Word: carneal
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...place, Benjamin Strong was at the breakfast table, munching on Froot Loops and listening to his father, a preacher, read from the book of Proverbs. In his heart, however, the 17-year-old was pondering the words of a classmate. "Don't be at prayer circle on Monday," Michael Carneal had told Strong on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Carneal was a bit of a misfit at Heath High School in West Paducah, Ky., one who occasionally wore ill-fitting, loud-colored clothes and had a couple of disciplinary problems (browsing the Playboy Website, digging a sharp object into a wall...
...from water guns to real guns," he says. "I did play that over in my head. I thought he'd wave it around, at worst." Strong hoped his friend was just being sarcastic. He had joked back at the time, saying he would "take him" if anything bad happened. Carneal often hung about with other students in the school lobby, looking on as the prayer circle met, never joining in. And so whatever he imagined, Strong believed there "would be time to negotiate or something." Besides, Strong could not stay away from the prayer circle. He was leading...
Minutes before, at the prayer circle, Strong had seen Carneal enter the lobby, and in his prayer he asked God for strength to last through the day. As the amen was said, the 35 members of the circle squeezed hands--and then came the first shot. "I thought it was probably Mike," says Strong. He turned his eyes on his friend and forcefully said, "Put down the gun." But Carneal continued to fire from the 11-round clip. Strong again spoke the words, receiving only a momentary glance from Carneal. But while other students ran for cover, Strong stood...
AFTER AN imaginitive battle scene consisting of stylized lighting, sound effects, and theme music, the rebellion is put down by Macbett (Scott Carneal) and Banco (Gintaras Valiulis). Carneal is almost plausible--his is physically suited for the role and commands a reasonable stage presence--but like most of the cast, he lacks depth. Valiulis' performance is as flat as a day-old Coke, and he is constantly and annoyingly brushing the hair out of his eyes. The best of the male cast is Vanderryn as Duncan, the cowardly archduke whose motto seems to be "safety first." Stupid but vengeful enough...