Cerulean

Revenge is a lonely road. There's no turning back once you go down that cold dark path. Do not dwell in the past. Do not dream of the future. Concentrate your mind on the present moment. Forgive. Forget. Move on. Let go. Find small happiness in everyday life. Tomorrow is another day. There's always hope. Yea yea yea. Blah blah blah. He hates inspiring quotes. He tried to follow his dream once and look where it has taken him. He has become a joke. He has been ridiculed. Some days he wakes up and immediately starts doubting the meaning of life. Does life have a meaning? Does life have a purpose? Does everyone else have a goal? He spent his savings buying that ring. He had everything arranged. He had booked the church and the reception hall. She was like a tempest, a hurricane, a tornado. She was fierce and magnificent. She was intriguingly beautiful. She was like a summer's day. She was like a winter's dawn. She was the sun. She was the moon. She was the wind. She was the snow. He loves the color of her eyes. He adores the brightness of her smile. She betrayed his love and stabbed him in the heart. Now he can no longer bare his soul to anyone else. No one else can fill the gaping hole deep down inside. He can't even find comfort in alcohol—

"Miss Mcdonald?" Someone calls out and knocks on the classroom door. "Caroline?"

The door opens a couple minutes later. He can barely hear the cautious footsteps. He presses himself against the wall by the door of the small preparation room and strains to hear the movement in the classroom. His hand tightens its grip on the gun. His eyes fall on a child's painting on the desk. He's strangely attracted to the bright cheerful well-balanced colors of the big smiling cat. He's always a dog person but somehow he likes this green-eyed colorful cat. His smile freezes and his eyes turn cold as he finds that the painting is signed "Roy Manoso" in blue crayon. Roy Manoso. Stephanie's stupid fat black whore of a friend calls him "Bat Baby" because his father is Batman. He sneers at the bright blue "Manoso". Batman doesn't have a happy ending in the end. Batman is a pathetic liar. Batman is a lawless mentally disturbed loose cannon. Batman isn't real. The footsteps come closer and stop in front of the preparation room door. His whole body tenses. He holds his breath and gets ready to react.

"Miss Mcdonald?" Drew Mackintos keep his voice even and steady and knocks cautiously on the locked door. "Miss Mcdonald?" His heart sinks when no answer comes. He can't hear anything but his instincts tell him there's someone on the other side of the door, and that someone probably isn't Caroline Mcdonald: He didn't see any of Miss Mcdonald's personal belongs in the classroom; no coat on the back of her chair, no half-full coffee mug on her desk, no bag hanging from her chair, no nothing. He exchanges a worried look with Bridget Cooper, his colleague and retired Marine. What should they do now? This is the first time they come across situation like this. Should they unlock the door and confront the intruder? Should they get out quietly, call 911, and wait for the cops to arrive? Should they call the security chief and let the principle decide? He knows they have rules and procedures to follow. But things can change in a blink of an eye, and they can't be sure if the person inside the preparation room is armed or dangerous. Besides, there's no signs of breaking in and Miss Mcdonald's red Audi is the only car inside the staff parking lot. Whoever's in there must have her keys. Is the person a he or a she? A teacher? A staff? Or someone close to Miss Mcdonald? What happened to Miss Mcdonald?

Both Drew and Bridget take out their tasers. Drew suddenly hopes he has a gun in his hand. But this is a school, and there's no place for guns in schools. A firm little voice in the back of his mind scolds him in his ex-wife's voice. What if an accident or mistake occurs and as a result a kid get hurt? Tasers can kill, too, but they are safer than guns. He closes his eyes for a second to collect himself and nods at Bridget before he knocks again with his taser in the other hand. "Miss Mcdonald? Are you alright? We are coming in." They need to make a quick evaluation of the situation before reporting to the authority or going to the police. Hopefully this is just a prank or a misunderstanding, and Miss Mcdonald just went out for a jog or a doughnut.

Ramon Santiago stops the sleek black SUV at the gate of the school and hits the horn to get the security guard's attention. His mission is simple. He just has to locate Miss Caroline Mcdonald and ask her in person to call his boss. He gets off the car as the middle-aged female security guard comes to the gate, and opens his mouth to speak when the her walkie-talkie crackles into life. The security guard pulls out her cell phone and calls 911. Ramon presses the speed dial on his phone and reaches for his gun.

They both heard the gunshots and the shouting for help.

Author's Note: The Lunar New Year is coming this weekend. I'll be away from Feb 9th to 12th. Have fun. Stay safe.