Chapter seven

As soon as I got to school the next morning, I knew something was wrong. There was a strange aura hovering around the school, almost taking my breath away. During class, no one talked, no one made any snide remarks. Everybody sat, heads bowed, looking at their desks. It was enough to take my breath away. I wanted to shout and sing to break the everlasting silence.

I looked over to where Lizzie usually sat, and almost gasped aloud. She wasn't there. I glanced around the room desperately, searching for my best friend. If something happened to her…

With a shuddering inhalation, I stared at the people in the room. I couldn't read their expressions – they were blank and vacant, not focusing on Mr. Dig, who stood at the front of the classroom. He looked at the door quickly, and cleared his throat. A few heads turned his way.

"Now, everybody knows what we are doing today. I believe -," he stopped, looking at his pupils, "that you understand why we are doing this. If you don't, well, I'll tell you," he sighed, "respect and consideration. That's why. Now… does anyone have any objections to this trip?"

Not one student raised their hand. Mr. Dig smiled and opened his mouth. I leaned forward, hoping he would explain the excursion so I would understand.

"Well -," he started. Suddenly, there was a slam of a door. Everybody turned to the right-hand side of the classroom instinctively. I sighed with relief. Lizzie was standing in the doorway, clutching her books tightly. She dried her eyes, sniffling. I almost jumped up to meet her, but stopped when I saw her heartbroken expression.

"Mr. Dig… I'm sorry… t-that I'm l-late…" she whispered softly, coming into the room slowly. Mr. Dig nodded.

"I understand, Ms. McGuire… go ahead and stand by the door. We're almost ready to go."

Lizzie bowed her head in acknowledgment and stood next to the classroom entrance. Her hands were turning white from clutching her books so tightly. I felt a stab in my heart – I could actually feel her sadness. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Mr. Dig slowly turned around to look at the silent class. He clapped his hands quickly.

"Ready? C'mon, let's get onto the buses." With that, he led us out into the parking lot. I noticed that many other classes were out there already, and more were assembling at the flagpole. I saw Lizzie glance at the bus and turn away. Miranda put her arm around Lizzie to comfort her. Mr. Dig led us onto the bus, and most of the students looked paranoid, glancing around the bus with wide, fearful eyes.

The bus ride itself was uneventful – fortunately – and I almost fell asleep, leaning against the glass windows. Although it wasn't comfortable, it was better than listening to another boring lecture in social studies. And, I was actually allowed to fall asleep here.

When I heard the squeaky breaks of the bus, I sat up, rubbing my eyes and yawning. Since no one was sitting next to me, I stretched my arms across the whole seat. I looked out the window and blinked in wonder.

A strange sight beheld my eyes; a beautiful meadow lay to the right of the bus, stretching for miles in each direction. There were hardly any trees, save few that grew, scattered, in the distance. The slightly browned grass toppled in the blowing wind. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I remembered this place. It seemed familiar.

I looked behind me, and saw a line of school buses filed up behind ours. As we walked off the bus, following Mr. Dig, I looked around myself in curiosity. Everybody was quiet - it was almost uncanny. Suddenly, looking at Lizzie's horror-stricken face, I almost tripped over myself. However, I gathered myself together and tried not to look at my friends. Their expressions were too horrible to bear.

Mr. Dig led us to a large circular clearing, which I suspected to be a fire pit at one time. Benches lined the edges of the area, and Mr. Dig bid us sit on these. Summoning up all of my courage, I sat next to Lizzie and Miranda, cringing for fear of insults and being turned away again. They did not even seem to notice my presence. Lizzie was too busy staring at the middle of the clearing. I followed her gaze to a man standing quietly at a small podium. The benches around the clearing, which were quickly filled, suddenly quieted to a low hum.

The man at the podium took a deep breath and pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Clearing his throat, he shuffled his papers and looked up. I heard Lizzie sniffle next to me.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have assembled here today in sadness. No more than a week ago, one of your own was taken from you. It shouldn't have happened. Now, I believe many things occur for a reason, but I never took this sort of tragedy into account. I never thought that someone so young could perish without a good cause…"

Miranda wiped a tear from her eye, shaking slightly. Lizzie was almost hyperventilating, breathing so loud that I could hear her shuddering intake of air. I just stared at the man.

"… This wonderful person sacrificed his own life to save another. If that is not a sign of bravery and love, I don't know what is. It took courage to, even in all the commotion, to help his peer. He was a great boy – man – that deserves what we're giving him today; a funeral ceremony in his honor."

With that, the man reached behind him. He turned back around bearing a large, silver plaque. Abruptly, the whole meadow seemed to ring with the sound of silence. Looking at the man quickly, I realized suddenly that I didn't want to hear this little speech. I didn't want to be here…

The man returned to the podium and cleared his throat solemnly. "I have taken the honor to read this plaque to you, in memory of your fellow peer and friend," he took a deep breath.

"It reads…" he looked down at the silver tablet. I glanced at Lizzie and Miranda. They wore blank expressions on their faces.

"A friend of great importance he was. A wonderful person - an inspirer that made everybody feel important and noticed. His loyalty could never be matched, and he made sure others were helped before him. He was a great person, and we will all miss him."

The man looked up at the small crowd of students and inhaled quickly. "In memory of David Zephyr Gordon."

No… I gasped silently, glancing at my friends. They were sobbing onto each other's shoulders, and I could see Lizzie's white, pale face cringing in pain. Everything was swimming before my eyes, and I was breathing heavily, grabbing my hair with a shaking hand. Me… dead…

No! It couldn't be… how had this happened…?

I stood up quickly and staggered backwards, feeling faint. I also felt sick. Instinctively, I reached around myself, only to pull back in horror. Blood was all over my hands and shirt, dripping all over the benches. I held my head and dropped onto the ground, quaking uncontrollably. No…

"Where's Gordo?" Lizzie screamed again, pulling against the strong hold of the man. He tried to calm her, grasping her shoulders.

