Event #3: "I Wanna Dream" [TTW Class 2-3 | TAG: Emery & Max]

[Peyton Cross]

Peyton first checked the class, purposed avoiding the auditortium at first. After looking around for a bit, there didn’t appear to be anyone in the room but her and the sound of the rain. She took a deep breath and walked out, making her way towards the auditorium.

As she stood outside the door, she held her breath. The raven haired was expecting the worse, like there was no ground left considering the whole floor caved in on itself. She was afraid to go in. Apart of her just wanted to leave, not knowing what might be inside. At last she took a deep breath, ignoring her paranoia, and opened the door….

She didn’t walk in at first. She just…stared. Stared into the inky blackness of the main hall for drama. She carefully took a step forward and flashed her light around. The only hole in the capacity was in the corner, other than that it looked relatively normal. Well, the closest thing to normal this place gets anyways. Peyton stood at the center of room, her light and blue eyes examining the environment.

“Hello? Anyone in here?” she called out. She frowned as she began to wonder a bit, her footsteps echoing in the empty space. She checked the stage, the curtains, every inch of the place. But there was no one to be seen.

Peyton sighed in disappointment. Making her way out, still limping a bit, she managed to trip on her own feet and face planted on the floor. She screamed and made a loud thud on the floor. Her foot, her right foot, slight hanging off the edge of the hole.

“SHIT!” Peyton cried, quickly pulling her foot back. She placed her back against the wall to calm herself from the heavy breathing.

[Emery Attiyah]

Emery was giving Max the load down of what had happened since the earthquake. Trying to explain how important it was to stay close and to search around for things. She told her how she had some crackers in case they both got hungry, but that was about it. But she mostly made sure to let the girl know that if she got a text with a dare she shouldn't ignore it. She explained it as best she good. And right now it was Max who was speaking.

"Right - okay, we have our phones. No signal, but we can use them for a torch, video - smashing that git's nose... so that's good. Two, we know the others are in the school- we're alive, and lucky for you.... I eat broken hallways like this for breakfast. What we need right now is a plan─."

Both of them were interrupted when they heard a loud bang and a familiar voice yelling a curse word behind a wall. Emery jumped and stared at the wall, wondering if she really heard that. "Did you hear─Is that?" She paused, thinking over and over that if it really was who she thought it was. "Did you hear that─Peyton," She whispered her best friend's name, her heart racing and her excitement rising.

Ba-bump
Ba-bump

Her heart beat, she could hear it in her ears. 
Everything felt so still...

Ba-bump
Ba-bump

It was her...

Never in her life did she run so fast to the wall, knocking on it the moment she got there.

"Peyton? Peyton! Peyton is that you?! It's Emery, I'm on the other side of this wall. Tell me you can hear me! Oh my god, thank fucking god you're okay. Please tell me you're not hurt or anything, Jesus─Peyton thank god you're okay!!" She said, her voice picking up speed and range. She was so unbelievably happy to hear the girl's voice, so happy to know that she was okay. Her whole body was shaking and tears had formed in her eyes. Both of her hands laying flat on the wall, wondering if she could rip down the wall and get to the one person she missed the most in this hell. Damn this fucking wall!

She laughed, trying to hold herself together, but she was so happy. So happy that she could talk to her.. She had so much she wanted to tell her, to warn her, and now she could. now she could tell her everything she knew, and maybe she knew where the others were and how they were. Thank you god, thank you god, thank you god, She repeated over and over her head. Silently praying.

[Peyton Cross]

Peyton was able to calm herself and slowed down her breathing, but she would feel herself jump out of her skin when she felt a thud coming from the wall behind her.

“AH!” She cried. The raven haired turned around and pressed her ear against the wall, investigating the sound. She grew suspicious when she didn’t hear a further sound come from it. Until-

“Peyton?”

Her eyes widened. She knew that voice anywhere. Could it be?

“Peyton!”

Was it really-

“Peyton is that you?!”

