplessly as she saw Luka through one of the many storefronts. She couldn't describe the look of relief in Luka's eyes as she was pulled into the comforting arms of her husband and three children…
She couldn't describe the look of horror on her face when the building made a loud cracking noise and deep tremors. The last thing Rin felt when she closed her eyes was Len's arms wrapped around her and his soothing breath against her ear.
"It'll be alright."
"Within h-" The bell rang before Mr. William could finish, receiving cheers from most students and groans from those who had math class next period. "Don't forget your book reports are due next week!" Mr. William sighed as the children left before he could finish his reminder. The thoughts of his daughter still on his mind. "Mr. William?" Mr. William jerked up when he heard the voice behind him. "Oh, Akita, what do you want now?" He mentally prepared himself for another prank she found amusing or maybe an insult this time. "Will you finish the story for me? I want to know what happens next…" Mr. William smiled and motioned for Neru to sit across from him.
A/N: I am sorry America, for writing something so horrible. DX And I couldn't come up with a good ending… .