Disaster Waiting To Happen

The first thing she heard was the wailing of the sirens as she regained consciousness. In the middle of all the chaos, Hayley didn't understand what was going on or why she was laying down on a stretcher. She pushed herself up but instantly regretting doing so when she her head started pounding. Hayley looked around to see multiple police cars and ambulances. She saw many of her peers yelling and crying as people in uniforms carried unconscious students out of the building. Hayley then saw a stretcher with a white cloth covering a body, making her stomach twist into a unsettling knot.

Everything that had happened in the hallway before she had blacked out flood back to her and she felt her blood turn cold. Where was Brendon? Hayley frantically looked around her but stopped when it just made the pain on the side of her head increase, making her dizzy. What if the dead body that was covered him? She didn't know why but tears sprung in her eyes from just the thought of him dead. She raised her hands and rested her face in them not wanting anyone to see her cry. Hayley then heard a voice she thought she would never hear again.

"Hayley?"

Her head shot up to see Brendon's worried face. Her eyes grew wide and she threw her arms around him.

"Oh my god! I thought you were dead and...wait a minute."

Hayley pulled away from him and looked at his shirt. There she saw the hole but instead of seeing it being stained with blood it looked just as clean as it was before the shooting. Her eyes bulged at the impossibility. Brendon's body stiffened as he saw when he understood the reason behind her face expression.

"B-but you were shot a-and...t-that's impossible!" she stuttered.

Brendon squirmed in her grasp. Even though she tiny, at that moment Brendon felt smaller than her and out in the open, unable to think of an explanation that would protect his secret.

"No, you must have imagined it. I mean, you did hit your head pretty hard," Hayley looked at him suspiciously.

"Then how do you explain the hole in your shirt!"

Anger and frustration blazed in his eyes causing his normally deep chocolate brown eyes to look like hot amber.

"It ripped when I fell by pushing you out of the way," he said sternly.

"No, I know what I saw. You were shot!"

Brendon and Hayley glared at each other, both refusing to back down.

"I-I can't explain...it's a long story."

"I got time," Hayley said shortly, mad that Brendon couldn't trust her.

Brendon sighed in aggravation knowing that Hayley wouldn't give up.

"Look, I can't tell you here with...all theses people around..."

Before Hayley could hear Brendon finish his sentence she felt a a pair of arms squeeze the living daylights out of her.

"M-mom...can't breathe!"

As her mother finally let go of her Hayley gasped for air. She then looked up to she her tear streaked mother looking worn down from anxiety and stress.

"Oh sweetheart, after I heard about the shooting on the news I came straight here from work. Your not hurt are you?"

She examined her daughter carefully, being a doctor Hayley knew that couldn't hide any injuries from her. Hayley's mother stroked the slight bump on the side of her head making her wince in pain. But Hayley didn't care about the pain. She was about to ask what Brendon was about to stay when she realized that he had disappeared.

"That bastard," Hayley muttered angrily.

Luckily her mom didn't hear that so she didn't have to explain what had happened earlier in the school when the first shot was fired. Not that she could since Hayley didn't even know how to explain it to herself.

After winning an argument about not needing to go tot he hospital, Hayley and her mother left the school grounds. Hayley really didn't want to stay at the school and get pounded by questions by self absorbed news reporters. They didn't care about anything but getting the story so their face, caked with make-up, would be on every television in the city.

The ride home was silent except when Hayley's mother would ask her if she was okay and needed to get checked out at a hospital and every time Hayley would say no. She didn't like hospitals very much...especially because the smell of the sterile air made her queasy. As their car drove into the driveway and the car stopped Hayley immediately got out of the car and walked into the house. Thankfully her dad wasn't home since he wasn't able to get out of work no matter how hard he tried. He was extremely overprotecting and knowing him he would try convincing Hayley into transferring schools, which she would resist. Palo Verde had actually started to grow on her...well, Brendon did at least.

