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As I conteotten over my initial fear, the open road had felt so peaceful "No, it’s fine"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I’m sure"

He handed me a helmet, and I slipped it on After I slid across the seat,the hilanced over his shoulder, he gaveWith treht ine, and we took off

"Where we going?" he called

"Haynes Road," I shouted back

He nodded There was only one place I could think of where I wanted to escape to I couldn’t go back hoo to the one place that gave me purpose--the school

When we arrived, it was a little after three All the students were gone except for the ones in the after-school progray space, I eased off the bike and handed the heline the looks I was going to get fro Sure, some of them kneas involved with a biker, and by now I’m sure they kneas dead I’d called my principal to ask for a few days off

Thankfully, I’d remembered my keys, so ere able to slip in one of the side doors, rather than going in the front When I started into my classroom, I noticed that Archer’s feet seemed rooted to the floor His posture seeh I already knew the answer, I asked, "You don’t want to come inside?"

He shook his head "I’ll wait out here"

"Okay" While I should have felt cos, I also didn’t want to be alone Not even in my classroom, with its cheerfully decorated bulletin boards and posters I slipped inside and closed the door behindto survive with fifteen five-year-olds, because the roo throughdown desks and chairs, scraping off clu my bookshelves and centers Ironically, it seeood For that brief respite, I was able to forget that thein the world had been killed yesterday

Defeated by the painful cloud of grief that swelled around me, I walked over tomy head in es of Deacon and h my mind Him with Willow Him with his brothers Him in those last moments as he walked out the door to the horrible fate that awaited hian to recover, I swiped my arht "Thank you, Archer," I murmured, as I took it to dab my eyes

"You’re welcoer’s voice Every h I wanted to scream for help,but squeak When aze darted to the classroom doorway, the man held up his hand "Don’t worry about the prospect He’s only being momentarily detained I didn’t find it necessary to shed his blood today"