"Miss… please…" he pleaded, "you'll hurt yourself!"

"No! No, no! Take me to Gordo!" she screeched hysterically. With a sudden burst of strength, she broke free of the doctor's clutches and ran toward the mangled bus, breathing heavily. Lizzie looked around, and saw a group of people crowded around an ambulance. Some of them had white faces filled with disgust and pity. Shaking in fear and pain, Lizzie gently pushed through the small crowd of doctors. Some of them attempted to grab at her, but, determined, Lizzie managed to get to the back of the ambulance. She pulled away in horror, starting to cry feverishly.

"Gordo… Gordo…" she chanted, flinging her arms over the resting body. Gordo stirred, but did not wake up. Lizzie hugged him again more tightly. Two doctors grabbed her shoulders and tried to pull her back.

"Miss! This boy is seriously injured! You need to leave… you can see him in the morning…"

Lizzie turned around on her heel and glared at the doctors gathered around her as if she were a wild animal. She took a deep breath, and gritted her teeth angrily. "Don't you tell me what to do! This happens to be my best friend! I will not leave him! I love him, okay? I never got to tell him… never did! You know why, because I was too scared! Too scared! And now… maybe now it's too late!" she exclaimed shrilly. The doctors looked at each other and let her go. Lizzie turned back to Gordo. She needed to touch him, to make sure he was still here with her. Sobbing uncontrollably, she put her hands on his chest, kissing his face and neck.

"Gordo… I'm so sorry… it was my fault…" she cried. Ignoring the caked blood on his lips, she kissed him; heart filled with love and sorrow. The doctors looked at the ground, and Lizzie continued to talk to him, to press her lips to his torn and ripped skin. She kneaded her hands on his chest and wept, wrapping her arms around him again.

I pressed my bloodstained hands into my scalp, trying to ignore the horrible sound of my friends, sobbing mournfully. How could it be… how could it be me?

"Oh-my-God."

"Hurry, pick her up. She's been traumatized enough."

Hushed whispers woke a sleeping Lizzie; still clutched to Gordo. Two strong arms wrapped themselves around her and urged her up. She clung tighter to her best friend and her fingers dug into his shirt. The medical doctor put his hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her.

"What is your name, missy?" he asked kindly. Lizzie sniffled and looked up into a sympathetic face.

"Elizabeth McGuire. Lizzie, if you please sir," she shook violently and turned back to Gordo. She needed him now… there were too many faces…

"Lizzie…" he started, beginning to coax her away from Gordo, "come with me."

On impulse, Lizzie jerked away from the doctor. "What's wrong with Gordo?" she asked anxiously. The doctor dropped to his knees to look Lizzie in the face.

"Lizzie; David… he has passed away."

For a moment, Lizzie looked at the doctor in shock, blinking her eyes. As everything sunk in, she collapsed to the ground, holding her head.

"God, no…" she whimpered, hugging her knees. The doctor looked at her with pity. Suddenly, Lizzie jumped off the ground.

"Gordo! No! You can't die! Oh-my-God… you can't… you just can't…" she screamed, running back to the ambulance. She peered at a white sheet where her best friend was lying just minutes before. She gasped and clutched her shirt in horror. Tears cascaded down her face as she reached out blindly to Gordo. But, he was no longer there…

With trembling hands, she lifted the sheet off of Gordo, ignoring the protests of the doctors. However, none came to stop her. She stared in alarm at his motionless body and sobbed, screaming into the forest.

"Why?" she asked over and over again. No answer came. She looked at Gordo, the boy she loved with all her heart. The boy who left her to live her life alone.

"David Zephyr Gordon… I love you…" Lizzie wept.

"I'm so sorry, Lizzie…" I whispered into the crowd of people getting up to leave. I watched Lizzie and Miranda ascend the stairs into the bus and my heart went out to her. I wiped a tear from my eye.

"I love you too, Elizabeth Brooke McGuire!" I cried to her retreating back. I knew she couldn't hear me, but I could have sworn she stopped short and looked around quickly. When she continued into the bus, I saw a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, drowning in her tears. I stood among the benches, watching everybody leave. I couldn't follow them this time… I had to go.

I closed my eyes…

 - THE END -

*sob* *cry* *sniffle*

Ahhh… over. I was crying while I was writing this – my mom thought I was nuts. *hehe*

THE SECRET COMES OUT! Yay! ^_^

I was waiting forever to write this chappie. I couldn't decide on a couple o' things, ya know… anyways, here is sort of a "short summery/review/info" thing, k?

I got the idea from one of my personal favorite movies, the Sixth Sense. I thought, hey? What would it be like to actually be the person who was dead, and you didn't know it (you know, like one of the dead people the little kid (his name??) sees, besides the main character)? I thought that it would be interesting to write about.

The title… Blow Against the Wind. Think for a second. Pretend that wind is death. Gordo was avoiding heaven, so he was going "against" death. See? Also, what I thought was really cool, is that his middle name, Zephyr, means "light wind, gentle breeze, etc." Ohhh! Isn't that awesome! *Shakes in too much pride*

the title, Blow Against the Wind, is also a song written by one of the best songwriters and singers of all time, Paul Simon! ^_^

*applauds* you gotta love him!

The point of this story? Well, it's sort of a paradoxical tale, for starters. The only way that Gordo and Lizzie can ever figure out that they love each other is by one of them dying. That's my interpretation. I know… it's sad, but sorta true, in a way.

*Cough* actually, I know some people like that. *Cough* ^_^

Please review! I really like reviews!

Grin at a salamander.

Tic-Tac  ^_~