Our classroom feels so empty. About a quarter of our class isn’t here, in fact almost a third of year 8 have disappeared over the last week. It started the day I went out shopping with Kye, that day it was Geoff. Then the twins Kiera and Tori to days later. After that on average a person left a day, some days it was more it was almost never less. People would leave at the end of the day and wouldn’t come back.
No one will tell us what’s wrong. Our parents say they don’t know and the teachers just plainly won’t tell. Everyone thinks it’s a bug or dieses. About 5 days ago my friend Lucy went. I try to believe what everyone else is saying but I can’t shake the feeling it’s something worse if I every talk to people about it they say I’m crazy and superstitious. They only one who ever listens is Kate, though everyone says the attack left her superstitious and cautions everything. She says she can feel something, something’s outta place. Most people laugh, but I think that’s insensitive. She almost lost everyone, even Kye. He was one of the first to go.
A couple of days after we brought Kate’s gift, Kye bundled up her courage to give it to her. She hugged him as she squealed and thanked him. Although she didn’t see it she knew what it was and it became immensely precious to her. Sadly, it didn’t last long. The next day Kate wore the necklace determined to show her thanks, but he never showed. As the days past he still didn’t come back. Once what had happened had sunk in, Kate changed the picture of a book to a folded pray. Which everyday instead of praying with the rest of our class she hold the prayer and resites it in her head.
When I asked her about it she said “It’s not much but it’s something that might return them the way there were, you know before. It’s a trivia hope but without hope we have nothing.
The bell rings and we pour out of the class. I walk with Kate to the car park, we normally walk but it was raining.
“You know, I didn’t see Jasmine at all today” I query “uh, probably just missed here”.
“I didn’t ether” she sighs “And another one bites the dust”
“Oh come on Kate, they’re not dead”
“Yeah well, they might as well be. I miss them, Jasmine, James, Geoff, Belinda, Shanny, Kiera, Tori, and the others.”
“Like Kye…” I whisper as we sit down on a bench and wait for her mum. She shakes her head, tears fall down upon Kovu’s brown furry head. His big brown eyes look up in sorrow he knows she’s hurting and hates it.
“Hey Kate, your mum’s here. You sure she ok with me staying for the afternoon”
“Yeah of course” she laughs as we throw our stuff into the back.
***
We sit in Kate’s room going over old Girlfriend magazines. We’d done our homework so her mum let us off. I look over at her mag
“Look a section on overcoming grief, you should read it” I knew I was being hypocritical but hey she needed it more than I did. She snorts and turns the page.
“Kate listen it’s not so bad. You still have me & Catherine, & Calvin. Not mention Anthony and Ethan I mean no one from any other year level is gone so their safe. We’re all here and the others will be back before you know it” I try to smile convincingly, she returns it and sniffs.
“I guess”
“They will, trust me. Anyway got to go, my mums here”
“K see ya”
“Trust Me!” I shout as I leave. Yeah trust me, if only I could take my own advice.
