Right now... I just want to get on with the project in art that I am in the middle of. These use to be exciting. These lock-down practices... But today, not nearly as fun and exciting as they use to be. That is probably because I'm older now. We are all in the IB art lab that branches off the main art lab. The lights are off. The doors, locked. The other people of my class aren't of my grade. I had to take a lower grade class because I didn't get it the year before. I am not sure what the other students are thinking. Do they also want this to be over with? Or, maybe they like not working. Not going towards on of the five credits of this class.

Right now... I just want to leave the dark, cramped space of the IB art lab and return to the larger lab just out the door. I glanced up to observe the faces of my classmates. Let's see... Well, she's bored. He seems bored but hopeful... I look some more when a soft, harsh noise comes to my ears. I look around and see the slacker, twelfth grader who thinks she is above everything. She talks without end. Disregards teachers. And just to add the cherry on the top, she's a smoker. She makes me wish I didn't have a sense of smell. Each and every class she pollutes the air around her, like she has her own tobacco factory in her purse or hair.

Only seconds after an even harsher tone struck her's, the 'All clear' message comes resounding from the intercom. I struggle to keep my sigh of relief internal. I look at the clock and feel a slight release inside my body. I still have half an hour before class is over.

At the end of class I pick my books up and leave the class room to snake my way trough the hallways of other students with the same goal as me. As usual I reach my locker with ease, to the exception of a few slow students that don't know how slow they really are. I spun the dial to meet the requirements to open the lock and pull it open, I tug it a few times before it actually releases and gives me entry to my own locker. I Put my art folder away and bend down to grasp my lunch kit. As I straighten myself, my best friend, Ivory, reaches her own locker right next to mine.

"Hey, Iv!" I say to her as I close my locker and turn to her.

"Hi, Eli." Ah. That was too mono-toney for her to have been having a good day...

"Alright. What's happened?" I do my very best to express my concern.

"Well... My parents had another argument. But this time my mom started bring up a divorce and custody rights! I never heard the end of it, but... I can't get this uneasy feeling out of my gut... I mean, what if she really is serious?" Oi... Now usually I'm prepared for anything that's keeping her down. This, however is a new story. Everyone knows that Iv's parents argue all the time, but usually it just ends in them making-up and everything goes back to normal. This sounds serious.

"Hey... You know your parents right? I'm sure they'll pull out of it just fine. Don't even think about what'll happen if they don't. Because it won't end that way. I've seen your parents, and honestly... What they have together won't just dissipate." My thoughts were sort of doing a say-then-think thing. But after it was all said it made pretty good sense. She turns to look at me, I turn and look at her and nod my reassurance. Then she practically floors me with a hug.

"You know what? You're probably right. I don't have any reason to worry.

By the time we reach our friends they are already raving about the jerk guys that Evelyn tends to attract. Then just as we get there Ivory makes her entrance and melds herself into the conversation perfectly all in the time it takes me to sit and get my food. The first sentence from her mouth is something about how her mom was telling her about that kind of guy that she usually attracts. Then the slightly annoyed looks pass around the table, mostly because Iv interrupted with something on topic but not what they had been talking about. But they recover quickly, because this is a regular happening in my group of friends. Iv is just like that, she knows and tries to stop herself... Occasionally. One would expect Ivory to wear girly things by the way she sounds right? Wrong. She never wears anything more girly than those one inch wedge boots of hers. Consequently, they resemble combat boots.

I look up and notice that it is already twelve-ten. I nudge Iv and she automatically finishes up with whatever it is she was doing. Very soon we are on our way back up the stairs to our lockers.

"Oh! Crap! I forgot to sign my project in art!" I felt like i could wham my head on some random locker. But the I thought that, that would just be counter productive and make me even more forgetful.

"Oh. Ok. Why don't we just drop by the studio on our way to English?" You know, sometimes I wonder if there is a hidden genius inside Iv.

"Yeah. Yeah... Ok! But Let's hurry!"

We quickly wrap things up at our lockers and start towards the north end of the school where our English class is.

We rapidly walk into the art studio and I find my teacher. "Hey ! I forgot to sign my project this morning. And since my evaluation sheet is with you, you won't know which one your marking... Could I just find it and sign it?"

"Yes, of course. Just let me go get the folder that they're all in." She hurries off in the direction of her office and comes back in a matter of seconds. She places the folder on the desk in front of me. I look back and see Ivory examining the works by the high classes and IB students. I sift through the works carefully as to not smudge the pencil. I find my project near the bottom of the pile and carefully separate it from the folder. I dig my pencil out of my purse to sign it.

