CHAPTER 6

I told Alex everything, she listened to me silently didn't even say a word. But after I finished she poked my head and asked "did your cheese slid off the cracker?" She laughed at her own joke and then looked at me and saw my serious expression. She cleared her throat and asked "I mean what are you planning to do?"

"I don't know, check the statue maybe?" I said.

"I don't know Charlie; if your mom didn't want you to go wouldn't it be dangerous?" now that felt weird because Alex is the one who always takes risks. I look at her for a while.

"I would do this if the risk was on me but Charlie this can very dangerous. I don't think it's a good idea and we should probably enter the lab". We were sitting on a table near the lab, so we got down and walked in to class. Mr. Connors asked us what made us late we looked at each other not knowing what to say. Thankfully he didn't mind, he told us not be late again. We nodded and thanked him. We went sat sat near the rest of the team.

"What made you guys late?" Jacob asked.

"Alex went to toilet she takes a lot of time" I said with a chuckle.

"So that's how you thank me for hearing you out" Alex said out of everyone's earshot. The rest of the day was spent introducing ourselves to the teachers. I didn't come across August after the fight in the morning. I had gazillion questions to ask him, I was considering of telling him about what mom and dad were talking, I knew one thing for sure that he will not let me go to the statue if I asked him.

We were about to leave when Benjamin called me ''hey Charlie" I turned to see him running towards me

"Hey, what happened?" I asked.

"I was about to ask that to you, you look gloomy and about August, was he always this good at fighting?" He asked.

By now I knew one thing that if I want to go to the statue my only chance is going with Benjamin. Let's be honest, I don't want to go alone because if I die or something I need someone to tell my parents what happened. Benjamin was easy to convince. Pleading for about forty minutes does the job, see easy.

We were walking towards Benjamin's bike when August called me.

Sorry for what happened in the morning he said.

It wasn't your fault

Actually it was

"Nope" I said in a soft voice. August didn't say anything for a moment then he smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing" he said. I stared at him blankly and he started to laugh, what's wrong with him?

"Anyways where did you learn to fight?" I asked him.

"Fighting? I don't know. It just comes with the flaw, where were you going?" he asked.

"Benjamin's buying me ice-cream'' I said a little too soon. August raised an eyebrow in a questioning way.

"Yeah I lost a bet" Benjamin came to my aid.

"Okay, see you later" he said and walked away. He trusted Benjamin more than me? August you fool...

We were about to leave when I heard Alex calling my name "come on" I mumbled. Then turned around to see Alex, Eleanor and Jacob were walking towards us.

"Hey, august just told us that you were going to have ice cream." Eleanor said. Curse you august why would you tell them?

And guess what, we ended up going to an ice cream parlor. We sat on a table talking about what happened in the morning and I'm actually thinking Eleanor is fangirling August.

"You never told us that August could fight so well" I didn't realize Alex was talking to me until she called my name because I was really angry why can't I just go to the statue and see what's there.

"Is anything bothering you Charlie?'' Jacob asked.

"Nothing, and what's the matter with Laila and her family, why are so determined to make life hell for us? Or maybe it's just me and August"

"Now, your problem is our problem and we'll always help you kick Laila's brother's ass, because that's what friends are meant to do" Jacob said. I chuckled, now that was sweet. Benjamin was paying for the ice-cream so I went to him and said I'm sorry.

"Why?" he asked.

"For making you buy us ice-cream. You don't have to pay I will" I said and Benjamin shuffled my hair

"You don't have to; it isn't a big thing you know, buying ice-cream for friends"

We spent a bit more time in the parlor talking and laughing. 'Well maybe I shouldn't go to the statue, if mom think it's dangerous I fear I might even die and don't want to leave them. They're out of their minds, but their my friends

Its 9:00pm and I'm lying in my bed ready to drift off to sleep any moment now. I take my phone and set the alarm for tomorrow and look our group photo, it was candid and it looked so good, no I don't ever want to leave them. Then I slowly drifted off to sleep.

I'm standing near Aunt Marie's house, or maybe ruins of her house. It was dark, I look around the ruins. Why? Who? These questions kept circling my head. I saw a man his face was hooded, he was holding a lighter.

"Excuse me, who are you? And what are you doing here?'' I asked. The man stood up and started walking away, I followed him. Thinking he might know what happened, maybe he was who started the fire. He was running towards the statue and I stopped for a moment, and then tried to continue following him but my legs wouldn't move, everything around me started burning

"No...no'' I mumbled. The flames were high; too high, I won't survive this. I screamed for help. I started crying, I don't want to die.

"Charlie..." someone called me, the voice; it was so painful to hear, my ears were hurting. And I noticed that the statue, it wasn't burning and that the voice was coming from it.

"Come to me..... It's yours, take it or lose everything'' I saw my friends burning and heard my parents screaming. It was deafening, the fire was closing in. the closer the flames the louder the screams. There was a face in the flames....I gasped, Aunt Marie

I couldn't breathe....