No

Written by Leah Boland

The air felt crisp all around her; crimson leaves below her feet crunching as her bulky boots
stepped on each red and orange outline. The lines of everything seemed blurred as if it wasnt even
there. But that didnt stop her from walking; no, she kept going as if searching for something, something
she didnt know the destination of. And thats when she saw it: an old white sail boat on the edge of
lake. She knew this place, she did it was vaguely familiar, yet so close to her memory. She felt her legs
start to move faster, she was walking, then jogging, and then sprinting towards the chipping white
painted structure. She got to the door, whipped it open, and felt her bones chill; for there before her
was a body- a dead body. The dead body of a girl.
Her heart was thumping inside of her chest, her hands shaking with fear. She knew the girl was
dead, for blood was in a fatal puddle next to the tall, brunettes head. She felt her stomach rising into her
throat. She looked up abruptly, suddenly aware that there wasnt just her and the corpse in the room.
Her eyes darted quickly from the ceiling, the stare case, the hall to the kitchen, until her eyes fell to the
back corner of the main cabin where she stood. There before her, was another body, another pool of
blood, it was a boy- perhaps her age- and there was a gun. It was set loosely in his right hand, not
grasped, but fickly laid in his hand. Again, she felt her stomach rise to her throat, her legs trembling
beneath her. Slowly, with quick, cold, cutting breaths coming from her now pasty mouth, she kneeled
down in front of the girl. She reached her hand out to touch her, try and turn her over to see her face;
but as soon as her now icy blue finger reached the worn leather coat, it ended.
Alex shot open her eyes; she was cold, sweaty, and terrified. The sheets on her bed were all in a
tousle, as if shed been fighting someone in her sleep. Realizing all she had just witnessed had been a
cruel dream; she let out an exhausted sigh. But it was so, so real I felt everything. The girl. I knew her
I swear I did. And the boy, the boy was just like just like But thats where the thought stopped. All she
could remember was the cold, the boat, the dead bodies, the blood, and the gun. It was all so vague, yet
eerily familiar somehow.
She got out of bed, showered, dressed, grabbed her bag, and headed down the wooden
staircase of their old Victorian home. Her mother was passed out on the couch, wine bottle in hand,
mascara and lipstick smeared on her porcelain face. For a split second, the hate Alex generally had for
this bundle of designer clothes and high heels vanished; and was replaced with a gut wrenching sadness.
This scene was not strange for her, no. What would have been strange would be to see a sober, dressed
and bathed woman standing in her kitchen; making breakfast or sipping on a cup of freshly brewed
coffee. Not to be mistaken, Alex knew her mom would eventually get cleaned up and dressed to the

nines (probably around 3PM), to head out to the next biggest party of impeccable millionaires she had
somehow found a way to be associated with.
Dont worry mom, really. Im fine on my own. You just enjoy being hung-over out of your mind,
and tell me how your night was some other time when youre awake. Her words were dripping with
bitterness, yet she almost wished she could go over and give mother a hug. A hug she couldnt
remember the last time theyd shared one of those, let alone a decent conversation. Perhaps it was
before Mike (Deannes second husband), left her. Yeah, thats probably when the hugs stopped. Or
maybe, it was when she had married the idiot. Who knows; doesnt matter now anyhow. Alex quickly
grabbed some toast, and headed out the door.
It was second last block at Swayson Senior High, and students everywhere were watching the
clock torturously tick away. Alex sat numbly in Biology 102, having no care what so ever about what
part of the brain a frog uses to trigger its jump. She looked around her to see who else might be joining
her in her misery, and her eyes fell upon Steven Keired, the class genius. The kid was a pure brainiac,
universities from every state kissing his feet with any scholarship they could throw at him. And he ate it
up to the point, where if any other student even looked at him, they would feel sick. The most ironic
part of it all, (and not to the knowledge of any teacher at Swayson), Steven was also the biggest druggie
you would ever encounter. How he managed the smarts while killing brain cells with every drag he took,
no one knew. But somehow he did it; and even as Alex sat there, she found herself furious at him
herself. Her grades the last three years were nothing to brag about; so much so she did her best to keep
them to herself. She didnt get completely baked before, during, and after school every day; and she still
got crap marks. And yet somehow, this guy did whatever the heck he pleased, and rarely ever got
anything lower than a ninety eight.
You need something ol Al?? Alex snapped back from her internal rant, realizing she had been
staring right at him the whole time. Attitude and accusation wrapped around his every word and stance.
What an idiot, she thought to herself as she quickly turned around and faced Mr. Carter and his frog
stories once more.
The rest of the day was misery: another class of things irrelevant to life, teachers who tried to
make her care and Steven Keired always in the back of her mind. She didnt know why he kept coming
back to her thoughts whatever the reason though it made her uneasy. There was something in his eyes
when he caught her staring at himit wasnt right (right for a drug addict genius that is). It was almost
threatening, yet pleading as well. As if he was begging her to do something something to stop
whatever was going to happen. She couldnt quite get her head around it, but it definitely wasnt
normal- even for him.
The bell finally rang, the grey cement walls releasing its captives out into the cold, November
afternoon. The sky was dark grey, the air bitter as Alex walked out of the double steel doors. Her whole
body tensed as she tried to keep herself warm as she started the lonely walk home. As she walked, she
imagined what Steven was doing, ah, getting high of course! And then she thought about her mom. It
was probably around now she would be waking up from her drunken slumber, getting herself a drink to

