Echoes of The Mind.

Two

"Sebastian has committed."

Though the class was already silent it felt as if it went even quieter. The only noise was the sound of wind seeping through the window and leaves rustling. I glanced around, and one girl began to sniffle. It was Sebastian's best friend, Nova. Mrs. Z touched the girl's arm gently. Soon the small sniffle turned into wailing and screaming. When this happens we students are instructed to leave the room. Mrs. Z looked at Noah, a member of the LIVE student committee, and tilted her head towards the door. I noticed this and then took my bag and left. Ellie followed behind me, our fingers still interlinked. We were second to leave, both of us following behind Noah, he pushed the door open and entered the hallway. He held the door for the entire class. In the hall, about a dozen other students were there, most likely for the same reason. Ellie and I sat against the cold white bricked wall, watching as the rest of the class left the room. The sounds of Nova's screams nearly caused me to cry. I buried my face in between my knees. The simple thought of losing Elliot made my insides churn and made me feel physically ill. Ellie noticed this and stood up. Walking away.

"Where are you going?" I asked whilst wiping my eyes.

Ellie put her hand out to help me up. "Anywhere but here." I took her hand and brushed the dust off the back of my thighs. Ellie led me down a path of familiar hallways and into an old storage closet. It was common for students to want to leave. The school year prior everyone did it, they would just leave in the middle of a lesson. The school even encouraged it, sometimes sending them out. Until students weren't even coming to school, at all. The board then banned it. Anyone who was caught leaving without a pass would be taken away. Since then, security guards wrapped around the building, and if they caught anyone trying to leave they would be sent to an asylum.

I poked my head inside, it smelt of mildew and the air felt stale. The closet was large enough to fit a few people. But with the chairs and folded tables, there was hardly room for Ellie and I. Above all the clutter, was a small dusty window that provided little light so we could see our way around. Ellie climbed on top of the stacked chairs and pushed the window open. I twirled a braid around my finger.

"Ellie, we should just go back to class. I don't want to get in trouble." Ellie looked down at her and shrugged.

She then proceeded to hoist herself up and scramble through the dusty window, she rotated her body so that her legs were outside and only her head was visible. Then she unclenched her hands and disappeared. The sound of soft footsteps made me realize that Ellie was serious about leaving. I seriously thought she was bluffing. I rolled my eyes and threw my bag out the window. Her footsteps paused, then continued. I climbed the chairs just as I'd seen Ellie do, and went out the window. The drop from the window to the grass was short, six feet or so. I picked up my bag and briskly walked to catch up with Ellie.

"Slow down!" I said giggling. Ellie gave me a light shove and adjusted her backpack. We walked alongside the building, keeping an eye out for guards. Our school is huge for the amount of students only about 150 kids. Years and years ago the school was full and went by "Oakleaf High School" It was and still is the only school in the county. As suicide rates went up, childbirth went down. No one had the time to meet people. The brick building was practically surrounded by trees, it was woods upon woods. I'm not even sure where Ellie wants to take me. There is literally nowhere to go.