Story Time!!! Chapter 3 is up.....

hey guys, I posted part of this on gt a long time ago, maybe you guys remember, anyway I started working on it again, here's chapter one

Chapter One: The Orphanage

The orphanage sat at the top of the hill, it was an old building made of brick and vines climbed the building from the ground to the roof. Front lawn was littered with metal children’s toys and rusted playground equipment.

The children here were mostly boys, boys who misbehaved and were sent here to be punished. There were seven children in all living at the orphanage, seven young men who had fallen out of line. But only one of these boys would be brave enough to stand up and rebel for his freedom.

“Danny, supper is ready,” Frank said as he walked into their room. Frank was older then Danny by three years, the twelve year old acted like the big brother Danny never had.

“Do I have to eat Frank, it’s just soup and potatoes again,” Danny argued.

“Yes, we have to eat,” Frank motioned for Danny to leave the room. He did as Frank ordered and left the room without any more hesitation.

Frank met Danny at the table, along with the other boys. The table they sat at was long and had enough room to sit fourteen people and was covered with a white table cloth.

Danny looked around the table, everyone was there, at the far end of the table sat Rex, the dark haired, mute boy who always beat Danny up on the playground. Next to Rex was Calvin, he was the smart four eyed boy who helped the others with their homework. Near Frank sat James, another quiet boy, but nicer then Rex, by him was Ira, a boy who looked like an Italian mob boss. And last but not least was Ira’s twin brother Irvine, he looked the complete opposite of his brother, he was skinny, Ira was husky, Irvine had blonde hair, Ira’s was dark.

“Eat up everyone, the soup will get cold fast,” Lucky, the orphanage’s cook began pouring soup into the bowls that were in front of each boy. “Eat before Mr. Geo comes back.”

Mr. Geo was the man who ran the orphanage, the evil man had opened the orphanage’s doors seven years before Danny arrived, and in that time at least ten boys went missing. The evil man would chain the boys up if they did not follow his rules, he would spank them if they didn’t make their beds or clean their rooms. Mr. Geo even refused to give the boys food if they talked back to him.

Lucky quickly filled the last of the bowls and went back to the kitchen. The boys began to eat their meal as fast as possible, no one wanted to be at the table when Mr. Geo got home. Moments later the boys jumped in fear as the main door opened and a tall man walked in. Danny turned to see Mr. Geo standing at the doorway, his heart jumped into his throat.

“Good day boys, how was your meal?” Mr. Geo asked.

“Fine sir,” the boys answered back.

Geo walked to the table and saw Frank’s bowl was still full, Geo stared down at him.

“You didn’t finish Frank?” Geo questioned.

“No sir, I wasn’t hungry,” Frank answered, fearing the worse.

“Boys go to your rooms, I need to have a chat with Frank alone,” all of the boys quickly got up from their seats, except Danny, he slowly got up, he was staring at Frank, wondering what was going to happen to his brother. “Danny I said go to your room!” Danny jumped and took one last look at Frank before running to his room.

Danny leaped into his bed and pulled the covers over his head, he laid their staring at Frank’s bed. He was shivering in fear, Mr. Geo never yelled at Frank which made Danny even more afraid for his brother.

Timed seemed to stop and minutes began feeling like hours, Frank still wasn’t back. Danny became concerned for Frank and he got out of bed and quietly walked to the door only to pause for a moment to hear Mr. Geo screaming.

“You little brat! I gave you a home, I gave you food, and you’re still ungrateful.” Mr. Geo screech. “You will not only go one week without food but you will be sleeping in the basement, do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” Frank cried.

The next thing Danny heard was the sound of the basement door opening and the heavy footsteps of Mr. Geo dragging Frank. Frank’s cries for help could be heard throughout the building. Danny closed his eyes and prayed that his friend would be safe.

Soon the day began to turn into night and Frank still hadn’t returned to their room. Danny became frightened at the thought of his brother being hurt. He jumped from his bed and walked to his door, he opened it to find an empty hallway.

Danny swiftly walked down the hall and quietly walked down the steps. The room was almost completely dark except for the dim light from the windows and a candle that was burning on the wall.

“Lucky, do not feed the child in the basement,” Danny could hear Mr. Geo from where he was standing.

“But sir he’s only a child,” Lucky argued.

