"Welcome to the real world.."

- Max Caulfield

CHAPTER TEN: Fallen Angel

I rushed out with the crowd of curious students, my stomach churning more and more as time passed. I walked quickly through the crowd, hearing many wonder what the hell was going on. We streamed out the door, and into the rain that was pouring down.
    Some students brought umbrellas while the others just suffered through the rain. Water splashed onto my leg as I jogged into a puddle, the chilly raindrops causing me to shiver. My hair was quickly getting damp and I could feel trails of rain drip down my face. I tried calling Kate again, but no one answered. This was the fifth call I had made, and still no Kate.

    "Do you see that!?"

    "Oh my god, no!"

    "Someone has to do something!"

   "Bitch flipped out!"

    "I didn't think she was that messed up."

    I looked around me at all the students talking, my fear rising. I shook my head, walking through the gates to get to the front yard. I rushed around the corner, seeing even more students huddled in the large crowd in front of the school. I see everyone pointing up, cameras flashing and people yelling out. I snap my head up, the sight almost bringing me to my knees.

It was Kate...standing on the edge of the roof...

    I shook my head, my mouth dropping open. It was seconds until she stepped off the edge, and plummeted to her death. There was a chorus of screaming, including mine as we watched her body fall through the air. I screamed again, tears quickly streaming down my cheeks. I shot my hand out, freezing time. I sobbed, my trembling hand forced into the air.

She can't die..she can't...

    Even with my painful headache beginning to form, I rewind time until she was safely back on the roof. I gritted my teeth, watching the raindrops go back into the clouds, leaves get re-attached to tree limbs, and students put their hands down. I groaned, stumbling backwards as my head exploded with pain. I shook my head, wiping my bloody nose again.

Not like this...not now..

    I looked up to see Kate flinging herself off the roof again, determined to crash into the ground. I put my hands up again, the pain increasing. I stopped her in mid air, my whole body trembling. This can't be how Kate dies, this can't be, please. I kept my hand strong in the air, my nose dripping with blood now. I forced through the pain, focusing on Kate's body hanging in the air.

I have to try something..I won't be able to rewind time again and again..

    The more my hand was in the air, the more pain I began to feel. I had to constantly wipe my nose with my sleeve, eventually soaking it. I grunted, trying my best to get her back on that roof. It took some force, but finally Kate slowly went back up onto the roof. I bit my cheek, trying to distract myself from the other aching.
    Suddenly, a bright flash went off, and everything went still again. I looked around, my hand shaking. Everything around me was jittery, almost like a bad film glitching. The birds were stuck in the air, people were stuck in their last poses, and Kate was stuck on the edge of the roof. Her face was peering down above the crowd, her face pain stricken and confused. I took a tentative step forward, no one else moving. I took another step, the same response.

    I raised my hand again, breathing heavily. I couldn't risk losing this fight, I had to win this. I kept pushing forward, even though every fiber in my body was screaming for me to stop. My heart was hammering in my chest and my veins surged with adrenaline.

Keep...going...Max..You...can...do...it...

    I walked in and out of the couples and groups, my feet feeling as if they were made of lead. I groaned and pushed up, keeping my eyes on Kate's frozen body. I made it to the door, seeing David stuck in a running position towards the door.
    I pulled it open slowly, forcing my way inside. Soon, I was opening the door to the roof, heading outside again. I saw Kate's back to me, her feet on the edge of the roof. I was catching my breath, my head screaming in pain.

Yes..

    I took a few steps towards her, determined to pull her away from the edge. Suddenly, I felt faint and had to catch myself from collapsing. My hand lowered as I held my head in my hand. Time started, and went back to normal. I was pelted with rain again and the chilling fact that Kate was going to jump was still true.
    I straightened my back, trying not to make too much noise. I wiped the blood from under my nose again, my fingertips being painted with my blood. I took a step forwards, holding my hand out. Excruciating pain shot through my head, causing me to flinch and cry out. Kate gasped and looked behind her, seeing me standing there. Her hair was plastered to her head and her makeup was making trails down her face. Her eyes were red and puffy and her clothes were soaked.

    "What are you doing here, Max!? Stop, don't come near me!" I held my hand up again, pleading to anyone that this would start working. Another flash of pain entered my body and I had to stop. I stared at my trembling hand, shaking my head quickly.

Not now..it won't work..I don't have any power..Now I have to do this by myself..

