Chaos
When the teacher eventually found him, he was soaked in tears. In a feeble attempt to clear the mess he'd made, his fingers trembled violently, and his lips quivered accordingly.
Slowly and carefully, the teacher approached, trying to make sense of what was going on. His sobbing had immediately alerted her, and she was beyond puzzled to find no student in the class. It was the red-stained floor that prompted her to ask the entirely wrong question. He answered much too fast, and she couldn't get the authorities on him fast enough.
In Pain
She knelt beside him, her mind racing with questions. As she examined him more closely for other injuries, she came up short of anything noteworthy.
As her brain was flooded with waves of irrational thoughts, panic overtook her, paralyzing her entirely. A deep breath was forced, and she did her utmost to pretend that everything was under control. The boy obviously needed to be rushed to the ER as soon as possible.
Looking For Something Greater
In contrast, this was supposed to be nothing but a peaceful and fulfilling job for Amelia Emerson. Amelia was extremely passionate about living a life that she adored and was proud of, and she always went the extra mile to make it happen.
Her lack of ability to handle hostile environments led her to opt out of many professions. An elementary school is supposed to be a safe and quiet place to teach math. Her fate lay in the hands of evils she didn't even know existed.
Home Away From Home
As an elementary school student at Greenwood Elementary, Amelia felt at home right away. Her faith in this school was strengthened by the staff and kids welcoming her as one of their own.
Her experiences as a teacher continued to grow even after two years. These gloomy days followed all those sunny ones, but she didn't realize how soon they would end.
Morning Showers
During the very first week of the fall semester, the harrowing incident occurred. Everybody in Amelia's town wished they could stay home cuddled beside a fireplace or in bed because of the constant thunderstorms.
On Monday morning, Amelia was already busy preparing for her first period in the staffroom two whole hours before class began. A terrible person was headed straight for her; if only she had known.
Uncomfortable
As Amelia patiently waited for her students to arrive, she casually sipped on her morning coffee. It was the dreary weather in her town that had always attracted her; it was a major reason that she moved there in the first place.
Rain was always on her mind, so she was drawn to it. Nonetheless, everything seemed totally out of place today. It was wildly hard for her to shake the ominous feelings she had.
Minds Far Away
Each teacher approached Amelia's desk one by one, wishing her well. The rain and how it was making everything difficult were topics of discussion during their commutes to work and the night before.
With her usual smile, Amelia engaged them. However, she was not in the mood for a conversation today. Despite the rain, she kept gazing at the parking lot outside. She seemed to be ill today; what was the problem?
Hear Me
Amelia always had a smile that disarmingly radiated joy and happiness. It was as if she had become someone totally different today. There was something in her mind that constantly clawed at her mind, warning her that something awful was about to happen.
However, Amelia ignored that voice, focusing instead on the activities of the day. She finished her coffee just as the school bell rang. She wouldn't make it to class that day.
Taking Attendance
The kids hurried to their classes as Amelia gathered all her needed teaching equipment. It was something about stepping into a packed class and imparting knowledge that gave her a sense of fulfillment.
The feeling that had ensnared her heart almost crippled her hope that teaching would help. In this space, she had a sense of safety, and everything was possible. Nevertheless, what she would find would require far more than what she could fix in one day.
Thumbs Up
After waiting until the hall cleared, Amelia got up and headed for her first class. Whatever the time of day, Greenwood's hallways were always bright and welcoming. No exception was made today.
She stifled the unpleasant feeling clawing at her insides and clung tightly to her books, pens, and rulers. In just being here, she felt at peace. Soon enough, however, all of that would be turned upside down.
Sobbing
As Amelia turned a corner, her ears caught the sound of sobbing. She slowed, her sight sweeping the empty hall before and behind her. Did she imagine it, or was a boy in distress?
She stepped forward, concluding that it was all in her head. But the sound came again, this time rooting her in place. What was happening?
Is It All In Her Head?
Amelia listened in carefully, sharpening her hearing as much as possible. Although all the kids were in their respective classes, they were yet to settle down.
Their chatter was enough to drown what Amelia was trying to pinpoint. She'd have difficulty ascertaining whether what she heard was a figment of her imagination or if someone needed help.
There It Is Again
The sound slithered through the hallway, making her brows furrow. She bit into her lip, trying to isolate the sound from the chatter noise that had long blanketed the hallway.
Amelia's eyes narrowed as the sound came again. A child was crying somewhere in the expanse of the school. The teacher turned around, trying to determine where the sound was coming from. If only she knew this would end with her in the hospital with officers taking her statement.
Searching
Amelia started walking around from one end of the hallway to the other, hoping to pinpoint the sound's source. She wouldn't be able to concentrate in class knowing a child was in distress.
She'd call another teacher to cover her period if needed. But her brave nature would lead her to make a bloodcurdling discovery that would mark her for the rest of her life.
