by Terry Keys
What came next was a small write up on each student, including Blaze.
Not only had twenty-one students lost their young lives that day, but another sixteen had been seriously injured. And of course, there were many more with emotional scars that they would carry their entire lives.
Two weeks after the shooting, Mr. Hunter had enrolled in counseling himself. He wanted to quit but his wife wouldn’t let him. And to this day, despite hours and hours of counseling he still blamed himself just as strongly for what’d happened that fateful day in August.
Why hadn’t he stopped the bullying sooner? Why hadn’t he made an example out of someone like he was going to do with Tre Johnson long before then? Why had he caved to the pressure and let Tre play that night?
“Mr. Hunter, everyone is here and waiting. It’s time,” his secretary leaned over and whispered to him.
He had relived the day over and over again, more times than he could count. And now as he sat staring at the eyes of the young people that were lost. It replayed again.
He slowly dragged himself to his feet and cleared his throat. “Thank you for joining us here tonight,” he said and reached down to take a sip of water.
“Almost two months ago, our lives here at Kilwade High were forever changed. A very sick and hurting boy decided to play God that day. He left behind a letter that I’m sure most of you, if not all of you, have read by now. What happened here at Kilwade was a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided. That should have been avoided. All the red flags where there – all the warning signs. And sadly, we all looked right through them – myself included. Let me make this clear: no one deserved to die on August twenty-fourth. But many of us bear some responsibility for those horrific events – again, myself included. As a result of that horrendous day, the school administration has created a task force. They were assigned three main objectives. One, review every call, text, email, conversation or any other type of communication between any of the parties involved with the individual responsible that day. Second, was to devise safeguards and protocols so that no one ever feels that way again and if they did, we would know it ahead of time. Lastly, they were tasked with developing a more effective school safety plan, making it as robust as humanly possible. As you’ve noticed, around campus and during sporting events many things have changed. For one, backpacks are no longer allowed at games. We’ve also installed metal detectors at the gates and received funding to install metal detectors on the main entrances and exits to the school. And we are now locking secondary exits to the school during school hours. Those are just a few of the changes. There are many more to come. Kilwade is a strong community. We’ve bounced back from floods, hurricanes – even the fire that burned down half of our C wing three years ago. I am Kilwade born and raised. I love the people here and will do everything in my power to keep our children safe. After much debate we have voted to continue our football season. Kilwade has three games remaining on our schedule. We owe it to the seniors on this team to go out and fight for Kilwade. To go out and fight for their fallen brothers. There will be added security, but we will not let fear control our lives. Members of the team and students will wear black wristbands tonight in honor of their classmates. One of the things that I am most proud of is the addition of our weekly student roundtables. To me, this is more important than all of the safety measures combined. Having you students come in a few nights a week to meet with mentors and share your stories with other students is going to change this community. We won’t wait until a student has reached his or her breaking point before we’ve identified a problem. This will be a safe zone where you can talk without fear of punishment or labels or judgement. A place where you can reveal your souls. A 24-hour hotline number will be issued so you can reach out at any time you need help. We will be available. We will put our time and attention to what we say we hold valuable – our youth. As I said before, there will be many more changes to come. We are also working on opening the gym Saturday nights. We will be welcoming all students to attend. We’ll have games and movies streaming. It will be a safe alternative to beer, parties and other unsupervised hangouts. Our task force will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the new programs and we will tweak and make changes until we get it right. We aren’t perfect but we are committed. We want to be a beacon to both Texas schools and schools across the country. Our community has seen the lowest of lows and now we vow to reach higher than we ever have before. We know that your hearts are still trying to heal and we want you to know that we are right there with you. We’ll walk hand in hand and we will overcome. We’ll be stronger from this. Again, thank you all for being here this afternoon. Who would like to read first?”
Epilogue Steph Planter – After her son’s death she started a national organization to help parents like her cope with the loss of a child. She quit her job at the school and now travels across the nation speaking to students.
John Planter– Reconnected with his son Kevin. He has no plans on returning home full-time. Tre Johnson – Was killed during the school shooting. His mother lost her battle with cancer one month later. His younger brother was then put into the foster care system.
Wayne Kellerman – Was killed during the school shooting. His parents are suing the school district.
Nikki Soron – Underwent counseling, plans on moving to California after high school to pursue an acting career.
Mark Kent – Underwent counseling, plans on joining the Marines after high school to get out of Kilwade. He is now home schooled.
A note from the author: Writing this book has been both satisfying and disheartening. Most people know that depression in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. But many of us that have not been directly affected may not realize just how grave the situation may have become. The numbers are simply staggering – and those mind you are reported numbers. There are no doubt thousands more sufferers that deal with it alone and remain in the shadows.
About once every three minutes a teenager in America takes his or her own life. Around the world that number climbs to about one a minute. Kids spell love T-I-M-E and they will find it somewhere. The internet, their cell phone – maybe even a gang. We simply weren’t createdto be alone. We need deep human contact and relationships.
