"The Field" by Hannah

Chapter 1

Jackie and I learned about The Field when we first moved to Brookwood. We had been in Brookwood for about a week, we moved there when school started. Jackie and I enrolled at Pepperdown Memorial Junior High School. It was a 30 second walk from our new house on Main Street, we could see it from the second floor bathroom window. Jackie was just turning twelve and starting sixth grade, while I was in eighth. Being the new kids felt really weird. We had never moved before. The kids stared at us a lot, the first few days were very lonesome, because noone talked to us. It seemed that Jackie and I only had eachother. Then one day, we walked home with Penny. Penny lived in a yellow house across the street from us. She was a slender seventh grader with pastey skin and had a very paculiar way about her, but Jackie and I took a liking to her almost immediately after we met her. She was a jokester, but when we invited her over for dinner, she solemnly replied that she needed to be home before dark. "We live by The Field, we always need to be home before dark." she said, and that was it. One day, Penny brought us to The Field. It was a mere three minute walk from our new house. It was hidden behind thick, tall trees and brush, and then barricaded with an electric fence. We threw sticks at the fence and dared eachother to touch it, but none of us did. On our way home, I repeated the question I had asked Penny before, "Why do we have to be home before dark?" Penny confrontationally kicked a stone along the cracking sidewalk. "I told you, we live near the field." She concentrated on the stone deeply. Her face was emotionless. "So? What's the field gotta do with anything? It's a damn field!" I clucked. Penny never answered the question that night.

Then, on the first day of October, something happened. School was very quiet that day. Jackie and I found that the halls were as quiet as a cathedral, no matter how many people walked through them. The only audible sounds were the feet treading the tiled floors, eager to get to the next class. In the hallway, I accidentally bumped into a boy named Jeffery Snales, whom I recognized from World History, causing him to spill all of his books on the floor. I managed to utter the words "I am so sorry!" and leaned over to help him pick up his belongings. He didn't reply, nor look at me, he just bit his cheek, collected himself, and quickly disappeared into his classroom. I realized that still noone had spoken. Was this a cruel practical joke being played on the new kid? Or was I going nuts...? I grunted a bit, then gathered all my courage and sputtered, "Why is everyone so quiet today? What is going on?" Still no answer! Just a few concerned looks. By now I was really confused and upset. I was almost possitive that I was a victim of a mean joke. I was too humiliated to talk again at that point, so I went to my first period class.

By lunch, I had begun to realize that something was definitely going on, but whatever it was, it wasn't a prank. Throughout all of my classes, not a word was spoken by any students or teachers. All assignments had been written on the chalk board, and you had to be completely insane to ask the teacher any questions. The students focused very hard on their papers and wrote viciously, you would think that everyone's hands were being run on motors! At lunch, I searched high and low for Penny, because I knew that she would hopefully be able to answer my questions. Along with my lunch bag, I walked into the silent cafeteria with a paper and pencil. If I wanted to talk to her, I knew Penny and I would have to keep our conversation non-verbal. I spotted Penny eating a basket of french fries by the radiator in the corner. She waved to me slightly when she saw me, too. I sat in the seat across from her and hesitantly wrote a single sentence across the paper: "WHY IS EVERYBODY QUIET TODAY?" After sliding it to her across the table top, Penny read my note and glanced at me. I watched her cautiously write back "WALK HOME WITH ME TODAY, I'LL EXPLAIN." Nothing more was said, not a noise stirred the warm air except plastic cuttlery and clanging trays. It was the quietest, most awkward lunch I had ever experienced.

After school, Jackie and Penny and I met up on the school basketball court. We all were so relieved to talk again, my mouth was about to explode because it couldn't contain it's self. "Now tell me why nobody was talking today!" I insisted as soon as we were far enough from the school premises. "Okay, so..." Penny slowly chugged along, rolling around thoughts in her brain before speaking. "...Did you know three hundred thirty seven?" We all stopped walking and Jackie and I stared at Penny in confusion. She tugged her stringy red hair nervously. "...you know, three hundred thirty seven! His name was Cole Ginger, he had brown hair and he liked to draw...he was in Jackie's grade..." Penny's voice trailed off. We were so lost in her thoughts. "What happened to him?" Jackie asked slowly. Penny shrugged. "Well, isn't it obvious? He's the 337th person on the Wanderer's List." So lost. "What is the Wanderer's List?" I asked, my voice dry and dull and still rusty from not being used all day. Penny raised an eyebrow, then grabbed us by the wrists. We walked in the opposite direction of our houses. "Where are you taking us?" Jackie squawked. Penny turned to us, and simply replied "You'll see."

It seemed that the more things happened in this new town, the more confusing it got.