Chapter 2:

"Somebody please tell me why we are here again," says Rex from Robbie's lap as his owner looks around the Black Box Theatre where people filling the room.

Tori rolls her eyes as she too looks around the theatre without a clue of why she is there in the first place. She just thanked god for not seeing creepy, scary, weird-looking ghost.

It's her first week back to school from the hospital. Everyone is having a buzz about a certain field trip chosen people are going to take. She doesn't know if she's actually part of it so she doesn't bother asking her friends about it.

Sinjin, creepily seating at the back row near Robbie tried to answer Rex, "We're waiting for Lane. We're going to talk about Violence Prevention and School Shooting…"

"Oh! Like a bullying campaign?" Robbie asks, clearly listening to whatever Sinjin is telling him… or Rex.

"Oh," Sinjin exclaims, "Not just bullying, brotha! It's more like the Virginia Tech."

There's silence in the room after Sinjin reminds them about the attack on Virginia Polytechnic Institute on April 1, 2007. A student killed 32 people and wounded many more before committing suicide, making it the deadliest school shooting in U.S. History.

"Man, can you imagine going back in the building after something like that happened? I mean just going back into class in a room where someone died..." Andre shivers dramatically, reminiscing the time he was watching the news for that incident.

"Yeah man," Beck chimes in, "You never know… maybe someone dies here in Hollywood Arts and we just don't know it. Maybe someone died here in this very theatre."

"Ooooooo," Rex tried to sound spooky but it didn't work, at least it didn't work for them. Cat, on the other hand, clings to Tori's arms like a scared kitty cat. He he.

"Shut up, Rex," Robbie scolds.

"Hey, you never know…"

"You don't need to worry," Tori says flatly. "No one died in this building."

Oh, how she wish she never said that.

"Oh yeah," Jade started, raising her pierced eye brow at the half-Latina. "How'd you know that, Vega?" she asks challenging.

"I just do. No one ever died inside Hollywood Arts."

Before Jade can retort, Lane enters and starts the talk with them about remaining vigilant and breaking the code of silence that exits in their school.

Tori is not even listening; she's looking intently outside the small part of the window which is left uncovered by the curtain. I wished I didn't sit next to the window. Now I can't stop looking outside. She can clearly see the outside track field and the guy warming up. At first he looks just like any other high school boy until you look at him more closely. He's wearing a stretchy red sweatband on his forehead which is holding his five inch afro up and away from his face. Plus he's wearing white knee socks (a definite fashion no-no, even with the jocks) on top of his vintage bright blue Nike trainers. But what made her hunch cleared up is the date at the back of his old-styled shirt. Hollywood Arts, 1975. She never said no one had died outside the building.

"... and so in the words of MadEye Moody, Constant Vigilance!" Lane concludes with a wide smile.

A few students chuckle at his humor. Tori chuckles with them. She has never understood why teachers constantly find it necessary to try to sound current.

… … … …

"I am sooo excited for the field trip," Cat chirps (or meows, whatever) as they, Tori, Beck, Jade, Robbie and Andre stares at her as she sits down with them at their usual lunch table.

"Everyone with a little flicker of sunshine in them is, Cat. Stop your bubbling," Jade replies bitterly having an already sour mood because Tori is sitting rather closely next to her. It seems that only Jade and Tori are concerned by this. I can't blame myself for that! Jade have this sort of protective feeling when I'm close to her. It makes the baddies go away. Really, Tori? You call ghosts baddies now? Yeah, whatever. I call them whatever I want to call them. Jade glares at Tori from her right and Tori just shyly smile at her. Jade rolls her eyes giving her unwanted seatmate the 'you-are-lucky-you-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-Ve ga' smile.

Shrugging her shoulders, Tori tries to focus her gaze anywhere but Jade. Surely, having the girl near her makes her feel more than protective warmth from all the baddies. Psh, not. Hey! I'm the one narrating the story here. Shut up and eat you lunch!

"Well, aren't you excited for the trip, Jade?" Beck nicely asks his girlfriend as he can feel the radiating evil mood from her.

"No, Beck."

"Wait – what trip are we talking about?" Tori asks softly as she eyes Andre, not wanting to bother Jade.

"Well," Andre starts to explain, "The Media Arts and History class are going to have a field trip to San Antonio, Texas in two weeks to see the Alamo."

