Secrets Are For Keeping

Chapter Eleven

Nothing the students or teachers said changed the inevitable fate of our school.

We were going to be put through inspections, whatever that actually meant.

After the assembly, Mrs. Jarven had to yell into the microphone just to get everyone's attention and tell them to go back to class. It took another ten minutes before everyone was out of the auditorium, some forcefully, and crowding the hallways to return to their assigned classroom.

It took twelve minutes for me to get back to my desk and sit down in it. Then another three minutes before Mrs. Hunting was able to get everyone to calm down enough so that they could hear her voice.

"Everyone! Please quiet down!" she shouted over the ruckus of students continuing to curse. A couple people stopped talking, but the overall noise continued.

"Please BE QUIET!" she ordered, finally able to quell the chaos that was beginning to unfold.

Somebody near the back of the room raised their hand. Mrs. Hunting sighed in exasperation and signaled that he could talk.

"Sooo, like are we trapped here? I thought calling school prison was just a joke...."

A couple other students in the surrounding area nodded in agreement with the question. Mrs. Hunting walked to her desk and sat down in her chair as everyone waited anxiously to see if she actually had a response.

"I honestly don't know...," she replied, her voice threaded with fatigue. The guy who had asked the question slumped back against his desk, looking lost. And it wasn't just him. It seemed most of the class felt the same way.

Then Zander raised his hand followed by Mrs. Hunting calling on him.

"Okay...so when exactly are the other students getting here?" he asked, and a couple other students perked up at this. I hadn't even considered the question, my mind still stuck on the inspection part and the sleeping over at the school part.

"They told me as soon as possible...that could mean right now." She shrugged as she gave the answer, and the look of hopelessness on her face and not really knowing anything shut up everyone.

I was curious as to if anyone was still going to continue class after this. I was positive that I didn't want to.

I didn't even have to ask my question for Mrs. Hunting to unintentionally answer it. "And...we're not doing anything today. I'll give you this time off...yes, I should be teaching you something, but this...situation...cannot be ignored."

Zander locked eyes with me from his seat a couple rows away. I couldn't read his expression; it was almost a mix between confusion and worry.

Then there was a loud noise from the hallway. The sound of a door opening and many feet stomping against tiled floor. Tiled floor of our school.

"Attention students and faculty, some of the other schools have arrived, do not be surprised if new students enter your classes," the speakers overhead announced.

Mrs. Hunting was right. They were here now. They'd probably been told before us. Otherwise, it would've been absolutely impossible for them to have gotten here that fast.

A couple students trickled in as the minutes passed. For every student that came, every single pair of eyes in the room analyzed them. Just walking into our classroom was more of an inspection than anything Mr. Neilson had mentioned so far. Although my opinion might change later when I'd actually experienced his version of an inspection.

Soon, our class was overfilling, since it was originally meant for the twenty or so people in our grade alone, making it smaller than average. The students that came in now, all obviously around our age, were forced to stand to the sides or sit on the ground. I watched each and every one of them, looking at their faces, trying to gauge their reactions. Had every school been informed of this but ours? Was everyone else prepared but us?