Castleside Academy

Chapter Twelve: Hazel

I gasp as soon as Luther and Lexi go over the edge. A tear falls down my cheek. I may not know them that well, but I hate it when people die. I feel Toby come up behind me and take my hand. I turn around and he wraps his arms around me. I start crying, I feel him kiss the top of my head. If I'm not mistaken, I'm pretty sure that I felt a tear hit the top of my head.

            “Everybody! Start going back to your rooms, there's nothing to see here,” Duke Kilter says as the guards are tying up the men.

            Toby and I separate and he takes my hand again. He leads me slowly through the crowd. We manage to squeeze through everyone, then we walk down the hallway towards my room. We stop at the door of my room. Toby wraps his arms around me, and says, “Shh. I know this is really hard for you. But remember, God does everything for a reason, no matter what it is.”

            I nod my head, tears now streaming down my cheeks. I feel him kiss my head again. He pulls me away from him, looks me right in the eye and says, “Now, go to sleep. Relax, they are going to send a lookout for Lexi and Luther. There is an extremely slight chance, like 2%, that they are still alive, but finding them dead or alive is better than not finding them at all, right?”

            I nod. He smiles weakly at me then leans forward and kisses me on the cheek, then gives me a hug, and slowly lets go of my hand as he walks away. I stare after him, then walk into my room. I get clothes and go take a shower, and let the soothing hot water just poor over me. I try to relax, but I can't. I hate it when people die, even if they're people I don't know. If I ever see a car accident I pray for the people that were in it and the family that will be dealing with hardships from it. From the little time I have known Lexi, she never talked about her parents, and I heard from Toby that she didn't really have any contact with her parents since she'd been here. I bet they don't even care that she's gone. I start crying again, but I crawl into bed, I'm so exhausted from all that's happened tonight that I fall asleep before Kailey and Jackie get back.

           

I open my eyes and stare up at the ceiling. I'm still extremely exhausted. Then what happened last night all comes flooding back. All the sadness from last night come back, I feel like crying, but I don't. Today's Christmas, what a wonderful Christmas gift, having my almost best friend die. I roll over, I really don't feel like getting up, but I know I have to. I get out of bed and get dressed in comfy clothes. I walk out of the bathroom and I see Kailey and Jackie gathered around our little Christmas tree, sorting gifts that people had slipped in our door this morning. It seems almost wrong, trying to be happy after what just happened. But I guess we must let the past be the past, and get on with the present. I walk over and there is a big pile of gifts for me, and an equal amount in Kailey and Jackie's.

            We start opening gifts from the same people. We open and open and open, until we get to our guys gifts. I open my box from Toby, and there is another, smaller box, I open it, and inside, there is a beautiful silver heart necklace with little aquamarine gems in it. It's so beautiful, I put it on immediately. Then I stand up to go and thank him.

            I open my door and walk out in the hall, I run into Toby. We both say each other’s name at the same time. We laugh.

            “You first,” I say.

            “Thank you so much for my gift!” he says with a smile.

            I smile back. I'd found the perfect gift; it is a little electronic frame with the pictures that he took of me. He's always telling me that he doesn't see me enough. Pff, we see each other every day! But still, I figured it would be perfect.