Down the Twilight Path

Into thin air

A/N: The daily life is Jason is slowly starting to meet the darkness that has taken him. The end result is currently unknown, but one thing is for sure- these two worlds will eventually collide. So enjoy, my readers!

Scene 15: Into Thin Air

An emergency assembly was called at Horizon High School, and all the students gathered in the gymnasium. Despite the best efforts of the teachers, the students were already talking amongst themselves. Speculation was running rampant. Hayner, Pence, Olette, Mika, and Reika met up and exchanged looks. The group had a feeling they already knew what the assembly was going to be about.

The principal of the school climbed the stage that had been set up. He cleared his throat to settle down the student body. Once there was silence the principal began to speak,

"I am sure the students have noticed by now that one of their own is no longer among them. It pains me to say that young Jason Darnell is currently missing."

The members of his class knew this by now, so they weren't surprised. The rest of the students reacted with varying levels of shock, and began chattering amongst themselves. It took the principal and the rest of the teachers some time to calm them down.

"Rest assured, the proper authorities are doing everything in their power to find him," the principal continued. "There is no need to panic, but I must warn all of you to be extra careful. I do not wish for any more of our students to go missing." He surveyed them all from the platform with a serious frown. "I suggest all students should travel in pairs or groups when walking to and from school, and be cautious of people you don't know."

The fervor of the students returned, even stronger than before. The attempts by the staff to make everyone settle down seemed futile. Meanwhile, the group of friends put their heads together and began whispering.

"Took long enough for the adults to speak up about it," Hayner said.

"Well now that they have, maybe we could get some help in our own search," Olette said, always one to look on the bright side.

"Hmm... as much as I want to believe in the adults, they've had more time and resources than us," Pence remarked. "And they still haven't found our friend. Would we really have better luck if we pooled our resources?"

"I doubt it. The point of this assembly is that the adults want us to behave," Hayner said. "But that's not going to help us find Jason! We may not have a choice but to do this on our own."

Meanwhile, the mob of students continued to panic, shouting questions at the distressed principal. Then out of nowhere, a student shouted,

"Is this the same thing that happened to Selena?"

The principal paled at this statement, and besides some stammering about lack of information, he had no good answer to give. The assembly was abruptly cancelled, as were the classes for the rest of the day. The students went on their way home, already forming their own conclusions. Meanwhile, the group decided to reconvene at the local sandlot.

"Who is Selena?" Olette asked. She had never heard this name before, but judging by the principal's reaction it was quite significant.

Hayner and Pence shook their heads; the name was meaningless to them as well. However, Mika and Reika, much like the principal, looked distressed.

"Selena was... is a good friend of ours," Mika answered. "Reika, Jason, and I met her during our first year of middle school."

"So then why have we never met her?" Hayner asked.

"That's because a couple of years ago Selena went missing," Reika said. "Just like Jason, she vanished one day and no one ever saw her again."

"Oh no! No wonder you've been so desperate to find Jason," Olette cried, her face ashen.