Chapter 2

It was the first day of classes at Waterfall Academy. Everyone was excited for the new year. Alex and Violet woke up at the same time, with a room as small as theirs, there was no sleeping through your roommates alarm. Alex put on her uniform, and her backpack but waited for Violet. Violet took her time getting ready, fiddling with her uniform a lot.

“You can mess with it all you want,” Alex said, “but its not going to look any better.” Then she added, “Everyone will look the same anyways.”

    Violet sighed, the uniform was pretty bad. She was just going to have to except it.

They left for breakfast before class. When they finally got to the cafeteria, all they had time for was a yogurt and a banana to eat on the way to the first class. This upset Alex because she knew breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Violet was unfazed because this was normal for her.

The two girls did not have their first class together, but the classrooms were next to each other, so they could walk together. In the daylight, the campus looked very different to Violet. At night it was dark and almost dirty looking but, now it was bright and beautiful. It looked like a grand, older college. They separated when they got to their classes.

Violet’s first class was history, not a very hard subject but, this school was supposed to be challenging. She sat near the back and just observed. All the students seemed very disciplined. Even though it was just the first day, Violet could already tell the class was high level and she was going to need to pay very close attention.  Then, the bell rang and it was time for the next class.

Violet walked out and saw that Alex was waiting for her. They walked to their next class, which they actually had together. Alex spoke of her class that she had just attended. She talked about how hard it was going to be and how it really was going to be worth it. Violet did not really listen or add to the conversation, she was all a little overwhelmed by her new surroundings. Finally they got to their class. Alex took a seat in the front and Violet, in the back.  The class went by slowly and when it finally ended, Alex rushed out, leaving Violet to find her next class by herself.

Finding the class was not that hard, it was in the same building as her previous class. It was art, a class she didn't do the best in but, enjoyed very much. She knew nobody in the class, all of Alex’s friends took more academic classes then art and she hadn't met anyone else.

After art, she had lunch. Alex told her to meet in Mr. Ives room, but she had no idea where that was and none of Alex’s friends were in sight. She decided to ask someone for directions. She made eye contact with a boy who looked friendly.

“Hello,” Violet greeted him.

“Hi,” the boy responded.

“Can you tell me where Mr Ives class is?” she asked.

    The boys expression changed when she asked him. He looked surprised, like he didn't think she would eat there. Great, she thought, I’m eating with the nerds. He still pointed her in the right direction.

    Soon enough, she found the class. Alex and her friends were already there. They were sitting in a circle of chairs with who she thought must have been Mr Ives sitting with them.

“Mr Ives, This is Violet,” Alex introduced.

“Hi, nice to meet you!” Violet exclaimed.

“Hello, its nice to meet you too,” the teacher replied.

    For the rest of lunch she sat with the group, not saying much. She was still getting a feel for everything. She saw why they liked spending lunch in Mr. Ives class, he was interesting and charismatic.  They had discussions of their summer trips, the classes they were excited for and current events. Mr. Ives had input on all of them and he didn't say anything like he was a teacher talking to a group of students but like he was an adult talking to other adults. This was refreshing for Violet.

    After lunch, the day went by very quickly. Just a few, quick easy classes. Then it was time to go back to Mr. Ives to study. The teachers were encouraged to stay after school to offer help. When she got there, only Alex had arrived. Mr Ives saw this as an opportunity to get to know Violet more.
“So Violet, do you like the school so far?” Mr Ives questioned.

“Yes, I like it a lot better than the school I went to last year,” Violet replied. “Its a lot more academic.”

Thats when the rest of Alex friends walked in. Violet was having more and more good conversations with them. She would almost call them her friends too. She also really liked Mr. Ives. It was going to be a really fun year spending time in his class.

At Violets old school, the first week or so was spent getting to know the students and the teachers, learning about how the class worked. At Waterfall Academy, they already had homework and were learning already. The school year was only going to get harder too.

“Can someone help me with the history homework?” Violet asked. All sophomores took the same history class at the school.

“Yeah, you do it like this,” replied the girl Violet spoke with at dinner last night. She had glasses and Violet learned her name was Marcy. She explained all of what Violet needed help with, which was very considerate of her.

Violet talked and learned the names of all of the group. There was Kim, Megan and Ella. There were also a few boys, Jason and Matt. She learned the group had been hanging out in Mr. Ives classroom since the beginning of their freshman year. They were all new and found friends in each other when they realized they had the best grades in the school.

When they finished it was time for dinner. They were all really tired and ate without much conversation. Violet learned that the food at the cafeteria was not particularly good, She thought, is any food that comes from something called a cafeteria good?

