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"Hello, and how was everyone's weekend?" said Mrs. McCarthy, as she pushed the door. It clicked as it closed. An unenthusiastic murmur rose from me and the rest of the class. "Good, I suppose" she sighed "Now, let's get started on our lesson today" she turned to the whiteboard with a dry erase marker already positioned in her hand. "Does anybody know what the atomic numbers of oxygen, hydrogen, and copper are?" She turned her body to the class to see if anyone was paying attention. Most kids were going back to what they were doing before Mrs. McCarthy came in; doodling or doing homework not related to science at all. She glanced around the room and met my eyes. "Ms. Roseby, will you answer please?" I gulped and took a short glance at the Periodic Table sitting in my open binder. "Uh... Oxygen is 8… I think… and hydrogen is 1 and…" I took another look at the Table, but this time it was more obvious. Mrs. McCarthy glared at me "Without notes, please." She then stared out over the rest of the class. Several kids immediately put their artist pens down, and covered their works with "notes". "Children, I asked you to memorize the atomic numbers of the elements listed on page 43-45. Now, please do that right now. We will have a quiz promptly at…" she glanced at the clock "8:15. I really don't want to do this but if this is the only way I can get you to follow directions, I will have a quiz every class." Everyone in the class groaned, including me. A quiz every class? I could deal with that in drama, maybe, but science? Well, I better study if I want to pass this quiz I thought. I slipped my notebook out of my binder, and then turned my seat around to see Sami, my best friend. She was busy fashioning her short, black hair into a ponytail. She was perfect at science, and probably didn't need to study. I opened my green notebook to the page 43 notes "Will you quiz me? You know I'm terrible at…." There was not time to finish my sentence before her lab partner Leah snatched it out of my hands. "I will!" she said in a obvious sarcastic voice "I LOVE school!" I rolled my eyes and chuckled "Leah, you're even worse then I am in science….. and every class except for art…." She laughed too. Mrs. McCarthy walked over to our little conversation. "I hope this is about science." Leah and I both looked up at her "Yup" I said "See, we are both studying …." I took back my green book from Leah's grasp, and waved it. Mrs. McCarthy sighed, tired of asking that question to her students almost every day. "Well, alright then…" she padded to the back of the room to Colin Smithton, who was busy making some sort of animal with erasers and push pins. Nobody in my grade really cared about science. This year's topics were dull and boring compared to last year, which featured marine biology and paleontology. I turned back to Leah, and we started guessing what was for lunch today. We hypothesized nuclear sludge. Sami was still busy trying to fix her hair, and it wasn't working to well. There was a knock on the lab door, as 2 figures appeared in the window. We all gazed over; maybe they would distract Mrs. McCarthy long enough for her to forget about our pop quiz. She didn't even look up from her old laptop "Come in." The three calmly walked through the doorframe, and surveyed the class "Ms. Roseby, is Ms. Roseby in this class?" said the taller one of the two, a nice-looking woman. I raised my hand reluctantly "Uh...Yeah...That's me." Leah whispered to me "Oooh, I bet you're in troubbbbllleee." I slapped Leah softly on her forearm. "Can we see you out in the hallway for a moment?" said the woman. I gave her a quizzical look. Maybe it was about going home early, or something. I pushed my seat out from behind me, almost tripping when I stood up. I pushed it back in to its original position, and padded towards the door. The woman looked at Mrs. McCarthy "It will only be a moment, ma'am." She didn't even look up from her laptop "Oh, OK." As I walked through the doorframe, I could only imagine what the faces behind me looked like. Whenever a kid was asked to come out in the hall, it usually meant that there was some sort of accident that the child's family was involved in. Or, most of the time, it meant that you got to go home early because your younger brother was sick, or something. I hoped for the lesser, and turned to face the woman and her companion. She pushed the door, and it gave a familiar click as it shut. "We wanted you out in the hallway to ask you something, Ms. Roseby." The woman said, as her eyes pierced through mine. I really didn't know what to say "Ok… then what is …?" she cut me off before I could finish. "Where is your father?" she said in a tone much angrier than the one she had used in the classroom. "Uh..." I uttered. She placed both of her hands on my shoulders. "Where. Is. He?" The woman was almost shouting now. "Well, nobody really knows…. The police say that he died in an attack made by the…." "The IRA" the man said, who was now behind me "We know. But as they say..." he leaned down to my ear level, and whispered "You shouldn't always believe what you hear." I stuttered "So…so he's alive? You know where he is?" The woman gave a cruel smile. "No, darling, we don't know where he is. That's why we need you." I quickly figured out their plan, and shook my head "No. I don't want to."

