To the Stars and Back

Chapter 2

Alyssa

As soon as the news broadcast is over, all hell breaks loose at Winston High School. 

The part of the announcement, of course, that said to please remain calm, was ignored.The teachers have all come out of the classrooms, kids are getting into their cars, flying around wildly, and students are screaming. I see a kid fly his car into a wall and it falls to the ground with a crash. To my left, there's a broken AirFly, one of the oldest models, going rogue. Someone must have called it even though it was broken and it couldn't find them. The car is zooming around, crashing into walls, people, and the ground, and somehow it's still able to fly back up for a long time until it slams into a tree and falls to the ground, a dirty oily mess. I look up and there's a swarm of AutoAirs, which are the highest flying brand, especially the Model 6, which is the majority of the crowd in the sky.

One falls from the sky and almost crashes down onto me, but April quickly pulls me away and it barely misses me. A few more start raining down and we duck into the indoor hallway of classrooms, but we run straight into a horde of kids dashing for the door. I smash myself against the wall to avoid getting run over, but I lose sight of April, and after a moment, I'm shoved into the crowd and dragged out the doors. Among the crowd, there are a few cars and a lot of Hoverboards flying around, bumping into people.

I stick to the wall for a while, and I'm trapped in the moment of fear, no escape from the terror of the crowd, Hoverboards and Hoverbikes flying every which way, cars missing me by an inch or two. Time seems to freeze, and I'm clutching the wall, constantly bumped by other kids, slowly moving toward the doors, and I reach a door to a classroom. I quickly twist the handle and scoot through the doorway, careful to keep others from following me in. I walk into an empty classroom, with posters and words all over, the screen in the center turned off, papers all around, folders and binders on the tables. I feel rushed, noise coming from all around me, like I can't just stay here and take a moment to relax and calm down. After a few moments, possibly minutes, or maybe seconds, I can't stand it anymore and I pull open the door again, running out into the crowd.

I burst through the main doors and for a second I'm free- until something flies at my face and my vision goes black.

—————

When I come to, the hall is mostly empty except for a few wrecked cars and Hoverboards, and April is nowhere to be seen. I must have been hit by a Hoverboard or something. 

I run to the doors and fling them open.

Outside, it looks like a graveyard. There are Hoverbikes and cars all over, smashed into bits, crushed into tight clumps of metal and plastic. The kids are gone, probably flown home. I can't see any signs of movement in the wreck, and for a few seconds I stand there, alone.

Suddenly, I have the strange feeling I hear a noise. Like maybe a car. It gets louder, and suddenly, Skye pulls up.

"Oh my god, Lyss! We've been looking for you! Wyn and Cora went to the other side of the school, but I came here, and-and-here you are!" She jumps out and hugs me.

"How long has it been? Where is everyone" I ask.

"About fifteen minutes. They all left really quickly!"

Just then another car, Wynter's red Model D AutoAir, flies up to us and she and Cora leap out.

"You're okay!" Wynter says.

"Thank god!" Cora exclaims.

"Well, what do we do now?" I say. We look at each other.

"Um, I think we should go home. Our families must be worried." Skye says.