Ohmygod. It was her! It was-

“It’s Emery, I’m on the other side of this wall! Tell me you can hear me!”

The raven haired pulled herself out of shock and a smile grew on her face.

“Yes! Yes Emery, it’s me. It’s Peyton! I’m here!” she yelled with joy in her voice. Peyton hadn’t felt this happy and this relieved in a long time. She was safe. She was alive!

“Oh my god, thank fucking god you’re okay. Please tell you’re not hurt or anything, Jesus-Peyton thank god you’re ok!!” Emery said quickly.

Peyton laughed a little at her friend’s excitement. “Slow down Em. I’m fine, besides an injured foot anyways. Are you ok? You hurt at all? What’s happened with you in this whole mess?”

The raven haired didn’t mean to spam her with questions, but she wanted to make sure Emery was really ok. She needed to know she wasn’t going mentally insane. It almost seemed too good to be true. Finally, something good had happened to her in this awful place. She just wish she could see her friend’s face, instead of confronting the damn wall. Peyton almost considered ramming into it and breaking it down herself, but she had lost so much energy after doing it to the doors and windows. She needed to preserve what little light in her she had left. Right now though, all she needed was Emery’s voice. That was all she needed.

[Maxine Evans]

Emery ran to the wall, her hands pressed against it. ‘Jesus-Peyton thank god you’re okay!!’ Max noticed her body trembling, pressed against the wall as if hoping it would melt away through sheer force of will.



‘Slow down Em. I’m fine, besides an injured foot anyways. Are you okay? You hurt at all? What’s happened with you in this whole mess?’ Peyton’s voice muffled through it.



Max took in the scene, standing back to watch it unfold. She felt like she had arrived late to a film screening while the audience sobbed. The tears, the desperation… something was - wrong.

"What on earth happened?" Max thought.

Emery laughed, broken joy filling the room.
Ah let the lovebirds have their moment.



Max glanced down at her phone, and pressed play. It showed the empty hallway in shambles, lights clinging onto the ceiling like hopeless climbers. She squinted. The frame shook, a weird light… and then it ended. Nothing useful. And no sign of the others…

Suddenly it hit her with a gasp. SHE LOST HER DOCUMENTARY FILE. HOURS AND COUNTLESS SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND FIGHTS OVER THE COMPUTER WASTED. She facepalmed. Okay, the harddrive was probably still in the computer lab - and hopefully the camera as well.  Blinking idiot.

She snapped her phone shut as Peyton and Emery chatted.

 ‘Well this is all lovely and such, but… anyone want to fill me in?’

[Emery Attiyah]

"Yes! Yes, Emery, it's me. It's Peyton! I'm here!"

"Slow down Em. I'm fine, besides an injured foot anyways. Are you ok? You hurt at all? What's happen with you in this whole mess?"

Emery froze when Peyton told her she had an injured foot. Within a second her happy expression turned into one of worry. Her frown just as heavy as her smile. "What do you mean your foot is injured? What happened? Can you walk? And I'm fine, I'm not hurt... As for what has happened to me, a lot so far. I don't know how to star─-."

"Well this is all lovely and such, but... anyone want to fill me in?"

Emery turned to Max, her hands staying on the wall. "So far all that I have experienced, I told you. The text messages and what not. How there was an earthquake and we ended up here suddenly. that's all that happened to m─Wait.. Peyton," She looked back at the wall, "Peyton did you get any creepy messages telling you to do something you didn't want to do?" She asked, hoping she would say no. Praying that she was going to say no. "And has anything else, other than your foot getting injured, happened? Fill me in on everything that has happened to you so far. Also, is my brother with you? I was with him and now he is nowhere to be found... I don't know what's going on." She spoke, her happiness dropping while they talked seriously.

She looked at Max for a moment, her attention quickly going back to the wall. "Currently I only have Max and Sig with me. I don't know if there is anyone else, we just woke up here," She explained, her fingers lightly tapping on the wall anxiously.

