I look at myself in the mirror that's hanging over the sink in my own bathroom. My black hair, dyed, is hanging in stripes around my heart-shaped face and with a sigh, I quickly take off my pyjamas, jump in the shower and shampoo my hair. The hot water is a welcoming escape from reality, if so just for a few minutes until I unwillingly step out of the shower and get dressed in a pair of dark, trashed jeans and a simple black tank top. Because it's winter and chilly outside, I also put on my black hoodie with the text "Leave me alone" standing in a big font at the back.

Don't get me wrong, I am not one of these socially awkward people who hates everybody, I just like the hood, and I am not one of this rich kids so I don't really own many clothes either.

As I put on my makeup, mostly eyeliner and red lipstick, Cuffy comes in and moan.

Cuffy is my "family's" cat and he is truly adorable with his brown fur with splashes of white.

I live in a foster care, my parents left me for adoption as soon as I was born and since then I've been moving back and forth over the country but I haven't found a place I can call home, not yet. But I don't really care. I am one of this easygoing people and I never dwell in the past.

I might have a different style, some people would call me for an emo but I honestly don't care what they think. I'm not one of the most popular girls in the school, but I'm not disliked either. I get along with everyone and got a bunch of really good friends. Especially Lindsey, who is my BFF.

As I am done with my makeup, I pick Cuffy up and cuddle with him for a few seconds before I peck him on his little cute head and run down to the kitchen where Carol, my guardian, stands by the counter with a pile of waffles by her one side and a waffle maker by her other.

"Mmm, smells good", I say as I sit down at the table and take a plate and fill it with waffles and maple syrup. She smiles at me in response. I really like Carol and her husband Brian, and their ten years old daughter, Lottie, is just adorable! Maybe I finally can settle down here? They are really nice, but I don't want to rush anything so I will just wait and see if my thoughts and feelings changes or not.

As I am done with the breakfast I put the plate in the sink and grab my white and black striped backpack and head towards school. Normally I would walk the twenty minutes it takes to get there, but the weather is really windy and it's snowing so I have decided to take the bus but as I walk to the bus stop, a blue car slows down and someone wind down the window, revealing a guy with untidy, brown hair and a nice smile.

"Hey, Alex", he says and I smile in response at my friend Peter.

"Want a ride to school?" he asks and I jump into the back. The driver is a blonde girl named Patricia, another one of my friends and Peter's girlfriend.

"I didn't know you ever let a girl drive your car", I tease Peter as I am safe from the cold, thankfully sitting inside the warm car.

"Usually, I wouldn't but I lost a bet and now I have to let her drive in my car to the school the rest of the week", he says with a sad tone. I chuckle and look out at the white street we pass and a few minutes later, we are parked at the school's parking lot and I step out in the icing cold winter and hurry inside the school building to my locker.

My first class is history, and I take my book and quickly walk to the right classroom where I sink down in a chair in the back and pull out my sketch pad. The teacher walks in and I continue on a painting of a werewolf I started with a few days ago. I don't know why, but I find it very relaxing to paint and it's a nice escape. If I only could put in my earplugs too, but I know that wouldn't go by unnoticed by my teacher who now has started calling up our names.

After the class I have a quick chat with Lindsey, who is hyper and glad as always with her curly red hair bouncing around her as she jumps up and down, telling me the latest gossip she just found out about. Mostly, like this time, I don't care about the gossip and Lindsey knows it, but that doesn't stop her from telling me everything anyways. Right now, her eyes are wide and I just hear her voice in the background. I got this great ability to shut out the rest of the world, which is very helpful at some times.

"Hello?", I hear her say as if she's far away. She waves with a manicured hand in front of me and I return to reality and look at her.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I ask her with a small smile.

She pouts at me. "You didn't listen at all!"

I apologize again and she gives me a glare before her mood changes back to cheery again and this time, I listen to what she has to say.

"There is this rumour that..." she lowers her voice and moves closer to me, "that we are going to be attacked today", she whispers.

I look at her serious face and break out into a laugh. "Where did you hear that?" I say in-between my laughs and she looks at me angrily.

"Stop it! It's not funny, I'm serious! Someone told me that she heard from a safe source that our school is going to be attacked, today. Apparently, the office got a letter or something telling them to look up and to be expecting guests today, and the principal decided to keep it a secret!"

I look at her with a confused face, my eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, Lindsey look", I say as I try not to smile, "someone probably just made this up, and even if it would be true, I'm sure its just a joke. Relax, nothing is going to happen."

She looks at me, truly worried. "B-but.."

I cut her off. "Nothing is going to happen, if the principal would've thought it was true, he would've told us by now", I say and flash her a reassuring smile before walking to my next class, mathematics.

Ugh.

After the painfully long lesson of mat torture, it's finally lunch and I head to the cafeteria and sit down with Lindsey, Patricia and Peter.

"Hey, guys", I say in a cheery voice as I put down my tray on the round table. They all welcome me with big smiles, except for Lindsey who looks at nothing particular with an absent face.

