Elegy of Flight: Chapter One (Did you hear?)

Elegy of Flight
**This is a lovely story I wrote to feature Carina. It is going to be cheesy and soppy and all that jazz because that's what she deserves. Also sorry for formatting. Publishing Centre sucks.

Chapter One: Did you hear?

Did you hear? Someone died. Did you know her? I heard she was a girl from around here. Did they tell you what happened? They say that there was an accident. Did you hear about that girl who lost her footing and fell? I heard it was snowing that night. She was out at night. Did you hear?
Did you hear, Carina?
Did you hear?

"Carina." The whispers were lost. Faded into the tight weave of the background, back into the mouths of society.
"Carina. Did you hear?"
The words that Carina had been hearing echoed aloud. Before they had just been rumours, secrets carried on the wind of eager tongues. Did you hear?
The boy that stood before her wasn't someone that Carina was particularly close to, just an acquaintance, a classmate to make idle chat to every now and then. He looked young for his age, powdered curls, big bright eyes which gave his round face even more of a childlike appearance. His name was not one that Carina tended to remember or recall, though she knew it was something quite common, like George.

"Hear what?" Carina snapped, although she had most certainly already heard. The word was passing quickly on this chilled morning, gossip that swam like fish through water.
The crowd gathered outside the old brick building was growing quite rapidly considering the small population of the small village school. The moss creeping up its sides and across the clean but worn pavement was still wet with the morning tears that the night had cried before. Trees dithered like forlorn watchmen, stripped of their leaves and joy, as they lined the guided path back to the drive. The assembly hall had not been opened, so the students were gathered, waiting in the cold, for the headmaster to arrive.

"A girl.... a girl died." George stuttered, seemingly afraid of Carina's sudden brash addressing. "She was from here, and this school."
Because of the smallness of the quaint little settlement, being from here meant something more significant to its citizens, even to Carina, who had only not so long ago transferred to the place to attend her final years of secondary education. Being from the school was even more significant, as everyone knew the presence of everyone, no matter how small their connections.

"Who was it?" Carina asked tentatively, as she was certain she would recognise the name, it was to what degree she was afraid of. George flicked his eyes from left to right before leaning in to speak in a more hushed and hurried voice.
"Naomi." He said, "Naomi Mackintosh."
Carina took a step backward, the name stung, but luckily not as harshly as she had feared, she tried to keep her face still. All of a sudden a girl from the nearby crowd pushed past hurriedly, taking no care to avoid brushing Carina quite firmly in her haste. Her face had seemed flustered or angered. Carina snared her arm before the girl could remove herself any further. In just a moment she and the girl were face to face. The other was very much taller than herself. At first her eyes merely looked down, lost and thoughtless, but soon they hardened to a deathly gaze. Carina released her and the girl pushed away with a half-hearted scowl.

That face. Carina had not recognized her by name. There was no one else in the crowd that she couldn't pinpoint. No one she couldn't name by the face, yet the girl did not seem completely unusual. Someone you always saw from a distance, or walked past every now and then, yet never came in contact with.
There was a shift in bodies and Carina felt herself being gently tugged along as the doors of the assembly hall were opened. George had been lost beyond temporary farewells so Carina simply made her way up to the row where her year level sat. Carina wedged herself on the end of the row. It wasn't long until the room had settled into silence and stillness.

"So have you heard?" the voice came from beside her. Carina looked up at the face framed by the long black hair, up until she met the eyes of the girl; the girl from before. She smiled with just a twitch of her lips, just enough to send a chill down Carina’s spine.

"Attention please students" boomed the voice of the head from the front. "This is a special assembly so please, I call for your most respectful consideration." There was not a sound as everyone set their eyes upon him, watching with such unusual sincerity.

"A dire time has befallen us, we are mournful of current events but I will have you all know, we can all stay strong despite," he started. "We all are saddened by this unfortunate event and it will affect each and every one of us, be it something extremely close to you, or less so."

His speech went on. Carina listened intently, it was all very generic, his words seemed to form consolations and songs of sorrow, yet he never touched on a definition. He never refereed to what the 'unfortunate event' had been, nor told what had happened. Carina leaned forward in her place, listening harder. It was obvious that he was talking about Naomi, but what had happened? Why wouldn't he say?
"He's not going to say it," the dark haired girl spoke. Carina turned her face, giving her a firm look, about to shush her, but no-one else had noticed the words.
"Why not?" Carina dared to ask under a hushed breath.

"Everyone knows about the dead girl, and those who do not shan’t need to. Adults try so very hard to avoid saying things they don't want to hear, what they don't wish to be true. It only makes them seem more childish."
Carina said nothing in response and simply stared. The girl's eyes stared back, they were dark and full. Hungry.

The assembly was dismissed, everyone took one final stand of silence before proceeding back outside and on the usual schedule of classes. Carina took sight of George on his way down the path that now seemed slightly less damp, but still all the same, dreary.
“Who is that girl?” Carina asked, looking behind her nervously, who knew who was walking behind them, the girl had taken offence quickly the first time.
“You mean Anne?” George questioned, “The one with black hair and the straight fringe?”
“That’s the one.” Carina agreed.

“How can you not know Anne?” George sounded puzzled. “She has always been here, longer than you, I even remember her from as early as kindergarten.”
Carina shrugged and looked down at her feet.
“She’s a model student too” George continued as if Carina wanted to know, “Gets everything done...” His voice trailed off as he realised Carina wasn’t interested. The class they were heading to was English, a class that Carina tended to fail at quite often. It was possibly her worse subject, she wouldn’t have even be able to scrape through if it wasn’t for all the help from Naomi. Naomi.

Naomi wasn’t here any more.

Did you hear? Naomi’s dead. I heard. She died because she slipped off the bank; that’s what I heard. The bank by the bridge? She fell. Fell. fell. fell.

When the door to the class was opened that what was heard. Hushed whispers, so loud. So loud when they all whisper together.
Even though the murmurs were heard, the first thing Carina saw when she entered was Anne. She was at the front, leaning casually on a desk. He face was calmer now but still seemed tense. She had put on a pair of reading glasses which only made her look sharper, more mature and fox-like.
Anne was in her class? Carina glared for a moment as Anne shot her back a wicked smile. Ignore her. Carina marched her way to the back where she always sat, careful not to let her eyes wander to the girls presence. At the back, beside her, sat a boy.

"Good Morning" he said as she arrived at her place. Carina froze. Today was a weird day. The boy, whos name was Alastair, almost never spoke. He was always completely silent, even the teacher struggled to extract more than a yes or no throughout the entire duration of the class. He was not timid, he would stare deep into you with no hesitation. He just never spoke. This was the most that Carina had ever heard him say.

"Good morning" Carina breathed in a reply, quite flustered from the surprise. She glanced at the row of three empty desks that she and Naomi had occupied on a uasual day. Making a quick mental descision she stepped away and sat down beside the boy instead.

He stared at her. She stared back. Even sitting down he was plenty taller, so Carina found herself looking up into his silent face. The moments that followed consisisted of the uasual lack of words, but Carina could feel the tip of her tongue anxious. A phrase biting at her throat, breath waiting to escape. Before she knew it she couldn't help herself and let the words escape her lips.

"Have you heard?"