History of the Trap: May Shadows Part 5

SYNOPSIS:  After being visited in prison by Morgan LaDona Tigh, Lance Martin has agreed to Dr. Duncan's request to detail what happened in the time that Lance is calling "the Trap."  Lance begins his journal by describing the morning before the trap fell, where we learn his father was the Principal of Loren High, that Lance is a Junior, and has a sister named Diane who is a sophomore.  After a couple hours at school that morning, where we see how different is relationship with Morgan is, we also meet Lance's best friend, Artie Pentler, and their gang. Just as Lance is ready to ask Ginny Estill out, the Trap falls, and they witness the horrible death of two P. E. students as they are caught in some kind of electrical storm.  The students soon realize, as April marches on, that the so-called storm is something more, and that they may be trapped at the school and it's grounds for a very long time.  As May starts up, a grizzly murder is discovered.  Mr. Franks, the substitute math teacher is found dead in a janitorial closet. The murder remains unsolved, as Lance's father and staff struggle to come to grips with events.  They decide to schedule more activities for the students to become involved, including a dance Friday.  Lance tries to ask Ginny out to the dance, but is stopped by her disdain for couples going together before he can even ask.

5

I often dreamed about my mother.

She would be waiting for me when I came in the door.  She was very upset, asking me where I had been.  I would let her vent, and then we would just sit and talk, all the time until I would wake up.  This latest dream, that Sunday night following the dance, I was asking her about Ginny.  She told me to take it easy, that I was a good boy and a great catch, and that if I would just relax and let nature take its course, Ginny would fall as in love with me as I was with her.

Then I would wake up and realize that I had not seen my mother in almost a month, that I might not ever see her again, or anyone else that I knew from outside this school.  And I remembered the dance on Friday night.

Ginny was true to her word.  She did save a dance for me.  As she did for Jim, Robert, and Tom and Jerry - the entire gang of Artie's friends.  I wanted to hang with her more, but I didn't just want to tag along after her, like a loyal but ignored puppy.

I wasn't a complete wallflower.  I did dance once with Lisa Carlton (to my surprise - she asked me!).  She put her head next to mine as we slow danced and it vibrated kind of funny, as if it was hollow.  I almost laughed out loud.  One of the smartest persons at our school and her head sounded empty!  I also danced once with Ginny's kid sister, Mary.  She seemed to appreciate it, smiled at me really big after it was over.

The center of attention was Morgan Tigh and Mark Granite.  They were often all over each other and their dances so intense that people stopped to watch.  After watching them dance to Billy Rose's Alligator Roll, many students broke to applause and chanting.  That was the handsome Mark Granite, fastest sprinter in the state, hooked to the amazingly popular junior cheerleader, Morgan LaDona Tigh.  They were with each other most of the time, except when Mark broke away and went over to talk to some of his athletic friends.  At one moment, I noticed he was interrupted by Robert Pelly, the long-haired leader of the Three Hoodlums.  I hadn't realized they knew each other.  Their conversation was brief but animated.  Maybe Pelly was trying to bust in where he wasn't wanted.  Wouldn't be the first time.

Artie did come to the dance, but he was late and he left early.  Ginny was around him some, but not all the time.  If Artie danced with her or anybody else, I didn't notice it.  Shortly after Artie left, I looked for Ginny just to talk or see if she would dance with me again.  I couldn't find her.  They couldn't have left together, could they?  I tried to dismiss the thought from my mind.

I might have dwelt on it more, but I woke up that Saturday morning to startling news that brushed aside Ginny and dreams of my mother.  My father had started to organize an effort to achieve better attendance records, and this would be led by the front office administrative secretary, Betty O'Neal.  She worked diligently the next few days and would be leading a new system on Monday morning.  She would not get to be the one to see it through.  She was found with her throat slit in the women's bathroom, the one that was for adults only.

Thoughts immediately went to this had to be done by the same person or persons that killed Mr. Franks.  We were all fearful that was the case.  But how did a student gain access to the adult's restroom?  No student was supposed to have the key that gained access to it.  Then it began to strike many of us.  What if the killer wasn't a student?  What if it was an adult?  One of the figures we had come to rely on and accept as authority?

What then?