"Still worried about the threat, huh?" I ask her and she slips back to reality.

"What? Oh... yeah, I mean, no one seems to take any notice. What if it's true?"

Peter chuckles. "And what if it isn't?"

Lindsey sticks out her tongue at him. "Traitor. I thought you were on my side on this."

Peter holds up his hands in defense. "Hey, I'm just looking over the alternatives, and still, I think you got Patricia on your side."

I turn to Patricia who looks down into her lettuce. "You believe it?" I ask, slightly shocked.

"Well, I didn't say that", Patricia says with blushed cheeks, "but I don't think it's impossible. I mean, maybe it's true, maybe it's not. I just don't think we should wipe it away as nothing." She shrugs and ends the conversation, causing a tense silence to fall over the table.

Luckily for us, another tray is suddenly put down beside me at the table and Parker, one of the friendly guys on the football team, sits down.

Immediately, he starts talking about football with Peter and before we know it, everything has gotten back to normal.

"Anybody who knows what we're supposed to do in P.E.?" Patricia asks when we walk to our lockers. We all shake our heads.

The lunch break is over soon and we're just going to get our jackets before heading to the gym, which is in another building.

We soon step outside the main school building and luckily the snowing has ended, but I grab Lindsey by her arm, just in case if I would fall.

The walk to the gym only takes two minutes and we say bye to Peter and Parker as we walk into the girls locker room. Just as I have taken off my jacket, a scream fills the air and everyone stops in their motions.

"What was that?" a girl named Yasmine asks and suddenly more shrieks are heard and I follow Patricia as she runs out of the changing room. We open the entrance door and I have to put my hand in front of my mouth to prevent myself from letting a scream escape my throat. Patricia on the other hand, can't prevent herself and her loud voice hurts my eardrums but there is no time to bother about that. Patricia and I exchange a quick look, filled with fear and panic, and then we close the door leading outside. I turn the lock as well, making sure that no one will be able to step in or out.

"RUN! THEY HAVE GUNS. WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Patricia screams while she runs back to the changing room, repeating her words over and over again. Peter rushes out from the guys changing room and makes his way towards me. In a matter of seconds, the corridor is filled with panicking students who tries to push me away in order to reach and open the door.

"NO!" I scream. "YOU CAN'T TAKE THIS WAY OUT. DIDN'T YOU HEAR HER? THEY HAVE GUNS. GO BACK!" I shout at the top of my lungs but my words drown in all the other screams but Peter, out of all people, has heard me. He manages to place himself beside me and shout with an even louder voice than me;

"MOVE BACK OR ELSE YOU'LL GET SHOT. IDIOTS, MOVE BACK!" He catches their attention and suddenly, everyone turns around and start to move back instead, pushing and elbowing each other in their desperate fight to get back into the changing rooms.

I look out of the window and see a few dark figures approach, everyone with guns in their hands. I realize, that it's just a matter of seconds before they will be here. A movement by one of the dark-clothed people catches my attention. He, judging by the figure, is raising his hand, the one holding the gun, and I realize what he's about to do. A wave of panic washes over me and I shout, with fear trembling in my voice; "EVERYONE GET DOWN!" Somehow, my voice reaches out and all students fall down to the ground as if on cue and the sound of shattering glass fills the panicked air. After that, everyone becomes more freaked out and quickly get up from the ground to continue their elbowing towards the changing rooms that one by one is getting locked by frightened students who are willing to leave some of their friends left out here in the corridor in order to, hopefully, save themselves.

I let out a gasp as someone pushes me hard on my side, causing me to fall down to the ground.

As I'm lying on the cold floor, I catch my breath and groan as I force myself to look up. Peter is now gone, and I hear a door slam shut and realize that I am the only one left in the entrance hall. I quickly get up, ignoring the pain in my side where I got elbowed by a panicking student. I don't know who did it, but I can't blame them either. My heart is pounding hard and fast in my chest and I make a quick decision as I take a look behind me at the intruders who now are beating and kicking at the door, trying to get in. I know it's just a matter of time before they succeed, and I also know that all changing room are locked for sure by now.

I meet the gaze of one of the intruders, my icy blue eyes locking with a pair of dark ones that almost seems to be black. Fear shoots through my body and I break the contact and turn around, opening the door leading into the gym and quickly closing it behind me. I rush to the small room where the equipment is held, and I slid down behind a gymnastic plinth and a bunch of thick, grey rugs. How come I am the only one here? I mean, wouldn't it be more students here? Or did everyone get into the changing rooms in time before they were all locked up? I hear the sound of glass breaking and realize why I am alone here. The glass doors into the gym, it's so easy to break through them, but the changing room doors, on the other hand, doesn't have any windows and you need a key to get into them. At least it's safer to be in a changing room than to be here where I am, hiding behind a plinth. There isn't even a door into this small equipment space, just an opening which makes it at least ten times easier for the intruder to find and get to me.

I guess the P.E. is cancelled.