Little Assassins

#1 Jeremy (2-04-06)

Short blonde hair stirring in the cold January breeze, Jeremy walked towards his first period class, science. Science had always intrigued the boy. He wanted to know the ins and outs of the world and its many wonders. He fancied himself an intellectual, though he was only thirteen, and picked up on things quickly.
The door came open with a "swish" as he entered the classroom; all eyes turning to the door. He viewed the children, seated at their seperate tables, until his eyes came to his friends.
Hunter and Kala sat at a table near the front of the class, Kala wearing a smile, Hunter wearing his customarily somber expression.
"Scoot over," Jeremy said to Hunter who was taking up his spot at the end of the table.
"Hey, Jeremy! Hows your morning gone so far?" Kala asked with her usual bounciness as Jeremy tossed his backpack to the ground.
"Strange," he said ominously. "I kept getting the crazy feeling that I was being followed on the way up here."
"Wierd," Hunter said halfheartedly. "Perhaps its a big black man named Bubba whos going to rape you after school."
Jeremy smiled as his dry humor and shook his head. "Ya I'll just bet thats what it is. He will probably be carrying around a pineapple that hes named George. Not only that, but he will be in full SCUBA gear."
"Probably," was his only response.
"Hunter," Kala started, "are you alright? I mean, you seem more dead than usual."
"No, Im fine. Its just that on the way to school this morning -I- kept getting the feeling that I was being followed. Only thing about it was, I saw the guy."
"What happened?" Jeremy prodded.
"I turned around and asked him, 'Eh! Who are you?' in a nonchalant manner. Just to see what he would say, ya know? Well he told me his name was Bubba. Guess what color his skin was."
"That is -so- wierd," said Kala. "Now that you guys say you felt like you were being followed this morning, I kinda think I was being followed too. But its way easier to just say we are all crazy and learn about science!"
The three laughed and made additional jokes concerning paranoia and the heebie-jeebies until class started.
Jeremy had already taken in a page of notes by the time Hunter's eyes began to glaze with sleepiness. Kala was hard at work drawing a character from her latest comic, oblivious to the teacher's words.
Jeremy just sighed and returned to his notebook.
There came a sharp series of knocks at the door about halfway through the class. A teacher, Mr. Smithson, popped his head in the room.
"May I borrow Jeremy for just a moment please?" he asked.
The teacher nodded his head and signaled for Jeremy to grab his things and leave.
Jeremy gathered up his books and headed for the door. 'What did I do this time,' he wondered. 'Only first period and Im already being taken from class. Sheesh.'
The sidewalk was desolate in between classes and the two were all alone.
"Well well well. The great Jeremy Holder. How goes your schooling, Jeremy?" Smithson said.
"Alright, I guess," he replied, somewhat confused. "Everything seems to be going along just fine."
"That it does, that it does," he said. "Do you know why you've been pulled from your classroom, younge one?"
"No sir. Its much too early for me to have done anything wrong, isn't it? I dont see how I could be in any trouble here."
"Oh, quite the contrary my boy. Your going to recieve a very high honor."
'An honor!' he thought excitedly. 'I wonder what its for!'
"Dear boy," the teacher started, "will you do me a favor and read me that sign out there. My eyes just aren't what they used to be."
Jeremy looked out in the direction the teacher had pointed but saw no sign, only an empty field. "Im not seeing..." he started to reply. He could not finish his sentence, however, because he started to feel slightly dizzy. A white cloth, white and damp, had somehow found its way to his face. He blinked several times, not sure if what he was experiencing was a dream or reality. His vision blurred and the colors of his world started to shift and swirl.
"Goodnight, special child," the teacher's voice echoed in his mind. It seemed...so far away to Jeremy. Almost like he was miles and miles away from anybody or anything.
Then it was only black.
The blackest of blacks.