The Icy Cold Truth

#1
This is a story I wrote years ago. It'd be cool to hear what you guys think of it!

Prolouge

I stood silently, listening to the pitter-patter of the soft drizzle falling against my head and the sidewalk. It wasn't a sound I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear the bus screech to a halt in front of me and the high-pitched sound of the doors swinging open. I'd been waiting for that sound, for what seemed like hours. I finally stopped staring at the road and gazed over my shoulder behind me. There were other kids, just as quiet as I was, clutching the straps of their backpacks and shivering in the cold. We were all exhausted and just wanted to crawl back into bed. They looked up at me, feeling my gaze. Some smiled, some glared, but I returned the favor to all with a friendly smile. I definitely considered giving this bus driver a good talking to. Did he actually consider that leaving kids waiting in this kind of weather was torture? Endless minutes ticked by, still no bus. A sudden jingle made me jump. Any sound, besides the loud breathing around me and my own, would have startled me at that moment. I could see them glaring at me out of the corner of my eyes as I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone. My heart raced as I opened it. It was mom. She never called me from work at this time. I cautiously put it to my ear, "Hello?"I answered softly, still feeling the gaze of the other kids.

"Honey!? Are you okay?!"She asked me frantically. She sounded like she had been in a state of panic or something.
I raised a brow. Why wouldn't I be? "Yes, I'm fine, "I replied, "What's wrong?"
The phone went silent for a moment but my mother's voice soon began again, "Your bus, Stella.. It was in an accident. "She choked out, "No one survived, not even the bus driver. I was so afraid that you were on it-"She began to explain, but stopped herself short.

I froze. I had friends who could have been on that bus. My mother's words rang in my head over and over. Everything felt like a dream. It wasn't such a surreal thing to occur but no one ever really considered something like this happening to them.
"What happened?"One girl asked me, noticing the fear in my expression. They all did.
"The bus..."I whispered, "It crashed.. "My voice was barely even audible. It was a wonder how all those kids heard me. I was beginning to feel nauseous.

There was no more silence from then on. Tons of voices filled the air, demanding answers to what seemed like a million questions. It was as if a bomb had went off in the silence. "Are they okay?" was one of the most asked questions I heard.

"No."I uttered truthfully, "They didn't make it."

The chatter stopped, just as easily as it started.

"Are you still there?"I heard a little voice come from my phone. I brought it back up to my ear.
"School's canceled, I'm coming home from work in a hour, so go inside."My mother told me softly.

"Okay."There was nothing more I could say. I slowly put it back in my pocket, "Go home guys. School's out today."I mumbled and turned away from them.

They didn't nod nor give any sound of acknowledgement of this. They departed anyhow.

"Stella, are you okay?"A small voice asked me. I turned around to see a girl staring at me with dark, concerned eyes. It was a girl in my math class, Jennifer. I was unaware of the look I had on my face. She looked as shocked as I was. I nodded, giving her a smile. It was all I could do. I couldn't bring myself to speak. She looked at me for a moment then turned to walk away. I doubted she was satisfied with my answer. She probably didn't she believe it. I didn't either.
 

Celestina

♥ Real Life Rapunzel ♥
#3

Nice use of onomatopoeia and imagery! I felt like I was actually there in the story!
 
Top