[Peyton Cross]

“What do you mean your foot is injured? What happened? Can you walk?” Emery asked, a sense of worry in her voice

“Relax Emery,” Peyton said, “I just accidentally stepped on a sewing needle. I’ll live.”

The raven haired was happy to see that her friend was ok, but was surprised to hear a second voice coming from the other room.

"Well this is all lovely and such, but... anyone want to fill me in?" A girl questioned, with a British accent in her voice.

To Peyton, that voice stuck out to a sore thumb to her, and it was the last person she expected to encounter in this hell hole.

“MAX?!” She cried, “When the hell did you get here? I thought you went home!”

Emery began to explain to Max the situation with the earthquake, the text messages.....wait.

"Peyton did you get any creepy messages telling you to do something you didn't want to do?" Emery suddenly asked, “And has anything else, other than your foot getting injured, happened? Fill me in on everything that has happened to you so far. Also, is my brother with you? I was with him and now he is nowhere to be found... I don't know what's going on."

“Ok ok, calm down. Breathe Songbird. Breathe. Alright, so I was stuck in the entrance hall at first,” she began, “Misha, Naya, Tara, Chris, Naveen, Dawn, and-“ Peyton stopped herself. Kairi. Oh god. The raven haired realized how utterly heartbroken Emery was going to be hearing the news. But Peyton couldn’t keep it from her. She wouldn’t allow herself to keep her friend in the dark like that. Frankly, Emery being blissfully ignorant was worse to the raven haired than having Emery’s world shatter at that very moment.

“I...I’m so sorry Emery. But uh, Kairi. She was in my group and...she didn’t survive the fall. I’m sorry. I know how much you cared about her,” Peyton said sadly. “I wish that was all the bad news I could give you, but that’s not the case. I got a text...and it told me to ‘let Andrei fall to his death’. Nothing happened at first but then he got a message and freaked out. He came after me and then he just...fell. It all happened so fast.”

She paused, trying to not concentrate on the memory too much. It was always worse the more she focused on it.

“I haven’t seen anyone else though. Not even your brother. I’m currently with Pidge, Vanessa, and some passed out girl. Everything gets keeps getting more confusing by the second.” Peyton sighed, “It’s good to hear your voice again, Songbird. You’re the best thing that’s come out of this shithole. Oh and good to see you again Max...I guess. Wish it was under better circumstances.”

[Emery Attiyah]

Emery winced at the mention of a sewing needle stabbing Peyton's foot. Ouch.. She didn't really wanna make a comment on it, especially when it seemed like she was fine. But it would explain why she was limping. But it didn't help her calm her worry a little... The fact that Peyton was injured in this situation wasn't good at all. Hopefully they would meet again and maybe she could use Tristan's shirt as a bandage. "Well just be more careful, I don't want you to get injured again," She said, not wanting her to get hurt anymore.

The conversation went on and Peyton was now telling her to calm down. "Oh, oops," She laughed, feeling a little bit embarrassed she was hyperventilating a little and too excited. With that she took a deep breath and tried her best to calm down. Peyton named who she was with, but stopped short, which was unusual. "Peyton? Who else were you with?"

"I...I'm sorry Emery... but uh, Kairi... She didn't surive the fall."

Everything froze again. Dark brown eyes stared at the wall in shock. her hands shaking once more. Again, she could hear her heartbeat only. Any other words Peyton said felt like white noise to her. The only time she heard her again was when she talked about Andrei falling into a hall to save her.. All because of a text. Everything else felt like white noise. She barely even heard her mention who she was with. Her heartbeat getting louder in her ears as the weight of what was just said to her grew and grew.

"Kairi and Andrei are dead?" Was all she could say before the tears started to fall from the corner of her eyes. Her world crushed not only for her, but for Alex as well. Her hands slowly slid off the wall, and her gaze fell to the floor. She could feel the anxiety welling up inside of her. She could feel herself about to break down. She blinked, and blinked again. Her vision getting worse because of the tears, she could barely see... Her breathing was heavier. Then at all at once, her emotions hit, her hand slapping over her mouth. A whimper being stopped short as she did.