Door To Door
Amelia spent the next ten minutes wandering the hallway. She moved from door to door, listening in to see if she was getting closer to the child.
Students were already staring at her through the window, wondering what Miss Emerson was doing. But that didn't matter to Amelia. Her mind was focused on her goal, not knowing what she'd find would change her life forever.
The Washroom
It took her a good fifteen minutes to reach the boy's washroom. Amelia's heart throbbed as she realized the cries and sobs were coming from the other side of the green door before her.
Amelia had already called in favor of the other math teacher to take care of her period. As gently as she could, she knocked on the bathroom door.
Boundaries
"Hello?" Amelia called. She knew she couldn't barge into the washroom, no matter how badly she wanted to. She didn't want to spook whoever was inside.
The cries and sobs halted as soon as she spoke, making her brows quirk. "Hello," she called again, this time with a softer voice. "Is everything okay? Do you need help?"
Go In!
The answer was a brief silence followed by shuffling of feet. Something squeaked on the floor before whoever was inside the washroom yelped.
That was Amelia's cue. Whatever reason she had for standing back flew out the window, and Amelia pushed the door open and walked in. But what she saw had her taking a step back.
I’ve Seen It All
In the two years that Amelia had been a teacher at Greenwood Elementary, she'd seen everything that teaching had to offer.
She'd been through the best of the best while also wading through the worst. Each of these experiences informed the person she was today. She was confident nothing could frighten her anymore. Well, that was until she walked through that green door.
Is It Empty?
Concerned, Amelia stepped into the washroom. The school was usually filled with the cheerful chatter and screams of children, but the sobbing that brought her here was different. It was a cry of anguish.
Pushing open the door farther, Amelia entered cautiously, her eyes scanning the room. At first, she couldn't make out anything. The walls were a bright white, and the floor a creamy taupe. But as she neared the first stall, she saw it.
She Sees Him
The sight that greeted her tugged at her heartstrings. There, huddled inside the first stall, was a little boy named Todd.
Tears streamed down his face as he frantically tried to clean up a mess on the bathroom floor. Amelia thought he'd made a mess while using the bathroom until she got close enough to see what was happening. A cold chill shot up her spine.
Help Him
Amelia's instincts kicked in, and she rushed closer to Todd, but she froze the moment she saw what was happening. "Hey there," she said even as she held back a retch. She'd long been squeamish, and the red liquid trailing down Todd's hand didn't help one bit.
She took a deep breath, knowing this moment wasn't about her. She needed to stabilize Todd's situation before asking him questions. But was she ready for what she would hear?
Forcing Herself To Act
Even though Amelia had never faced anything like this before, she was always able to act in the face of danger. However, this time was different. This time she was frozen in place.
She had to will her body to move even though it was protesting on the deepest of levels. What on earth had she just walked in on? What was little Todd doing in that stall?
As She Got Closer
After a few failed attempts, Amelia got herself to move, and she inched closer to the little boy. But as she did, his behavior shifted completely.
He was wiping his hands across the floor in an attempt to hide something. But instead, he was just making more of a mess. That was when she realized that something was incredibly wrong.
He Cried Even More
With each step she took, Todd’s cries became louder and more severe. It wasn’t just a soft sob anymore. It was a full-blown hysterical cry.
This confused the young teacher even more as she was just trying to help, and she thought the little boy would appreciate that. But then she saw what he was trying to hide, and her protective instinct went into overdrive.
What On Earth Was Going On?
Scattered around the young boy were a bunch of vials and syringes. That was what he was trying so hard to hide, and the teacher couldn’t help but wonder why that would be.
Was he dragged into some illegal activity? Was he being used to transport narcotics? The thought was just as bad as the sight in front of her, and she needed to decide what she had to focus on first.
What Were Those Things?
Amelia decided that her focus should be on her young student as he needed help as soon as possible. But that didn’t mean she was going to let this situation slide.
She needed to find out what was going on there, and she needed to do it right away. If her student was in some kind of trouble, she needed to get him out of it before it was too late.
Cleaning The Wound
Ignoring the questionable sachets and vials by his legs, she helped Todd to his feet, informing him they needed to clean his wound.
She couldn't ask him what had happened. Not now when he needed first aid. But as she held his hand over the sink to clean it, Todd mumbled something that gave her a clue about what had happened.
What Happened
"My dad," Todd cried. He kept wincing and grinding his teeth, clearly trying to stamp the pain. His tears wouldn't stop flowing down his cheeks, and his fingers wouldn't stop trembling.
The sink turned crimson from his hand. No matter how much water Amelia ran on it. She couldn't breathe clearly, and her mind kept screaming that she was doing something wrong. She needed help.
Not Fit Enough
Amelia’s mind was screaming, reminding her that she wasn’t fit enough for what she was trying to do. And her body reacted.
She felt her stomach knotting together as a lump rose up in her throat. She was on the verge of getting sick, but she knew she couldn’t afford that, at least not at that point in time. Todd needed her, and she couldn’t let him down. But could she do what needed to be done?
