Chapter 1: Section 2

      Cynthia looked again at the crash site. After seeing those tracks and the train running over it for nearly every day, it would be quite an adjustment to see it gone. She checked her watch. The time read 7:52am. She wasn't entirely certain why she'd stayed at the site for as long as she had already. She would go home in a couple of minutes. A small black Suburu came around the corner of Washington and 12th and paused at the sight. There were 3 male passengers in the car.  Through the glass of the vehicle, Cynthia guessed the driver to be around 18, while the boy riding shotgun looked to be 16. The youngest in the back looked to be about 9. They paused at the site for almost a whole minute before taking the turn up the hill and heading off. Cynthia checked her watch again. 7:57am. She sighed and began to walk back up the hill to her house. She took one more look at the remains of the crash site. It was then that she saw another car, a black Nissan, turn at the corner and pause for the same amount of time. The Nissan headed up the hill and turned at the exact same spot the Suburu did. Cynthia found this interesting, but kept walking up the hill. As she was turning onto John Adams st., she noticed 7 people turning from that corner up higher on the hill. The 7 started running down the hill. Cynthia paused. They were simply a block away. All 7 were boys. They jogged over to her. The one that she recognized as the driver of the Suburu asked her,
"Excuse me, you just came from over there, right?" He gestured to the crash site.
"Yes?" she replied, beginning to think this would go the same way as the conversation with the 4 siblings.
"Of course she did, Steve! Didn't you just see her walking from down there?" said someone from the other car. He was about 6'2", skinny, and reddish-haired.
"Shut up, Garrison," Steve said.
"So what's happening down there?" asked the boy riding shotgun.
"The bridge blew," Cynthia replied frankly.
"Duh, Simon! Dun dun dun!! said the young one, who looked about 9.  He stood at approximately 5'4", wearing light brown slacks, green button up shirt, and a sweater.
"Tommy! Show some respect! People died here!" said another boy she hadn't seen before. Standing at about 6'1", and wearing a dark suit, He looked to be about 16.
"Sure, Obadiah... where's the proof of that?" asked Tommy.
Obadiah gave Cynthia a questioning look.
"Police said they've got 7 bodies on their hands." Cynthia stated. Obadiah gave a triumphant look at the boy called Tommy. Tommy grinned.
"Tommy, we all know how much you love death and destruction and bionicles, but give it a rest! We're at a real live crash site!" This was said by yet another that Cynthia hadn't seen. He was about as tall as Obadiah, but looked maybe a year or two older, and wearing a red sweater.
"Pssh...!"
"Don't even say it."
Tommy glared.
Cynthia was proved wrong. It was nothing like the last conversation.
"What time did it go kablooie? do you know?" Steve asked Cynthia.
"Umm... about 3:30 this morning."
"See Hunter?! I told you it didn't just blow an hour ago!" said Garrison to the red sweatered boy.
"Yeah, well...." shrugged Hunter.
"So why are you all here?" Cynthia asked.
"We go to school right up there at the church," said Obadiah.
"ooh..... what's that called again?"
"Kings Academy," said Garrison.
"ah right!" said Cynthia.
"We like to call it K.A.," said Steve.
"right..."
"What brings you here?" asked Tommy.
"I live just around the corner. I've been here since it blew."
A tan SUV passed by the street. A woman poked her head out of the window.
"Better hurry up or I'm gonna give you all tardy points!"
"We've gotta run!" said Simon.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe we ever caught your name..?" said Hunter.
"Cynthia. Cynthia Bernard," she said.
"Well, Cynthia Bernard," Steve said as he was beginning to jog back uphill, "It was nice to meet you!"
She watched them jog back up the hill, reach the church, and disappear.
"It was nice to meet you too." She thought to herself.
She turned once more to the mayhem behind her and sighed.