"Oh God," She cried, her right hand clawing at the floor as it turned into a fist. "Oh god," She leaned forward, her eyes closing, forcing the tears to now drop on the dirty floor she was sitting on. Her black and gray hair falling into her face, all while she felt her breaking. At that moment, scenes of her falling through the floor being passing out went through her head.. Why didn't she look at Kairi? Why didn't she look at her one last time? Why didn't she grab both of their hands to keep them close to her? Why did she have to be weak and pass out like she did with the car accident?! Why didn't she kiss Kairi, why did─.

"Sleep well, Tiger,"

Emery stared at the floor in even more shocked. Shocked as she remembered how Kairi had brought her home after the homecoming, tucking her into bed before kissing her. Stroking her hair before letting her fall back asleep in her drunken state...

"Goddammit!" Emery suddenly yelled, slamming her hand on the floor. "Goddamn this place!!" She yelled again, her sadness quickly turning into anger, both hands now on the floor while her gaze was back at the wall. "You said you got a text, and when you didn't do it, Andrei died? And when I refused to flash Alex, a ringing came into my head, making me feel like I was going crazy... Peyton, I think there is something really wrong about this situation. We need to figure out what's going on and why it's happening. I don't think these terrible things are happening by just coincidences. Something is doing this to us," She said, fire in her eyes as well as her voice.

[Maxine Evans]

‘Kariri and Adrei are dead?’

Dead.
No, that couldn’t be right.
Granted, Max didn’t know them that well – she’d seen Andrei in the hallways from time to time, his headphones draped around his neck. Kairi, she didn’t know that well either but…. still.

It didn’t feel real.

Emery collapsed, her hand clutched to her mouth. ‘Oh god-‘ she muttered. Her hair fell into her face. Tears blotched onto the filthy floor. ‘Oh god –‘

Again. It was happening again.

---

When her mother got off the phone -- Max knew it was over.
Her mother trembled, tears forming. She glanced at her daughter. Her mother breathed, recomposing herself.

‘The doctor said it was peaceful – he’s – in a better place now.’

Cold water filled her Max’s heart. It was a long time coming but –
she’d expected one more month, two, this was too early, she didn't see him last week – coward hiding in the tunnel walls while her mother visited him alone -

‘Are you sure you don’t want to come? You know it sometimes – it helps,’

- but Max couldn’t bear the smell of sickly-sweet antiseptic in the hospital, the perverse feeling of sterility and helplessness in the halls – her own helplessness at what to say to her father. A husk of his former self – so strong and vibrant once - but now too tiny in the bed, the mattress misshapen, too awkward and tall - and the machines beeping steady to the cacophony of her father’s haggard breathing – he was not the man in the photos, he was a stranger -

It never seemed right

It wasn’t right

The wires criss-crossing against him, the metallic smell of the IV and hospital slop
but the worst was when he was lucid – when the fog would drop from him and he was aware of what he lost – ‘I never thought I’d end up here – you’re here’ – and the tears would form and she would repeat,

'Yes, dad, I’m here.’
‘I’m here.’
‘I’m here.’

… so she felt she should have been relieved. Her father no longer struggled – but FUCK – he was alone… she should have been there - no, she couldn’t fall apart, not in front of her mother, who was also in pain. Don’t add to it. Keep you chin up, be strong.

Don’t fall apart on her.

---

‘GODDAMN THIS PLACE!’ Emery stiffened – energy surging through her. "You said you got a text, and when you didn't do it, Andrei died? And when I refused to flash Alex, a ringing came into my head, making me feel like I was going crazy... Peyton, I think there is something really wrong about this situation. We need to figure out what's going on and why it's happening. I don't think these terrible things are happening by just coincidences. Something is doing this to us."