The rest of the day Hayley stayed home and was bored out of her mind. Her mom took the rest of the day off from the hospital and refused Hayley to go outside in fear that her daughter may get into another accident. Hayley sighed as she stared at her blank ceiling, the image of Brendon getting shot replaying over and over again in her head. There was something about him that made him almost...inhuman. What if he really did get shot? There was also the fact that he and his friends never seemed to eat or maybe that was just that one time. But then why would have they acted strange and uncomfortable when she asked them that? None of it made sense...unless they really weren't human.

*Okay, now I really got to stop reading all those fantasy books. It's really getting to my brain...maybe I really did get a concussion?*

Grabbing her pillow, Hayley covered her face with it and yelled into the pillow, feeling like if she didn't she would explode. After letting out of her frustration, Hayley fell backwards but only to feel a bump in the mattress.

"What the hell...oh yeah!"

Hayley quickly jumped off the bed and lifted the mattress. Under it she found the diary that she had discovered, hidden away in the secret attic. How she almost forgot about it, she had no idea. She stuck her hands under her shirt and pulled out the gold necklace, the stone gleaming in the middle. Hayley traced the leather book with her fingers delicately. With care, she opened the diary and flipped to one of the earlier pages.

December 12, 1707

I cannot believe my parents are forcing me to wed one of their ignorant suitors. Especially after they agreed to give Allinghams' son my hand in marriage...and he was practically twice age! Besides he was a complete imbecile and wouldn't have known what a woman looked like even if I danced in from of him naked. All those years of being shipped of to an all boy boarding had definitely done its damage. I swore I saw saw him give Duke Reynolds the look...guess he preferred the hairy type...

Hayley silently laughed with a raised eyebrow as she finished reading the rest of the journal entry for that day. She then flipped a couple pages leading her to a couple days after the last entry she had read.

December 18, 1707

My dear ol' Mother of mine thought that throwing a ball on my birthday will attract more eligible suitors. Thinking forcing me into a ridiculous dress with a corset I can't breathe in will attract men from higher statuses will kneel before me, flourishing me with flowers. That woman is mad I tell you! Even Father didn't object to her latest wild scheme to pair me up with one of Nevada's richest families. Maybe an emergency back-up plan won't be such a bad idea if my escape doesn't go according to plan...or "accidently" stepping on their feet during the slow dance...

She quickly flipped 14 days later...the day after the ball.

January 1, 1708

Never in my life would I have thought that I would be completely grateful for my psychotic mother. I met him when I was slow dancing with Edward Abbot, a short scrawny teenager no to much younger than me with horribly bad body odor, and tapped me on the shoulder asking politely for a dance. The poor boy was about to protest but I had already taken the man's arms and took him him far away. He introduced himself as Bryen Fischer, not a family I had heard of which was a good sign. We danced all night...my eyes never leaving his and vice versa.
As the last song ended he led me to the north wing where no one ever stepped into besides the servants and occasionally, me. Oh, I can still feel the tingling sensation where his lips met mine at the stroke midnight. But once I felt our lips part and opened my eyes...he had gone. All he left behind was a piece of paper that he had put into my hands without my notice...

On the side of the page was a folded piece of paper, carefully tucked away in a handmade pouch in the diary. She slipped it out and gently unfolded it.

"We'll meet again..."

Hayley felt a tingling sensation fill her body as finished reading the entry but ignored it...probably from the chilly wind that come through the open window. to tired to read anymore she closed the book and put it into her bag. It would be a good way to pass time during English. It's better than listening to the teacher teach the very same grammar they had learned in the 5th Grade.

As Hayley stretched out her arms, she looked at the pile of untouched homework and grimaced. She made a face, knowing that she should had done it earlier, but eventually picked up her pen and opened her Science textbook to finish todays classwork. Concentrating on the work before her, Hayley didn't notice the jewel on her necklace glow...like it did the last time it was worn.