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Erin's POV
Erin gazed out the window, at the trees that surrounded Coates. "Hey," Caine said as he flung his bag down. "Can I …" he began but Erin already knew what he wanted. She set her completed homework sheet in front of him. "You better be quick," Erin warned, "Mr Jameson will be here soon." "Nah," Caine answered as he transferred Erin's answers to his own blank sheet. "I saw him talking to Mrs Erikson. He'll be a while." "The way they flirt, you would never guess that she was married."
Caine laughed, "Didn't you hear? Her husband left her." "What?" Erin exclaimed, "How do you know that?" "Some kid in seventh grade lives in Perdido Beach, right next door to Mrs Erikson. Her husband left her last spring. Apparently for some part-time model just out of University." "That's awful," Erin said. "I know, but she was my teacher last year and I don't know how anyone could stick her!" "Why?" Erin inquired. Caine looked up from copying and looked at Erin. "That high-pitch squeak that she calls a voice made my ears bleed." Caine chuckled at his own wit and slid Erin back her sheet.
The door opened and Mr Jameson strolled in, with the smile he always wore after talking to Mrs Taylor. "Morning all," he chirped as he sat down. "I hope everyone has their homework done, because we're going round the class with answers. Caine kick us off with number one." Mr Jameson was so cheerful that he even flashed Caine a smile. Caine tried to suppress a laugh and called his answer. "Correct," Mr Jameson confirmed. "Erin, number two." Erin looked back at her homework and gave her answer. She waited for the reassurance of Mr Jameson, but it never came. The murmurs from behind did not help. Had she given the wrong answer? If she did she would be seriously humiliated. She looked up at Mr Jameson, but where he had been standing was only being occupied by empty space.
Erin looked at Caine. "Where is he?" she asked him. Caine shook his head. He had the same expression that she probably had: confusion. "Did anyone see where Mr Jameson went?" someone called from the back. "He was there one second, and then he wasn't," someone else answered. "That can't be right," Erin said, mainly to herself. "Should we call someone, like the police?" Taylor asked. Caine got out his mobile and dialled. "What?" he yelled at the phone. "Computer Jack, come here." Computer Jack made his way to beside Caine. "My phone's got three bars but it's as if there's no signal." Jack fiddled with the phone and frowned. "My phone's the same," Taylor said and many others agreed.
The door opened and everyone expected it to be Mr Jameson. It wasn't. "I see you're teacher's gone too," Drake said as he surveyed the room with a glare. "Did yours disappear too?" Caine asked. "Yeah, right in the middle of begging me to be quiet. All the teachers in this hall have gone too." The whole class stared at him, with wide eyes. One teacher disappearing was utterly weird, but if all the teachers were gone, that was completely off the scales of normality. Caine stood up. "C'mon then," Caine said to Drake, "lets' see what's up." Drake followed Caine out the door. Erin sat there, unsure what to do. This wasn't happening. It couldn't. Teachers did not suddenly disappear. But then again, people did shoot ice from their hands. She had been at Coates Academy for two months and had seen a lot of things that did not happen.
"Hey, are you OK?" Taylor's question drew Erin out of her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine," Erin said. "Are you sure, because you look really pale?" Erin forced a laugh, "I'm always pale." "I wonder what's happened," Taylor said, echoing Erin's thoughts. The door was burst open by an eighth grader. "No teachers!" he cried and ran down the hall. Erin looked back at Taylor, "A school without teachers will go crazy. But Coates without teachers?" "I know," Taylor agreed, "but at least we have a line of defence." She nudged Erin in the ribs to put across her meaning.
There was a noise from the speaker on the wall, which made the room silent. They all anticipated the voice of Principal Johnson telling the school all about the joke that the teachers were playing. "Hello, Coates Academy," everyone recognised the voice. "I'm Caine Soren and I'm afraid to announce that all the teachers and students in the tenth grade or above have disappeared." Caine paused, allowing the class to digest what they had just heard. "I know, it seems scary, but don't worry. Most likely people will find out about this and come and rescue us. Until then we will have to organise ourselves and keep things ticking over. Can everyone please meet at the assembly hall in ten minutes? Thank you." Erin wasn't surprised, if anyone was going to try and be in charge, it had to be Caine.
Diana's POV
Caine's face was lit up with a smug grin. "So, is that Stage one of world domination accomplished?" Diana was attempting to wipe his smile off his face, but she appeared to be failing. "I guess so, the next stage is to get these idiots to make me their leader, but that's inevitable." "Why?" Diana challenged. "Because they're afraid. They want someone who is strong and can keep the bullies under control. I act as if know what I'm doing, then they will be begging me to run the place. It's simple. Let's go then." Caine jumped up from his seat. Caine turned around at Drake and Diana. "Follow my league," he told them. Drake followed Caine, while Diana stood there, despising the fact that she had no option but to do the same.
When the three of them entered the hall all eyes were on them. They walked with purpose onto the stage and, as Caine knew would happen, no one objected. Caine walked towards the microphone that was still there from assembly earlier that day. "Hello everyone," he said with a charming smile. Most people saw it and felt comforted by it. Others like Diana were only sickened by how fake it was. "I think the most important thing," Caine went on, "would be to establish a sort of hierarchy. With leaders of different aspects of the necessary tasks. This will enable things to get done. So probably, the most important thing would be to elect a leader. So," Caine looked at every person in the room. "Any suggestions?" There were a few murmurs, as everyone was unsure of what to do. "You should be it Caine!" a bully yelled. "Yeah!" another seconded it. "OK, if you want me to be leader, I will."
Diana looked at the faces of the kids. They were afraid. If Caine wasn't leader it would be some bully, but would that be worse? "OK," Caine spoke up to silence the crowd once more. "I think we should have someone in charge of keeping order and stopping crime." This pleased most people, an idiotic bully would never think of that. "I think head of such a force should be Drake." Drake smiled his shark grin. This did not settle the crowd's nerves.