Disclaimer: I don't own.

Anger in Monotony, Fury in Assembly, Mortality in Innocence

Morning in the McDonald/Venturi house was as busy as it always was. Lizzie ran from the hallway closet to her room. Edwin slammed his door shut and yelled to Marti to stop taking his styling gel. Marti pleaded not guilty. Casey's arms were full of books as she hurried down the stairs to put her school work away. Derek barrelled out of the bathroom screaming at Casey.

"Where the hell is my toothbrush?"

Casey jogged back up the steps and snapped back a quick, "Marti."

"Smarti!"

The little girl poked her head out of her room. "What?"

Derek hurried over to her, holding up the towel around his hips. "Where's my toothbrush?"

"I used it to clean Fluffy's fur," she said sweetly then disappeared in her room for a moment before producing a very hairy looking blue toothbrush.

"Awe Smarti, now what am I gonna use?" he sighed in annoyance and threw the plastic to the ground.

Casey was running by and brushed up against him as she passed. "Just use mine for today. I'm getting a new one soon anyway." And then she was gone.

"Yeah, like I'd want to put something of yours in my mouth," he yelled and immediately ducked back in the bathroom, covering Casey's Oral-B toothbrush in toothpaste. He leaned one arm on the sink and stared, hard, into the mirror. He had to look perfect. Absolutely perfect. There was news of a transfer student from St. James and Derek wanted to be the first to greet her.

He threw the toothbrush lazily in the direction of the container. Quickly he checked his beautifully whitened teeth then tousled his hair. Still wet from his shower in fell in wiry bunches across his brow.

When he was thoroughly pleased with his appearance, he tossed the towel to the ground for Casey to pick up later and pulled on a clean pair of boxers. They were followed by a relatively clean pair of jeans and a shirt he hosed down in air-freshener.

Downstairs, Casey was desperately trying to find her day-planner.

"Mom, have you seen a small book with a floral cover?" she asked while lifting the cushion of the couch. The teen scrunched up her nose when she saw the remains of a plate of spaghetti.

"Did you ask Derek?" Nora called back while scrambling to get her papers in order.

"Der-ek!"

The boy came trotting down the steps with that famous smirk playing across his lips. His collar popped and a sexy piece of hair fell over his forehead. "You rang?"

"Where's my day-planner?" asked the already late Casey.

His smirk widened and he leaned over the arm of the couch getting closer to her face. "Ask Marti, I think I may have seen her tearing it up for invisible bird cage lining," he whispered, extremely amused by the look of horror and dread on Casey's face.

She turned and called up the stairs, "Marti have you seen my day-planner?"

"Smerek told me to rip it into little pieces cause you wanted to put them back together like a puzzle."

A nasty knot twisted in her stomach and she turned to her chuckling stepbrother. "That's it," she said strangely calm. "I'm gonna kill you." Casey suddenly ran at him. Derek, even with his hockey reflexes didn't react quick enough and landed on the ground hard with Casey straddling his waist. Repeatedly, she pounded on his chest with her fists screaming random insults.

Derek desperately tried to block the attacks but failed miserably. He was just a little bit distracted by the girl sitting on him.

"Casey!" shrieked her mother. "Get off of him, right now!"

It took both Lizzie, Edwin and Nora to pull the hysterical Casey off him.

"I am so sick of you, Derek," she yelled furiously still struggling to get at him. He stood shakily and swayed a little bit. "I hope you rot in hell!" With that, she tore from her family's restraints and grabbed her bag. Before she closed the front door, she heard a deep chuckle coming from Derek's direction.

Emily was waiting on the sidewalk when Casey broke down in tears. Quickly, worriedly, her friend raced to her side.

"Oh, my god, Case," Emily's deep brown eyes tried to focus in on Casey's deep clue ones. The crying girl simply turned her head and pushed out of Emily's arms.

"N-nothing. Just Derek." Angrily, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and prayed her face got it's normal even glow back before they got to school.

"What did he do this time?"

"Just nothing, Em. I'm fine."