    I held my hand out to Kate, but she held her own hands up. Her bottom lip was quivering and she was sobbing loudly. It broke my heart, all I wanted to do was pull her from the ledge and into my arms. Anywhere other than where she was now. Anything but that.

    "Max, seriously, don't come near me. I will jump."

    "Okay, okay. I'm right here. Kate, please.."

    "Oh, Max. I know you want to help me.. I love that you stepped up to David, but that doesn't matter now. Nothing matters." I shook my head, taking a few steps closer to her.

    "You matter. And not just to me." She gave me a broken smile and shook her head sadly, her back dangerously close to the edge now.

    "I do want to believe that.."

    "Kate, your life is still yours. And we can get through this together..let me help." I pleaded, my voice breaking.

    "I'm glad to hear you worry about me. That makes me feel better.." I took a few more steps forward, slowly to not set her off.

    "I'll always be here for you Kate. My new motto is, "Friends Come First."

    "I did feel better talking to you on the phone. I always feel like you really listen."

    "Kate, please trust me. Come stand by me, okay? I can help you..I know I can. This morning I erased the web link to the video..it was written on the shower mirror.."

    "Are you serious? Thank you so much. The fact that you don't care about that video and would come up here to stop me..means a lot."

    "I care about you because I believe you were drugged. We will find out who did this and we will make them pay."

    "You sound so persuasive, Max. If only.." She went quiet, her red eyes staring into mine. I stepped even closer, holding my hand out to her.

    "Kate, I believe you. Will you believe me? Please..you don't have to do this." I sobbed, shaking my head at her.

    "Max, I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake up..unless I put myself to sleep. Then everyone at Blackwell can post pictures of my body..I'm already on the internet forever. No wonder they call it the "Web". Nothing can ever get out. Just like my video. I wish I could go back in time and erase everything."

    "Kate, this is our chance to beat the bullies. That's the only way we can win against them."

    "Can we really, Max? I don't even believe in miracles anymore."

    "Now I do. You're part of the reason why. If you come down with me, I can tell you more."

    "You're such a good person, Max. Even if you're full of crap. But I'll come with you...you're my friend." I wanted to scream in joy, but I resisted the urge and outstretched my arm further. My whole body was relaxed and so jumped up on adrenaline I couldn't stop shaking.

    "Forever. Can we hug on it?" Suddenly, her mood completely changed.

    "No! Nobody cares about me, nobody." My whole body went rigid again, my heart dropping into my stomach. I tried to catch my breath, but my fear was increasing.

    "What about your mother, Kate? You'll destroy her. She doesn't care about the video. She loves you."

    "You don't know my mother. At all. She already thinks Satan has me on the fast-track to Hell. Let's prove it."

    "No...Kate, please stop..listen. This isn't the end, Kate. There's no way God doesn't have big plans for you here."

    "Nice try, Max..but God put me on this roof. What difference does it make!?" I shot out my hand as she turned and simply stepped off the roof. I lunged at the ledge, my hand just missing her foot. I leaned over, screaming as I watched her fall to her death. I lowered my hands to my sides and sank to my knees. I covered my face with my hands as I sobbed into them, my wails vanishing under the crying and screaming of the others down below.

Kate was gone..and I couldn't save her...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Principle Wells stared out of the window, his face somber and dark. He turned around, finally facing us with his hands clasped behind his back. He sighed, shaking his head slowly as he walked back to his desk.

    "I know this isn't pleasant for any of us, but we have to go over what happened. Before Miss Marsh..did what she did. Officer Berry will be taking notes for the official police inquiry. I'm sure you'll give him your full cooperation.
    Such a tragedy...but there must be a reason for everything. We must find out why Kate Marsh would be driven to such a desperate action. As principle of Blackwell Academy, I take my duties seriously. I take the well being of every student more seriously. What happened today should've never happened in the hall of wisdom and knowledge."

   I fought the urge to roll my eyes and remained seated in the chair in front of the desk. My eyes glared at the floor, tears still swimming in them. I was trying my hardest not to shake, but I could visibly see my legs trembling. Beside me, sitting in another chair, was none other than Nathan Prescott.
    He sat there, looking bored out of his mind actually. I caught the occasional death glare he shot at me as Wells continued talking. David and one other police officers leaned against the wall, taking notes and examining all of us. Mr. Jefferson stayed in the back, watching quietly with a frown on his face. Mr. Wells looked over at Madsen with a stern expression.

