Alexandria Graveson walked to her next classroom, class 3-A. It was her most enjoyable class, by far. While some of the first and a few of the second-year students didn't care as much, the Third-Year students had found their motivation in life. They were studying furiously for Final Exams here, and Entrance Exams at their universities of choice. She knew of at least two of the kids that she had inspired to go study at colleges abroad, even if they weren't necessarily in America. International experience was one of the most fulfilling things that a person could go through. She knew from personal experience. Smiling as the students rose as she entered the room, they all greeted her with a bow. Bowing back, she said, [color=Wheat][b]"Good morning, class!"[/b][/color] Placing her binder and folders on the podium at the front of the class, she said, [color=Wheat][b]"I hope you've been studying hard, because the Final Exams are next week!"[/b][/color] The students let out an audible groan, but it was good-natured. They knew that Alexandria, their teacher, was doing the best that she could to teach them. Taking a stick of chalk, she wrote the assignment for today on the board, and pulled out a copy of Chaucer, and began reading. [color=Wheat][b]"Nowhere so busy a man as he than he, and yet he seemed busier than he was..."[/b][/color] [center]-------------------------------------------------------[/center] The second bell was about to ring, when the sliding door to her classroom was slammed open, revealing a ratty-looking man, who stumbled in. He had long hair, an unkempt beard, and fingerless gloves clasped a rusty knife. Alex's eyes widened as he started towards the first student in the row, Ogyu Ayame, a beautiful young girl, with a life of promise ahead of her. Shouting, [color=Wheat][b]"NO! GET BACK!"[/b][/color], she pulled on the man from behind, and they stumbled towards the window. She had almost pushed him all the way towards the glass, when he whipped around, knocking her back. The students were moving now, trying to come and help. She shook her head and screamed for them to get back, and gasped when the blade slashed across her stomach, causing blood to pour. The tip of the knife came down again, sliding through her collarbone, and piercing her heart. Standing, through sheer force of will, in one last titanic movement, she shoved the man through the glass, shattering it, and causing him to fall to the courtyard below, body broken. Alex then fell to the floor, curled up in a ball, blood pooling in the corner of the room. She saw her students, horrified, stand there for a second, and then rush towards her at once. When they got to her, she was already limp, eyes wide, a gentle smile on her face. Her last action was to offer her students a chance. [center]---------------------------------------------------------[/center] Alex gasped, coughing, and held a hand to her chest. Rubbing her forehead, she looked around, wildly. Didn't she... die? Looking herself over, she saw two bloodstained cuts in her clothing, one just above her left breast, and the other across her stomach. She had felt the cuts. She had felt the pain. So why was she here? Staring at the room, she wondered, where was she? Spying a laptop in the middle of the room, on a crate, and seeing two other women, and one man, she lurched forward, stumbling in disbelief. Was this heaven? If so, it kinda sucked. Going up to the laptop, she tried to get a glimpse of what was on the screen, and see if she could contact someone, anyone from the school. Maybe her coworkers could tell her what happened.