Nine (Revised)

                                    

                                          
Isaac walked home, still unsure of everything. Whenever he stepped inside, he saw his parents acting as if nothing had happened. They saw him and apologized a million times, saying that they had forgotten about him being in detention. They joked that it was his punishment, but there was a universal agreement that since he had never been in detention before, he would get a one-time warning. He was perfectly fine with that, and he agreed that he would never get there again. After those words they enjoyed a wonderful meal of pan fried fish, watching T.V afterwards. That night, he went to bed refreshed and content, but as the lights were turned off he was alone with his thoughts, terrified of what was to come. He knew that he didn't have a dream that night, but after everything that had happened, he wasn't taking any chances. He thought about the first figure's words that he had heard earlier. The figure had said, he thought, that Andre couldn't be trusted. Could he? Were they just being played as pawns?
                          
These thoughts were a constant burden to Isaac. Every day he had to wake up, not knowing what was to come, and it gave him a constant fear of death. He and Andre were the only people that knew about this, and they were alone, forced to suffer in silence, only each other to talk to. He wanted answers, and he thought about the deal that he had to decide on. Should he let Matt in his dreams? It seemed awfully fishy, but he knew that he needed a change of pace, something to ease the current situation. Having someone help him would certainly make things easier, and things couldn't get any worse, so why not do it? Why not take a risk, if it could save his life, and possibly the lives of countless others around him, maybe even the whole world, to quote Matt. He pondered these thoughts as he drifted off, coming into his final resting place for the night. 
                          
The next day was a Thursday. Isaac woke up, glanced at his clock, and headed to the dining room, ready to eat yet another breakfast. He sat at the table and eagerly watched as bowls of various fruits were laid out, and finally the crepes were put down. He thanked his parents joyfully and dug in, indulging in his favorite part of the day. Afterwards, they watched television and drove off to school, beginning yet another day.
                          
Isaac decided not to tell Andre about what had happened. He knew he was important in all of this, so he wanted to see what he would say and do. They didn't actually talk about anything new, because there wasn't really anything to say. They just made their usual small talk, and whenever the bell rang they went into the school, splitting off to their lockers. They met up again in language arts, doing their best to ignore Max as he continued to torment them. Isaac eventually gave him a mean look, but it didn't change the situation. The day still continued on, and nothing else noteworthy happened to him.
                          
That night, as he gazed at his ceiling like he always did, he thought about everything again. He came with the conclusion of just seeing where the dream took him, and he was nowhere but everywhere, in a daze, unsure of what was up and down and left and right. He tried to look around but he saw nothing and everything again, and he realized that he had been knocked out. He waited a few more minutes and eventually got to his senses, realizing that he was inside the school building again. Everything was silent as he walked around, trying to look into a classroom. The inside window of the door was covered with poster paper, so he tried another, and then another. They were all covered. He tried going into one of the classrooms, but they were all locked. He couldn't even enter the bathroom.
                          
After a few minutes, he paused to hear the sound of gunfire, and the sudden realization that this was a lock down dawned upon him, and he did his best to hide in a corner, utterly silent. There was the sound of glass breaking, a door being swung open, and more gunfire. 
                          
It went on like this for about five more minutes, then there was a return fire. It had came from a police officer, hidden away near Isaac. He looked out to see the gunman wearing dark robes and a hood. It rushed off in the other direction, and the police followed suit, with him secretly coming along behind. He saw the man sprint through the front door, avoiding the shots of the police officers, and climbing into a vehicle.