CHAPTER 2 ******************************************************** “The earth and everything else was created when two atoms collided to create what we now call the big bang…” Gwen tuned Professor Morris out. Not that she didn’t want to learn but who could believe something as corny as that? She had once asked one of the professors at the college to explain the big bang theory a little better to her. He had told her that out of nothing there came two atoms that collided to make the big bang. So where did the atoms come from? They never answered. Personally she believed that God created the world with one word, so why was she sitting in on this class? Well, first off, that wasn’t supposed to be what the session was about. Second, she had to take this one class if she was ever going to graduate, don’t as why. She scanned the room, looking for a familiar face. Her eyes fell on one young man, sitting casually in his chair, and playing with an odd looking flower. He looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t place where she had seen him before. Then it struck her, he bore great resemblance to a kid at the school she had been going to before- the one who had been missing for the past three years. Her eyes got large for a moment, and she stared. The force of her stare drew his gaze. His eyes were dark black, and bore into her with great intensity. She quickly looked away. He couldn’t be the same person, she told herself, he simply looks like him. The Professor had finally moved on to the topic she really wanted to learn about, and she returned her attention to him. Just then, a woman walked down the isle, and whispered in the professor’s ear for several seconds. While she was whispering, his face grew very pale and then he loudly exclaimed “Are you sure?!” The woman simply nodded, and walked away. As she passed Gwen’s row, she glanced over, and Gwen saw tears running down her face. As she returned her gaze to the front of the room, her eyes once more caught on the young man. This time however, it was the flower she noticed. It was shaped like a rose, but more delicate, it was blood red- as though it had been stained by the blood of many- but it was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. Suddenly, she was overcome by the desire to smell it and she somehow knew that if she did, it would be the sweetest smell in the entire world. Just as she was about to stand up and go over to him, the man suddenly drew the flower out of her sight, and looked up to see him staring at her again. Once more directing her attention to the front of the room, she saw that the professor had finally regained his composure and was starting to talk. “I have just received some very startling and terrible news.” He started, “Would those of you who know someone in the local hospital please raise your hands.” Gwen raised her hand- her mother was there recovering from a surgery, and her father was staying there with her. “I’m so sorry.” He said, and Gwen was frightened for a moment- what had happened?-then he continued “Everyone who did not raise their hands is dismissed. The rest of you need to stay here.” In a few moments, a few people had left the room; it seemed almost everyone knew someone in the hospital. To her right sat a girl who looked very frightened, as if she were afraid that her parents were dead, and they weren’t- were they? To her left sat… wait, the young man from before sat in the seat next to her, flower nowhere in sight- but he hadn’t been there before. “Something happened about an hour ago, I’m not exactly sure what.” The professor said “I have asked that a television set be brought in so that we can see what is going on, I do not want to misinform you.” She glanced to her left, confused, and saw the man staring absently into space. Suddenly he spoke, or rather muttered “So it begins.” The words sent chills running up and down her back, and made her very frightened. So it begins.