Hamilton Academy: He's Always Watching

Part Three ~ Chapter One

"She had captivated my attention, and I couldn't stop thinking about her."

-Matt

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Five days after the plane crash, classes started up again. People had been doing a lot of 'damage control', so all things were put on hold until now.  Hamilton Academy had been full of people rushing around in the days since the dance when the accident happened. It was a million times crazier than when Kathryn died, and everything seemed to be looking very gloomy and dreary. The only smiles visible were the fake ones given out by all the staff to try and calm the younger children. I wasn't buying any of that though. A plane crash could really throw things out of whack.

"Hurry up with your worksheet! We do not have all day in this class!" Mr. Grey drummed his fingers impatiently on his cart where he kept all of his class things. He seemed to be in the weirdest mood I had ever seen him in during class today, and that was saying a lot. He was uncharacteristically happy looking, like he had figured out the answers to all of his problems. He only got annoyed at us once in a while today, instead of always being exceedingly angry with the world.

"Here you go," Johnny said as he handed in his completed worksheet. "You would think he could be a little bit kinder to the injured kid." he muttered as he sat down.

"Oh please," Ethan started, rolling his eyes. "It's already feeling almost perfect again, you said so yourself."

"So? I was in the hospital..."

"Math class is over, go off to your lunch now!" Mr. Grey wore something that almost resembled a smile as he wandered off, leaving us sitting in confusion.

"I don't want to know," Amy stated decisively. "Let's just go eat."

As we sat down at a table with our lunches, almost immediately everyone's attention was gathered by Mr. Higgins.

"Hello students," he practically sighed the words. "I am going to make a very important announcement now, so please pay attention. Your entire focus is requested." Many of us exchanged looks, the older kids looking nervous. It had been a rough year already, and we were only on our third month. We couldn't handle any more bad news, especially not right after the plane crash. 

"I'm sure it's nothing bad," Amy tried to look positive. "Probably just announcing an activity."

"Of course," Julia muttered. "Announcing an activity really classifies as 'very important,' especially after these past few events."

"Alright. I think we can all agree that this year hasn't exactly gone as planned." Mr. Higgins paused as we all murmured our agreements. "But I am hoping that this upcoming event I am announcing will help lift all of your spirits."

"I told you!" Amy pointed a triumphant finger at Julia, who just rolled her eyes a little.

"Everybody is expected to show up at a nice dinner tomorrow, which is Friday. Hopefully it will open up a nice weekend for you all. Each one of you will dress up and then arrive here at five. Dressing up means girls in dresses or skirts and boys in dress pants and dress shirts. Formal attire. 

"When you arrive, you will be split into two groups. The tribes that won the volleyball competition and the tribes that lost. There is an activity planned for each of these groups of ten tribes. The activity will be announced at the dinner, which is why everybody is to show up. Now all of you may continue on to your lunches once again, have a nice day."

As Mr. Higgins sat down, the Dining Hall broke out in chatter. Everyone was trying to figure out what was going to be announced. People were making bets on whether or not it would be lame, girls were trying to decide what to wear, and the younger kids were getting increasingly excited about the idea of another activity to participate in.