    "Mr. Madsen, as our head of security here, those roof doors should always be locked. That's just standard operating procedure. They were not. And that is indeed your responsibility." He then looked over at Jefferson, his arms crossed.

    "Mr. Jefferson, I know you can't be expected to know what your students are going through, but Kate has assisted you in class, so you should have known something was amiss." Jefferson rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground, his jaw clenched. Wells then looked at Nathan.

    "Mr. Prescott, since you are responsible for the Vortex Club parties..and since Miss Marsh did attend your last party, you'll have to answer some more questions." Nathan shook his head and leaned on his knees, glaring at the principle. He didn't notice as he sat down and intertwined his fingers together.

    "Miss Caulfield, why exactly were you on the roof with Kate Marsh? Did she tell you her plan? Or anything else? Please, tell us everything." I looked over at Nathan, giving him a look as I leaned forward in my seat a little.

    "All I know is that Kate was at that party and Nathan dosed her. She got wasted and kissed some boys on a viral video without a clue." Nathan scoffed, smiling as he chuckled to himself.

    "I dosed her!? Without a clue!? Have you seen the video clip!? Whatever. Kate was loaded and playing the field-"

    "You're a liar. You told Kate you took her to the emergency room!"

    "I said I was going to take her to the ER. She sobered up eventually."

    "Bullshit! Something happened to her, and you know it. How about we talk about you waving  gun around in the girl's bathroo-"

    "Hey, that's a total slander! I could sue you and this school so fast!...I already have a personal lawyer."

    "Careful, Mr. Prescott. I have been told of this alleged gun incident. And I have to admit that the video in question was sent to me by multiple sources. And since Mr. Prescott does appear prominently in the video and was responsible for the party, I have no choice but to suspend him until further notice." Nathan leaned back in his seat, his fists clenched together.

    "Whatever, see you in court."

    "Excuse me, I think Max and Nathan need a break before we grill them further. A friend and fellow student is dead..they don't need this kind of forum right now."

    "Yeah, I'm kinda devastated right now. I'd like to be with my family." Nathan's voice was full of sarcasm that made my blood boil.

    "Alright, Ms. Caulfield. Please sign here to confirm what you've said." I nodded, quickly signing the paper and handing it back to him. The room fell silent again as he stood up and looked around at all of us.

    "Well, I think we know less now than when we started. We'll be assisting police with further inquiries. I know this has been a stressful day. I wish I had the power to change it all for the better. So thank you, for coming in." Soon, we were all released to leave the office.
    Nathan shot me one more death glare before he rushed out the door, I took my time. I took my time walking out of the school, my head numb and my eyes dazed. Soon, I was met up with Warren, who sat with me on the benches in front of the school. The sun was a glowing orange, streaks of red and yellow streaked across the sky.

    "I just...can't believe it. It's like it wasn't even real. Watching her drop like a weight..I really thought I could save her..like a superhero." Warren looked at me with a frown, his hand resting on my shoulder in comfort.

    "Come on, Max. Don't for a second start blaming yourself. Kate was on that roof for her reasons, not yours."

    "My hand just reached out-"

    "Stop it. You were the only one with balls enough to run to the roof. You were the only one who cared."

    "Yeah, I sure made a big fucking difference. Maybe if more people cared..better people than me."

    "You're the best person around.."

    "Warren, I screwed up today."

    "That makes no logical sense."

    "Warren, I don't mean to sound weird but, there's something ominous going around at Blackwell.."

    "Today proves that."

    "And I'm working on proof that Kate Marsh is connected to Rachel Amber..somehow. Along with Nathan and Madsen."

    "I'm not a big conspiracy guy, but I wouldn't doubt that. Nathan did scare me yesterday and Madsen is a straight up dickhead. So, what do you think is really happening?" I went to open my mouth to answer when I trailed off and looked up at the sky.

    "What the hell is this.." I looked up at the sun still glowing in the afternoon. Except it's not starting to eclipse, a very strange occurance.

    "The weather confirms the weird day. Feel that chill.." I rubbed my shoulders as the cool air set in, causing goosebumps to ripple over my skin.

    "Max, there was eclipse scheduled today. I would know, I would." I nodded, rubbing my arms harder. I saw him look over and scoot closer to me. He slipped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. For once, I didn't pull away, I let it happen.

    "I believe you, Warren. I'll believe anything this week."

Later that night I get a text from Mark, out of the blue.

    "I'm sorry about what happened to Kate. I hope you're okay. This eclipse freaks me out."

    "Let's figure this out."

    "Together..."