This has nothing to do with the book, but I thought some (by some I mean most) of you might want to read.

There was a school shooting on Friday. Only one person was injured. Did any of you guys hear about it?

A mentally ill 19-year-old guy brought a gun into Forest High School, where he had dropped out of a few years ago. He snuck a gun into the school in a guitar case. When he started shooting, he had tried to open a door, but it was locked. (A part of Marion County's policy requires all doors to be locked at all times.) So he kneeled down and shot through the space under the door. He shot and injured one guy's ankle. He'll make a full recovery.

Why do I care? Why would I bring this to your attention?

Simple. I'm zoned for that high school.

That high school is minutes away from my home. It is a few miles away from my school. If that guy was a dropout from my school, then he would have been shooting my school. If I decided to go to Forest High School, I could have been shot.

Also, what stopped the shooter from firing more bullets? It wasn't like he was tackled or stopped with force. It was all him. He decided to stop shooting. That shooting could have been a lot worse. If he knew that bullets could break the doorknobs...well I'm glad he didn't know.

What if that shooting in Parkland (another Floridian school) on February 14th didn't happen? Then Marion County wouldn't have begun to lock all the doors. Then that shooter could have walked into any classroom. Would he have stopped shooting if he was able to get into the classrooms?

What is my point? Why bring this up? I believe this information means more coming from a person you have some sort of relationship with would make this seem less like a news report and more like a real event. I'm not that stranger that is having an interview. I'm someone that's like you: reading fanfiction and loving Percy Jackson. I'm real.

"So what was it like in the neighboring rival school?"

Well, thank you for asking.

At 9:00, there was an announcement telling all students to go to their first period. I didn't know what was going on. I went into my defensive mode where I take nothing seriously because otherwise, I get worried and scared.

Students in my first period were saying there was a shooting at Forest High School and one person was shot. I couldn't stop wondering if the person was a teacher or a student. I didn't know what the circumstance was. Was it inside? Outside? Was the wound fatal?

Plus I wondered who stopped the shooter. (I couldn't imagine the shooter simply dropping the gun).

We ended up staying in the same classroom for the entire school day. Even students that could drive home could not leave the classroom. The adults were concerned there might be more shooters celebrating 420 with a bang.

At one point, we went into a Code Red, which means there is someone on the campus that was dangerous. I was finishing something before I went into the corner with the rest of the class. By the time I got to the corner, there was no way I could fit and not be seen from the window. So, I squeezed underneath the sink. (It was not comfortable). It was a false Code Red, but hey, it's all good.

So, I must end this by asking for your experiences. What has your school done in response to the gun threats? Is it a common subject discussed in school? Are you joining the protests?