Reunion

Prologue

Prologue

8 Years Before

(Wednesday, May 19, 2004)

It wasn’t until she heard the blaring sound of the police car alarms that Taylor realized this was a lot more than a “just a game”. She was sitting in the back row of her history class when she noticed the police cars pull up. She could hear the deafening ticks of the clock, as every second passed by. Nervously, she started biting on her nails. It was a habit she had tried to get rid of, but that had grown permanently into her. A strong feeling of guilt started bubbling up in her chest.

In a matter of seconds, every single person in the classroom was pressed against the far left window. Curious heads trying hard to figure out what had happened crowded the window that Taylor had so frequently used as a distraction from the boring History lectures. Questions were being whispered, comments were flying back and forth through the alumni. However, Taylor remained silent. She was sitting, still stiff, in her chair, her hands crossed on top of the table where her head rested. Her caramel blond hair covered her face, keeping her expression a mystery.

She felt her phone vibrate through her pants, and adrenaline started running through her body. She felt as if the guilt that so anxiously engulfed every little part of her body was fighting the little hope that she had managed to get. This may be the text she had waiting for, but she didn’t want to check. Somehow, she knew everything had gone terribly wrong. 

Suddenly, the room fell silent, the rumbling sound of the air conditioner’s motor becoming the only audible thing. Someone ran through the hallway outside, their quick footsteps and their heavy breathing breaking the profound silence.

“They’re coming inside!” Karen said, her short, scrawny body jumping with excitement. 

Several gasps emerged from the huddled mass.

  “Senior Class,” Ms. Parsons interrupted, worry clear in her expression, “settle down,” she added after clearing her throat.

Everyone hurried to their desks without saying a word and soon a dead silence filled the room again.

Taylor realized she wasn’t the only one with the presumption as she finally found the strength to look around the room. This wouldn’t be the class’s attitude towards a police visit, she thought. Everyone seemed to know something had gone terribly wrong.

The police’s footsteps became louder as they neared the classroom, stopping when they were right in front of the door.

 A broad shouldered figure was the only thing Taylor could make through the cloudy glass square that was centered on the top half of the classroom door. She waited for an action, something to happen, but whoever stood outside just continued its way down the hall.

Somehow, she could feel enough relief to stop the nervous nail biting that had emerged several minutes before. 

“Oh my god!” Naomi screamed, getting the attention of everyone in the class. When she realized this, she held Leon’s arms in an attempt to shyly cover herself.

From across the room, Warren shot Naomi a threatening look.

The tension in the room started building up enormously.

Taylor started crying softly in her desk, her low sobs barely perceptible through the murmuring buzz of everyone.

“What is it?” Leon asked Naomi, staring deeply into her slanted eyes. He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Without saying a word, she handed Leon her cellphone. Everyone’s eyes were now on him, so to make everyone a favor he went ahead and read the text out loud.

OH MY GOD, NAO. ERICA. KILLED. APRIL.

Taylor began crying louder, not caring if any one heard her anymore. With a sudden movement, she stood up, her hair flawlessly swaying around her. Her opal blue eyes where bloodshot, her upturned nose was red. Carefully, she pressed her face to the window analyzing what was going on outside.

The police held Erica by her arms. They seemed to be heading towards the car. 

Erica’s shortly-cut brown hair was messy, as if she had gotten into a fight. Her face was red, but she wasn’t crying. Somehow, she seemed calm.

Taylor used the sleeves of her sweater to wipe the falling tears, and a strong fury filled her insides. She took a moment to look at every single face that occupied the room she found herself in, and permanently stored every one of them in her mind. 

This had gone too far.