A closer look into some of the numbers: 450 million people world-wide suffer from some type of mental health condition.
1 in 5 adults will suffer some form of depression during their lifetime.
22% of teens suffer from some sort of health disorder.
70% of juveniles in the justice system suffer from some sort of mental disorder. Over 50% of kids report feelings of loneliness.
Loneliness increases the risks of mortality by almost 30% - on rate with obesity.
Every 90 seconds an American is sexually assaulted.
1 out of 5 women have been the victim of rape.
The cost of mental health worldwide is almost 3 trillion dollars. Unfortunately there is a stigma attached to mental health sufferers that makes those affected afraid to be open about their condition. They are often depicted as being overly dangerous in movies and television – which is a falsehood. Mental health issues alone aren’t the sole contributing factor to one being dangerous.
So what are some ways we can help?
1. Pay attention to those around us. Really pay attention with the intent of trying to lend an ear if needed.
2. Talk with a parent, loved one, or an administrator at your school if you notice bullying. Don’t ignore it.
3. Encourage loved ones to talk about their feelings.
Here are some additional resources:
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/nationalhelpline
https://adaa.org/
https://www.dbsalliance.org/
https://www.rainn.org/articles/tips-talkingsurvivors-sexual-assault
https://victimconnect.org/learn/types-ofcrime/sexual-assault/
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p; crime/sexual-assault/
coping-skills.aspx
Discussion questions (for students): 1. Have you ever witnessed someone being bullied through social media? (give a few examples)
2. Did you talk to that person about it?
3. What advice did you offer them?
4. What advice could you offer them if you didn’t?
5. Have you ever been a victim of cyber-bullying or bullying?
6. How did you get the bullying to finally stop? 7. Do you have any ideas on how social media bullying can be monitored?
8. Do you watch videos when it’s clear someone is being bullied? Why?
9. Have you ever turned someone in for bullying? 10. Have you ever dealt with depression?
11. Who did you talk to about it?
12. Did you tell your parents how you felt?
13. Blaze felt like his mother lied to him because she hadn’t told him about his real dad. Have you ever felt this way about your parents?
14. Can you talk about something they may have kept from you that you found out?
15. Did you confront them about it?
16. What explanation did they give?
17. Like Blaze’s parents many of your parents may have gone through a divorce. How did that make you feel?
18. Did they talk to you about it?
19. Did you talk to anyone about it?
20. Have you ever felt like everyone would be better off if you were gone?
21. Did you talk to anyone about it?
22. If not, why didn’t you talk to anyone about it? 23. What are some of the circumstances that lead you to feeling this way?
24. Do any of your friends have abusive parents like Nikki’s dad?
25. Did you talk with them about it?
26. Do you think Nikki started to see some of her dad’s behaviors in Blaze?
27. Do any of your friends live in a situation like Tre’s? 28. Are there ways that you can help them?
29. Do you believe Tre’s environment helped shape his behavior? How?
30. After reading Tre’s chapter and watching him interact with his family do you believe he is a bad person? Why or why not?
31. Name some of the ways you’ve noticed that your school is unsafe.
32. Whose attention could you bring these issues to for corrective action?
33. Have there been times when you haven’t felt safe at school?
34. Do you feel students have some responsibility for monitoring peer bullying? Why?
35. One of the themes of the novel were the different groups and clicks and how they interacted. Do the different groups at your school bully each other?
36. In what ways are you parents like Blaze’ mom Steph?
37. Are there groups of students at your school that conduct themselves like Tre and his football teammates?
What is your strategy in dealing with them? Avoidance? Inclusion?
38. How does it make you feel when you see other students being bullied and harassed at school or on social media?
39. Most schools now have a zero tolerance policy – does this policy need to be reviewed? Should a student be allowed to defend his/her person if struck without being automatically expelled?
40. Have you ever bullied another student? If so why?
41. If you witness bullying do your parents want you to get involved or mind your own business?
42. Do you help new students try to fit in? Who has more responsibility with helping integrate the new student or you? Why?
43. If Blaze had been your friend and you’d come across the plans on his computer what would you have done?
44. If someone is the victim of bullying would you be okay with letting them get revenge? Why? 45. At school do you try to fit in or stand out? Why? Which is the right thing to do?
46. When a student breaks a rule is discipline handed out the same for everyone? (Without naming names) Give an example of where you believe it was unfair.
47. If your parents try to keep you away from a troubled friend what should you do? After all they are only trying to protect you – right?
48. Is your social media presence who you really are? 49. Have you ever stopped being friends with someone because you felt it hurt your popularity? 50. Should parents teach their kids to fight back or to tell a teacher?
51. After reading The Kilwade Tragedy in what ways do you identify with any of the characters? In what ways do any of your friends?
