[UKISS]

Eli stood outside, staring at the dark clouds that were brewing in the sky. Today was most likely going to storm, judging from the thunder and turbulent weather. The storm didn't brighten his dark mood at all. If anything, it made it even worse and as hard as he tried, he couldn't put himself in a good mood. He knew that not very many of his bandmates would understand why he was upset today and that was his reason for keeping it private. Only Kevin would share in his pain...He was the only other American in the band and he would surely remember September 11 for what it had been and would always be in his memories and the memories of every American who had witnessed that terrible day, either on television or in person.This was a certainly a day the two young men would never forget. A day that had changed America forever. Eli remembered it like it was yesterday...

When Kiseop walked out and stood next to Eli the other man smiled at him with curiosity, tipping his head to the side. "What's wrong, Eli? Are you okay? I just noticed that you had walked out and there's a storm coming. I wouldn't want you to get caught out in the rain or struck by lightning," his bandmate smiled at him again, prodding him. 

Eli sighed, leading him over to a bench. "Yeah, I'm okay. This was just a bad day...fourteen years ago. I remember it every year. Would you like for me to tell you the story? I don't mind, but it'll be difficult. It's American history now." 

Kiseop nodded, his brow furrowing in concern. "I like to learn things about America and it's events. I'm curious, especially since you've been strange on this day every year that I've known you. I guess this is as good a time as any to learn the reason behind your sadness, right?" 

Eli smiled and nodded, clearing his throat. He hoped that he would be able to get through this story without losing his composure. It had been a long time, but it still bothered him when he thought about all of the lives lost and the events. He hadn't spoken about it for a long time. Not since he had come to Korea. "Okay. I'll tell you the entire story. It all started on September 11, 2001...

September 11, 2001 had begun as any other morning for Eli, the ten year old American getting up, showering and rushing to school.He had spent the entire previous evening working on his long English paper, and he was now quite proud of it. Walking into his first class, he smiled at the teacher as he found a seat. Thinking about his paper that he still had to turn in, worrying over the grammar, Eli turned his head when he noticed the door opening and the vice-principal spoke quietly to the teacher. Her face became serious as she turned to the students. "Class, I'm afraid something has come up. We are all needed in the auditorium. Please come with me." 

Eli was confused, hoping the school hadn't caught fire or anything like that. It was too early for a typical fire drill, so he wasn't sure what the emergency could be.  As he started to walk out of the classroom, he became more nervous when the alarm began ringing and everyone was hurrying to meet in the selected room. Picking up his pace, he ran The young man's  heart was pounding, and not wanting to be the one to slow anyone else down. A strong feeling of dread washed over the young boy when he got there, noticing that all of the adults still looked very serious and afraid. It was the first time he had ever seen any of them in this state of worry and fear, and that caused his heart to beat faster. He was expecting something minor that would be dismissed quickly, but the sick feeling in his stomach told him otherwise. When he looked in the direction that everyone else was looking, he saw something on the television screen would change his life forever. It would be burned in his memory for the rest of his life.

While he watched the television, the news station showed the live footage of an American Airlines plane that had been hijacked crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center. He felt numb with shock as he stared with disbelief, unsure of what to do or say. The entire room was silent as everyone stared at the television screen in shock. This was an attack on their country, and no one knew what to say. All they could do was watch and pray for the people still trapped inside. He could vaguely hear the chatter on the television screen, but it was difficult to concentrate on anything, other than the television screen his eyes were glued to. He felt as if he was in a bad dream and would wake up and everything would be normal again, but he knew it wasn't a dream.

Finally finding the strength to move, Eli sat down on one of the chairs, shaking. His entire world felt as if it was crumbling and he didn't know what else to do. He was helpless. Taking a deep breath, he began to taste the bitter salt of tears in his mouth, despite his resolve to stay strong for others. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't turn away from the screen, unsure of what the principal was saying. He was sure it must be something calming, but he didn't hear anything beyond the blood rushing in his ears. 

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