Maxine crouched over to the wall, and muttered. ‘Hold onto that fire, Em. Don’t - let anything bring you down.’

She straightened up, and talked to the wall. ‘Okay. You said you got a text and Andrei fell afterwards? Please tell me Maverick’s not built on a Native American burial ground.’ Okay, bad joke. ‘But Emery’s right. We need to work this out.’ She stood up, walking to scan around the the room. ‘Let’s see if there’s anything useful here. A splint, a – I don’t know – papers, alcohol if we’re lucky…’

[Off-post : Maxine made a perception check]

[Administrator]

Dice result: 1D10 => 1
Absolute failure; -1 sanity point.

---

Class 2-3 was in an almost perfect shape comparing the rest of the school surroundings. The room was filled with desks, chairs and some leftovers of other students personal belongings but nothing, in particular, stood out. Maxine walked closer to the teacher's desk. She's decided to check the drawers, starting from the top. The poor girl didn't have a chance to react...

A few dozens of big roaches escaped out of the drawer and climbed up Maxine's arm, crawling around her body and getting in her hair. "You are nothing," she heard a female robotic-like voice whispered in her ears. "Nothing," the voice kept chanting, while the roaches tried to climb under the clothes.

"Nothing."

[Maxine Evans]

The room seemed normal. Disappointingly so. The desks and chairs were roughly aligned, the floor clean save for the grime and a few pencils and pens. Max rubbed her neck in thought. Surely there had to be something out there. Her eyes fell upon the teacher's desk. Bingo. She ambled over the table, and crouched on one knee. 'Okay, let's start from the top,' she muttered. She slid the drawer open -

- a black tide of bodies swarmed out, climbing up her arm - she could feel them in her shirt, dozens of legs needling her skin - pure animal reaction slammed the drawer shut on the mass but the roaches were already on her, tangling in her hair, scuttling her chest - Max shrieked. She flew off from the desk, slamming her hands all over herself. Mashed body parts flung off her but for each one she killed it seemed two more clung onto her -

Ỳ̸ớ͢u̶̡͢ ͟͠a̶ŗ̴e̛ ́͝n̵͏̴o̢͟t̷͢h̡̀i̴͞n̶̛g͠ a metallic voice whispered in her ears.

Max spun around. 'What?'

N̦̗͉o̰̖̕t̸̩̤͓̼ͅh̸͕̲̱̱̗i̴̙̰͍̳ͅṇ̹g҉͕  -

She clawed her head. Bits of shell stuck under her fingernails.

