Well, I got a bunch (to me) of reviews, although the one that most likely got me going on this again was from SaiSaiLove, who bounced ideas back and forth with me until I finally (kind of) got my ideas and plans sorted out enough to actually do something with, thank you everyone who's reviewed on this and made me smile, I love you all! :D - I just realized I wrote this like last summer and forgot to post it, haha, so umm...sorry? -

The room continued to stay in stunned silence until the building swayed again, the floor giving a large shudder that made a few people stumble. Then, as if snapped out of a trance, the students surged forward, mobbing together at the door in a writhing, undulating mass of terrified human beings. People cried out as elbows and knees struck them, but kept pushing forward, trying to all exit at once. Thirty-four bodies all straining for freedom, trying to keep themselves alive. After what seemed forever, all were finally out into the hallway, grouped fearfully together, coughing and wheezing as they tried to breathe through the dust-filled air and looked around them at the shambles of their school. Finally out of the classroom, they could see the damage the earthquake had wrought on their school. Lockers had tumbled over, wires hung from the ceiling, walls had immense cracks running throughout them, doors had crumpled...it was a wonder they were alive. Eventually though, they seemed to realize that if they wanted to keep on living, they would have to actually move and find a way to get out of the quickly deteriorating building. A tentative feminine voice finally sounded out as they began climbing through the wreckage,

"W-where is he?" The group paused for a moment, looking around for their liberator. Several people thought they saw a vaguely human shape around the same size as him through the thickly falling dust only to look closer and find that he was truly gone. Their leader, the dark-skinned green-eyed girl once again took the mantle and became the trailblazer of the terrified group. Squeezing her way through the debris and testing the ground before her, she led her fellow students slowly through the chaos of destruction. The building around them creaked and groaned ominously, forcing them to continue their slow, halting attempt to escape. After a while, the group managed to get itself into a relatively clear space, too afraid to take any chances in even the cleanest of classrooms. Motioning for the people around her to get closer, the dark-skinned girl stood on a pile of something or other on the floor to give herself some extra height as she addressed the group.

"Guys," she couched through the clogged air, "We need to get out of here as soon as possible. This building's gonna give soon. Peering at one of the doors nearby, she continued, "Right now we're by Mr. Falluca's room, the stairs to the second floor should be at the other end of the hall, then we'll be one step closer to freedom and safety. If we stay together and help any stragglers or injured people, we should be able to escape with minimal damage to anyone. Dash, Kw-" Dash spoke up forcefully, interrupting her to voice his opinions,

"What are we supposed to do Valerie?" He challenged, "We couldn't even get that stupid door open! How are we supposed to take care of ourselves let alone a bunch of nerds! We, we need," He gulped visibly, "We need...Fenton if we want even the slightest chance of escape. You saw what he did to that door, alone we're not gonna make it and you know I-" A slap sounded out as Valerie's hand met his cheek, ending his demoralizing tirade,

"Shut up Dash, just shut up. As much help as having Fenton here would be, he's gone. And we have to deal with it. He would be a great deal of help, but we can manage ourselves! I'm not even surprised he left! Have any of you ever been kind to him? Even tried being friendly? I know I haven't. Why should he help us? If he did we'd all owe him our lives. But he's not here, and unless you just want to sit down and," Faltering for a moment, Valerie continued, "And die, need to stop acting like a bunch of little kids and step up to the challenges! Dash, Kwan, I need you two behind the group to help the injured or anyone lagging behind. Star, Paulina, I need you two up front with me. Your agility will really help right now. Mikey, you and...Nathan," The over-freckled frizzy-haired red-headed boy smiled at having his name called by the beautiful girl. Doing her best to fight back a grimace, she went on, "Yeah, uh, you two stay behind Paulina, Star, and me to check for any structural damage that might be too bad. I'm guessing of anyone here would be able to spot it it'd be you two. The rest, keep in the middle. Let's go!" And with that, Valerie jumped off her perch and continued on her way through the destroyed building followed closely by a frightened Paulina and Star.