and out into the air before beginning his rapid spiral downward. Arms and legs flailed wildly, grasping outward for something to stop his flight. Alex could feel his mouth opening, could hear, in her mind, his futile screams for help, help, help ….
The figure slammed into the awning over the second floor deck and bounced off, arching up again before he made his final descent.
The arms and legs no longer flailed.
In her mind, Alex heard the awful thud when the figure slammed into the ground.
Then he lay still, arms and legs sprawled awkwardly.
People who had been walking across campus began running toward the unmoving figure.
Alex, so ill she could barely stand, sagged against the window. “Someone,” she whispered, “someone was thrown off the tower.”
No one heard her.
She took a deep, cleansing breath and whirled away from the window. No one was paying any attention. People were rummaging through a pile of CD’s in one corner of the room and people in the middle of the room were making a futile attempt to dance, and other people were lying on the floor tossing popcorn at each other, but no one was paying any attention to the fact that someone had just been thrown off the sixth-floor observation deck of the tower.
“Someone fell !” she screamed, and this time everyone stopped what they were doing and looked. “From the tower! Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
Then, as someone reached for the phone, Alex stumbled through the crowd to the door and ran out of the room.
Followed by Amber and Jill, Alex raced out of the building and to the tower.
A crowd had already gathered. Alex, her breath coming in ragged gasps, pushed her way through it. And saw Marty, kneeling on the ground beside…Kyle!
It was Kyle she had watched go off that tower. Kyle…
He was lying on his back, a spreading puddle of red covering the grass underneath his blond hair. He wasn’t moving, but…Alex’s eyes moved quickly to his chest…he was breathing.
Her knees gave, and she sank to the ground, close to Marty.
“He’s not dead,” Marty said quickly. He looked up, glancing around the crowd, and repeated, “He’s not dead.” Bennett and Gabe, who were close by, nodded. Jenny and Kiki, their faces a sickly yellow in the tower lights, stood next to them, crying, their hands over their mouths.
“Did he jump?” a voice in the crowd asked.
“No!” Alex cried, furious. “He didn’t!” She would have added then, “He was thrown over the side.” But even as someone said casually, “Well, people have jumped from there, you know,” sirens screamed, and Alex got to her feet. There was something she had to do.
Without a word to anyone, she turned and pushed back through the crowd, ignoring Marty’s shocked, “Alex? Where—?”
She ran to the tower entrance, praying it wouldn’t be locked.
It wasn’t. Yanking the heavy door open, she went inside and ran straight to the stairs. No time to wait for the elevator to the sixth floor. If the police came with the ambulance, as they probably would, they wouldn’t let anyone into the tower until they’d checked it out. They wouldn’t let her up there. And she had to see the place Kyle had fallen from, see it for herself, see if there was anything to tell her who had done this terrible thing.
The tower was deserted. It was late. The staircase was dimly lit, by only one small light at the top of each flight of stairs. Hardly enough to see by. It was cold in the stairwell, and silent. Her footsteps echoed so loudly on the stone steps, she was sure the people outside would hear and come to see what she was up to.
Third floor…fourth floor…out of breath…keep going…have to see if Kyle’s attacker left anything, anything at all…
Fifth floor, one more flight…ah! the door to the sixth floor.
She hesitated. He wouldn’t still be around, would he…Kyle’s attacker?
No. He would have left the moment he saw the crowd gathering. No one who had done what he’d done
The figure slammed into the awning over the second floor deck and bounced off, arching up again before he made his final descent.
The arms and legs no longer flailed.
In her mind, Alex heard the awful thud when the figure slammed into the ground.
Then he lay still, arms and legs sprawled awkwardly.
People who had been walking across campus began running toward the unmoving figure.
Alex, so ill she could barely stand, sagged against the window. “Someone,” she whispered, “someone was thrown off the tower.”
No one heard her.
She took a deep, cleansing breath and whirled away from the window. No one was paying any attention. People were rummaging through a pile of CD’s in one corner of the room and people in the middle of the room were making a futile attempt to dance, and other people were lying on the floor tossing popcorn at each other, but no one was paying any attention to the fact that someone had just been thrown off the sixth-floor observation deck of the tower.
“Someone fell !” she screamed, and this time everyone stopped what they were doing and looked. “From the tower! Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
Then, as someone reached for the phone, Alex stumbled through the crowd to the door and ran out of the room.
Followed by Amber and Jill, Alex raced out of the building and to the tower.
A crowd had already gathered. Alex, her breath coming in ragged gasps, pushed her way through it. And saw Marty, kneeling on the ground beside…Kyle!
It was Kyle she had watched go off that tower. Kyle…
He was lying on his back, a spreading puddle of red covering the grass underneath his blond hair. He wasn’t moving, but…Alex’s eyes moved quickly to his chest…he was breathing.
Her knees gave, and she sank to the ground, close to Marty.
“He’s not dead,” Marty said quickly. He looked up, glancing around the crowd, and repeated, “He’s not dead.” Bennett and Gabe, who were close by, nodded. Jenny and Kiki, their faces a sickly yellow in the tower lights, stood next to them, crying, their hands over their mouths.
“Did he jump?” a voice in the crowd asked.
“No!” Alex cried, furious. “He didn’t!” She would have added then, “He was thrown over the side.” But even as someone said casually, “Well, people have jumped from there, you know,” sirens screamed, and Alex got to her feet. There was something she had to do.
Without a word to anyone, she turned and pushed back through the crowd, ignoring Marty’s shocked, “Alex? Where—?”
She ran to the tower entrance, praying it wouldn’t be locked.
It wasn’t. Yanking the heavy door open, she went inside and ran straight to the stairs. No time to wait for the elevator to the sixth floor. If the police came with the ambulance, as they probably would, they wouldn’t let anyone into the tower until they’d checked it out. They wouldn’t let her up there. And she had to see the place Kyle had fallen from, see it for herself, see if there was anything to tell her who had done this terrible thing.
The tower was deserted. It was late. The staircase was dimly lit, by only one small light at the top of each flight of stairs. Hardly enough to see by. It was cold in the stairwell, and silent. Her footsteps echoed so loudly on the stone steps, she was sure the people outside would hear and come to see what she was up to.
Third floor…fourth floor…out of breath…keep going…have to see if Kyle’s attacker left anything, anything at all…
Fifth floor, one more flight…ah! the door to the sixth floor.
She hesitated. He wouldn’t still be around, would he…Kyle’s attacker?
No. He would have left the moment he saw the crowd gathering. No one who had done what he’d done
Similar Books
