As we stood outside Virginia Tech residence hall where two students were killed yesterday, we heard a wide range of stories.
Many of the students related where they were -- some in the shower, others asleep -- when the shooting took place. We didn't talk to anyone who heard the shots. Many were surprised they hadn't. We were told the sounds of laughter from an outside patio and a sand volleyball court often made their way inside. The students couldn't understand why didn't hear something as loud as gunshots in the dorm.
Another student told us she first learned there was a shooting in her building when someone instant messaged her and asked her if she was going to class. "Why not?" she responded, not knowing that two people just had been killed.
Other students told us of their memories of the victims.
Most people we interviewed knew Ryan Clark, one of the victims. Several students talked about his sense of humor and his work as a resident advisor -- an RA -- on the fourth floor. We met one freshman who remembered Clark helping her learn marching band drills. Clark played baritone and was a band officer. After we talked to her, she went to pick up her band uniform so she could wear it to the convocation service this afternoon.
Emily Hilscher was the other victim in the dorm. She was majoring in animal and poultry science. The people who knew her said she and her roommate lived just down the hall from Ryan. He was their RA.
Despite the killings, the dorm appeared far from empty. Many of the students who lived in the residence hall said they spent Monday night in their rooms. One student told us the trip home was too long to make. He wasn't bothered by being in the building. He said the evening was quiet, and most people stayed in.
-- By Aaron Cooper, CNN Producer
