The Desert Violin Convention (Landon)

"You need to come with me right now." A rink attendant came up to me just as I was about to practice my quad axel again. If not for the makeup, all color on her face would have vanished. "Get Mark too." What was going on? I skated over to Mark and called his name. Confused, we put on our skate guards and moved past the other skaters as quickly as we could. I still had my skates on, but I put on my guards. We followed the attendant and she sat us down.
          "There was a shooting at the Desert Violin Convention."
          "Does it involve anyone we know?" Mark always knew what questions to ask. I felt like there was tape over my mouth. Lisette had messaged me for days on end about how excited she was for the convention. Is she okay? Is she alive? I was the one who suggested that she go to the violin convention. The last thing I need is more blood on my hands.
          "The good news, Landon, is that your sister is okay. She somehow managed to escape with only a few scrapes. However, she still needs your full support as she just survived the worst mass shooting since Havencraft." She was okay. That was all I needed to hear. She went on to mention some Mineplex students who attended the convention. One was shot in the leg. Another had injuries from falling on a broken violin. But that didn't matter. Lisette was okay.
          "Any bad news?"
          "Steve was shot in the back and one of his lungs was punctured. The surgeons have worked very hard and his recovery is going smoothly." My stomach started churning. No. No. No. "He protected your sister. If you want to visit, he would probably like that, but you probably want to practice that quad axel again."

When I got up, my legs would not support my weight. I had to lean on Mark for support, both physical and mental. I didn't feel right skating, not now. I called Phillip to tell him about what happened at the Desert Violin Convention and that I wouldn't be able to practice today. I managed to choke out a few words before vomiting in a trashcan. I'm the one who deserves to be injured in a shooting, not Steve, not after all he's done for everyone.