Alex and Violet walked back to their room together after they finished eating. Both of the girls were tired but Alex felt compelled to ask how Violets day went.

“Did you have a good day? Are you actually likely the school?” asked Alex.

“It was actually really good, I’m really liking it. Your friends are actually really fun.” Violet replied. She was being honest, this was way better than her school at home.

“Thats great, we liked being with you too!” Alex exclaimed. The comment was meant to be nice but thats when Violet realized Alex thought she was questionable. She would just have to try harder to be her friend.

They got ready for bed quickly and went to sleep pretty early. Before Violet went to sleep she thought about how the day went. Her classes went good, she was excited to be in the classes she was. She had always loved learning new things. Her new friends were likeable and smart. It was refreshing for Violet to have a heated, fast pace conversation with someone about academic things. This year was going to be a good year, she thought.

The next few weeks went by quickly. There was so much work to do in Violets classes. Everyday she ate lunch, and studied after school  in Mr Ives class with her new friends. They had gotten quite close. She even hung out with a few of them without Alex a few times. Her grades were higher than they had ever been. After getting 100% on a particularly hard English class, she decided it was time to call her parents to tell her how she had been doing.

“Hello? Mom, Dad? Are you guys there?” Violet shouted into the phone. They were not allowed to have cell phones at Waterfall Academy but calling your parents was encouraged. You would have to use the phone in the office.

“Yes! Were here! How have you been doing?” Violets mother exclaimed on the other end.
“Good! I actually called to tell you how I’m doing really great! I have A’s in all my classes!” she responded.

“Thats amazing!” Her mother responded.

After a few more minutes of catching up, they said goodbye to each other. Violets parents were the most proud they had ever been of her and she couldn't have been happier about it.

It was almost 10:00, which meant time for lights out, so she hurried back to her room to finish her homework and go to bed.

It was hard to get good grades at this school. They homework seemed to be never ending. She did some during lunch, before dinner and after dinner. She thought it was probably because of her new friends. They were great influences on her. They were nice, always did their work and never got into trouble.

Violet had developed a closer relationship with her roommate, Alex. They were hardly ever seen apart. They had inside jokes and sometimes could even tell what the other person what the other person was thinking.

One day, Violet, Alex and the rest of their friends went to Mr. Ives class for lunch. When they got there, the door was unlocked but Mr. Ives was nowhere to be seen. They thought he had just gone to the bathroom or get some food so they sat down, starting to eat and study.  They were so into their studying and conversations that it wasn't until the end of lunch they realized Mr Ives had still not came back from where ever he was. He did not have any classes before lunch, so they thought he may have not showed up to school yet. They knew better to worry over nothing.

They went along with the day. Violet  and Marcy had a science test they were worried about.  Alex, Ella, and Matt had an art project they were not looking forward to, mostly because none of them were particularly creative. Megan and Jason just wanted to get done with the day so they could finally relax.

When everyone was done with their classes they went back to Mr. Ive’s classroom to see if he was there yet. They got there and were extremely surprised when he was not. After eating lunch and studying after school in his class for over a year, they had never seen him have one sick day.  He even once mentioned to them that he hadn't missed a day of school since he started teaching at Waterfall academy, over ten years ago.

    The door was still unlocked and they still needed a place to study so they went inside and got down to business. They tried not to worry about it because everyone gets sick eventually but in the back of their minds they were all a little worried.

    “If he isn't back tomorrow, we have to go talk to the headmaster,” Marcy broke the silence.

“I think thats a little dramatic,” Ella responded.

“I agree with Marcy, it seemed like he was perfect yesterday so it is a little suspicious that he isnt here,” Matt added.

“Why dont we just see if he is here tomorrow and decide what to do then?” Alex reasoned with everyone. They all agreed with her. 

At dinner that night, everyone was a little tense. Everyone in the group was worried. They didn't really like change or not knowing what is going on, so the situation was stressful for everyone. They tried not to think up things that happened to Mr. Ives, but it was hard. They finished eating quickly and went to bed.

That night, Violet laid awake thinking about the teacher. What if he never came back? Where would they go for lunch and study time? What on earth happened to Mr. Ives? Those were some of the questions going through her mind. She finally pushed away the bad thoughts and went to sleep. She convinced herself that Mr. Ives not coming back would be crazy and would never happen.

Next to Violet, Alex lay awake thinking of similar things. Spending time in Mr. Ives room was all she had ever known at Waterfall Academy. She didn't want to think bad things but Mr. Ives was really old and something could have bad happened to him. She was starting to freak out. That night she couldn't sleep at all.

