I AM ALIVE! If my writing sounds depressed, sorry! I have excuses...my cat ate my happiness.
Disclaimer: Edward is still in the basement. Is it weird if I can hear him watching Big Bang Theory down there? I have the theme song memorized...and so does he.
Edward had his hand at the small of my back, guiding me towards the English building. I didn't say anything, or tell him it was unnecessary since he would be standing right next to me anyways, and he would undoubtedly be stronger and faster than anyone who decided that now was a good time.
He watched me go inside, and I took my seat next to Alice, who had arrived earlier than Edward and I.
Ever since the day we had seen that news report, time seemed to go by more slowly, like a clock that was becoming more lethargic each day. Sooner or later, either someone would fix the clock, or the clock would stop.
English seemed to take longer than normal, even with Alice sitting next to me and attempting to make covert small talk.
"Can you believe the shoes Lauren is wearing today?" she asked me, not really expecting an answer.
History with Jasper picked up a little, even though we had a terms quiz. I was walking to Trigonometry when I saw him.
He wasn't especially anything-he was a man made to be unnoticed. He looked young enough to be a student, with a boyish face and spiked-up hair, and his lack of height wasn't helping him look like an adult, either. I had seen him before, multiple times. And the most recent time was at the mall with Alice and Rosalie-the same day Damien had been waiting for us. The man was always near Damien.
It felt like I was walking in slow-motion as we passed, right next to each other, on the walkway. He looked me straight in the eye as he brushed by me, pointing at me with his thumb pointing up to look like a gun. Bang, he mouthed. And he walked away.
The scary thing was, I had no doubt he was capable of doing just that.
Damien was losing patience. He was being less careful now, and he wasn't wasting any time out in the open with pleasantries.
I took my seat in Trigonometry. A few minutes into the class, there was a beep, signaling an announcement over the PA system. "Attention, students and teachers, we are going into lockdown. Follow the designated procedures, and remain calm. We are going into lockdown." Another beep signaled the end of the announcement.
You know that feeling that you get when you have a fire drill, or the announcements come on and say you're on lockdown, and for a few seconds you think it might actually be real, and it's not just a drill? That's exactly how I felt, but the feeling lasted a lot longer than three seconds.
Mr. Varner herded everyone to the space directly in front of the door, where anyone looking in from the outside wouldn't be able to see us, and went around the room, closing the blinds on all the windows. We sat quietly for about thirty seconds, before the phone rang.
Mr. Varner picked up the phone, and after a short pause, said, "All here." Another short silence, and he said, "I understand. Thank you." He hung up, and joined us near the door.
Jessica Stanley opened her mouth like she wanted to ask Mr. Varner something, but quickly shut it when we heard the footsteps. I knew what Jessica had been going to ask him. And I knew the answer. This isn't a drill.
The sound of heavy boots hitting the cement walkway just a few feet away from where we sat, coming closer.
Just outside the door, the sound stopped. Whoever had induced the lockdown was probably looking through the small window that seemed to be set in every door at every school.
No one moved. No one breathed. No one blinked.
After what seemed like an eternity, the footsteps moved on. I quietly let out a breath that I hadn't even realized I was holding. We all relaxed slightly, even though the lockdown was far from over.
Not for another two hours, actually.
When they finally told us the lockdown was done, I had a cramp in my ass, and it was all I could do to get back on my feet, before they came over announcement to tell us we were all going home early. I couldn't hear the reason over everyone cheering, but it was pretty obvious what the reason could be.
As soon as Mr. Varner let me leave, I ran to the parking lot, where Edward was waiting for me. I ran into his arms, and he held me while I cried. This was going to end soon-I could feel it. But how many more times could something like this happen? I was putting everybody in danger just by being here...just by being me.