Upside down

Chapter 2

Everyone in the room gathered around the table where this was heard. I pushed my way in front to have a better view of what had just happened - I'm quite short for my age - only to find a girl lying on the floor. Her name was Amber Jackson, and her eyes were shut. I couldn't tell if she was unconscious or...dead. Either way, the thought of it made me get the chills.

A guy named Elliot James leaned down closer to Amber. He brought his face closer to hers.

" She isn't breathing! " said Elliot, alarmed. Gasps filled the atmosphere of the room. No. This couldn't be. No one did anything to her. How could she just lose consciousness like that?

Was she...dead?

" I'm calling the ambulance, " said Mrs Brown, whipping out her phone from her pocket as fast as she could.

.............................

It was lunch break. Shocked at what I had just seen, I sat at a bench in the cafeteria - the usual place where my friends and I hung out. As I ate my sandwich in silence, I saw Oliver, Tyler and Sadie, looking for me as they entered the cafeteria. Once they did, they practically dashed towards me.

" Sup, dude, " Tyler yelled. I smiled, not saying a word.

" Earth to Jaxon? " Oliver said, baffled.

" Jaxon, " said Sadie, concerned " , what's wrong? "

I told them what was troubling me. I told them about Amber Jackson, the way she lay on the floor, not moving a millimetre. The fact that she wasn't breathing. I told them everything, from when I heard a thud, to when Amber was being carried to an ambulance and taken to hospital.

After I ended, the three of them, who are always talkative, were lost for words for a moment.

" What could have happened to her? " asked Sadie, thinking out loud ( she does that when she is deep in thought )

" I don't know, " I replied quietly.

" Look, I don't think we should discuss about this. It has happened, so leave it. " Tyler said, trying to be mature. Oliver, Sadie and I looked at him with annoyance.

" Then why are you here? " Oliver asked Tyler, disgusted.

" Anyway, " said Sadie with a voice that reflected authority. " , how exactly did Amber fall, Jaxon? "

" I never really noticed, " I admitted. " But... No one really did anything to her. I mean, you know how strict Mrs Brown is. No one could had done that with her around. "

" So, what you are saying is, " Oliver said. " , Amber just fell, became unconscious, and was taken to the hospital, with no one - or nothing - doing anything to her? " I nodded slowly, starting to take in how curious this seemed.

...........................

Several weeks passed, and there was no sign of Amber Jackson in the school. Apparently, no news of her coming back was heard. The news of her passing out spread in the school like wildfire. Wherever you went, you would see kids discussing about Amber's disappearance. Whether you were in the ninth grade or the twelfth grade didn't matter at all.

Nothing actually changed, except one thing - Mrs Brown's behaviour.

It was nothing alarming, to be honest.
However, it was just enough to make you curious. Usually, despite being so strict, Mrs Brown used to be so bubbly and talkative. Now, she was unsmiling and she rarely spoke, and when she did, she yelled. She yelled as if she was putting out her frustration on people. It seemed strange. However, I could never piece it together.

One day, during lunch break one particular day, I finally opened up to my best buds about what I had observed.

" I've noticed it, too! " Sadie exclaimed.

" Me, too! " Oliver agreed.

" Yeah, " Tyler remarked. " It's weird. I mean, it's like her happiness was sucked out of her or something, "

" Yeah, " Sadie said. " Should we ask what's bothering her? "

" But, it may make her feel worse, " I protested.

" It may... " Sadie started. " But maybe we can comfort her? Oh look! She's passing by! " We all turned towards where Sadie was pointing at. Indeed, it was Mrs Brown, walking with a grim face.

I was the first to get up from the bench. I walked towards Mrs Brown slowly.

" Mrs Brown, " I said slowly. " Could I ask you something? "

" Yes,yes, " she said impatiently. " Go ahead, "

" Well, erm..." I stuttered. I didn't know what to say.

" We have been noticing you, Mrs Brown, " Sadie said with respect. " You have been quite upset lately. Is anything bothering you? "

Huge mistake.

Tears started forming in Mrs Brown's blue eyes. They poured down her old, wrinkly face.

" Would you like a tissue, Mrs Brown? " asked Tyler, who, despite being incredibly sarcastic, had a really caring side to him.

" No, thank you, dear, " said Mrs Brown, faltering. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

" It's just, " said Mrs Brown. " I miss Amber Jackson so much, " We all understood why - Amber and Mrs Brown were like mother and daughter.

" What happened? " asked Oliver gently - he was really sensitive.

" She...she, " This time, tears started pouring down Mrs Brown's face. " ...she is gone. She is no more, " Tyler, Oliver, Sadie and I fell silent.

Amber was...dead?

I couldn't believe this.

" She was dead weeks before, but I didn't want to reveal this to everyone, " whimpered Mrs Brown.

" Very true, " said Oliver.

For the rest of the day, I couldn't stop thinking about Amber. She was dead weeks ago? When no one did anything to her that made her die?

Even at home, I couldn't stop thinking about her. While my younger brothers, Dylan and Jaydon, were playing Fortnite together, I was laying in my bed, restless. I couldn't stop thinking about Amber. I couldn't put a finger on it. It didn't make sense...

Eventually, I decided to get a good night's sleep. So I brushed my teeth and hopped into my bed. I dozed of as soon as my head hit my pillow

...........................

" Ting...ting... " I woke up in the middle of the night because of the bell noises. I sat upright on my bed, listening. The bell noises went on.

And on.

And on.

And on.

The noises were getting louder and louder, and it was driving me nuts. Curiosity got the better of me as I got up from my bed and into the darkness.

I walked towards the long corridor, leading towards the living room. In the middle of the corridor was a shadow.

That was the source of the noise.

I squinted in the dark, trying to make out who it was. It couldn't be Dylan or Jaydon. It couldn't be mom or dad. It was...someone else....

Chills ran down my spine as I realized who it was.

It was Amber Jackson!

She was ringing a bell - a red bell - and was walking towards me. I ran as fast as I could towards my bedroom and once I did, I lay in my bed, beads of sweat trickling down my face. I listened and listened until I didn't hear any more bell noises.

Silence.

Relieved, I closed my eyes to finally have a good sleep.