The next day, everyones morning classes went by dreadfully slow. They all needed to get to lunch in Mr. Ives class to check on him. When the fourth period bell rang they all practically ran to his classroom.

Ella was the first person to get there, she quickly opened the door and sighed with relief when they saw and older man with gray hair writing something on the board. Everyone else had showed up a few seconds later and were also relieved. Then the man turned around to reveal that it wasn't actually Mr. Ives. They all gasped in surprise.

“Oh! Hello children, I’m the substitute for Mr. Ives,” the older man introduced himself.

“Why are you here? Where is Mr. Ives? What is going on?” the whole group asked so many questions at once.

“I’m not sure, the headmaster called me yesterday to fill in for him. Are you here for class?” the man responded.

It was obvious the substitute had no idea about the situation. They thanked him, said goodbye and left.

“Now can we go to the headmaster to see what is going on?” Ella asked.

They are finally agreed and started walking to his office. He was familiar with all of them, not because they got in trouble but because they got such good grades.

“Hello, everyone. Its nice to see you!” the headmaster welcomed them in.

“Hello, can we talk to you about Mr. Ives?” Marcy asked without any hesitation.

All of a sudden, the headmaster got uncomfortable.

“I would tell you if I could, but I don’t know anything,” he replied, “All I know is, I had to have someone teaching the class so I got that substitute.”

It became clear that nobody knew what was going on with Mr. Ives.

Kim’s stomach let out a growl. They realized that lunch was almost over and none of them had eaten. They formed a plan to ask their teachers in their next classes if they knew the whereabouts of Mr. Ives. Then they walked to their classes, eating on the way.

During the next several periods, everyone asked their teachers if they knew where Mr. Ives had gone. Not a single teacher knew. Some responded maybe he is sick, everyone gets sick at some point. Other teachers prefered to not make anything up but tried to convince them that they were sure everything was going fine.

    The group had to know what happened to Mr. Ives. During dinner they hatched a plan to find out what happened to him. After dinner they were going to do research to figure it out. Alex and Violet were going to look him up online. Ella, Kim and Marcy were going to try the school directory. Matt and Jason were going to ask other students who had his class if they knew. They quickly ate their dinner and set off to find out information.

    Alex and Violet got to their room and pulled out Violet’s laptop. They searched his name and nothing came up. They werent really surprised because it didn't seem like Mr. Ives was the type to be online all the time. They looked a little more and gave up. They went to bed and hoped the other people had more success.

    Ella, Kim and Marcy read the school’s directory front to back, hoping to find Mr. Ives personal phone number. They had little lunch, all they found was his email, his classroom’s phone number and room number. While the email option did seem good, they knew he never went near a computer unless he was at school. Thats when got an idea.

“We could try the phone book!” she exclaimed.

The two other girls agreed and hurriedly went to find one. Finally, they did but they were worried because it looked a little out dated. They opened it to the I section and looked for his name and number. They found it!

    Kim was the one to call. It rang for a long time and they were just about to give up hope when someone answered.

“Hello? Mr. Ives? Is this you?” Kim inquired.

“Sorry, no this is not his number,” a young womans voice responded.

    Jason and Matt asked everyone in the dorms if they knew anything about Mr Ives. Most people didn't, they only knew he had been gone for the past two days and had a substitute today.

    Finally they came across a junior with valuable in formation. His parents lived next door to him! They got the address and thanked him. The whole group would go the next time they had the opportunity to go off campus, which was friday, in two days. Ella’s older brother had a car, so they could probably borrow that and get to the bottom of the situation. They couldn't wait until they could tell the rest of their friends.

In the mornings, all of the friends did not normally have breakfast together. But on this Thursday, it was absolutely necessary to eat together to talk about the plan for the next day.

They had to got to all their classes first. Then they would hurry to the office where they could sign out. In Ella’s brother’s car they would get their and simply knock on the door.

They didn't think of plans any farther than that. Nobody wanted to think about, what if he didn't answer the door or if someone was there to tell them bad news.

Thursday’s and Friday’s classes went by extremely slow, they were all anxious to get to Mr. Ives house. They still had no word from him and were still worried. The whole school had even noticed and were suspicious. He was the most popular teacher and needed to get back to teaching.

Finally, they were done with classes for the week and could leave the campus. They quickly rushed to the office to sign out. The office were surprised to see them because they never went any where.

Ella was going to drive them, after all it was her brothers car. Everyone was nervous because none of them had much experience driving, even Ella. Mr. Ives house was only a few miles away, so they thought they would survive the car ride.

It took them way longer than it should have to drive to the teachers house. They got lost a few times on the way and friday traffic was horrible, but eventually, they got there.