52. At parties have you ever been peer pressured into drinking more than you know you should? (meaning you already felt drunk)
53. If you are bullied or exposed in some way do your friends expect you to retaliate? What would they say to you if you told them you weren’t going to? 54. Name things you have been peer pressured into doing.
55. Have you or any of your friends been victims of sexual assault?
56. Blaze didn’t have a very good open line of communication with his parents. Develop a list of things you need to discuss with your parents.
Here are a few resources for teens:
https://evolvetreatment.com/blog/im-afraid-talkparents/
https://teenlineonline.org/
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/cryforhelp/featured/resourc es-hotlines-and-web-sites-for-teens/11/
Discussion questions (for parents): 1. Blaze didn’t have a very good open line of communication with his parents. Develop a list of things you need to discuss with your teen.
2. Are you monitoring their social media accounts?
3. Have you talked to them about how to handle being bullied?
4. Are you sexually active?
5. Have you had thoughts of suicide or self-harm?
6. Do you feel like you can talk to me about anything? Why? Or why not?
7. Are you using alcohol or drugs?
Dig in ask the tough questions! Here are some additional resources for parents:
https://www.parenttoolkit.com/health-and
wellness/advice/mental-health/how-you-can-help-yourchild-after-they-ve-been-diagnosed-with-mental-illness https://7mindsets.com/questions-to-ask-teens/
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/suicideprevention/suicide-prevention.htm
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/parentsguide-to-teen-depression.htm
https://www.universalclass.com/articles/psychology/cop ing-with-sexual-assault-as-a-parent-of-a-teenager.htm
https://dinnertablemba.com/questions-to-ask-teens/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/abcs-childpsychiatry/201804/100-questions-ask-your-teen-otherhow-was-school
Preview Terry Keys NIEA Award Winning Novel
Chained Guilt
Prologue
It had taken me longer than I’d planned, but I’d finally tracked the bastard down; it now appeared the odds were stacked in his favor.
“Detective David Porter!” The voice calling out had a strong Russian accent. I knew the voice. No mistaking it. Prodinov. I looked around and tried to figure out which direction it had come from. I obviously had company in the dark, box-filled warehouse. It was late, and the temperature had continued to drop. The inside of the building was as cold as the outside. My teeth chattered and my fingers tingled in the subzero temperatures. This was one element that definitely favored the Russians; they were used to the cold. Houston was cold about one month out of the year, but it was nothing like this. I tried temperature Prodinov.
to block out the bone-chilling and focus on zeroing in on
“So you come all the way to Russia to die? For me to kill you like I did your brother? Didn’t you learn from his mistakes? He never saw me coming, but he should have. You are a much better detective than he was; I’ll give you that. But you will die tonight. Shoot him down!”
Gunfire rang out across the warehouse. I dropped to the cold cement floor and rolled behind a wall. I frowned, still unable to pinpoint his location as he taunted me. I was hit in the shoulder, losing blood fast as three Russian hit men closed in on me. I had to figure out what my next move
was going to be. I should have known Alexander Prodinov would have some hired goons try to take me out. No way would a coward like him let this be a one-on-one battle. But if he thought I had traveled all the way to Russia to die, he was sadly mistaken. I had also promised him when he took his last breath, I’d be standing over his cold, lifeless body. My “vacation,” as I’d told my superiors, was anything but.
“Revenge has a way of making people better at what they do. I’m a killer, Mister Porter, and a very good one. Unlike you, I do what I do for fun, not for a paycheck. They’ve written books about me, about my skills. When will you figure these things out? No matter how good you are, you lack the talent and the brains to win against me. I am simply better than you are.”
“I didn’t come here to die!” I shouted back at him. “Death will come to one of us, I promise you.”
The words had barely left my mouth when another barrage of gunfire whizzed past my head. Bullets ricocheted off several crates around me. I ducked behind one, wincing as a splinter left a trail of heat across my cheekbone. I saw the exit and, crouching now, focused my gaze on it. I sprinted for the door, hoping I wouldn’t be gunned down before I reached it. Ignoring my wounds, ignoring the cold, I charged forward. I heard the echo of footsteps behind me but knew I couldn’t stop.
“Run, Porter!” Prodinov bellowed, laughing.
With the trail of blood I left behind, I knew I would be easy to track down come daylight or flashlight. The only hope I had was the cover of night and the thick Russian forest that surrounded the warehouse and stretched on forever. It was a bone-chilling fifteen degrees, and my body wasn’t used to this type of weather, but losing myself in the woods was my only hope.
As I ran, I heard animal sounds I didn’t recognize. Every so often I made out a set of eyes watching me. They could probably smell the blood and waited for me to keel over so they could pounce on me. I stumbled, nearly tripping over a fallen tree branch in the eerie blackness. Whether I died running or got shot down by Prodinov’s goons, they’d never find me.