Description
"Hello, and how was everyone's weekend?" said Mrs. McCarthy, as she pushed the door. It clicked as it closed. An unenthusiastic murmur rose from me and the rest of the class. "Good, I suppose" she sighed "Now, let's get started on our lesson today" she turned to the whiteboard with a dry erase marker already positioned in her hand. "Does anybody know what the atomic numbers of oxygen, hydrogen, and copper are?" She turned her body to the class to see if anyone was paying attention. Most kids were going back to what they were doing before Mrs. McCarthy came in; doodling or doing homework not related to science at all. She glanced around the room and met my eyes. "Ms. Roseby, will you answer please?" I gulped and took a short glance at the Periodic Table sitting in my open binder. "Uh... Oxygen is 8… I think… and hydrogen is 1 and…" I took another look at the Table, but this time it was more obvious. Mrs. McCarthy glared at me "Without notes, please." She then stared out over the rest of the class. Several kids immediately put their artist pens down, and covered their works with "notes". "Children, I asked you to memorize the atomic numbers of the elements listed on page 43-45. Now, please do that right now. We will have a quiz promptly at…" she glanced at the clock "8:15. I really don't want to do this but if this is the only way I can get you to follow directions, I will have a quiz every class." Everyone in the class groaned, including me. A quiz every class? I could deal with that in drama, maybe, but science? Well, I better study if I want to pass this quiz I thought. I slipped my notebook out of my binder, and then turned my seat around to see Sami, my best friend. She was busy fashioning her short, black hair into a ponytail. She was perfect at science, and probably didn't need to study. I opened my green notebook to the page 43 notes "Will you quiz me? You know I'm terrible at…." There was not time to finish my sentence before her lab partner Leah snatched it out of my hands. "I will!" she said in a obvious sarcastic voice "I LOVE school!" I rolled my eyes and chuckled "Leah, you're even worse then I am in science….. and every class except for art…." She laughed too. Mrs. McCarthy walked over to our little conversation. "I hope this is about science." Leah and I both looked up at her "Yup" I said "See, we are both studying …." I took back my green book from Leah's grasp, and waved it. Mrs. McCarthy sighed, tired of asking that question to her students almost every day. "Well, alright then…" she padded to the back of the room to Colin Smithton, who was busy making some sort of animal with erasers and push pins. Nobody in my grade really cared about science. This year's topics were dull and boring compared to last year, which featured marine biology and paleontology. I turned back to Leah, and we started guessing what was for lunch today. We hypothesized nuclear sludge. Sami was still busy trying to fix her hair, and it wasn't working to well. There was a knock on the lab door, as 2 figures appeared in the window. We all gazed over; maybe they would distract Mrs. McCarthy long enough for her to forget about our pop quiz. She didn't even look up from her old laptop "Come in." The three calmly walked through the doorframe, and surveyed the class "Ms. Roseby, is Ms. Roseby in this class?" said the taller one of the two, a nice-looking woman. I raised my hand reluctantly "Uh...Yeah...That's me." Leah whispered to me "Oooh, I bet you're in troubbbbllleee." I slapped Leah softly on her forearm. "Can we see you out in the hallway for a moment?" said the woman. I gave her a quizzical look. Maybe it was about going home early, or something. I pushed my seat out from behind me, almost tripping when I stood up. I pushed it back in to its original position, and padded towards the door. The woman looked at Mrs. McCarthy "It will only be a moment, ma'am." She didn't even look up from her laptop "Oh, OK." As I walked through the doorframe, I could only imagine what the faces behind me looked like. Whenever a kid was asked to come out in the hall, it usually meant that there was some sort of accident that the child's family was involved in. Or, most of the time, it meant that you got to go home early because your younger brother was sick, or something. I hoped for the lesser, and turned to face the woman and her companion. She pushed the door, and it gave a familiar click as it shut. "We wanted you out in the hallway to ask you something, Ms. Roseby." The woman said, as her eyes pierced through mine. I really didn't know what to say "Ok… then what is …?" she cut me off before I could finish. "Where is your father?" she said in a tone much angrier than the one she had used in the classroom. "Uh..." I uttered. She placed both of her hands on my shoulders. "Where. Is. He?" The woman was almost shouting now. "Well, nobody really knows…. The police say that he died in an attack made by the…." "The IRA" the man said, who was now behind me "We know. But as they say..." he leaned down to my ear level, and whispered "You shouldn't always believe what you hear." I stuttered "So…so he's alive? You know where he is?" The woman gave a cruel smile. "No, darling, we don't know where he is. That's why we need you." I quickly figured out their plan, and shook my head "No. I don't want to."