From the outside, Mr. Ives house looked empty. All the lights were off and no cars were in the front. They still went to knock on the door, you never know, some people just like to have the lights off. However, when they knocked on the door, much to their surprise nobody answered.

They were extremely disappointed. They had been looking for Mr. Ives for a whole week and still had no idea where he was.

“We drove all the way over here. We can't just give up now,” Jason stated.

“What are we supposed to do? Break in?” Marcy replied sarcastically.

Everyone got quiet and looked at their feet.

“We can't break in! Its against the law! He is our teacher!” she added frantically.

Everyone remained quiet for a few moments until Violet spoke up.

“I think its important enough to all of us, that its okay if we bend some rules to find out what happened to Mr. Ives,” she whispered just loud enough for her friends to hear.

They had taken the responsibility of finding Mr. Ives and they had to do whatever it was going to take. They had to break into his house.

The group decided they would have better luck if they went to the back of the house. The tried all the back doors and windows but had no luck. Then they say a dog door and everyone turned toward Alex. She was the smallest of the group by a lot.

    “What are you crazy? I would get stuck!” she exclaimed louder than someone who was breaking to a house should talk.

    It took very little convincing before they got her to do it, she was a people pleaser.  She simply crawled in and opened the door for the rest of her friends. Breaking it was a lot easier than they thought it would be!

    Half of the group looked upstairs and the other half looked downstairs. Upstairs, Kim, Violet, and Matt looked for clues to tell them where Mr. Ives was. It looked like nobody had been home for a few days and was a little messier than they thought it would. Mr. Ives class was always in perfect condition, nothing was ever out of place. However they knew he lived with his wife, so maybe she was a little messier than he was.

Alex, Marcy, Ella, and Matt looked downstairs. They also found that it looked like nobody had been home for a few days. The home phone had a lot of unanswered voicemails and some things were even a little dusty. 

Both groups met back at Ella’s brother’s car when they were done looking around. They came to the conclusion that neither Mr. Ives or his wife had been home in a few days. They did all of this for nothing! They risked going to jail and they were still in the same place they started. They drove home in silence.

When they got back to Waterfall Academy it was time for dinner. It was only when they sat down someone broke the silence.

“Maybe we should go back to the headmaster,” Matt stated.

“Maybe we should go to the police,” Marcy responded.

They thought about their options for a few moments. Then came to the conclusion that they should talk to the headmaster about talking to the police.  Since it was friday night and the headmaster wasn't on campus over the weekend, they would have to wait until Monday.

Eventually, Monday came. They had all been waiting all weekend for it so they could talk to the headmaster. After their classes they went straight to his office. 

“Hello, its nice to see you again,” the headmaster greeted them as they walked through the door to his office.

“Hello, how are you doing?” they greeted back. After some small talk they got down to business.

“We really need to find out where Mr. Ives is!” Alex stated.

“I know, we are trying to find out,” he replied calmly. If someone were looking close enough, they could see him roll his eyes at the comment. Of course thats what they were he for, he thought.

“I think we should call the police!” Violet declared. “Isnt he a missing person by now?”

The headmaster rolled his eyes again, this time more visibly. He was conflicted, he needed to find his teachers but he didn't know what to do. He wasn't really qualified for this headmaster job of his.  Was calling the police the protocol or too extreme?

“If you aren't going to do it, then we will!” Marcy protested.

“Okay! Okay! We will call them!” the frustrated headmaster responded.

He dialed the local police with the phone on his desk. He put it on speaker so all of the students could hear.

“Hello, this is the Waterfall City police.” A woman on the other end of the phone answered.

“Ah, hello. This is the headmaster at Waterfall Academy, can I enquire about a teacher that hasn't been heard from in a few day?” he responded.

“Yes, can I have a name?”

“His name is Mr. Ives, we haven't seen him in about a week,” The headmaster was starting to take this seriously now. Thinking about it, a week was a long time to not hear from somebody, especially when they have never missed a day of work.
“Ah, Yes. I will look into it then, call you back,” the woman responded. The tone of her voice changed, it sounded a little more uncomfortable.

They said their goodbyes and the headmaster hung up the phone. He turned to the kids.
“I think it might be at least a few hours, possibly a few days,” the headmaster said, “I will call you back into my office when I find out more information,” he finished before guiding them out of his office.

“I think that was a step in the right direction.” Ella sighed when they got outside.

They all agreed and walked slowly toward the cafeteria for dinner. This week had pulled all the energy out from them. They needed to recharge but knew they wouldn't be able to rest until they found out what happened to Mr. Ives. They had become a little obsessed with it, hardly thinking about anything else. A few times they had even put finding Mr. Ives before their school work, earning them grades that were not bad but not up to their standard.