Derek almost wanted to go after her but held himself back. 'No way man, you are not going soft.'

"You okay, dude?" Edwin asked.

Derek's head snapped in his direction and with a wave of his hand and well practiced smirk he replied, "Yeah, that's just the female hormones. Can't do anything about them." Now, if only he could bring himself to believe it.

"Kay, well you should probably get going. It's almost nine."

Derek grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Keys in hand he ran down the driveway to his Jeep. For a couple minutes, he dug in his bag for the CD he stole from Casey's room. He hadn't even looked at the title, just grabbed it to get a rise outta her.

"Ah, finally," he sighed and popped the blank CD in the player. 'Hm, must be a mix.' 8:51, the radio clock read. "Shit," he muttered and pressed play before pealing out of the driveway.

A slow melodic chorus of violins drifted from his speakers followed by a smooth, sexy female voice.

They call me the Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

Just as Derek was thinking how amazingly dark the song sounded, a deep male voice sang out.

From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the color of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild

The female voice filled his ears once more.

When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face

He glanced to the left and saw Emily and Casey walking down the sidewalk. Emily's arm was around Casey's shoulders. Even from the distance, Derek could see her delicate body wracking with sobs. He sighed and made sure no cars were coming.

"Hey," he called to them. Both girls' heads snapped in his direction as he crawled along the curb. "You guys want a ride? You're gonna be late."

"Come on, Case," Emily started directing her toward the car but she stopped and pulled away from her friend.

With cold eyes, she stared at Derek. "I would rather ruin my perfect attendance record then ride in a car with you."

"Just because I cut up your little book?" he asked incredulously.

"No, Derek," Her tone was utterly foreign to him. Like she was speaking acid and burning a hole in his chest. "because ever since I was forced to co-exist with you, you have made my life a living hell. And I'm sick of it. Take Emily to school. I'm walking the rest." Her eyes never left his.

"Case," Emily started.

"Go, Em." Briefly, she flicked her gaze to her desperate friend. "Don't worry about me."

"Jump in," Derek said to Emily, his eyes staring right back at Casey's trying to get her to just accept his apology. "If she wants to be late and get a detention, let her."

On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist

Casey watched her friend drive away in Derek's car as the last line of that stanza rang in her head. She knew instantly Derek had been in her room. But she felt too numb to even be angry at him.

It was ten minutes after the start of class when she arrived. Immediately she went to the office to get her late pass.

"Oh, Miss McDonald, why aren't you in class?" the receptionist asked, surprised.

In an even voice, Casey dropped her bag to the ground. "I was late; could I have a pass to class?"

The woman eyed her wearily, "You know I'm going to have to give you a detention for that, right?" slowly she tore off an orange slip and signed it, then handed it to Casey, who also signed it.

"Yeah, I know," without another word she walked to class. As she was heading to her locker, Casey indifferently looked at the small throng of students that congregated outside the cafeteria. There were a dozen or more standing, huddled together, and talking in low tones.

She recognized a few of the kids. None of them she was close to. She had spoken about ten words to the whole group, collectively. Each one of them had a dark expression and didn't even look up when she passed.

Finally, her locker came into view. After taking down her huge English book and heaving her equally sized chemistry book up to the shelf, she slammed the door only to come face-to-face with the bane of her existence.

The shock caused a quick scream and a loud thump as she dropped her books to the ground. An annoyed growl passed her lips and she knelt down to gather up her stuff. Derek didn't even move to help her.

"So, Casey, you have fun throwing that little temper tantrum today?" he crossed his arms and leaned his back against the cool metal. He almost felt like helping her, but yet again stopped himself.

"Get out of my life, Derek," Casey picked up every last paper and brushed past him.

He laughed heartily then wondered if it sounded as fake to her as it did to him. "Casey, you know you can't live without me."

"Oh, you think so?" she asked coolly and turned to him, coming to a halt. "Watch me." Before he could respond, she opened the door and walked into her first period class.

