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ANY TRACE OF RAIN from the previous night had vanished as Amara pedaled to school the following morning, the light wind whipping her hair behind her shoulders. The sun was journeying to the apex of the sky, which was mostly clear other than a few clouds dotted here and there like a child's drawing. The trees swayed gently, the final leaves of the year descending to the depths of the forest floor, providing cushions she would be stepping upon in just a few days. She could hear the early morning bustling of the townspeople of Hawkins, preparing for another normal day in the quiet town they loved.
Except it wasn't. The small, safe neighborhood Amara had grown accustomed to in the past year was now uncharted territory. She rode to school with caution, as if she was dreading that a masked individual cloaked in black would catapult out of the forest and capture her, dragging her limp form into the woods to perish alone. She could faintly hear the voices of the search party organized for Will Byers calling his name, not knowing that he could hear them but was unable to respond.
She attempted to brush her worry aside as she slid her bicycle into one of the school's many racks, but it came rushing back to meet her as she entered the school. Fliers were scattered among the walls, reminding everyone of Will Byers's disappearance. Amara highly doubted anyone cared though: the boy rarely spent his time in the company of anyone other than his nerdy, misfit friends, and his older brother, Jonathan, who preferred photography over social interactions. The students of Hawkins High had dismissed this anomaly as the recurring tale of a kid who had run away from the clutches of their overprotective family, only to come crawling back a day or two later.
Amara reached her locker, dropping off her backpack inside. Her schedule was busy as usual: history first (Robin would discretely pass her notes ranting about Steve Harrington and his perfect hair), chemistry (she could finally get that dreaded test out of the way), geometry (Robin would look over her shoulder the entire time), Spanish (she would look over Robin's shoulder the entire time), and English, her weakness in all of its abstract metaphors and centuries-old language. Heck, she understood algebra better than English.
She drowned out the announcement of an event honoring Will and his family that night, knowing she would be in her room, reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or some other sci-fi novel instead. She wondered if anyone at Hawkins High would attend, considering the assembly was not mandatory. Many of the students would rather go to the movies, or throw a party, or even go to sleep early than show up at an event to honor someone they didn't even know existed until now.
But then again, tragedy had a way of bringing people nobody knew into the spotlight.
