And today I learned, that it is, in fact, a dark world.

Chapter 2~The Murder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CHAPTER 2~~~~~~~~~~~~

     It was six o'clock in the morning when I woke up. I thought about how my day would go, what classes I think I would like the most, and ones I don't think I'd like. Whether I liked them or not, I'd have to attend the classes and electives I was given. Thinking breakfast might help calm my nerves, I walked out of the bathroom and into the small, enclosed kitchen only to discover that we were running low on food. I didn't find anything that I could eat for breakfast, so I decided I would quickly run to the grocer on my way to the school and grab a box of the cheap pop tarts.

     Once I finished my pop tart while waiting in the school parking lot, I blended into the crowd as I walked into the school. I immediately turned for the office, as that's what my papers told me to do. There was no Daren this time, but, instead there was some old lady by the name of Carol Shynn who asked what I needed.

     "Hi, I'm new here and one of the papers I was given said to visit the office before first period." I replied.

     “Ah, yes, well all you need to do is go to your first period and that will be your homeroom." she told me. After this comment I got a little sad because that's the only class I didn't know someone in, but nevertheless I forced my body to first period along with everyone else. When I walked into the classroom, I immediately met eyes with Daren and the empty seat next to him. That seat was the only empty seat.

     "Please take the empty seat, Kelsa!" barked a teacher.

     That comment made me jump, but I quickly went to the seat by Daren. The teacher mumbled something about he doesn't care if we talk, just not too loud. I took this opportunity to learn more about Daren, since, I only know his first name.

     "Hi, I thought we err... um... didn't have this class together." I remarked.

     "My schedule got changed." he answered.

     "Oh. So do you still have all of those classes with me?" I asked.

     "Sadly, yes." he replied. As he said that, I knew my mouth dropped to the floor. He'd seemed so excited two weeks ago that he'd had six classes with me, but now he's depressed that we have seven. I turned away, hurt that I no longer wanted to know anyone in any of my classes and curious as to what part of me made him change his mind. I wonder why he'd acted as though I was a terrible beast that came and destroyed his school and town. When the homeroom bell rang ten minutes later, I wish I could've left and moved on to another class, but I was stuck, all alone, in this stupid biology class, with Daren. Who seemed as though he had turned into another person.

     Another bell rang and told me that first period had begun. When the teacher, Mr. Celestin, barked out for us to open our books to page 312, I glanced at the page and noticed that it was the instructions for a partner lab. I groaned as I silently hoped we wouldn't be working with our table partners, I must not have hoped and prayed enough, because, we had to work with our table partners. As I sighed and tuned to face Daren again, Mr. Celestin gave another order, to which I did not care what he'd said.

All I wanted to do was just go to lunch and go home. I couldn't do either of those things due to the fact that it's only first period. Daren interrupted my thoughts by saying, "Um, I think we should, well, um, get started."

     To which I replied, "Anything that passes the time so I can go home and forget about you." Daren only snorted.

     Ten minutes later, an office person came to the classroom and said that the office has important news for me. The entire walk down to the office seemed to take an eternity. I pondered about what the important news was. The boy who came to tell me looked very grim. When I finally arrived at the office, there was an officer there who said he wanted to talk to me.

     "Are you Kelsa Faine?" he asked me.

     "Yes. What do you need?" I questioned back.

     "Your mother, Cheyenne Faine, was stabbed four times today and we fear she may not have very long now." he answered.

     "I don't think you're talking about my mother. Are you sure you have the right person?" I asked in a fearsome voice.

     The officer held up a picture of my mom as he said, "Is this your mom?"

     I cried and cried as I drove to the local hospital. When they told me her room number I practically ran to her room. As I walked into her room I saw her lying there, deprived of what she needed most, life. I knew my mom only had, not even days, but hours to live. My brother was kneeling beside her, almost in tears. My brother was trying to stay strong for me, to show confidence that she will live. Confidence that we both knew didn't exist in this case. I told Shawn that it was okay if he cried, but he just shook his head and laid his head on my mother's almost lifeless arm. About five minutes later, I walked out of the room to see the officer standing by a bench. I decided the time was right to ask him the most important question.

     "Officer, who stabbed my mother?"

     He told me the worst possible answer. I would've rather heard that the Carr Brothers had escaped from prison and stabbed my mother. Instead I heard my father's wretched name.

     "Do you know why he did it, Officer?"

     "He said that your mother didn't deserve to live and that her kids don't deserve anyone in their lives."

     I walked back into my mom's room and saw that my brother was crying. Then my mom's heart monitor went off. The heart rate was decreasing and we said our goodbyes to my mother. She was the best mom anyone could've asked for and I know that the only reason to keep living is Shawn.