Meanwhile, in the headmasters office, the police woman had called him back. He couldn't have been more surprised when he heard what happened. He had to get find the group of students to tell them the news, but it was notoriously hard to find out where students were after classes. He was going to have to wait until the morning to tell them.

When Violet, Alex, Ella, Kim, Marcy, Jason and Matt arrived at their first period classes, the first thing the teachers asked them to do was to report to the headmasters office.  This was exciting for them, it meant that the police woman had called the headmaster back! They all rushed to his office.

When they got to the headmasters office, they could immediately tell that he did not have good news to share. Everyone was quiet and solemn. The headmaster was sitting in his desk chair with his face in his hands. The students stood there without saying anything before he finally spoke up.

“Mr. Ives was older then he looked,” the headmaster broke the silence. “He should have retired a few years ago,” he added sadly.

“What do you mean?” Marcy asked with a quivering voice.

“I’m afraid Mr. Ives passed away last week,” he responded, “He had a heart attack last Monday night and died at the hospital on Tuesday.”

They couldn't believe it. How could their favorite teacher have died? Everyone in the room was quietly crying. However, there were still some things that needed to be said.

“You kids can take the day off, you deserve it,” the headmaster sobbed. “On Wednesday, we will have a memorial for him, here at school, I would like it if you kids said some nice words about him.”

They all nodded goodbye and shuffled out the door.
They decided to go to Mr. Ives room to help them remember happy memories of him but when they got there, none of them felt like talking. They just sat in his classroom and tried to think of good times, but it was hard to do so. They thought of his poor little wife, he had shown them pictures of her and she looked like a sweet little old lady. They couldn't help but think what would happen to his classroom and his actual classes which all of them had wanted to take next year. Thinking about it all got too much and they each went to their dorms to lay down.

They had all wanted to know what happened to Mr. Ives but wasn't expecting it to be this bad. They were all devastated, their hearts were broken. 

The headmaster was going to make an announcement of Mr. Ives death during the last period of the day. Classes would be cancelled until Thursday and on Wednesday a memorial would be held in honor of him. This was going to be hard news to hear for all the teachers, staff and students but he had to let them know.

Finally it was the last period of the day, it was the headmasters time to go on the loudspeaker.

“Hello students, staff and teacher of Waterfall Academy. As you know, Mr. Ives had been missing all of last week. I’m sorry to tell you that he has passed away. To remember him there will be no classes until thursday and a memorial will be held Wednesday afternoon,” the headmaster  spoke into the microphone. “We will also have a moment of silence right now.”

The whole school was in shock, they could not believe what happened. Mr. Ives was old but he was so lively and seemed so healthy, they all thought. Most people assumed he was on some crazy adventure, he liked to tell stories of before he was a teacher in his classes. The teacher would be missed greatly.

The next few days went by like a blur. Everyone was confused and sad. They all woke up early for school only to be remember that they didn't have any classes for a very upsetting reason. It hit especially hard Alex, Violet, Marcy, Ella, Kim, Matt and Jason.

The group of friends were sorrowful but found comfort in each other. Everyday they would go into their beloved teachers classroom and just bask in eachothers comfort. Every once in a while someone would break the silence with a happy memory of Mr. Ives.

“Do you guys remember when he told us the story of the lion went he went to Africa over the summer?” Ella whispered sadly. Nobody answered her because it wasn't really a question, just something for them to think about.

An hour or so later Marcy spoke, “Remember the time he practically did our history projects for us because he was frustrated they wernt good enough.” Then she added, “He was such a perfectionist.”

Wednesday morning they all thought about what they were going to say at his memorial later that afternoon. Everyone had known Mr. Ives was very special to them and they were expected to say something meaningful. Before some people would call them his class pets but now no one would dare to say something so insensitive.

When it was finally time to gather in the schools auditorium, everyone was crying again. For some students, it was the first time since they heard he had passed away and for other students, they hadn't ever stopped crying. Violet, Alex, Ella, Kim, Marcy, Jason and Matt were part of the later group.

Everyone sat down for the memorial. They showed a slideshow of pictures of Mr. Ives throughout the years.  Violet, Alex, Ella, Kim, Marcy, Jason and Matt happened to be in quite a few of them because they spent so much time with them.  Other pictures of him were from his youth, when he attended Waterfall Academy and some pictures with his wife. It was nice for everyone to see happy pictures of him.

Then came the speeches, the headmaster went first. He spoke of what a good person Mr. Ives was  and how beneficial he had been to the school. He recalled that Mr. Ives had been teaching at the school for longer than then he had been the headmaster. Then he introduces Violet, Alex, Ella, Kim, Marcy, Jason and Matt to come on to the stage.

