[i]Cold. 

Dark.

Images flashed and screams echoed through Roanna’s head. She was sitting on some sort of sheet of cold metal in nothing but a nightgown. Looking at her reflection in the metal underneath her, she was able to see only a child, no more than four. The child’s eyes seemed to look right through her soul, tugging at her heart in a pathetic attempt to grasp for her attention. She was looking down at the girl as if watching from afar…but she and the little girl were one in the same. Roanna could feel her lips moving, though not a single sound was uttered. She touched her fingers to her lips, trying to get them to stop but the movements were not her own. Coming in closer to the little girl, Roanna was able to make out the lip movements…

‘Stay. Awake.’

Stay Awake? Was she dead? Or dying? Was this was dying was like? No heaven nor hell, just the cruel empty shell of your own life, forcing you to suffer through things you didn’t even understand? Roanna felt her arm reach out to touch the little girl, and the little girl extended her own nimble, shaky fingers. Their fingers almost touching, and yet miles apart, the little girl mouthed again,

‘Stay. Awake!’[/i]

“Stay awake!” Roanna felt her eyelids flutter open; above her a group of blurry men seemed in a hurry as they bustled about her, muttering incoherent things to one another. But as Roanna’s consciousness finally began to stabilize, she realized that she was moving. Roanna was being lifted up off of the cold and somewhat blood-stained locker-room floor and placed onto a stretcher only to be carried out by two men while two others tried sticking her with needles and bands. Roanna sat up, her head pounding but she made an effort to wave them away.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” She kept telling the medics as she was being carried outside. Amber lights filled the night-sky as the stretcher was brought outside, the entire parking lot filled with cop cars, fire trucks, ambulances…hell even a few swat vans.

“Roanna!” Roanna swiveled her head as one of the medics continually tried to force her to lay down. There was a flash of blonde and suddenly Stephanie had wrapped her arms around her best friend. She was shaking slightly, and Roanna couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t every day that your school got shot up with you in it.

“You did good Steph. Thank you.” Roanna said sitting up, wrapping her own arms around her friend into a tight hug. With a smile, Stephanie broke the hug and handed Roanna some blue wadded up fabric. “I found your dress out in the hall, I figured you might want it back…”

“Excuse me miss, but we need to take your statement now.” One of the medics said, clearly annoyed that Stephanie had interrupted the way they do things.
Statement? [i]Shit.[/i]

“I was out in the hall talking with a boy when they first came in, one of them snuck up on us and knocked my friend out…” It nearly killed Roanna to call Jakob a friend. “then he went after me. He took off my dress, trying to…well…have his way with me but I guess the leader wanted him in the gym because next thing I knew I was being carried to the boys locker room. There was an explosion, the car I think…my leg got hit. I guess the man kind of took pity on me then because he offered to cover me with his own clothes. Next thing I remember you guys were here…”

The story was full of holes, but Roanna sold it, taking up the mantle of ‘scared shitless student’ and made it believable. Again, she shooed the medic away that was trying to take her temperature.

“Please, I just want to go home.” She said and Stephanie took the hint, putting her arm around her friend and helped her off of the stretcher and onto her feet. Roanna leaned heavily on the blonde, unable to put any weight on her leg what-so-ever and the two started walking towards Stephanie’s jeep.

“Wait! Why was your blood in the locker room?” One of the medics called out.

“I threw it up. G’night boys.”

Stephanie helped Roanna into the front seat of her jeep and then got into the drivers side. Still shaking, she started up the car and gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“You’re a moron you know that? You could have died in there! What the hell really happened to your leg?”

Roanna sighed, leaning her head up against the window feeling her eyes threatening to close again.

“I’ll tell you everything once we get to your house. I need a hot bath...and a drink...”