Our Generation: The Soap Opera The Devil’S Ropes

Mon., Aug. 16, 1999

Steven Weaver, 13

Part 4

Slate Gravel, after seeing nothing but still feeling a presence behind him, ran as fast as he could. He ran right into something cold and hard.

After getting up, he faced somebody’s navel. There was only one person who this could be.

“Going somewhere?” Zev Hampstead, the PE teacher asked in a gravelly voice. “N-no, sir,” Slate replied. This was the one person who could give him chills. Zev’s eyes (Slate could not tell what color they were) knew everything.

“Well, next time, don’t run. Someone could get hurt,” the teacher said as he walked off with a sinister smile on his lips. Slate sighed, then continued running until he vanished into the shadows. Gwenn Petors arrived shortly after. She saw nothing.

Zev walked into the gym, pushing two students away and stepping on Arianna Jordan’s foot, nearly crushing it. “Sorry,” he said. Arianna shuddered. As he walked to his office, he looked at Nathaniel St. Attila III, who was heading outside.

Gwenn was about to walk into the gym, when a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. … Jon looked around, searching for Gwenn, swearing over the fact that he had lost her. After all, he was being paid to watch her. He heard thunder.

He paused to help the new foreign exchange student with crutches. Jon couldn’t understand a word he said but somehow managed to help him to his locker, which was on the opposite side of the school. They finally reached it, and as it was opened, Jon saw a familiar face inside.

“Gwenn!” he shouted. She did not answer. Jon ripped off a necklace so he could feel a pulse. There was none.

Lt. Argyle Columbus, who had been patrolling the hallways since the first death, ran over. He saw, on an extremely thick bracelet, a fingerprint. He pulled out a reference he had been carrying around.

“Slate Gravel, we’ve finally got you.”

This was not good, thought Jon. He was supposed to watch her, not find her dead. The CIA would not be pleased. Still, the fact that the officer was immediately there to get the fingerprints - it all seemed too convenient. His thoughts stopped abruptly when Slate Gravel burst in.

Suddenly lightning flashed and hit the school’s generator, knocking out the lights. When someone finally turned a lighter on, they all saw that Slate Gravel was gone.

CONTINUING SAGA WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Send your version of the continuing saga of St. Attila High to Our Generation/Soap, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane WA 99201 or fax it to (509) 459-5098 or e-mail ourgeneration@spokesman.com Keep your story to no more than 400 words. It should be complete fiction. Avoid references to real people and real situations. Stories must be received before noon Thursday to be considered for publication next week. Include your full name, age, school and home phone number. You must be between 13 and 18 to enter. And be sure to leave a suspenseful ending. Previous and unpublished alternate episodes can be found online at http://ourgen.spokane.net

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