No Training
Amelia was still trying to get her first-aid certificate. She hadn’t even started the course yet. And she had absolutely no training in dealing with wounds, especially not wounds that deep.
That was what got to her the most. It was what had her mind spinning at a thousand miles a minute. It was what had her questioning every move she made. Was she doing the right thing? Or would her actions cause more harm?
So Severe
The injury Todd had sustained was so severe. There was a long cut along his hand, and the bleeding seemed to be getting worse.
The more she kept it under water, the more it looked like more crimson was spilling from his hand. But was that really the case? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her?
She Couldn’t Do It
There was a voice in Amelia’s mind. A constant reminder that she couldn’t do it. That this was beyond her expertise and that she should give up before things took a turn for the worse.
But she tried her best to suppress it. Amelia knew that this was way out of her league, but she would still try her best to do what she could until Todd got the help he needed.
He Needed Medical Attention
It was clear that Todd needed medical attention, or at least to have his hand patched up by someone who knew what they were doing.
But until they got to that point, Amelia was his only option, and she would do whatever it took to get him the help he needed. That thought brought her back to what she had seen earlier. Why did Todd have all those vials, to begin with?
Don’t Listen
Amelia suppressed the voice that was bringing her down and kept on doing what she was doing. Todd was among the best kids in her class, and she'd give anything to take away his pain. She rinsed his hand until the bleeding stopped and kept assuring him everything would be fine.
But each time she'd speak to him, he'd say the same thing repeatedly. What had his dad done that had landed him in this difficult position?
Racing Mind
The more Todd mentioned his dad, the more Amelia’s mind began to race. She couldn’t help but wonder how the man was involved in what she had seen. And since she didn’t know what the bottles contained, she could only think of the worst.
Was this young boy really dragged into something he shouldn’t have been a part of? Was his dad doing sinister things behind closed doors?
So Many Questions
Amelia had so many questions passing through her mind. She had seen so many shows, and she had even met parents who didn’t have their children’s best interests at heart.
Was that what was going on with little Todd? Was he a part of something bigger? Something that could have dire consequences for all those involved?
Even More Assumptions
The more her mind wandered, the more assumptions Amelia came up with. She had thought of every possible scenario. She tried to play off everything she saw.
But there was no denying the facts. Her young student was in a bathroom, surrounded by vials, packages, and syringes. And he tried his best to hide them from her when she arrived. Why was that?
How Was His Dad Involved?
And how on earth was his dad involved in everything that occurred that day? Amelia had met the man. She had spent time with him at parent-teacher conferences. She had spoken to him more than any other parent.
And he didn’t seem to be the type of man that didn’t care about his son. He didn’t seem like the type who would do the things she thought of. Was she wrong for believing that?
What Could She Do About It?
Amelia felt that she might’ve been wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time she misjudged someone, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But what would she do about it?
Would she leave the little boy to his fate so she wouldn’t have to intervene and get in trouble? Or would she do her duty as a teacher and report what she found?
This Is Her Calling
"It's okay, Todd," Amelia would say after each of Todd's painful refrains. She was starting to realize that this was where she was meant to be all her life, helping kids that needed her. "You're safe now. He won't get you."
But Todd pushed himself away from her, rushing to the mess he'd created in the stall. Amelia hadn't seen it before, but she gasped when her sight caught it. She couldn't rush down to Todd fast enough.
Insulin
"I-I didn't mean to make a mess," Todd whimpered. "It was an accident." He started picking up the vials, which Amelia could now see were tiny insulin bottles.
A few of the vials had scattered on the floor, and beside them, one had shattered into several sharp pieces. Understanding dawned on Amelia, and she hurried down to help.
Sharp Glass
"Oh, Todd, it's okay. Accidents happen." Amelia realized that Todd had cut himself on one of the pieces. She helped him pick up the vials, knowing he needed to go to the school nurse immediately.
"But why do you have insulin vials? Are they yours?" she asked. Todd looked at her, his lips still trembling. "They're for my dad. He has diabetes, and he needs them to stay healthy. I accidentally put them in my bag this morning. Now he won't have them, and he might get sick."
We Need To Get These To Him
Amelia's heart sank. She realized the gravity of the situation. "Alright, Todd, we need to act quickly. Can you tell me where your dad is right now?"
Todd nodded again, his eyes filled with hope, although he'd wince periodically from the pain in his arm. Amelia took him to the nurse, not knowing that something terrible was happening across town.
A Phone Call
While Todd was at the nurse, Amelia called the company Todd had told her his dad worked. But whoever answered told her they hadn't seen Todd's dad, and he wasn’t picking up their calls.
The panic that had taken over Amelia in the boys' washroom fell over. "No, no," she started, pressing 911 as she rushed back to the nurse's office to talk to Todd. But would she make it in time?