Everyone went up there but Alex was the only one who would be speaking. They all loved him but she definitely had bonded with him more than everyone else.

In her speech, she said how Mr. Ives had welcomed her to this school and helped all her friends feel welcome to. He turned the school into her home and she felt like he was part of her family, as well as Violet, Ella, Kim, Marcy, Jason and Matt. She talked about her favorite memories she had of him and recalled some of the best stories he had told her. By the end of her speech the whole auditorium was crying, it was so moving and really portrayed Mr. Ives in an amazing light. It was a good note to end the memorial on.

Everyone left the room with smiles on their faces. They were still sad that Mr. Ives had passes away but they were content because of all the happy memories people shared. Even outside the auditorium, people talked about him with their friends.  They admired his fabulous way of teaching, and cherished the great times they had with him.

Alex and Violet walked back to their dorm room together. Violet remembered that their once was a time in the beginning of the year when she didn't like Alex or the rest of their friends and didn't understand why they thought Mr. Ives was so great. It was funny to think about because Alex and the rest of her friends were some of the best she had ever had and she missed Mr. Ives more than anything at the moment.

Thinking of people she missed reminded her of something, with all that was going on with Mr. Ives she hadn't called her parents in over two weeks. She made her way to the phone and hoped that they wouldn't be too mad at her. They would probably understand the situation.

“Hello? Mom?” she asked when the other line picked up. Then she told her all that had been going on the past week and a half. Thinking about it made start crying again but it felt okay. Her mother was always good at comforting her when she was sad. At the end of the conversation Violet said goodbye to her mother, hung up the phone, and walked back to her dorm room.

When Violet got back to her room she expected Alex to be there. However, her roommate was gone. She didn't think much of it and thought maybe Alex went to call her parents too. She wasn't particularly close with them but with Mr. Ives death and all, Alex could probably use a little support. Violet decided to get some much needed sleep.

When Violet woke up from her nap a few hours later, Alex was back in their room. She was sitting at her desk and appeared to be writing something on a piece of paper.

“What are you up to?” Violet asked sleepily.

Alex jumped a little but then turned around and responded,  “Oh, you’re awake. I’m writing a letter to Mrs. Ives.”

“Thats nice, what are you going to say to her?”
“Nothing interesting, just offering my condolences and telling her how much Mr. Ives really made my experience at Waterfall Academy really great,” Alex answered.

Thats really nice of her, Violet thought. She was glad she had such a nice and thoughtful roommate. She thought it would be nice if everyone in the group they   hung out with wrote a letter as well. She made a mental note to mention it tomorrow when they ate lunch.

Violet yawned and looked at the clock, even though she had just slept for a few hours, it was time to be sleeping.

“I’m going to bed. Alex, you should too,” Violet gently reminded her roommate.

“I will in a few minutes, don’t wait up with me,” Alex responded.

Violet slumped back down into her bed and fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow. Lately she had been sleeping a lot, but it was very low quality sleep, tossing and turning throughout the night, waking up every few hours. She slept peacefully for a little while before she started having a dream.

The dream started out nicely, Violet and all her friends were having lunch in Mr. Ives room, with Mr. Ives, of course. They were having nice conversations and eating when Mr. Ives announced he was going to use the restroom. Her friends remained talking for what felt like days but since it was a dream, no one would really know. Someone pointed out that their teacher had been away for a long time and they should go look for them. It started out as a leisurely walk to look for Mr. Ives but their speed gradually increased into a sprint. They felt like someone was behind them, chasing them, but nobody was around but them.

Violet quickly woke up from her dream when it got too intense for her. The dream was similar to the ones that she had been having, but the feeling that someone was chasing them made no sense to her. Mr. Ives died from a heart attack, so it made no sense for someone to chase her and her friends over that. She shrugged it off and looked around the room.

Much to Violets disappointment, Alex was still at her desk working. Violet looked at the clock and saw it read three o’clock in the morning. That was not acceptable time to be awake in her book.

“Alex! You need to get some sleep!” Violet snapped quietly. It was late and she would hate to wake up other girls in the rooms around them. Nobody should be awake at this hour, she thought.

“Sorry!” Alex whispered back quickly as she jumped with surprise. She turned out the light and crawled into her bed.

Violet could tell that she was not actually sleeping, just staring up at the ceiling, but that was good enough for her. She burrowed back into her bed and tried to fall asleep herself, but it was hard because she still had the thought of someone chasing them in the back of her head.

