Seven Days

Series

Disclaimer: I do not own the Dead Poets Society. If I did, would I be writing this? Although, Knox does beg for me to change that. Think it'll happen?

A/N: I've been thinking about this idea for awhile and decided to turn it into a short series. I dunno how long short is in my book so we'll see. I hope you enjoy it! This is mostly just a set up but I felt it was very important to include it.

The sound of the bell tower striking midnight reverberated through the still night air of Welton Academy. Todd Anderson lay wide-awake in bed with tired blue eyes. It was the same routine every night. The boys of Welton all got ready for bed at exactly 9:30pm under the watchful eye of a faculty member. Each boy clamored for a spot at one of the sinks to brush their teeth and others for a drink of water at the fountain. The boys were also either hurrying to finish a shower or were stuck waiting until morning. Life was so predictable at an all boys school that it hurt.

It didn't use to be so bad. When Neil Perry was still alive there was some spirit to the conformity. He would sometimes hum as the two readied themselves for bed. The goofy grin lit up the room The sparkle in his eye outdid any diamond. And now there was nothing but emptiness on the other half of the dorm. The only thing there was, was a cold mattress and heartache. After the clock hit 10:00pm the halls grew silent. The next eight to nine hours were his own personal hell of distant memories and the faded past. Times spent lounging along the lake and days walking along the fields and paths came to his mind's eye. Nights of laughter in the cave and running through the forest wrenched his heart the most. If there was anything he could do. Anything he could give up at all to bring back their Neil, his Neil, he'd do it in an instant. His world had been revolving around the other boy. He was his sphere of influence. He wrote about the only Perry heir in his poetry. He was the reason why he had friends. Neil was the reason he was a Dead Poet and damn it, he was at least going to make it clear for him to be proud.

This was the first night of many Todd would be sleeping alone in the dorm. Next year he would have some new roommate but that one would never come close to being like Neil. No one had ever been able to understand him until he came along. They had always just assumed he was some kind of shy freak. He remembered one boy he had roomed with had been so sure he was going to be a future serial killer just because he was so quiet and gazed in on situations with his crystal blue eyes. How wrong they had all been. No one had known Todd would bloom into a writer. No one had pushed him hard enough or pushed his buttons to get him to actually give a damn about what happened in his life. Now that the one person who brought meaning to it was gone, what was there left to do? Todd rolled over onto his side to look over at the empty bed and was surprised to feel a wetness fall onto his hand. And then there was another drop and another. And it surprised him so much to feel that he had grown so numb that he hadn't even realized the tears had been his own.

The next two hours that followed felt like an eternity. Wave after wave of new tears would reach the surface of his eyes. Right when he thought he'd be okay to try and get some sleep some random memory or vague image of Neil would suddenly throw itself to the forefront of his mind and throw him out of his drifting stage. Unable to stand it for any longer Todd rolled onto his stomach and stuffed his face into the pillow. The smothering feeling was surprisingly comforting. Was this what if felt like? To be able to control your destiny without anyone else's approval? That keeping your face buried long enough meant slow, sure, steady suffocation but instant gratitude on being the one to do it? To not have someone telling you what to do anymore and that this was the one thing they couldn't control? And they'd be left with all of the questions and burial arrangements. Was this what had been going through Neil's mind in the last few seconds? Or was it the face of his friends, Todd in front, surrounding his freshly covered gravesite?

And now he was running. Running like no tomorrow. Like the burning air going through his lungs was the only thing keeping him going. He could see Neil standing at the edge of the forest, waiting for him. His hand was outstretched and a calm smile was resting upon his face. He was steady and alive as ever. They were to go to their cave and read poetry. And laugh and joke and fall asleep as they stumbled their way back to the dorms at two in the morning like old times. Just the two of them together to face the world and chase back their fears. They could accomplish anything they wanted. They were an unbreakable force. A team with a bond so deep no one could even begin to penetrate it. It was as deep as the bottom of the ocean and as never ending as the sky. Right before Todd was about to reach Neil and take his hand, he was suddenly gone. His laugh could be heard ringing through the forest as Todd continued to frantically run, searching for him everywhere possible. The laughter began to become too much and way too loud. He dropped to his knees, his hands covering his ears and his eyes squeezed shut. And then suddenly it stopped. Todd slowly uncovered his ears and opened his eyes. He looked down at the ground when it felt wet, finding himself kneeling in a puddle of fresh, warm blood. The trail led to a few feet away where Neil was staring at him with wide, unseeing eyes. A scream tore from his throat.

And now he was awake, finding himself screaming for real with Knox holding onto him tightly, restraining him from hurting himself in his sleep. Pitts and Meeks were nervously hovering over the bed while Cameron was nowhere to be seen. That was just fine with him. He wouldn't have it any other way. Todd's screaming stopped when he realized it was just a dream. A nightmare really but he couldn't shake it. He was trembling, sweat matting the hair above his forehead and he shoved his face back into the pillow. He could hear Meeks and Pitts shuffling back to their room after a few silent minutes. Knox patted the top of Todd's head before disappearing to try and get some more sleep. For a moment he believed he was alone. Until the squeak of bedsprings shifted and someone sat down beside him. The smell of cigarette smoke and cologne filled his senses and he knew it was Charlie. Without any words, the two lay there together under the blankets because of the freezing weather, the heater working hard, and staring up at the dark ceiling without truly feeling anything at all. The two poets just found solace in the company. The clock chimed suddenly and at 12:01am, it signaled the beginning of day number one.

A/N: Yes, I know Charlie was expelled but this was for the night of Neil's funeral. Besides, we all want Charlie to stick around so he just might. We'll see!