Briar Preparatory Academy

When the Clock Strikes Midnight

Kate POV

I almost don't notice the terrified screams and gunfire over the loud music blaring from the speakers. The only thing that pulls me back into reality is when Preston shakes my shoulders and I see figures clothed in black breaking through the crowd. "Kate!"

Preston grabs my arm. I make an attempt to clear my head and get a grip on my surroundings. Students are running everywhere and stumbling over one another and I am in the middle and I don't know what's happening. "What's going on?!" I yell and grab onto Preston's shoulder. His eyes are wide and calculating everything happening around him, the sounds of gunfire getting closer and the screams of our classmates becoming more frequent.

"I don't know!" He yells. I whip my head around the room. Five feet away from me, the wooden walls splinter, and I realize that bullets are responsible. I scream as more hit the wall right above our heads and Preston pulls me away. My eyes wildly search the room, looking for threats.

I see Seth bolting towards us. The speakers playing music have cut to a loud static noise, causing my ears to ring. The light that originally illuminated the room have been shattered by bullets flying everywhere.. The students have started to spread out across the building, our training kicking in. I stand in the pitch black, my heart racing.

"Where's Celeste?!" Seth asks us, panic evident in his voice as he runs his fingers through his hair. His coat has disappeared, leaving him in his white undershirt.

"We thought she was with you!" Preston yells back over the screaming of our classmates and the chaos that has filled with the halls. I notice bodies collapsed on the ground, not moving. I gasp when I see blood seeping out of mouths and wide, lifeless eyes.

"We have to run!" I tell them, my mind going into overdrive trying to figure out what we need to do. We are being attacked in the dark with no protection or anything to strike back with.

"We can't leave Celeste!" Seth says.

Preston's breath hitches in his throat and I feel him tense up. "Preston what is it?" I ask him, feeling the imminent threat of bad news.

"I saw her leave the party around 10:30."

More gunshots, more screams. All three of us hit the ground and put our hands over our heads. Seth swears loudly. "Celeste can take care of herself. We need to hide." I tell them. The thought of leaving her behind tears me apart inside but I know what I have been trained to do. And if she isn't here, then she isn't in the line of fire. If there is anyone who can get themselves out of a dangerous situation like this, it's Celeste.

Preston nods and Seth continuously curses under his breath. I pick up the skirt of my dress and run for the door, hoping that the boys are following me. I never thought about how hard it would be to run in this dress and these 6 inch heels when I bought them. I come close to rolling my ankle with each stride I take. "Guys hold on." I tell them as I pause for a split second to kick off my heels. I drop them and keep running barefoot, grateful for the stability. We bolt through corridor after corridor, heading towards the back exit.

"Kate!" I hear Celeste's voice scream out my name desperately. I whip around to see her running towards me at full speed with... Is that Joe? I squint my eyes and recognize the blonde hair and bold figure.

It's definitely Joe. He runs right beside Celeste, who is no longer in her dress. Instead, she has changed into jeans, boots, and a black jacket.

"Celeste! I was so worried!" I yell to her, hugging her tightly. She quickly pulls away.