N̦̗͉o̰̖̕t̸̩̤͓̼ͅh̸͕̲̱̱̗i̴̙̰͍̳ͅṇ̹g҉͕ -


That isn't true I'm here aren't I  Not͠h͞i̵ng- but no one noticed I was gone -N̨ot̴hing look how overjoyed Emery was to find Peyton No͏thi̶n̛g look people are dead  friends No͏thi̶n̛g but when they found you No͏thi̶n̛g-'Only Max'- N̹͗̋̆͊̈́̒ͅo͖̟̳̪͊̾͋̍̽̂t̫̝ͮ͊̄h̬̲̦i̍ͮn̋g̩̰͍̻ͭ̒ she sounded almost annoyed N̨ot̴hing 'Good to see you too - I guess'N͈͓̣̫͍͈̻̓̊ͬ̓͌ȏ̜̰͕͈̠̪ͩ͐̏̓t̳̱̂̊̊̅ĥ̖͕̎́ĭ͉̋ͣ̓ͯṅ̰̠g̲̲͈̙̱̋ͅ- almost dismissive N͈͓̣̫͍͈̻̓̊ͬ̓͌ȏ̜̰͕͈̠̪ͩ͐̏̓t̳̱̂̊̊̅ĥ̖͕̎́ĭ͉̋ͣ̓ͯṅ̰̠g̲̲͈̙̱̋ͅ No it's because I wasn't supposed to be here N͈͓̣̫͍͈̻̓̊ͬ̓͌ȏ̜̰͕͈̠̪ͩ͐̏̓t̳̱̂̊̊̅hing -everything's in shambles N͈͓̣̫͍͈̻̓̊ͬ̓͌ȏ̜̰͕͈̠̪ͩ͐̏̓t̳̱̂̊̊̅hing what was I even doing here N̈́͋̍͑ͮȯ͎͂̌ͥͣͭt̲̮̟̻̝̝͂͐ͫ̐͒́̈h̽̈́ͯ̚i͉̭͋̎ͪ̄n̟̠̫̣ͨ̓g making a doc  Not͠h͞i̵ng be honest Not͠h͞i̵ng cares about your work Ṋͨo̳̣̗͓ͣ͒̂ͅt͇̯̭̘̖̩̟ẖ͖̓͊ͨ͌̏ĭ̠̹̼ͥ̇̌ͅn͍̰̹̤̆̚g̟̩̗̙͔̯̼   you're spending hours on N̸͐̋̈́õ͕̤̳̘̆ͫͣṯ̛͈̖̟̳̰̗̿ͦḧ̠̎ͮ̐į̰̬͌̚ň̬̱̥̳̮̈́̌̓̈́̿̇͢ͅg̨͉̰̥̼ͫ̿̓̎ͅ -you're not as talented as you think you are -N̬̟̖̼̙̽̑͌͐ͪ͂ọ͖ẗͧ͌͂h̙ͪͨͫí͖͎̥͇̄n̗̠̣̞ͯ̔͐ͩ̿g not very funny either -you're just annoying everyone N̙͖͉͍̳̻̽͑o͍̳̻͌̀t͒҉͇̦͔̥̤̜ͅh̻̦̓̈́ȉ͐͋̋ͦn͍̿̂̑̕g̳ͪ̄̉̅͐̊͗ no you should be N̙͖͉͍̳̻̽͑o͍̳̻͌̀t͒҉͇̦͔̥̤̜ͅh̻̦̓̈́ȉ͐͋̋ͦn͍̿̂̑̕g̳ͪ̄̉̅͐̊͗ that's not true you are N̨̦̒o͓͖t̙h̟ͭͧ͞į͕̭̭̮̔n̝ͯ͝ġ̲̞̯̚ stop it N̨̦̒o͓͖t̙h̟ͭͧ͞į͕̭̭̮̔n̝ͯ͝ġ̲̞̯̚ -STOP IT N̨̦̒o͓͖t̙h̟ͭͧ͞į͕̭̭̮̔n̝ͯ͝ġ̲̞̯̚ STOP IT N̨̦̒o͓͖t̙h̟ͭͧ͞į͕̭̭̮̔n̝ͯ͝ġ̲̞̯̚- 

'STOP IT!'

– she slammed her back against the chalkboard wall with a thud. Pain shot up her spine. She slide down, corpses crunching underfoot. Her chest shuddered in an almost sob. 

'Please.'

[Peyton Cross]

“Kairi and Andrei are dead?”

Peyton only gave a small sigh, not wanting to confirm the truth herself. She had wished it wasn’t true, god she wished so much. But the raven haired could never find a way to wish such things after all. There was a long silence, almost too long. It gave her an uneasy feeling. She nearly called out Emery’s name, fearing something might’ve happened to her, but stopped in her tracks when she could hear small sobs coming from the other side of the wall. Peyton put her back against the vertical surface and hugged her knees, letting Emery spill her emotions out.

“GODDAMNIT THIS PLACE,” the raven haired jumped at the sudden aggression. Emery sounded to no longer be wallowing in her despair, but was now engulfed in pure rage.

"You said you got a text, and when you didn't do it, Andrei died?”

“Uh, yes-"

"And when I refused to flash Alex, a ringing came into my head, making me feel like I was going crazy…”

“Wait you flashed Alex-"

"Peyton, I think there is something really wrong about this situation. We need to figure out what's going on and why it's happening. I don't think these terrible things are happening by just coincidences. Something is doing this to us,” Emery finally finished.

