Kazbek Zaragasov, 15, was at the school with his 10－year－old sister Agunda when the attackers appeared．
　　Everybody thought it wasn't real at first, like it was some kind of exercise1. Then people started running. My heart was beating so fast, I ran away too. But suddenly I remembered that my little sister was in the crowd with all the rest of the kids, and I had to go back. How would she be without me? I knew she would be scared2.
　　I kept telling Agunda they'd let us go3 soon. “When they do, we'll go into town and get food and drink in a store,” I told her. That was on the first day. By the next day I didn't know what to tell her except that everything would be okay. Even though my throat was dry the whole time, it felt like it would crack, I didn't regret my decision to come back, not once.

Agunda Zaragasova 10, found comfort by pressing herself up against her older brother4, who had returned for her．
　　He told me everything would be okay and kissed me. On the third day the blast5 picked me up and threw me into the air. I fell down on something soft outside, got up and started walking away. Even though there were bullets6 and people everywhere, I couldn't run—my feet hurt and I was dazed7. A soldier picked me up and carried me away, and they gave me water and a blanket.
 
Herded8 into the gym with the rest of the hostages9, Inna Arkova, 15, was desperate10 to find her sister Natasha, 10.
　　They started putting bombs everywhere. There were at least 10 bombs of all different kinds attached to11 the ceiling and the basketball hoops12 and the floor. They put some under the windows too. It was horrible, because the wires13 went right by my feet.
　　(After the explosion in the gym) There was smoke everywhere and it was hard to breathe. Half of the roof had collapsed14. My friend Kristina had been sitting with us. Then she moved to a place right under the bomb 20 minutes before it exploded, and everything fell on her, and she died. I think the bomb killed a third of the people in the gym.
 

 Natasha Arkova: On the first day they let us go to the bathroom and gave us water. I saw my older sister at the other end of the gymnasium15 when it was her turn to go. An old woman told me to go to the bathroom too, so that I could be with her. We sat together the rest of the time. I was crying all the time, and she told me everything would be okay and held me on her lap16. I took off my clothes, because it was so hot and there was no water. On the second day we weren't allowed to get up anymore. They took our clothes and soaked them in water and threw them into the crowd, but only the people at the front of the gym could get any water. I dreamed of my mommy and daddy. I pictured myself coming home and drinking lots of water.
　　On the third day one of the bombs was taped17 to the basketball hoop, but it was too heavy and it fell. That's when the first explosion happened. It blasted out all of the windows in the gymnasium, and I couldn't hear anything after that. Inna told me to get up and to get out of a window.
　　During the confusion, Inna and her sister Natasha managed to get out and were rescued18 by soldiers．

Larissa Dzhushok: One 3-year-old boy was desperately thirsty. On the first day the older children were taken out to a toilet, but they didn't want to bother with the little kids and just brought them bottles and jars to pee19 in. This little boy started drinking the urine20 out of the bottle they brought him. His grandma shouted, “What are you doing? What are you drinking?” But later the other children did the same.

1． exercise  n． 演习
2． scared  adj． 恐惧的
3． let go 放掉
4． press up against sb． 紧贴着某人
5． blast  n． 冲击波，爆炸
6． bullet  n． 子弹
7． dazed  adj． 头昏的，眼花的
8． herd  v． 把…赶在一起
9． hostage  n． 人质
10． desperate  adj． 不顾一切的
11． attach to 附着于
12． hoop n． 篮
13． wire n． 铁丝；电线
14． collapse  v． 倒塌

15． gymnasium ＝gym n． 体育馆
16． lap  n． 膝盖
17． tape v． 用带子捆绑
18． rescue  v． 营救
19． pee  v． 小便，撒尿
20． urine  n． 尿