After the Shooting

Chapter 1

They say the quietest people have the loudest minds. Well, if that's the case, my mind must be screaming at the top of it's lungs.
     "Naomi?" Asks Mrs. Carter, my English teacher.
     I look up from my paper. That's it. That's all I do. It's not like I'm mute or anything, I'm just quite. It's like, I want to say things but my mind-it's like my mind doesn't let me. I'm weird, I know.
    "Do you have the answer?" She asks.
    "I'm sorry,' I apologize,' what was the question?"
     "Wh-" she gets cut off by the bell going off.
     "Don't forget to grab your homework on the podium on the way out. That will be due tomorrow so be ready." She says.
     On my way out, Mrs. Carter says something else.
     "May I talk to you, Naomi?" She asks.
     I walk up to her desk.
     "What's going on with you?" She asks.
     I shrug. Suddenly, I get a bad feeling in my stomach.
"Naomi,' she asks,' what's wrong?"
That's when we hear it outside. One shot, two shots, three shots, four shots. Students rush outside to the nearest window, including myself.
"I don't see anyone!" Shouts a student.
That's when a shot gets closer. It sounds like it's in the building now. People are screaming, everyone's fearful for their lives.
"Lockdown! Lockdown!" The loudspeakers say, creating even more of a panic.
Immediately, students run to the nearest classrooms, bathrooms, closets, whatever's open. Mrs. Carter locks her door, puts the blinds down, and shuts off the lights.
"Go to the back of the room!" She demands.
I listen to her. We are in her room, huddled together for a few minutes when out of the silence, we hear a familiar voice.
"Mrs. Carter, please! Open the door! We need help! It's Nat Parker!" Shouts my twin brother.
Mrs. Carter looks at me.
"That's my twin brother,' I tell her,' let him in!"
"But, that's not-do it!" I demand.
She rushes to the door and lets him in.
"Quickly and quietly,' she says,' quickly and quietly!"
She then rushes to the door and locks it.
"Are you okay? What happened?" I ask.
"Kayleigh, she got shot! The gunman's very close!" Shouts Nat.
"Bang!" Another shot goes off.
"Nat!" I gasp.
The bullet blasted through Mrs. Carter's door. Outside, the gunman can be heard trying to get into the classroom. I look at Nat.
He drops Kayleigh and falls to the ground. I hold my twin brother in my arms. He has a bullet wound in his left pec. His muscular body is heavy to hold but he's worth it.
"It's going to be okay!" I assure him, looking into his beautiful hazel eyes.
I'm sobbing my eyes out. I'm holding my dying twin brother in my arms. Very weakly he lifts his hand to stroke my just below the shoulder length dark brown curly hair.
"It's okay, Naomi,' he assures me,' I'm going to be okay."
"Nat, I-it's going to be okay." He smiles.
His calmness only makes me cry more. It makes me cry more because it really means that he shouldn't have had to die yet. He shouldn't have had to die like this. He's so young and so amazing.
"When I go, I want you to take care of everyone. You need to take care of Kayleigh. You need to take care of Georgia and yourself . You need to take care of mom and dad...for me." He tells me.
I look at him and cry more.
"Look at her,' he says, looking at Kayleigh,' she needs you. Go save her."
I couldn't care less about Kayleigh but it's my twin brothers dying wish if I take care of her. I kiss his forehead one more time, attempting to hold back the tears in my eyes. Kayleigh's sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Mrs. Carter and I attend to the wound in her stomach, trying to stop the bleeding.
     "Go save Nat! Go save him! Please!" She screams.
     I go back to Nat one more time because I care about him.
     "Nat?" I ask.
     I place two fingers under his nose to see if he's breathing. Then, I press an ear against his heart to see if it's still beating.
    "Nat..." my voice cracks.