Warrior Cats: The Four Clans

Author's Note: I know this looks quite long. Maybe it is. But please, PLEASE read it anyway.

And by the way...it is not that happy so...yeah. 

I don't think it's that good of a story. But I wanted to do this. This is not my best work so please don't rate my "skills" by this piece of junk.

Muffled sounds meet the girl's ears. Voices...sniffs...coughs...sobs...the ruffle of tissues being passed around...but most of all, silence. A profound, stunning silence. It is this silence that makes the tears fall from Carley's eyes. 

It is the sort of silence that only a very small crowd can make. It is the sort of silence that you hear at a funeral for an outcast, shunned person who was cared about by nearly no one.

Because Carley is at this sort of funeral. 

Her vision is slightly blurred with tears. She looks around, counting once more, to see if she was mistaken. 

No. Even after her fifth headcount, Carley still can only see twelve people.

And four of these people are from Elena's family.

Elena is dead.

Carley repeats the three-word sentence over and over into her head. Suddenly she almost screams with surprise, pain, and guilt. It has finally sunk in - Elena is dead.

Carley closes her eyes. Almost immediately a scene plays like a movie beneath her eyelids....

*~*~*~*

....Carley is walking down the hall. The sound of happy, laughing voices grows gradually louder as she nears the cafeteria.

But she knows that one voice, one that she has only heard once in her life, is not participating in the fun and jokes.

She enters the cafeteria. Her guess about the seldom-heard voice is correct.

Or, rather, the owner of the seldom-heard voice.

Elena is sitting at a table in the corner, alone. The table is only meant to seat six people, but it seems as if the table is miles wide because Elena looks so lonely.

Carley stands in the doorway of the cafeteria, debating.

She decides to do it. She will sit with Elena. 

Carley has only taken four and a half steps toward Elena's table when she freezes, one leg still in the air.

Seven girls approach Elena, nearly blocking her from Carley's view.

"Hello, Ew-lena," sneers their leader, Sabrina. "Have you wet your pants yet today?" Several harsh giggles slither into Carley's ears, making her cringe.

Elena doesn't look up. But Carley can see from this angle that Elena's less-than-beautiful face is screwed up with anger and pain.

Sabrina is talking quite loudly, attracting attention from most of the cafeteria.

"I hope we don't have to witness another one of your crying episodes again in science," drawls Sabrina in almost a yell. "You're such a baby, Ewlena. Why do you have to be such a lame little wimp?"

Now the entire school is cranking out snickers at Sabrina's taunts.

Elena stands. Her eyes are red and there are shining streaks running down her face. She looks down so her hair is in front of her face. Elena scoops up her books and rushes out of the cafeteria. 

The snickers have turned into jeering laughter. 

Carley does nothing.



Two days later, the rest of the school has forgotten about the incident in the cafeteria. 

Sabrina continues to taunt Elena.

Carley looks on, feeling a minuscule twinge of pity for Elena. But mostly, she is just glad that she is not in the friendless girl's shoes.



One and a half weeks go by. Elena is suddenly absent from class, with no previous sign of illness or an excuse note for vacation.

Elena does not return.

*~*~*~*

Carley lets out a muffled sob. If only she had joined Elena at the table that day. Elena would have finally seen that she was a human being, someone with worth, who deserved to live.

Carley cannot help thinking that it is her fault Elena is dead. She knows, truly, that it is Sabrina's. 

But Elena shall not return.