Denzil stared in horror at the hole the bullet had made in the ceiling. The screaming outside echoed in his ears. He was in trouble now, he knew it. The Police were probably already in the building searching for him.
He ran down the corridor, his trainers squeaking against the polished floor. He ran and ran, his heart pounding against his chest, the gun still clutched tightly in his hand.
Finally, he stopped running, bursting through the doors of the store room. He curled up in the bookcase, holding the gun tightly. His body started to shake as he let out a frightened whimper. He'd never been so scared in his life. Earl had promised this would be a laugh, but he wasn't finding it funny. He'd promised him it would be ok, yet it seemed far from it. The Police were calling out to him from outside. He wished he hadn't listened to Earl. If this was the way to make people stop bullying him, it wasn't worth it. He didn't like being feared.
Rachel ran up and down the maze of corridors, desperate to find Denzil before the Police did. There was more to this, Rachel was sure of it. Denzil was a child, barely 11 years old. To her, he didn't seem dangerous, just lacking direction. She wanted to help him. He was her student, her responsibility. Every child in her care deserved the chance to be heard, listened to and helped. That included Denzil.
"You can't win Denzil, the building is completely surrounded" Ralph Mellor's voice boomed from outside
Rachel rolled her eyes, the Police were only going to frighten him more making threats like that.
As she stood still in the corridor, trying to catch her breath, she heard a child whimpering softly. She followed the noise to the store cupboard
Every instinct within Rachel told her to run when she saw Denzil holding the gun, but not her conscience. She took a deep breath to steady herself as the Police continued to address Denzil from outside.
"Just leave the weapon and come out Denzil, it's the only option left"
"He's right, Denzil" she spoke softly
Denzil jumped, pointing the gun at Rachel. Rachel immediately stepped back, realising the potential danger she was in if she went about this the wrong way.
"It's ok, it's ok! Nobody's going to hurt you" she soothed gently
Her heart was beating at a million miles an hour. The gun was inches away from her. She had to stay calm, for Denzil's sake. The gun didn't matter. What mattered was Denzil and getting both herself and him out safely.
"You've got to listen to me, ok?" Rachel instructed, keeping her voice as calm as she could
Denzil was breathing heavily, but she had his attention.
"We can stop this, without anybody getting hurt" she continued, taking a small step towards him
"All you have to do is put down that gun, ok, Denzil? Put down that gun and you come with me"
"They're w-waiting for me... the Police" he stammered, tears running down his cheeks
She smiled gently in the hopes to comfort him and keep him calm.
"It's ok, Denzil. They don't want to hurt you. They're here to make sure nobody gets hurt, including you" she reassured
Denzil whimpered, the gun shaking in his hand.
"You could help them, if you put down that gun" Rachel persuaded gently
Denzil continued to breathe heavy and shaky breaths. He was hanging onto her every word. She was getting through to him.
"Denzil, I'm only going to give you another minute and then we are coming in!"
Rachel closed her eyes, suppressing a sigh. The Police weren't helping at all; all they were doing was scaring him.
The tears were running down Denzil's face, his body trembling violently. Rachel didn't see him as a threat or a violent person. He was just a child, a frightened child who needed guidance and support. There was more to this. He didn't want to hurt anyone. She desperately wanted to help him.
"Denzil, I know you're scared. I promise you this is nearly over, ok?" She spoke softly
"I will take that gun, and then it's not your problem anymore, hm? It will all be over, right? We can tell the Police your side; we can tell them what's really going on"
"NO!" Denzil cried, pointing the gun at her again
She flinched at his sudden movement, quickly steadying herself again. She needed Denzil to trust her. If that meant a compromise, so be it.
She put her hands up gently, stepping back a little.
"Alright Denzil, you can keep the gun. But just come with me, please?" She pleaded gently
To her relief, Denzil lowered the gun and gave her a shy nod. He climbed out of the bookcase, the gun still clutched in his hand.
Together, they walked along the corridor, Rachel reassuring him all the way that it was ok, that he was safe. She was frightened, but for Denzil, not herself. The Police would arrest him and take him away for goodness knows how long. The Police weren't lenient. Whether he'd intended to hurt anyone or not, it didn't matter. The gun was in his possession. She was powerless once the Police took him.