The girls woke up late that morning, it was their last day of not having classes, so they took the opportunity to sleep in. Especially after neither of them slept well the previous night. They got dressed and headed to eat a late breakfast. When the got to the cafeteria they saw the rest of their friends, meaning they must have had rough nights too.

    Alex and Violet sat down at their normal table and everyone mumbled good morning. Violet looked around at the faces she saw everyday. Everyone looked a little pale and had bags under their eyes. Ella looked like she hadn't washed her long, blond hair in weeks. Matt’s eyes were bloodshot, looking like he had been crying. It was obvious that the emotional week had taken a physical toll on them as well. That is when she was reminded of the dream she had last night.

“I had a strange dream last night,” she said hesitantly. It was just a dream but it felt very weird to her. “We were looking for Mr. Ives and then we started running and then sprinting, it felt like someone was chasing us,” she added.

    “And?” Jason asked when she was finished.

“Thats it. What else do you want?” Violet snapped, she was a little offended because she felt like it was very important. Maybe she was exaggerating.

“Stress causes weird dreams, its okay!” Marcy tried to improve the situation.

Violet waved off both comments and tried to think about what else she wanted to share with the group.

“Last night, Alex stayed up forever writing a letter to Mrs. Ives. It was annoying to sleep with the light on but it seems like a really good idea for all of us to do!” Violet tried to add some humor to something that she felt was right to do.

They all agreed it was a really nice idea and would spend their last free day doing so. That reminded everyone they only had one free day left. It wasnt so bad though, they had to go back to classes for a week, then the semester was over and they got two weeks at home. Even Alex, who hated being at home, was ready for a break because the whole student body was on edge.

Violet spent all day writing her letter to Mrs. Ives. She poured her heart into it, writing about how she had not known her husband for very long but he definitely impacted her life forever. She told funny stories and quoted him on his very inspirational speeches. When she was done she felt like the letter was more for herself than Mrs. Ives. She felt content and happy. Thinking about the good times was very therapeutic for her. That night she went to sleep and slept soundly throughout the whole night.

In the morning, she woke up refreshed and rejuvenated. She put on her school uniform and walked with her roommate to the cafeteria. She sat down and noticed everyone else looked much better as well. She wondered to herself if they had the same success writing the letter as she had. Fortunately she did not have to ask.

“So, uh, I wrote that letter to Mrs. Ives,” Kim said shyly, then added, “it made me feel so much better about everything!”

Marcy, Ella, Matt and Jason all agreed. They all gushed about how they felt good for the first time in over a week. They felt nice doing something that Mrs. Ives would appreciate but also made themselves happy. They all walked to the school mailbox to drop off their letters before class. The bell rang and they all said goodbye.

In class, Violet could tell that people were still upset. She noticed her deskmate looked particularly sad.

“Hey, you doing okay?” Violet gently asked.

“Yeah, I’m just still a little sad about Mr. Ives. You were so close to him, if i were you i wouldn't even be able to function!” her deskmate, Alice, huffed.

“Well, ah, this is kind of weird but it helped me so it might help you,” Violet spoke awkwardly, “I wrote a letter to Mrs. Ives, it helped all my friends too!”

Before long, Violet told almost a dozen people about the letter writing. At lunch when she met back up with Alex, Marcy, Ella, Kim, Matt and Jason, she realized she was not the only one sharing the therapeutic technique. Everyone of them told people as well. After the days classes were over, every student at Waterfall Academy had heard about the letters and had either writing it, was writing it or had plans to do it after their homework.

The week flew by very fast. All the teachers let their classes down pretty easy because of obvious reasons. Every student and most staff had written a letter to Mrs. Ives. The whole mood of the school had improved however, everyone was still eagerly awaiting the break from school.

During the last period of the friday before everyone could go home, the headmaster went over the intercom for the whole school to hear.

“Hello, students and staff, I hope everyone is ready for break!” he introduced. “I’m here with Mrs. Ives who would like to say a few words to everyone,” he added. Everyone listening gasped.

“Hello everyone,” a friendly, old lady voice said. “I just wanted to thank everyone for the nice lettered they sent, I cannot express in words how happy they made me. I will always remember them.”

Everyone cheered, it felt good to make someone happy. The whole school was in high spirits as they got picked up by their parents or drove themselves home. They were happy to be going on a long, much needed break.

The break was just a peaceful and relaxing as everyone thought it would be. They had no homework and just decompressed from the stress that the past few weeks had held.

    When Alex got home had family rushed to give her a hug, they knew thats just what she needed. She was so caught up in her new friends, school work, and Mr. Ives that she had not realized how much she missed her family. She spent the whole break with them, telling them stories of her new school, friends and teachers. Her parents smiled at each other knowing they made a good decision sending her to Waterfall Academy. She was brighter, happier and just all around better.

