Romantic One Shots & Imagines

One Shot #48: The Lock-In

     The ones who were smart, took the day off and stayed home. If they lived on the coast like most did, then they would have evacuated by now. Anna wouldn't say that she and the others weren't smart, but some people just couldn't afford to take the day off from work. Then, there were the lucky ones; the ones who got to leave work at all. There were seven of them left behind.

     Most of the students did not come in, which did not surprise Anna Clarence, one of the second grade teachers. With the hurricane watch underway, most parents did not feel safe sending their kids to school. The school board, however, felt it was safe enough to keep every school in the district open, including Anna's. Luckily, most parents were able to pick up their children before the sirens alarmed. She was unable to check the news before the storm knocked out all of the building's power. There were seven people left, including her, in the whole building by the time the voice from the radio declared the state of emergency. They were all too busy trying to get home to notice that the hurricane watch had turned into a warning.

     There was Anna, Principal Riley, Assistant Principal O'Malley, Mr. Pink the janitor, Mr. Losson the 1st grade teacher, Emily the 2nd grader, and Kevin the mail man. Kevin was wildly unlucky because he didn't even work there. Emily is a student in Anna's class and she stayed behind to make sure her parents picked her up, but they never did. Mr. Losson, the gentleman that he is, didn't want to leave until every woman had left before him, even the principal.

          "What should we do?" Anna asked as Emily clung to her leg.

          Mr. Pink spoke up. "I'll make sure all doors and windows are shut and locked."

          "I think we should go look for some supplies. Food, radios, first aid kits just in case." Mr. Losson spoke up. He was a leader. Always had a charismatic way about him that made everybody listen. Maybe it was his voice; strong yet safe. "I think we should split up to obtain these things, then we can all meet in the teacher's lounge on the second floor. We should stay on high ground just in case the main floor floods." He looks to me. "Miss Clarence, you can come with me to get some food and water."

          "Can I come too?" Emily's voice, so small and mousy, peaks up.

          He smiles down at her. "Of course you can." He looks back up to everyone else. "Mrs. Riley and Mr. O'malley can go and find flashlights and radios."

          "They're in the basement on the shelf near my office." Mr. Pink informed.

          Losson continues. "Kevin, you can help Mr. Pink with securing the building."

          "I'll go get the first aid kits." Mrs. Riley said.

          "No, we'll get them. The nurse's office is on our way to the cafeteria." Losson states matter-of-factly. He never had a problem with authority figures but he also never had a problem with making sure things went as efficiently as possible.

          Mr. Pink tossed Mr. Losson the keys to the cafeteria. He and Kevin were the first group to leave. With Emily's hand in Anna's, they all walked away with their respective groups.

          Losson opened up the cafeteria door. "Grab some bags. I'll start looking for some cans." He bends down to Emily's height. She stood there frigid in fear. "Can you get some napkins and plastic forks for me? Do you think you can do that, sweetheart?" She just nodded and walked off to complete her task. Anna slowed down to watch their interaction. He was so good with children. It was like he had a natural aura about him that calmed the most uncontrollable child down. She continued to gather bags as he stood back up. "How are you holding up, Anna?"

          She looked up to meet his eyes. "Oh, I'm fine."

          "Yeah?" His voice feigned belief.

          "Yeah. I just figured I'd be at my parents' house by now. They have a place further in-state. I had a bag packed. I was going to drive up there to stay with them until the hurricane passed just in case. Honestly, I didn't even think it would come this way. At least that's what I was hoping."

          "Yeah, I know they said it was supposed to disperse by the time it reached our state. I guess they were wrong." They began making sandwiches with food from the refrigerator. "That was nice of you to stay behind with her." He looks up at her.

          "Em? I would never leave her. I mean, I would never leave any of my students. Don't tell anybody, but she's my favorite." She playfully whispers to him. They laugh. Emily comes back to them with bags full of napkins and cutlery.

          "Done already?" He asks her, his voice laced with charm. "Want to help us by packing the water?" She nodded again.

     They fell into a silent rhythm, wrapping sandwiches and packing water. Anna could see the lightning and could hear the rain crashing against the building but she didn't feel the least bit scared. She couldn't help but feel completely safe. Mr. Losson...Michael, he felt like home. All she had to do was be near him and she felt safe. She knew her thoughts were absurd, but she couldn't help but feel like they were a little family. She imagined all three of them in a kitchen, sunshine bursting through the windows. Instead of packing for survival, they were packing for a picnic.

     As quickly as the thought manifested, she washed it away. Soon enough, they were done. Emily carried one bag while Michael and Anna carried four bags each. They were making their way up to the teacher's lounge when an unusually loud strike of lightning cracked. It stopped Anna in her tracks, but Emily was more shaken up. She dropped her bag and all of the snacks fell out and rolled down the stairs.

          Michael immediately started picking them up. "I can get this. Go to the lounge. Everybody's probably back up there waiting for food."

          "You sure?" I ask, inclined to help.

          He nods. "Yeah, we'll be right behind you." Anna went up the rest of the stairs. "You know, I'm scared of storms too." He says to Emily.

          "Really?" She asks quietly.

          He nods. "I'm scared of thunder the most. What are you most scared of?"

          "Everything." She says, looking down at her bag.

          "You know, some people find them soothing?"

          "How?"

          He shrugs. "The sound of rain falling can make people fall asleep."

          "I've done that before! One time, I fell asleep on the bus while it was raining and Miss C. had to wake me up."

          "See, that means you're not afraid of everything." He says in a goofy voice. She giggles. They get back up to leave. "Emily, there's no reason to be scared. We're all here to protect you." She smiles as she holds his hand.

          "Mr. L.?" He hums in response. "Do you like Miss C.?"

          The question catches him off guard. "Miss Clarence?" She nods. "Well of course I like her." He pauses. "I like all of the teachers."

          She giggles then whispers. "No, I mean do you like like her?" Her question was laced with implications.

          He looked down at her, his eyebrows tilted. "Well...I mean..." He stuttered.

          "If it was Valentine's day, would you get her flowers?"

          He chuckled. "You're a clever girl."

                                                                    To Be Continued