Side by Side

Chapter 3- Nate's POV

I slowly opened my eyes, my body still heavy on the floor. Around me, my classmates were also waking up, still disoriented. A few minutes later it was chaos, people were taking their phones and calling their friends, their parents the police. Apparently, the wifi was working again. No one knew what had happened. I slowly got up, and took my phone in my bag to see if anyone had texted me. It was 4 pm already. We had been asleep for 2 hours.

"Everyone stay calm, stay in the classroom," the teacher told us in a weak voice, trying to get up from the floor. But no one was listening, and neither was I. Even the teacher went out, to join the other teachers in the hallways panicking as much as the students. I received a text from Lucas, on our group chat with Nao. Meet up in two minutes at the usual spot? In the distance I could hear police sirens, finally coming. I made my way through the crowded hallways. Many people were crying. Outside some parents were already coming, but a large group of people was gathered around the entrance all looking in the same direction. I spotted Lucas and started walking towards him. He too was looking at the entrance, I followed his gaze and turned back.I gasped looking at the huge tag on the high school walls. A huge green tag was on the walls. We are offering you a safe future. ER. Whispers started emanating from the crowd. ER. EarthRevolution.

"What the fuck? Those terrorists were here ?!" enquired Lucas.

"Why tho, just to put us to sleep? Is it some kind of threat? This doesn't make sense!" We walked a bit away from the crowd. Somewhere calmer. The police started interrogating people. Soon after the journalists arrived with their mics and cameras. Our small town was not used to this. The school megaphone turned on catching everyone's attention.

"Attention to all. Please return in your classrooms immediately. We need to check that everyone is there, and medical staff is also coming to do checks ups. Parents please stay in the parking lot". Some people started walking towards their classrooms. Some did not move and parents did not remain in the parking lot. My parents were for sure not there, probably too caught up in their work. Nevertheless I sent them a message letting them know everything was ok. The police formed a line, forcing parents to stay away and urged us to go back to our classes. I heard some people saying that the military was going to arrive soon.

"There is no way I'm going back inside" protested Lucas. "I need to find Nao and my brother first".

"Common they need us back inside to make sure we are all there, it's the easiest way to get it over with" I replied and started walking back inside, and eventually Lucas followed, still checking his phone. I turned back before getting in the building and we could see and news reporter talking into their mic. Taller than everyone I was still looking around hoping to spot Naomy or my friends before getting into the classroom. I only spotted Kiara. Looking around disoriented. Her eyes were red, she must have been crying. I was going to ignore her and walk past her. I wasn't particularly keen on hearing her complain, and make herself the centre of this stressful situation, but she caught my arm. Lucas and I stopped.

"What?" asked Lucas visibly annoyed at Kiara,

"Have you seen Naomy?" Her voice was a bit shaky, as she was stroking her neck nervously.

"No we haven't, I'm sure she's helping someone somewhere" I offered before starting to walk away.

"People have disappeared". We turned back to face her, waiting for her to say more. "She-she wasn't anywhere near her classroom and she didn't reply to any texts."

"Everyone in your classroom now! It's an order" a voice ordered us. I turned around to see several police officers making sure that we were going to our classrooms. They were grabbing those trying to go outside, and forcing them to their classroom. "We need to check you up and count you!" So people were indeed missing. A moment of panic gripped me. What if Kiara was right? I looked at Lucas, confirming my fear. Kiara looked away before she hurried up to her classroom.

I sat back at my spot at the back of the class. The teacher did a roll call, only one person was missing, a girl named Jules, curly hair and glasses were all that I knew about how she looked like. A whisper spread through the class and my heart skipped a beat. Not for Jules who I barely knew, but for Nao, was she also missing? Did it have anything to do with the tag outside? If yes it was really a bad omen. Then a nurse tested all our heart rates and took a blood sample from a couple of us. The police agent who had been waiting silently near the door spoke up.

"Good afternoon everyone, my name is Nathalie Hunter, and I am an officer of Caldi District. I know this is an unusual situation." Everyone was silent, no one dared to speak. "We need you to stay calm, and if anyone has seen anything please tell us now". No one raised their hands. "Anything can be helpful, a sound you heard, a smell?"

"I-I think I saw something," said Cole, "I'm not sure if I imagined it but-but I think I saw a man, in a sort of green suit, and boots"

"Thank you, that's good, that is really important information," said the officer, as she wrote a couple of words down on her notepad. "Anyone else?".We all shook our heads as a negative answer.

"What happened? Was it EarthRevolution?" someone asked from the front row. The officer took a second of reflection before answering. "Unfortunately I cannot give you any answer. For now." The class seemed disappointed but no one dared to protest. "If you remember anything call the police station of Caldi. Your parents probably have our number. And if anyone wants to say something privately to me you are more than welcome to do so. The others you are dismissed. Go home." People got out as quickly as possible. I remained behind, checking my phone. Still nothing from Nao.

"Did you want to tell me anything about the incident?" asked the officer kindly.

"No, not really, I just wanted to let you know that I think one of my friends is missing. She hasn't texted me back and I couldn't find her." The officer looked at me blankly for a second before she said "Are you sure? Maybe she doesn't have data"

"Yes I am, she would have sent a message not to worry us"

"All right then, what is their name? "

"Naomy Beaumont". She wrote it down in her notebook.

"Do you know what happened to those who are missing ?"

"No, we don't know yet. Just go back to your home young man, the school will keep you updated". She put a hand on my shoulder gently pushing me outside the classroom. I didn't protest and went out, hoping I would find more answers soon. I met up with Lucas in the cafeteria. Still no sign of Naomy. Lucas didn't get more information than I did. Kiara somehow found us in the cafeteria and sat next to us without a word. We saw the headmaster entering an office, followed by two police officers, Thomas, Noamy's brother, and her parents. We stopped talking, we looked at each other and we went closer to the office, silently, hidden from their sight. They had not completely closed the door and we could still hear them.

"You know most of it since we called you an hour ago, but I wanted to offer my apologies in person" said the headmaster. We stopped breathing and my heart tightened. What did it mean? Was she indeed missing or worse...?

"So you don't know where she is? The police has no idea?" asked a male's voice, probably Naomy's father. We all started breathing again. She was not... dead.

"As we have told you" another male's voice answered "we have no other information apart that twenty-five students from this school have been abducted by EarthRevolution, we don't know why nor where they are."

"So what they just vanished in thin air?" replied Naomy's dad. We heard chairs being moved around.

"Please stay calm, this is not going to-"

"Don't tell us what to do" intervened a female voice "Our girl has been abducted and you have no clue what happened, we have all right to be angry right now!"

"Madame we understand," the headmaster said in a low voice, "I was informed a crisis unit has been arranged for the families and to find the victims, they will held a meeting in 5 minutes they will hopefully be able to give you more information than we can... Please follow me."

We quickly walked out of the way, pretending we were not listening to the shocking news we had just eavesdropped on. Lucas was silent lost in his own thoughts. I could not speak either. I was afraid for her, for what those terrorists would do to her. Kiara started sobbing as well.I put a hand awkwardly on her back trying to comfort her.