Even Alex was happy to be home. Her parents noticed that she was a little different than when she left for the school year. They felt that she was somehow happier, even with the events that had just occurred, and more pleasant to be around. Halfway through the week they finally felt like they had warmed up to her enough to ask.

“Alex, it seems like you are happier and more sociable, any particular reason?” he mother gently asked.

    “I guess my roommate rubbed off on me a little, Her name is Violet,” she responded and proceeded to tell her parents and brother stories of her new best friend.

Marcy, Kim, Ella, Matt, and Jason all had pleasant breaks as well. Their parents were all also surprised at their attitudes when they got back. Everyone had more positive qualities to contribute to life. They had a long time to think over the break and during those two weeks, a one point they all thought that their friends make them better people and they were lucky to have them.

By the end of their two week break, everyone was almost just as ready to go back to school as they were ready to leave two weeks earlier. They all loved spending time with their families but were so used to not have their parents in their hair all the time that is was a shock when they were actually at home.

Luckily for everyone that attended Waterfall Academy, the break seemed to end just as quickly as it started. All students packed up their stuff and made their way back to campus on Sunday afternoon to begin the new semester on Monday morning.

“Hello Alex! Did you have a nice break?” Violet asked when she arrived back at her dorm room after her roommate did.

“Surprisingly, yes, I did! And how about you?” the other girl replied.

“It was amazing, I needed that relaxation so much!” Violet said. After some thought, she added, “However, I’m definitely ready to start my classes again!”

Alex shook her head up and down in agreement. After their stuff was unpacked, they looked at the clock and saw that it was time for dinner.

    When Alex and Violet got to the table that their friends sat at, they noticed everyone looked just as relaxed as they did. The whole school did, actually.

    “How was everyones break?” Violet questioned. She was always the one to really get the conversation going.

    “I read like ten new books! I’ll give you guys some recommendations,” Ella chattered.

Matt scoffed at her answer, “I watched ten seasons of this show! I’ll send you a link,” he mimicked her voice.

It was nice to see everyone happy and relaxed. They were all cracking jokes and smiling. Even before they discovered Mr. Ives was missing, they were never like this. The conversations were almost always about their studies, which reminded Alex.

“What classes is everyone taking this semester?” she asked.

The talk moved on to their new schedules. They spoke of which Math and Science classes were the hardest and which teachers were the best.

    Violet smiled, it reminded her of the first conversation she had with the group when she first came to Waterfall Academy. However, the tone used by everyone was a lot nicer now that they were friends. It was interesting for her to look at how far she had come. When she first met them she thought they were nerdy and mean, now they were her best friends. It was insane how much could change in less than a semester.

“I’m taking the class that Mr. Ives used to teach,” Kim pipped into the conversation.

Everyones face looked a little pained for a brief second, this was the first time during the dinner that his name had actually been said.

“Thats history right? I’m taking that class too,” Violet was the first to respond.

“Yeah, I wonder what the new teacher is all about,” Jason added.

They all pondered about the mysterious new teacher for a few moments before saying goodbye and heading back to their dorm rooms.

Violet and Alex got ready for bed quickly and went to bed fairly early, they needed to be fully rested for their new classes tomorrow.

It was hard getting up in the morning, the girls had been used to staying up late and waking up late as well. They took their time getting ready and quickly grabbed a bite to eat. Violet waved goodbye to Alex and set off to find Kim to attend their history class together.

Violet and Kim arrived to the classroom before anyone else did. They stood outside and made small talk for a few minutes before a man opened the door and introduces himself.  His name was Mr. Bates and he was the new history teacher. They greeted him and walked into the classroom. Being in the room brought back some memories, a few painful ones but, even more happy ones. Kim gave Violet a reassuring smile.

Violet and Kim sat next to eachother. When the whole class arrived, Mr. Bates introduces himself and the material they would be going over in the upcoming semester. It sounded like the class would be a little challenging but very fun.

Mr. Bates spoke with strong vocabulary and made intelligent jokes, much like a teacher they previously spent a lot of time with. He took the students seriously and talked to them like they were his peers. Mr. Ives and Mr. Bates were undoubtedly different though, Mr. Bates was so much younger and much more in tune with the high school students. It was a refreshing change.

“Feel free to come into my classroom during lunch or after school,” Mr. Bates announced as the period ended as everyone walked out. Not everybody could have heard it but Violet and Kim definitely did. 

Kim and Violet grinned at each other when they got out of Mr. Bates classroom. This semester was starting off to be even better than the first.