I sign ESEP, meaning Elizabeth Sophya Ebony Procton, my full name.

I ignored the bling sound that said the intercom is being turned on. But as I slid my newly signed project back into the folder the voice on the intercom blared "We are now in a high risk lock-down situation. Students, please find the nearest classroom and take cover. Teachers, allow any students in the hall to come into your classroom. I repeat, we are now in a high risk lock-down situation. Students, please fi–..." The intercom cut off so abruptly that I jumped. My heart began racing. Other students began coming in panicky. The teacher, who was in shock, regained herself and directed a group to the IB lab and two group in the direction of the storage areas. Myself and Ivory are a part of the group going to the IB lab.

The scenes of the calmer, fake lock-down keep playing in my mind. My mind seems to be in a state of confusion. Ivory and I are the first to get into the room so we hide under a desk that has a large canvas propped against it.

The whole room is utterly, eerily silent. Except the sound of my pounding heart. I try desperately to silence the pounding, but it only gets louder, as if to fill the entire room. Ivory is clutching my hand, I can tell she must be just as frightened as me.

The thought of turning to look at her passing my mind, but the execution will never happen. Because now I can hear voices outside. They seem distant, but still had the power to freeze me. The terror resounding through my body forced me to release Ivory's hand, my only comfort. I could feel tears of dread forming in my eyes.

The entire room seems to be surreal in trepidation, until a blast from the main lab causes us all to jump in the fright. The voices did it. I can hear them clear as day now.

"Itachi... Are you sure this is the right place?" A frightfully raspy and terrible sounding voice asks out loud.

"Yes." Even with the short answer I could hear the icy chill in the second voice. It sounded like winter. I could hear foot steps. I can hear them approaching. Time is seeming to slow down with each step they take. And as time slows, my heart races even more. The first tear of my dread slides down my cheek.

"So, You're positive that this is the place?" The raspy one asked another question.

"Yes. I can see her chakra. It is powerful for even our home, Kisame." The cold one, who's name is Itachi, again answered. "She is somewhere in this room."

Another blast, much louder this time, makes me begin to tremble with terror.

"Here?" Questioned Kisame.

"Yes. There." Their footsteps keep getting louder, and louder. With their footsteps my heart's pound also keep getting louder, until I see a shadow under the bottom of the canvas. I feel my eyes widen, allowing more tears to escape, when suddenly the canvas is torn away from the desk. Revealing the two men.

"Which one?" Through the tears in my eyes I could see that the raspy voice belongs to a raspy man. He has pale, almost blue skin. His face resembles that of a shark, gills under his eyes like bags. Eyes that have yellow centres and black everywhere else. Itachi pointed at Ivory and me. Kisame turned to us and smiled. His smile was evil and terror invoking, that has rows of sharp teeth, much like a shark. He is wearing a black cloak that has red clouds with white outlines on them. On his back there is a massive shape. "Her?" He pointed at Ivory. No! Not Ivory! Is the only thing going through my head.

"No. Her." Itachi then pointed at me. My every molecule froze, in fear. I look at him, with my terrified face. His face is just as cold as his voice. Working my way up his face I saw a cold, unfeeling mouth. Afterwards, captivating, cold, blood-red eyes. Suddenly I can't move. I can feel his eyes drawing me in.

Almost instantly the entire scene changed. Now I'm in an unreal place, but I feel trapped, despite the large green fields expanding in front of me. I don't know what, but something told me to fight with my mind, to think strongly of home. So I do. And just as quickly as it happened I was free, mostly. For when I came to my senses, I was being carried by the frightening Kisame.

In fear, I convulse and Kisame having not expected movement drops me. Almost instantly I get up and run. I run with all my power.

As I extended the distance between myself and those men, I felt triumphant.

Almost as rapidly as my escape happened it disappeared. For Itachi appears in front of me. My shock makes me turn another direction, where I round a corner and hit the ground. The hit comes almost slowly as my body collides first, followed by a crashing thrash to my head. The man who tackled me is someone I've never seen. But he wears the same cloak as both Itachi and Kisame. I get up to run more, but freeze when I see what is surrounding me.

I fall to my knees at the shock of seeing more people dressed the same way, knowing that they're bad news. I remain frozen and harmless, hopelessness settles in, as a feel a crack on the back of my head that sends me into a black abyss of unconsciousness.