"Ah, Miss McDonald, I didn't think you would show." Mr. Samuel said and took her pass.

She didn't answer but simply walked to the back of the class and took a seat. Emily glanced back her. A cold, yet strangely warm, sensation settled in Casey's stomach.

'Free of Derek. I'm free of Derek.' She chanted over and over in her head, paying absolutely no attention to what Mr. Samuel was saying. 'I can just forget he even exists.'

Derek strolled into Mrs. Males history class without even a sideward glance at his fuming teacher. 'She needs me to be in her life,' he tried to tell himself. 'I give her till lunch time till she comes crawling back, snivelling her sorry's and how wrong she was.' For a split second, he wondered if lying to yourself fell under any of the Ten Commandments.

"Psst, hey, dude," Sam got his attention by sliding a note across his desk.

So have you seen the new girl yet? I haven't. Just heard they were transferring her record over in the office. Do you think she's hot? I mean, a catholic schoolgirl? Innocent much?

Derek scribbled back a quick reply not even bothering to think about it.

Casey transferred from a privet school. Look how she is.

A second later, Sam tossed the paper back.

Oh, come on! You cannot tell me you don't think your stepsister is hot. Dude, I swear if you don't, I'm gonna beat the shit outta you and take you to the eye doctor.

Derek, again not even thinking about his answer, wrote a reply.

Well yeah, Casey's hot. But a pain in the ass. She's obsessive, and a perfectionist. If I don't fold my underwear right she gives me shit. She spends hours on the phone. She follows every undeserving jackass with a cute face. She wears the skimpiest clothes when she's out with said jackasses. Her hair looks too good when she wears it down. That one denim skirt of hers drives me up a wall every time she wears it. I can't stand when she gets that cute little face when she's angry. Her eyes are always suffocating me. God, how did you date that girl??

Sam didn't reply. Derek was somewhat glad about that. It gave him more time to think about important stuff. Like how to annoy Casey second period.

The bell rang for the end of first period and Casey lethargically gathered her stuff. Emily almost came over but Casey shot her a look that clearly said she wasn't in the mood to talk.

She prayed to god that she Derek wouldn't get a chance to pester her before class. To give him as little time as possible she took a different route to math passing through the cafeteria. On her way out, she saw the group of kids again. And just like before she ignored them. Quickly she bought a Hershey's bar to munch on in class.

Derek looked all over the halls for her, but Casey was nowhere to be seen. He was just deciding to screw it because the bell was about to ring when the girl came jogging down the hall. The opposite hall she usually came down.

Before he could stop himself, Derek pulled the door open and let Casey walk in before him. She shot him a strange look then hesitantly stepped in. He smacked his fist to his forehead when he realized what he'd done.

As hard as she tried, Casey just could not keep her attention on Mr. Ronald's lesson. Her triangles somehow turned to hearts. The ovals turned to eyes. And the constant need to draw roses over came her. She blamed the sugar.

Derek actually resisted the urge to flick pieces of paper at her. He found that most of the pieces he was going to flick had the same words written all over them. He knelt above me with a rock in his fist.

He couldn't get that stupid song out of his head. Oh, god. Bittersweet. It's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all. That's what the song he played in his car was about. It was driving him nuts.

The final bell for second period rang, startling him from his musing. Casey was out the door before he had a chance to talk to her. 'Whatever. Any time now she'll be back.'

Casey didn't talk to Emily, Sam, or Derek. She just wanted to be left alone. All alone. So, she headed to Mrs. Males class with only her thoughts. 'God,' she pleaded silently. 'I'll do anything for you to just take Derek out of my life. Or me out of his. Please. I can't take it anymore. He's making me crazy. Just yesterday, I caught myself staring at him. At Derek! Ugh. And the way he treats me, it's worse then a dog. It's worse then a dog he plans to shoot.'

She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, so she ended up bumping into one of the kids in the group that still lingered outside the cafeteria. By that time, though, it looked like half of them had gone.

The boy she ran into turned and shoved her. When she brushed by him, Casey felt a shock of cold metal press against her stomach.

