Counting By Twenty (W-A 2017)

September 11, 2001: Tuesday

I think about it now, and then I think that every one of us knows exactly what they were doing when it happened.

I was laying on Francis's bed. The two of us were leaning into each other, sipping on tea and watching television. Mostly good stuff, like anything on the BBC. Francis had turned it to the wrong channel (there was he original, and then there was BBC America; Francis had flipped it to the latter), but we laughed it off and watched that instead. We were enjoying a good episode of Star Trek when it happened.

The screen flashed an image of the Twin Towers, two buildings in New York City; the one on the right side (Alfred always called it 2 WTC) had an apartment complex on its available side . That was the apartment complex in which Alfred was staying. I watched as the screen flashed with the breaking news message, showing footage of a plane crashing into the left tower (1 WTC). I gripped onto Francis's arm as we both watched with tight jaws.

1 WTC had a large chunk on the top of it that fell over and hit the small hotel in front of it. I was thanking God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost that Alfred wasn't staying there. All we heard for the next few minutes was the chilling narration of the reporters as they talked about the damage. The cameraman zoomed in on the destroyed tower, to make sure that every viewer could see the destruction that the plane that had crashed into it caused.

That was when both Francis and I tightened our grip on each other as we saw another plane crash into the South tower- 2 WTC. I was trying to scream, but my voice wouldn't come out; I was caught up in so many emotions- some of which I had never felt before- and my voice couldn't express all of them (if it could express any at all). I watched as the humongous remaining chunk of the South tower fell down and landed on the smaller apartment complex below.

I broke myself out of Francis's grip and rushed to my room. I needed to text him, to call him. I needed to make sure he was alright. I rushed down the halls of the Nations building, and right to where my room was. I pushed the door open, and slammed it shut behind me. I looked at my phone, lying face down on my bed... with a faint light emanating from it.

I picked it up. So many text messages from the other Nations.

Yào:
Were you watching the TV. If you aren't turn it on now

F. Vargas:
I'm freaking out. Watch the news.

Honda:
The flames emitting from those towers imitate the anger burning inside me.

The tops of the towers falling down and hitting the building beneath them imitate my emotions crashing down upon me.

Eduard:
Turn on the tv

Everyone had texted me something regarding the news. It was all giving me the same feeling inside my heart. My heart that was pounding so fiercely, I felt that it would jump right out of my chest at any given moment.

My heart that was telling me what I had known from the beginning.

I rushed to my closet, opened the door, and pulled out a suitcase, then sitting it on the bed. I had to rescue Alfred, and if I couldn't...

Then, I could at least be there for him. - Arthur Kirkland