Peyton stared off into the dark room, her mind swirling with thoughts. She’d been theorizing that something is the cause of all of this, but what? Who? Why? She always came back to too many questions. If there was one thing Peyton hated more than anything, it was feeling clueless. And this was the perfect place to put her in that situation. First it was the doors and windows not breaking, then it was ending up in weird places, after that the text messages, and now random deaths and mental attacks. But it didn’t seem random. It was too off putting to be random.

The raven haired had her hands pressed against her skull as the questions became too overwhelming for her. Her thought process was then interrupted by an abrupt shriek, but not one that came from the auditorium, the library, or the classroom. No, it was coming from the wall behind her. Peyton’s hands pressed against the wall, almost as if she was trying to force her way through it. She recognized that scream, and it wasn’t from her short and skimpy Songbird. On the contrary, that was the sound she heard when Max interacted with a bee.

“Max?” Peyton hoped for an answer to come but she heard no such thing.

“Max?!”

“STOP IT!!!” She heard from the other side.

“MAXINE!!!”

Peyton began to pound her fists at the object separating her from her friends. She kept hitting at it and punching it until her knuckles were bruised and red, but no such luck came to her. It was just like the windows and the doors. There was no hope of getting through.

[Emery Attiyah]

Emery had barely any time to collect her thoughts when Peyton had gone silent, a second hadn't even gone by when she heard Max shriek behind her. She jumped, spinning around right onto her feet, prepared for the worst. Prepared for someone attacking her friend... But when she turned around she saw Max moving frantically, swatting things off of her. She stared at the scene in horror. A swarm of roaches had gotten onto her, freaking her out. She was about to take a step forward when Max turned around as if she heard someone speak to her. Forcing the small girl to stay still and watch the scene.

"Max are you okay?" She took a step forward, watching how it seemed like Max was having an internal crisis. Her eyes darting to every part of the room, searching to find something. Not only were they searching; they were wide to the point of terror. It made her feel uneasy. She also looked around, seeing if she could help find whatever Max was looking for. But the room was empty and the only thing that seemed to be among them was the roaches.

"Max?!"

Emery turned around to the wall, Peyton was getting worried, she could hear it from her tone. Her attention went back to Max, taking a step forward so she could calm the girl. "Max it's okay, Max it was just─!" Before Emery could place her hand on her friend's shoulder, she suddenly screamed loud, backing away and slamming into the chalkboard. "Max!" Emery jumped.

"Please..."

Maxine whimpered, her body pressed against the chalkboard in pure terror. Scared to death. Without anymore hesitation, Emery hurried to Max's side. Her hands grabbing her shoulders. "Hey, hey, look at me," Her hand went underneath her friend's chin, forcing her to look at her in the eyes. She studied her friend's eyes, and the more she looked, the more it started to seem it was more than just the roaches that scared her. Yes, when roaches suddenly swarmed you like that it was scary, but the fear in dark brown eyes similar to hers said it was more than just that. But before she could ask her what was wrong, Peyton's banging on the wall caught her attention finally.

"Peyton!" She yelled, "Peyton! It's okay, Max just had a fright with some roaches," She said, her attention going back to Max. Her right hand wiping the tears from her face. "Are you okay? What happened?" She asked.

[Maxine Evans]

'Hey, hey, look at me,' Emery lifted Max's head. She noted that Emery's eyes sheened with tears. She's just as scared as me. Max closed her eyes, and forced her breath into rhythm...One-two-three-four-five - exhale. One-two-three-four-five-exhale... the room swam back into focus as her heart steadied - and with it -

'MAXINE!' Peyton shouted, punctuated with another heavy wooden thud.
'Peyton! Peyton, it's okay she just had a fright with some roaches.' Emery turned to her, wiping the tears off her cheek. 'Are you okay? What happened?'
Max felt her cheeks flush. It was just some bugs - you've seen worse in Adywich and High Gate... pull yourself together - 'Nothing.' She pulled away from Emery. 'Guess I was just startled, that's all. Silly, really.' She glanced down at her clothes. Brown smeared around her collar and sleeves. She gave a shaky laugh. 'I don't suppose they have spare clothes, do they?'