"Sorry," she muttered to him and he turned back to his posse. 'God that belt buckle must have been iron.' She shivered and rubbed her stomach, trying to warm it up again.

Mrs. Males babbled on about World War II and the effect it had on society today. Casey, while finally getting some grip on her wandering mind, was still having zone-outs. Every few minutes she would get lost in those arms.

His touch, his lips, that skin. Then she'd shake her head and get back to the past.

Her eyes, her voice, that look. Derek didn't even try to fight it anymore. He had nothing better to do anyway. No, he wasn't thinking about Casey. Okay, so maybe he was fighting it just a little.

He wanted to know what it would be like to kiss her, feel her, talk to her even. Get close to her. Not be afraid of any possible ramifications. 'Next period. Then she'll be back.'

'I never want to talk to him again. Never.' Casey absently tapped a pencil against her newest rose. It was one of many lined along the riverbank. The bushes and the river were the only other things in the picture. That is, except for the lone rock that sat near the waters edge. A sicken dark spot stained the blunter part of it. 'He kills me.' She thought before everything broke loose.

Derek sat in class with his slippery mind on anything else when hard metallic blasts came from the hall. Everyone froze. Then after a minute of silence, everyone stood and slowly filed out the door in curiosity. When Derek stepped out, he saw a boy standing at the very end of the hall staring blankly to the opposite wall. When Derek turned his head, he saw plaster littering the floor. Not a second later, the shots started again.

Screaming and running. That's all anyone did. Derek dropped to the ground as thundering footsteps surrounded his head from all sides. Some one kicked him in the forehead. Two more shots rang out. More screaming. He pulled himself up and tried to think of what was happening. That's when he glanced up and saw the boy who had previously been standing at the front of the hall slowly walking down to the other end with a pistol in his outstretched arm. He just kept pulling the trigger.

Casey was pressed to the wall as students and teachers ran for safety. A girl, one of the kids that were in the group outside the cafeteria, who was supposed to be in her third period class, held a small gun in her hand shooting everyone she saw. She knew she had to get out but she was completely lost. She didn't know what to do. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and she wanted to run but found she couldn't. that's when she saw him.

Sam was running down the hall. A look of absolute terror scarred his face. It happened in a split second. The girl with the gun turned and without even blinking pulled the trigger. Sam jerked forward and his face became confused for a second before blood slipped from between his lips and he fell to his knees.

Slowly, unaware of anything that was going on around him; he touched his mouth and saw the blood on his fingers. It happened in slow motion. The side of his mouth twitched up in a small sad smile and he looked at the ceiling before falling forward.

Casey screamed and ran to his side. She didn't care that people were running away. She lifted his head. Though his skin was still warm, she felt he was gone. Sam was dead. Tears leaked down her face.

"Sam!" Casey screamed. Sam's blood poured onto her clothes. "Please, no." she couldn't breathe. Everything around her got fuzzy. Finally, Casey passed out.

Derek finally snapped into action. He knew exactly what he had to do. Running full speed at the boy with the gun he set his heart in the only direction it would go. The boy saw Derek coming and raised the gun. He bumped into kids as he ran but he didn't care. Derek could only think of one thing. His heart beat wildly and he prayed for a miracle. The only way to Casey's third period class was down that hall.

The boy started squeezing the trigger aiming it straight at Derek's head. Derek was two feet from him when the gun clicked. Derek closed his eyes waiting for the bullet but it never came. Instead, Derek sprinted past the kid being sure to check him hard as he did and headed to Casey.

Everyone was frantic. Like antelope being stalked by lions. Derek yelled her name over and over again but couldn't even hear it himself. He got to her corridor and looked around like crazy. He saw everyone he could possibly think of. Kids he'd hung out with. Girls he'd dated. But no Case.

Just as he was getting ready leave, for the briefest moment, the stampede separated and he saw her. She was draped over someone lying on the ground.

"Casey!" he yelled as loud as he could and started toward her.