help her wake up, and commencing the task of making herself beautiful again for whatever sleezy man
would take interest in her- wherever she was planning on inviting herself to tonight.
Considering this, Alex decided it was best to take the scenic root home (the one that would
probably take her a good hour or two longer). Despite how cold it was ANYTHING had to be better going
home to what she assumed awaited her. She walked all through Cathers Trail, and ended up at the base
of Windrow Lake. The water looked grey and angry, unlike it did when she had come here as a child in
the summer with her mom. Imagine that, we used to even have fun together. What a life time away that
is. She walking aimlessly, doing her best not to think of anything but where her feet where going. The
trees surrounding the lake were all red and orange, many of the leaves already fallen, and on the
walkway before her.
She stopped dead in her tracks. At the edge of the lake, was a boat; a white, old sail boat- the
boat from her dream.
All at once, every single, miniscule detail of her dream came flooding back to her. The leaves
beneath her feet, the cold, the lake, the boat, the chipping paint it was all there right before her eyes.
A vertigo feeling hit her, and when her head finally cleared just seconds after, she realized what came
next. And thats when she started to move; thats when she started to sprint. Heart pounding, her legs
felt like they werent capable of stopping for the speed she had propelled herself to. However, she
came to a halt when she reached the cabin door. Her whole body went cold, for she knew what lay
behind this death trap door.
Somehow she managed to get her hand steady enough to grasp the faded door knob. She took
a raspy breath, turned the handle, and pushed it open.
The air in the main cabin seemed to drop twenty degrees from the already freezing outdoors.
Everything moved in slow motion as she looked where the bodies had been the night before. And yet, in
the eerie silence, she saw nothing. There was no bodies, no blood, and no gun; nothing.
This cant be right I know what I saw. I know what I saw! Alexs mind screamed at her as she
started to doubt the murder aftermath shed seen. But as soon as she had herself convinced that it HAD
been just a dream, there was a creak from the floor boards; and she knew she wasnt alone. Her
breathes came in quick spurts as she waited for the assailant to surface. From behind the darkest corner
of the cabin appeared a stumbling, unstable figure of a man; a gun in his hand. Her eyes darted from the
gun to his face and back again. She desperately tried to identify him, and when he stepped further into
the lighter section of the room, Alex could barely breathe. For standing before her, eyes blood shot,
puffy, and crazed, was Steven Keired.
St- Steven? She could barely manage to stutter his name.
A look of pure confusion, followed by humored recognition crawled up his face. Ol Al, didnt
expect to see you here today. His words were slow and slurred, as if dragging them out would put more
emphasis on them. But Alex knew from the smell of him and the look in his eyes, that the speech

impediment was due to whatever hard drug she had walked in on him taking. Just the smell of it was
making her nauseous.
You know Al, Im not really sure I want to do this anymore. This whole life thing too many
pressures and rules and expectations you know? Steven was moving the gun around, looking at in
pensively as he spoke.
With all sane brain power Alex could muster up in her completely terrified head, she tried to
process what this baked, suicidal guy was saying.
I dont know Steve, she said very slowly and carefully, it may suck, but its worth living yea?
He snorted in response; You really have no clue, do you? You have no idea what its like the be
the guy whos expectation is perfection. You know how heavy that is to carry? How hard it is to always
live with? It messes up your head.
Alex was losing ground, this guy was unsteady, and he had a gun. She felt her pulse quicken in
her chest.
Ive seen you around school, and I know all about your mom. I know you dont enjoy this
either. This every day madness. Come with me Alex, well get out of this hole. You and me; no more
frustrations or pain, no more pressures or expectations, or alcoholic mothers. You want that dont you?
Alex could not believe what she was hearing. He was insane, literally insane. And he wasnt
going down alone today, not a chance. She knew that for sure now. She closed her eyes and tried to
calm her thoughts down.
Steven, please dont do this. You have your whole life and so do I. We dont need to leave, well
suffer through. Itll be okay once we get to get out of this town and live our lives. I promise. Just please,
please put that gun down.
She desperately searched his face for any kind understanding or agreement to what she said.
But the look in his eyes was cold, defeated, and done. And the only word he said before she saw the
barrel of the gun in line with her eyes was the word he had wanted to say to every other person his
whole life; but had never been permitted to.
No.
The sound was deafening, but the wring only lasted a split second. She felt her head blaze on
fire for what seemed like a lifetime. She fell; her knees hitting the floor boards. She could still see his
shoes as her eyes slowly blacked out, and she could taste the blood pouring into her mouth from her
head. And she heard the second shot almost as clear as the first, saw him crumble to ground, an ocean
of red instantly surrounding him. Her warn, leather coat was now stained.