Hearth | The Walking Dead

𝐈. DAY ONE

CHAPTER ONE

DAY ONE

SYDNEY SHARED A LOOK WITH Tyler as Jacob Athlon stood up from his desk. Miss Isa had told him that his mom was there to pick him up from school. If not for the fact that Mrs. Athlon was known to work two jobs at once to keep food on the table—Sydney knew so, her mom had told her all the neighborhood gossip just last week—the friends wouldn't have found the sudden departure of the class clown to be strange. Well, if not for Mrs. Athlon's jobs—and if not for the fact that Jacob was the eleventh person to be called out of just their class that afternoon.

Tyler and Syndey were one of the last few left, two heads in a group of five. James had been first, just before lunch, and Sydney had commented on how lucky he was to go home, while Tyler theorized that he had a dentist appointment to get his braces out. "It would help his looks," the brown-eyed boy had commented, Sydney nodding in agreement across from him at lunch. But now she wasn't so sure that was the case—it seemed that something was happening to get the parents to pick up their kids early. Sydney wasn't sure if she liked it—even if part of her hoped that she could go home early too.

Miss Isa was seated at her desk, typing on her keyboard quickly, while the remaining kids sat quietly at their desks. She had been quiet since they'd come back from lunch, only speaking when she told a kid that they were being picked up from school. She never paid attention to her computer while class was in session—she found it unbecoming and distracting to the lessons, which Sydney would agree with, considering she hadn't taught them anything since this morning. The morning was for math, the afternoon was for English—Sydney's favorite subject. It irked her that they were just sitting there.

"Maybe his dad is back from the navy," Tyler murmured to Sydney, sounding far more uncertain than he had at lunch.

Sydney shrugged, fiddling with the bracelet around her wrist. "Maybe," she agreed absentmindedly.

Across from them, Erica Jones shook her head. "No, my mom said Mr. Athlon doesn't get back for another year." Tyler shot her a withering look, his dislike over being corrected evident even when he was proven wrong. Erica shrugged. "I just hope my mom picks me up next. My sister said she would let me hang out with her friends at the ice rink today and I want to get ready."

At Miss Isa's desk, the phone rang. Sydney glanced over at the teacher before her eyes settled on Erica again. "Do they still have the admission fee? I've been trying to convince my mom to take me and my sister there but she won't budge 'cause it costs money."

Erica nodded. "Yeah. I'm only allowed to go because I got enough allowance money to cover myself. Sorry," she said apologetically when Sydney shrunk down in her seat, annoyance furrowing her brow.

Tyler shrugged. "You wouldn't wanna go anyway," he told Sydney. "'Specially with Becca. She's a crybaby."

"Watch it," Sydney muttered. Tyler raised his hands in surrender.

"Sydney Ford," Miss Isa called out. Sydney sat up in her seat, locking eyes with the teacher. "Your parents are on the way to pick you up, please make your way to the front office."

It felt like a rock settled into Sydney's stomach. Her dad was never off work so early, and her mom wouldn't even entertain the idea of picking one of them up without reason—it had once taken A.J. throwing up on a teacher for her to finally pick him up when he was clearly suffering from a fever. For their parents to be on their way over, both of them before school was let out? Something was really wrong.