Casey stirred awake and remembered where she was. She jumped back when she realized she was lying on top of Sam's body. Someone called her name again. The girl turned to see Derek running toward her. Never in her life had she been so compelled to kiss the living crap out of him. She wanted him to just take her in his arms and let her forget the world.

He was just a few feet from her. Salvation was here. Casey's eyes left him for no more then half a second when she saw the boy she'd run into in the hall turn the corner. He produced a revolver from his jacket and looked for a target. His eyes settled on Derek's retreating back.

Casey's heart shattered when the kid pulled the trigger sending a bullet straight for Derek's back. At the last possible moment s kid bumped into him and in the next moment, Derek cried out. The bullet hit his shoulder and sent him tumbling to the floor.

Casey gasped and quickly crawled to his side. "Oh, god Derek." Gently she touched his already bloody shirt. He screamed again and Casey let a sob out.

"C-case," he gasped and tried to keep his breath steady. "You need-d to get out of here."

"No," she said stubbornly. "Not without you."

"Casey," Derek said firmly. "Get out."

"Derek, no." Tears flowed down her cheeks. "I can't live without you."

He was silent and looked around. The halls were clearing. That meant any of the shooters that still had ammo, and were lingering in the halls could make them easy targets.

"Please Derek, either we both get out of here or we both die in here," without waiting for an answer Casey pulled Derek to his feet but he stumbled.

"I tr-tripped. My ankle," he gasped. Casey wrapped her arm around him and supported him on his good shoulder. "Sam?" Derek muttered, seeming to have just seen his friend.

"Come on." Casey pulled him along. They weren't far from the exit. She could see the glow of the midmorning sun spilling across the hall. She focused all she had on the light. There were bodies of her classmates everywhere. It wasn't just a shooting. It was a massacre.

Derek limped and focused solely on the girl at his side. He tried not to feel the pain. It was unbearable. He was sure his shoulder blade was shattered. Casey kept muttering in his ear. Derek was positive she was telling herself just as much as she was telling him.

They turned the corner and saw the doors. Outside there were already a few ambulances. Derek started getting dizzy. He was cold and everything was going numb.

"Case," he whispered as she helped him along. "I can't…I can't feel my legs. I'm freezing."

"Come on, we're almost there." She heaved him up higher causing him to groan.

"I can't."

"You can."

The two were almost to the doors when Derek's body gave out. Casey fell with him. They were five feet from the door.

"Go Case," he said and took her face in his hand. His skin was turning pale and his touch was cold.

Casey paused for a moment before leaning down and kissed him lightly. "I'll be back in a minute. I'm gonna go get help."

She quickly stood and rushed out the door. Derek held his hand up weakly. Everything was going black. "I'm in—I'm in love with you, Casey." Then nothing.

Derek was lucky. The doctor said one more minute and he would have lost too much blood to even consider saving him. Casey saved his life while he was trying to save hers. But he was never going to play hockey again.

Others weren't so fortunate. Sam's funeral was held a week after the massacre. Derek couldn't go, but Casey went for him. She told him about how everyone got up and said something about their friend. There were at least a hundred people at his funeral.

Emily was shot in the back. The bullet nicked her spine. She was never going to walk again.

Emily's boyfriend, Sheldon, made it to the hospital and had a machine breathing for him. The doctors said he was in a vegetative state. He would never wake up. They pulled the plug. His parents took him off life-support.

That new girl everyone was looking forward to meeting took a bullet right to the temple. No one even knew her name.

Forty-five people were killed. Thirty-eight of them were students. Seventy-six were injured. Twenty-three of them will never live a normal life.

Over a hundred families will never be the same just because thirteen kids were bored. They wanted something to do. It wasn't one of those cases when they wanted to take as many people to the grave as they could. Those eight boys and five girls were just looking for a little fun. They found life in prison. Tried as adults. Each and every one of them.

Fin

Hey guys. It's four-thirty and I just couldn't sleep without writing this. Tell me what you think. I'm not very confident in it.