THIRTEEN REASONS, THIRTEEN CLUES {Book 1 of the Violet Trilogy}

Gone

As I walk in the school, I find myself waving at the many people who look at me. Today's Thursday, so everyone is excited that the weekend is so close.
"Hey, Ezra!" calls a girl to my left. I turn and see that it is Melody, eagerly waving her hand, her blonde, overly-straightened hair falling over her shoulders. She's really pretty, and popular, so everyone expects us to "get together." But honestly, I think she's a little over herself. I am too though, I suppose...
"Hey, Mel," I say almost miserably. She hugs me, too tightly for my liking, and I can see a few girls over her shoulder crossing their arms and walking away angrily.
"Oh, Ezra, I've missed you!" she squeals.
"Uh, we saw each other yesterday," I answer forcefully.
"Yes, well, that's a long time, you know!"
I sigh, waiting for the hug to end, and then walk towards the group of boys who are my friends. They all smirk at me when I'm close.
"So, how's it going with Mel, huh?" says Michel teasingly. I glare at him.
"I hate her," I say.
"Nuh, you guys are meant for each other," says Mason with his brown curly hair. Honestly, isn't it obvious I'm really not interested in her?
When I ignore them they continue chattering, and I look about the school to see if I can find... her.
I girl with curly hazelnut hair walks nearby, head down and silent. She has no friends around her, which is completely normal, because she has none. No one really looks at her but me, hoping she will lift her head so I can see those violet eyes she has...
But she continues walking, bag sagging sadly as she goes. For some reason, I kinda like her.
"Hey, watcha staring at?" asks another one of my friends, Jack. I look back at them, scared they might have seen me staring at Myrcella Dire. I shake my head and they continue talking.
I look back behind me, eyes searching for her... but she's already gone.
When we finally get to our first class, History, I plonk myself down on my usual seat, in between Mason and Jack.
The class room is quite large, with posters of maps and old tools and basically historical stuff hanging on the walls.
This is my favourite class, because behind me is where Myrcella always sits.
As the lesson goes on I think about her, like I always do in History. Her with her curly hazelnut hair and her violet eyes... I remember the time that I tried to ask her how she was, the day she came into school crying. She told me it's nothing, and walked off silently. Then Mel came and asked me what I was doing, and I told her it doesn't matter. Of course she believed me, she's so ignorant.
And that time I stared at Myrcella for a whole Biology lesson, and then got in trouble for not paying attention. And I continued staring at her.
I don't understand why no one likes her. She's pretty, and kind, and not stuck up like practically every girl in the school is. She's even smart, and sometimes I wish I could just hug her. She's so likeable, and yet unlikable.
And then the bell rings, and I jump up as if I was electrocuted by lightning. I immediately bolt for the door before anyone else can, and before I know it I'm at my locker, collecting books for my next lesson.
I stare at the inside of my locker. It's very bland, just a shelf with a few text books on top and a pile of rubbish slowly disintegrating at the back.
I reach for my Calculus book, until I hear an unfamiliar voice from behind.
"Ezra?" it asks, and I turn to see Myrcella standing there, clutching a pile of text books. Why would she want to talk to me.
"Uh, yeah?" I say, trying not to sound nervous, which is stupid - I'm the popular one, of course!
I instantly lose the act when I see a tear trickle down her soft cheeks, and I almost reach out to wipe it away.
"I'm- I'm sorry," she chokes, and then I do wipe the tear away.
"For what?" I whisper, trying not to stumble after I realise what I just did. She seems shocked, too, and then more tears stream down her face. What has she done to be sorry for? I mean, we've never really talked, so... why?
"I - I can't-" she chokes again, and then she's running away, tears quickly streaming out of her violet eyes. I try to grab her before she's too far away, but no use - she's gone.

~

The next day I walk into school silently and ignore Melody all together. I need to find Myrcella.
My eyes fall over each student for a second, picking out any curly hair or violet eyes. Where could she be?
My search is interrupted by Mel. "Ezra!" she shouts, clearly upset. "Why did you ignore me?"
I look at her. She's trying to force tears, because her face is scrunched up. Before I can answer, though, a voice sounds out over the school grounds - the microphone.
The voice says, "Please be silent, I have a very important notice for you." I notice it sounds grave and grim, and my heart beats faster. I look around me and see everyone's slightly shocked faces - no one ever talks into the microphone unless there's an emergency of some sort, let alone in such a grim tone.
"There has been some very sad news, and it is not appropriate to announce it over a microphone. So please, proceed to the assembly grounds. Your first lesson is cancelled."
Normally, everyone would cheer when they heard that a lesson is cancelled, but right now, everyone looks like they have just come back from a war.
And so we all troop down towards the assembly grounds. No one talks, but some whisper in each other's ears. I see a girl I don't recognise lean into a boy's ear and say something quietly, and the boy covers his mouth to muffle his gasp.
I find Mason by himself when we get to the assembly area, which is just a large space with a lot of wooden planks that are meant to be chairs. He just nods to me as we sit on the end of a red painted plank.
The principal, Mr Edwards, steps up onto the small stage in front of all the seated students. He turns his microphone on and waits a bit, and I soon find that he is fighting back tears.
Eventually he lifts the microphone and says, "Thank you for being orderly and quiet as you followed my instructions. As I said, there is some very, very sad news, and you must hear me out; there is to be no loud noises as I say it. Some of you may be grieved or shocked, and I must not give too much detail; it would traumatise you."
I stare at him silently. What could be so traumatising?
"I must tell you now that we have lost a student forever," Mr Edwards says slowly. And my heart stops for just a second. Please, please don't say...
"I am so, so very grieved to tell you that just yesterday afternoon, Myrcella Dire took her own life, below the cliff you would know as Shallow Ledge."
And for just a moment, I think I have just fallen off a cliff too.