Murder Music

A/N: Inspired by true stories that we hear on the news every so often.

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An intruder manages to break through the foundations of East High. If hostages are to be taken, what will the students and faculty do in order to restore safety? Would they risk their own lives for the safety of others?

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Minor Troyella and Chaylor. I do not claim anything from HSM. This is also my second HSM fic, first one that I'm planning on being longer than one little drabble. Bear with me please! (:

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One: Onset of another Week

Another Monday, another beginning of a presumably dull school week, on academic standards anyway. A different light filtered in the window at the far side of the decorative classroom. Different meaning it was more sluggish, drearier, than usual for a Monday. It was already approaching noon and it seemed as if the sky was stuck at 10 AM.

This being said, certain people also believed they too were stuck on the slow moving schedule. Two of the most popular athletic students sat in the same row, one being the first chair and the other right behind. Troy had a notebook propped open in front of him and a pen was twirling through his fingers mindlessly as he struggled to concentrate on the lecture the drama teacher was preaching on for what seemed like at least four hours. The brunette looked down at his paper, and found nothing but one line of partially literate words scrawled down above a series of miniscule basketball doodles. He gave a quiet sigh and raised his glance once again to attempt to decipher what the teacher was droning on about.

The lights had been shut off, leaving the room particularly dark on this sluggish morning. However, a large glow came from the overhead, which supplied an outline to Ms. Darbus's speech. This was obviously not enough to prevent Chad from falling asleep. It was quite glaringly obvious that he was indeed asleep, he hadn't even tried to hide it; his forehead was smack on the desk and pen slipping from his grasp. Troy glanced backwards at his friend who was partially leaning off the desk now. The basketball captain snaked his pen behind his back and poked at his friend's head in attempts to stir him.

After several minutes, Troy gave another sigh of dissatisfaction and leaned his head on the same arm.

Another minute later and Chad was beginning to snore.

Troy almost whirled around to prod his pen at his friend again. "Wake up," he hissed. As if on command, Chad shifted groggily, running a hand over his face and rubbing at his eyes.

"I wasn't asleep," he mumbled, fingertips still over his eyes. The pen had now fallen off the desk.

"Sure you weren't. We didn't win the finals either," Troy mused with a smirk.

Chad had to blink for a second to think about that one before hissing in response, "Shut up, man." Troy laughed to himself. "Where's my pen?"

"Mr. Danforth," a sudden sharp voice rang out. Chad rolled his eyes and Troy had to put a hand in front of his mouth to prevent from totally bursting out into a fit of laughter. Ms. Darbus found it less than amusing. "Mr. Bolton, Danforth. Are the two of you just shooting for more detention?" she inquired calmly again in her pinched voice.

"No ma'am," Troy replied, still smiling behind his hand and averting her gaze. She gave him a stern glare and then turned to the notes again.

"Way to go, man," Chad chuckled, punching Troy lightly in the shoulder. "Now seriously. The pen?"

The bell rang shrilly, echoing eerily in the empty hall outside. Free period was upon the students. The lights snapped on, and Troy pointed at the floor beside Chad's feet and basketball which he was inseparable from. There was the pen, lying innocently out of reach. "Now seriously, man. You've gotta answer me this--do you shower with that thing?" This referring to the ball.

"Oh man," Chad laughed. "You know it." He then proceeded to nearly tip the desk getting the pen back the hard way-without getting up. After straining to reach the rebellious utensil, the two high-fived and put away for the remainder of the period. The two headed near Gabriella's desk; by persuasion from Troy, Chad had learned to tolerate the two within a dozen feet of each other. That, and Chad just had a thing for attempting (and generally failing) to impress Taylor for reasons unknown.

"What were you guys doing? I wasn't even paying attention and Ms. Darbus was all of a sudden off on you two.." Gabriella questioned with a curious smile.

"Surely not anything against the rules, knowing these two good students," Taylor smirked from the seat beside Gabriella. Chad pointed a warning finger at her, but she just smirked further. "Pointing won't get you very far unless you're a toddler in a candy shop," she informed him.

"You--quiet," he grumbled, finding a seat on top of the empty desk on the opposite side of Gabriella. Troy laughed from the top of the desk in front of her. Chad shifted the basketball on his lap and then asked more casually, "So…are you two doing the musical?"

Troy's cerulean eyes flickered to his friend for a moment, and then back down at his hands that hung on his knees. "Well, yeah. We got the parts, didn't we?" he smiled, stealing a flicker of a glance at Gabriella, whose hands were entwined beneath her desk while smiling downward. She looked to be the visual definition of cute.

"Chad's memory bank must not exceed more than two days," Taylor informed them. "Or he's deaf."

This caused him to give her a flat glare.

"Enough about us," Troy switched, "what about you guys? The after party?" Chad pretended he'd discovered new territory on the basketball. Taylor just blinked.

"What about it?" she repeated.

"You two went together, didn't you?" Gabriella chimed in, looking to Taylor with a strange sense of eagerness behind her eyes.

"Well yeah.." the both mumbled, not meaning to speak in unison.

It was then the fire alarm blared. Everyone jumped out of their skin and then out of their chairs. But the alarm cut off just as quickly as it had started, and perplexed faced jumped from one person to the next. The same thing happened twice more, and the entire free period class looked to the drama teacher, who began fulfilling that title.

"Everyone..not to panic…" she whispered, clearly flustered yet holding a deadly serious undertone. She made for the door, closing it instantly and locking it--a first for this teacher--while snapping the lights off again.

"Ms. Darbus?" Taylor questioned hesitantly; none of the students knew what this meant. Fortunately the teachers were aware of the warning.

"We have an intruder in the building," she replied gravely.

Gabriella's hands had come out of hiding when she stood, and now she gripped Troy's, giving it a silent squeeze of worry. He gripped hers a bit tighter in reassurance.

"Everyone get away from the door, and hide yourselves as best as possible…" Ms. Darbus whispered, knowing that there was no good place for a horde of thirty students to hide in. "..and let's hope we're lucky."

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A/N: Short, I know, I'm sorry! I normally don't write so little for a chapter. This is the best place to break it in order to make at least three chapters though… Reviews?