They stepped out of the building, all eyes turning to them. Rachel was initially panicked by the armed Police swarming them, barking at Denzil to put the gun down and put his hands above his head. He looked at Rachel, fear in his eyes. She nodded at him encouragingly.
"It's ok, just do what they tell you" she instructed calmly
Denzil put the gun on the floor, placing his hands on top of his head as armed Police Officers rushed over to him, searching him roughly for any other weapons.
Rachel breathed a silent sigh of relief once the gun was taken away. Her eyes immediately found Eddie's. She could see the worry, frustration, anger and relief etched on his face. She wanted to run over to him and collapse into his warm embrace, where she knew she'd be safe. But she couldn't leave Denzil.
She watched helplessly as Denzil was put into the Police car and was driven away. The thought of having to ring Mrs Kelly and explain all of this to her made her feel incredibly uneasy.
"What the hell were you thinking, Rach, going in after him like that? You could have been hurt!"
She hadn't even realised Eddie was stood beside her.
"Well I'm fine aren't I? So don't worry" Rachel huffed
"That's not the point, Rach! I know you care about the kids, but when are you going to get it into your head that you can't save everyone?"
Her head snapped up angrily at his words. She shot him a glare.
"I can try!" she spat
She stormed away from, despite him shouting after her. She stomped down the corridor and up the stairs, approaching her office. As she walked in, she slammed the door behind her furiously, letting out a scream of frustration as she slumped into her chair, head in her hands. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears; she hadn't heard the office door open.
"Well that was something else!"
Rachel jumped, looking up to see Melissa stood in the doorway.
Great.
"What the hell are you still doing here? I told you to leave!!!" Rachel huffed
Mel scoffed
"You were in danger; I wasn't just going to leave!" She argued
Rachel rolled her eyes
"Don't play the 'caring sister' role, Mel. It doesn't suit you" she scolded
"Ok fine, the Police wouldn't let me leave the premises, so I had to stay" Melissa admitted with a shrug
Rachel didn't respond, she just wanted Melissa to leave.
"And I'm glad I stayed, because now I can tell you how stupid you were for going after that maniac of a kid!" She added
Rachel scoffed angrily. She really didn't need a safety lecture from Melissa of all people!
"He's not a maniac, Mel! He's a child!" Rachel hissed
"Yeah, a mentally unstable one!" Melissa shot back
Rachel shot her a glare
"I'm sorry, are you a teacher here? Do you know what some of these kids have been through? What some of them go through and experience every single day?" She snapped
"No, but,"
"Well then, don't even open your mouth!" Rachel huffed, cutting her sister off mid sentence
Melissa sighed deeply
"You try too hard, Rach"
"That's better than not trying at all" Rachel pointed out
"Not if you nearly get yourself killed, it isn't! You scared me!" Melissa argued
"Oh, stop playing the victim will you?! That kid has just been through a hellish ordeal, and it's only going to get worse!" Rachel snapped
"He deserved it! He had a gun, Rachel, not a slice of cake!"
Rachel rolled her eyes
"Look, will you just go? You shouldn't have come here in the first place! I have a lot of work I need to get done and you being here isn't going to help!"
"No, Rachel, I'm not going anywhere. We are going to sit and talk about what happened to you in July, because since it happened, you've obviously lost your mind!" Melissa protested
"That has nothing to do with this, Mel! I've told you already, I'm not discussing what happened with you!" Rachel huffed
"Rachel, I'm your sister, I have a right to know what happened!"
"No, you don't!" Rachel muttered, turning her back to Melissa
"For goodness sake, Rach! You can't just shut me out like this!" Melissa snapped impatiently
Rachel turned around, glaring
"Watch me!" She spat
"Why are you so angry with me, Rachel? I'm trying to fix things between us!" Melissa cried
"Maybe because I don't want them fixing? Melissa, I lost my sister a long time ago, you can't just waltz back into my life,19 years later, like nothing happened and expect me to welcome you with open arms! And if you thought it was going to work like that, then you really don't know me at all!" Rachel blurted angrily
Melissa averted her gaze
"I just thought,"
"Yes, well, you thought wrong" Rachel interrupted
"I'm sorry, Rachel. I really am" Melissa sighed
"Just get out of my sight Melissa, now" Rachel whispered tearfully
Melissa nodded, sighing in defeat before departing.
Rachel heard the door close. She groaned, placing her head in her hand.
What a day.