Probably in my head, she thought... but the voice seemed so close, like someone muttering right next to her. Don't lose your mind now. She smiled, trying to show Emery she was okay. 'Come on - Peyton sounds like she's about to hulk out.' She headed over to the wall, and  knelt where Emery had been. She scrapped the remaining bits of shell off of her sleeves.  'I'm okay - someone just forgot to call the exterminator.' She glanced over at Sig, still sleeping. We need to get help... 'Anyway, Sig's still out, and I'm not going to wait for any more surprises. So - what's the plan?'

[Robert Bullard]

What happened? Where was he? Multiple unanswerable questions raced through his mind as he stumbled around the crumbling hallways, trying to find any sort of life. He couldn't remember much before he had woken up. Glimpses of an argument between his fellow mathletes about debating if it was wrong to keep Murlocs as pets in World of Warcraft- and then suddenly...nothing. Anyone else would be panicked at the situation but Robert seemed...calm. Almost suspiciously calm. Not that he wasn't scared nor confused about what was going on, but he figured there was no need to go hysteric in a crisis like this. A panicked mind would lead to rash, idiotic decisions. He needed his wits about him if he was going to find a way out.

His hands ran over the depleting walls, stopping for  a moment. He could have sworn he had just heard speaking...faint voices. Robert paused for a moment. Closing his eyes as if to get a clearer sound. Yes! Those were definite human female voices. His stomach flopped at the idea of other people being in this situation. A large party was always more safe than riding solo. His feet scuffled throughout the rubble, drawing himself closer to the voices when he stopped. His excitement dying as more..rational thoughts brewed in his head. What if this was a trick? What if whoever had caused this to happen was luring him into a trap. What if these people were in danger? Then he'll only be putting himself in danger. And let's be real, he isn't as strong as his character Wildbeard the Great wizard level 20.

Robert figured he'd take the risk and at least scope out the scene. If it seemed safe, he would presume. If not, he'll locate the safest route and book it. He took a deep breathe before catching up with the voices, pausing before peering over the doorway that lead to class 2-2.

Max! And Emery! They seemed to be...shaken but alive! How the hell did they get into this mess? Maybe they'll have the missing information his memory seemed to be lacking. He cleared his throat before stepping through the entrance, a nervous smile playing over his chapped lips.

" Hey, are you guys alright? "

[Peyton Cross]

Peyton’s nails digged into the dirty paint of the wall, her eyes searching for an answer, even though she couldn’t see anything. She just had to wait, wait in the fear of not really knowing what was happening.

“Peyton! Peyton! It’s ok,” Emery said, “Max just has a fright with some roaches.”

Peyton chuckled in relief, “Should’ve known better.”

She heard a bit of mumbling of the two girls from the other side and jumped back a little when Max’s muffled voice came through.

“I’m ok,” the Brit said, “someone just forgot to call the exterminator.”

“Could’ve been worse,” the raven haired replied, “Could’ve been bees.”

“Anyway, Sig’s still out, and I’m not going to wait for any more surprises. So, what’s the plan?” Max asked.

“I’m not sure. As far as we know, there isn’t a way out or anyone coming to help us. We’re practically on our own. I guess my only ideal plan is to find out what’s really going on and to find other survivor-“

Right before she could finish her sentence, Peyton heard a third muffled voice. It sounded male, but she wasn’t exactly able to make it out, at least not with the heavy thunder and rain still drowning out most small noises. She stood on her feet, er well…foot, and once more placed her ear next to the surface, hoping to make out the voice more. When she couldn’t seem to grasp it, she turned to her faithful friends to help.

“Who’s that? Did Sig finally wake up?"