I’ve always felt a deep connection with water. I don’t know how to explain it… the solitude it grants. When asked to relate a precious memory, the clearest images I have include my moments when I’ve been drenched. Everything important to me has happened in the rain, so I suppose it makes sense that it was raining today.

It was drizzling lightly as I approached the building of our music department. Previous flashes of the oncoming storm had left large puddles that I would step around. There was a time for getting soaked, but it wasn’t right now. As I started climbing stairs up to the entrance, my breath getting a little heavier as it appeared in white wisps before my face, I heard my named called from behind me.

“LIZZY!” the voice cut through the foggy atmosphere.

I immediately saw Zita, Crissie, Justin, and Kevin walking up the hill I had just covered. I nodded at them, not willing to pull my cold hands from my pockets, and continued on into the warm building. I would wait for them where it was dry and, for the moment, quiet.

I walked down an empty hallway accompanied only by the echoing sounds of my steps. As the hall curved a bit I saw Ayaka and Sara sitting on the ground, listening to music on their MP3 player.

“Hi Lizzy!” Sara exclaimed, and Ayaka added, “Good morning.”

“Hullo.” I said, a tad tired from the walk. “I’m going to go put my instrument away, okay?”

“Okay.” They said, and I walked into the room. I suddenly had the urge to take off my heavy sweatshirt in the boiling bandroom. The heat was always on way too high in here. I set my backpack down and put my flute into its wooden locker. As I turned the key, Julianne appeared around the corner.

“Good morning Julianne.” I stated, and she softly echoed my words. Before I could say anything else, the once quiet building was suddenly filled with loud laughter, ricocheting off the walls and magnified. “They must have reached the building.” I thought and came out of the room into the hall.

“LIZZY!” Crissie and Zita both exclaimed and grasped me in hugs to the death.

“You’re… squeezing… me… too… much! Can’t… breath…” I tried to convey my plight over the hyper girls.

Zita stylishly flipped her long, dark hair, and stated, “Now darling, if we wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.” Crissie nodded in agreement, and then her face melted into an expression of puzzlement.

“Why would we want to kill Lizzy?”

“Honey bear…” Zita’s voice cooed, “we’ll only kill her if she doesn’t bow to our every wish.”

“Ah, I see.” Crissie said, a large grin on her face. Her short hair was up, but her bangs flew free and constantly framed her colorful facial expressions. Suddenly she hooked arms with Zita and they began to sing some song about death, which had a very cheery tune.

I turned to look at Sara and Ayaka, who were pointedly ignoring the show they were putting on. Ayaka stared off into space, gently swaying to a song I couldn’t hear, while Sara started to braid her brown and gold wavy hair.

I had almost totally forgotten about the boys. I looked around for Kevin, but he was no where in sight. He must have had enough of the singing. Justin was making threatening motions towards Crissie and Zita, but instead of shutting up Zita promptly bopped him on his blonde head.

“I can’t take it!” He said, pretending the writhe in pain. Suddenly the sounds of a rolling backpack were heard in the distance, and then Gary appeared. Hearing the singing, he quickly sped up and fled into the bandroom. I followed after him along with Justin.

“Good morning!” I said to him, and he smiled a tired smile.

Justin started fiddling with locks, and mused, “I wonder, if we shove them in a instrument locker, will they finally shut up?”

We laughed, and Gary pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head of dark brown curls and tied the string as tight as possible. All we could see where his lips and the faint outline of his glasses pressed against fabric.

“And I can still hear it.” he said from his fabric fortress.

The ring of the ten-minute bell filled the hall and the singing stopped as Crissie and Zita headed towards their first class of the day. I poked my head around the corner and saw Ayaka pulling on her backpack and Sara straightening out her skirt. Their first period was far from ours, so we headed out separate directions. Justin, Gary and I walked out the entranced to be blasted with cold air. Ah, winter.

“Shoot!” Justin exclaimed. “I left my key back by the lockers! I’ll be right back!” Justin hurried back through the glass doors and into the hallway. I stood outside, under tad of protection provided by the roof.

“Pretty cold today, isn’t it?” I asked Gary and he nodded in agreement. “I can see my breath!” I noted aloud. I turned to the glass door and breathed on it, creating a translucent layer. I pulled my warm hand out of my sweatshirt pocket, and drew a smile on the door. It faded away.

Gary smiled, faintly amused by my drawing, and approached the door. His breath blanketed a section, and he traced a heart. We smiled at each other, and I hugged him. Justin saw us through the glass door, and subtlety looked the other direction. We had to get going, though. Class would start soon.

The rain was coming down harder, and we moved from the music building to the hall as quickly as we could. The hall provided shelter from the rain, and we went to our lockers to get our binders and books. The three of us continued down to A hall where we had French class.

We found the door to the classroom locked, with a note on it saying to report to the football field. The football field, in this weather? There was no shelter at all there. It said to sit in the bleachers, so we crossed over to the field and sat with many of our other classmates who were also confused. All there was to do was sit, and get soaked.

A flash of light. A scream. A lightning bolt? I couldn’t tell. Everything went black.

With that, I leave you hoping that you will read on with an open mind and realize that nothing is ever what it seems at first. TO THOSE REREADING: Please PM/email me so I can possibly give you what has been edited so far. If you're spending the time to reread, at least let me give you the slightly improved version :)