Deleted

Chapter 4

   "And that is how jazz became so popular", Mrs. Olsen finished, turning off the classroom's projector. A student pulled back the shades, revealing the sun's rays and nearly blinding Zane. "Did everyone understand the lesson?", Mrs. Olsen asked as she walked back to her desk. A few kids responded with "yeah, sure", or, "yep, absolutely". "Good. So, here's you assignment. Come up with a new kind of music and tell the class about it. You have two weeks to complete it." She paused and smiled at her students. "You are now dismissed."

   Kids jumped up out of their desks and prepared to leave. Zane picked up his backpack and slid past a few students. "Thanks, Mrs. Olsen!", he called out. "See you tomorrow!"

   "See you tomorrow, Zane", Mrs. Olsen called back, giving Zane a friendly wave. There had been a time when she wouldn't have done that; she would have just ignored him as she looked over her papers.

   Mrs. Olsen had always been a depressed, sad teacher. It was probably because of her husband's death. He had been a general during WWIII. He died in the front lines, and she had never been the same since. She had become lifeless; she looked as if she'd lost the will to live. But after a recommended trip to Washington to see a therapist for a weekend, she became a new person. She was less stressed while she taught, and the other teachers found her to be enjoyable again. Everything about her changed for the better.

   Zane opened up his locker and pulled out a notebook and slammed it shut. He turned his head and was almost startled by Calvin, a kid in Zane's grade. Zane liked to consider Calvin as a friend, even though they only ever talked at school. They'd been going to school together since second grade. "Hey Cal", Zane greeted. Calvin nearly jumped at hearing his name being called. "Sorry", Zane apologized quickly. "Didn't mean to startle you."

   "No, it's fine", Calvin answered, shaking his head. "Just got some stuff on my mind. What's up?"

   Zane cocked his head to the side slightly. Calvin was always a go-lucky kid, always trying to find the good and funny in everything. It was weird to see him look so....downcast. "Hey, what's wrong?", he asked.

   Calvin rubbed his thin, freckled arm. "It's...It's nothing. Just thinking. That's all."

   Zane raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious, man", he pressed. "Tell me what's up."

   Calvin waited a few minutes before saying anything. "It's my brother. He went up to Washington for a job interview several days ago. I tried calling him a couple days ago, but he's not returning any of my messages or calls. He won't even answer my parents' calls."

   "Oh", Zane said. "I'm sorry to hear that. Did he get into a fight with your parents or something?"

   Calvin shook his head. "No. He was actually really sad to leave us." He paused. "We even tried calling the job where he was getting interviewed for. They said that no one under his name even applied for the job."

   Zane's dark eyes were now wide. "Really?"

   "Yeah", Calvin nodded. He sighed. "I just know something's happened to him. My parents want us to go up to Washington tomorrow to see what we can do. You know, just in case he needs us."

   Zane nodded. "I understand." This sounds kind of like my situation. This can't be a coincidence. Is this happening to everyone? Is it like a global issue or something?

   The bell rang, breaking Zane's concentration. "I'm sorry man, I gotta go. Best of luck finding him."

   Calvin gave a small, sad nod. "Thanks, Zane."

   I've got to tell Josh about this, Zane told himself as he made his way down the hall to his next class. This might be a clue to what happened to Erin.