Cat happily nods her head. "And we're going to make a film about it! Isn't it exciting!?"

"We're going to make a short film about our insights and learning," Robbie adds when he sees the confuse look Tori is giving Cat. "Since you know, it's MAH (Media Arts and History is what you call your regular History in Hollywood Arts. Since HA is not a normal school, they made History more exciting by having it twisted up with Media Arts) we are required to make film about whatever we learned in history."

"But we're visiting the Alamo. Many people di-died there, right?" Tori stutters.

"Is Ms. Perfect scared of little dead people?" Jade asks with her 'Tori' voice, intently annoying Tori.

"I don't talk like that!" Tori exclaims almost automatically. "But seriously, am I required to go? 'Cause, I just died! I can't – I don't want to go to a place with where many people died!" Oh, Tori, if only they know the real reason why you don't want to go.

"Well, maybe you could go talk to Sikowitz since he is one of the teachers in-charge," Robbie advises.

"I already tried that, it won't work." Jade says, surprising everyone. Then, she looks around her friends with an Uh-oh expression.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Beck asks, "What do you mean, babe?"

Now, Tori chooses to smirk and say with a cute baby voice, "Oh, is Jade West scared of little dead people?"

Scowling at Tori, Jade snaps. "I'm not scared of anything, Vega! It's just that… I don't feel like going! Especially with you!" With that, she grabs her bag from the ground and left, glaring at everyone who even dared to look her way.

"But I don't want to go either!"

"Oh no, Tori. You got Jade mad," Cat says. "One time my brother got mad –"

Cat's voice got tuned out, when Tori felt practically familiar chills run down her spine just as Jade stood up from her sit. That's weird. I don't see any ghosts.

… … … …

"Sikowitz, please," Tori begs as she stood in the empty class room with her favorite teacher looking at her with a bored expression. "It's not fair to base my whole semester's history grade with just one trip."

"Tori, my little Tori," Sikowitz sighs. "This whole Texas thing is an opportunity, can't you see? Only selected people with from MAH III and IV are chosen to go to this trip. You're one of the lucky people in you batch! That's like an honor. You'll learn things about war, and people fighting and history! Isn't it exciting?" Sikowitz jumps and claps his hand, showing excitement. "Plus, Mexican food! Yummy!"

"Wait, hold up," Tori says raising her hands as if surrendering. "MAH III and IV? You mean the Media Arts Senior class is joining? You mean Trina is going too?!"

"Well yes, unfortunately."

"THEN THE MORE REASON I DON'T WANT TO GO!"

"Torooooo."

Oh, Sikowitz. How will I explain this? "It's just that – you see… ugh."

"You'll have an end semester project that will be the basis of your grade. It is required that you join the trip to do this required short film."

"Can't I just have special assignment or something?" Tori whines.

"I believe that you have to talk to your MAH teacher for that, Toro, or Lane. That's what I told Jade too." Patting Tori's head, Sikowitz leaves the room.

… … … …

Since she is scared as heck to argue with Mr. Fletcher, her strict Media Arts and History teacher, Tori went to Lane's instead.

"Don't tell me what to do, Lane," Tori hears Jades voice from inside Lane's office. "I don't want to go and you can't make me."

"Even if you fail your History, Jade?" Lane's voice calmly replies. Tori keeps her ears pressed on the door, listening to the conversation. "You're a straight A student, I don't think you'll risk this, right?"

"Yes," Jade says softly. "But – "

"I know you're afraid of what might happen in this trip, seeing that it's The Alamo and your family –"

"I don't want to talk about it! I don't even know how you found that out !" Jade cuts off.

"I know my history, Jadelyn."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Tori runs away from the door and hides behind a locker when she hears Jade's boots clicking sounds coming towards the door and she exits Lane's office.

Jade's a straight A student? I never knew that…

… … … …

A/N: We are nearing the plot guys! I'm sure you know why Tori doesn't want to go to the Alamo, right? Because many people died there, and she sees dead people, so you do the math. Okay question now; what is Jade's problem and why doesn't she want to go to San Antonio, TX? What's up with her family, hm?

I was so super happy I got a lot of good reviews for the first chapter, I happily did the second chapter and here I am again! Please, do review again and give me your lovely opinions.

PS. Correct me if I am wrong, but the flight from LA to San Antonio Texas is at most 3 hours right?