“Do as I say!” Mr. Geo stormed off in the direction of Danny. Danny hid behind the curtain by the window so he wouldn’t get caught by Mr. Geo.

As soon as Geo walked passed him, Danny walked toward the basement door, he knew he would find Frank there. He turned the door knob as quickly as possible and treaded down the steps. The basement was lit by candles that were burning in the lamps on the walls.

The scent of blood was heavy in the air around him. This wasn’t a basement but a dungeon created by a monster. Cages hung from the ceiling, a row of prison like cells were lined up along each side of the wall.

“Frank,” Danny called out, “Frank!”

Danny waited a moment, but there was no answer, he walked over to one of the rows of cells, some had skeletons in them.

“Frank! Where are you?” Danny cried.
Danny stopped in front of a cell at the far end of the basement; he became frozen in fear from the sight that was in front of him.

“F…Frank?” His eyes began to tear up as he tried to open the door. “Frank wake up! Wake up! Please wake up!” When he couldn’t open the door, he ran to get help.

Danny ran up the steps and hurried to find Lucky in his room behind the kitchen. He rushed through the kitchen and found the door to Lucky’s room; he grabbed the handle and tried to open the door but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed little boy?” That voice was so cold and so dark that Danny knew who it was.
“Mr. Geo, I just came down for a drink of water,” Danny replied.

“Get your ass to bed!” Danny began to ran, his heart pounding out of his chest. “And stay out of the basement!”

Danny got to his room a second later: he locked his door and hid under his blankets. He couldn’t sleep now, he had found his brother and his brother was hurt and in a prison cell. Danny had found Frank in the cell in a pool of blood, he was still breathing, but for how long Danny wondered. All Danny could do now is sleep and hope his friend would be alive in the morning.

Danny closed his eyes and drifted off into a nightmare that never seemed to end. He had visions of what could have happened to Frank in the basement, visions of torture and abuse. This was what he feared had happened to him.

The sun did not shine the next morning; gloomy clouds covered the sky as Danny awoke from his slumber. He jumped from his bed and got dressed as quickly as possible then he ran down the steps. It was still early, he was the only one up, and it was a perfect time to check on his friend. Danny treaded to the basement door to find that it had been locked and there was a sign that read “DO NOT ENTER” taped to it.
Danny’s heart sank now; he knew that there was little hope for Frank now that he was locked in the basement. He could hear footsteps behind the basement door and began to run for the stairs, he didn’t want to know if it was Mr. Geo or not.

When he got back to his room, Danny got into his bed and wrapped his blanket around him so no one would see he had changed clothes. He pretended to sleep while a moment later Mr. Geo opened his door to check on him.

“The little brat is sleeping, this is good. He better not tell the others or I will ship him off to the factory,” Mr. Geo whispered with a sinister grin.

“Factory? What does he mean?” Danny thought.
He waited for Mr. Geo to leave before sitting up in bed. The room seemed empty now, especially after Danny looked over at Frank’s bed. Danny quickly wiped a tear from his eye as he whispered to himself “I promise Frank, I will save you and we will get out of here, alive.”

Danny closed his eyes and fell back asleep; though this time he would only sleep for an hour. James walked into his room and woke him up.

“Hey Danny, it’s breakfast, Mr. Geo’s going to kill us if we aren’t all there,” James told him.

“Morning already?” Danny asked as he rubbed his eyes.

“Hey Danny why are you in those clothes? Don’t you have pajamas?” James asked.
Danny had forgotten that he had changed his clothes earlier that morning. He had forgotten that Mr. Geo almost caught him trying to get into the basement.

“I was so tired last night I fell asleep in these,” Danny lied.

“Well alright then, we better hurry.” James turned around and went for the door. “Oh and one more thing, did Frank ever make it back here last night?”

“No, I’m afraid he didn’t,” Danny answered.

Neither of the boys said another word, they left the room and went to the dining room. Lucky already had filled the bowls with oatmeal and placed a glass of juice by them. Mr. Geo was sitting at the end of the table, he looked angry.

Everyone took their seats, everyone was there except Frank. A wave of silence fell over the room, the boys waited for Mr. Geo to lecture them.

“Boys,” Mr. Geo began, “I try to do whatever I can for you all. I give you a place to stay, food, toys, and you still disobey me. Last night I caught one of you sneaking around after lights out.” Danny’s heart went back into his throat. “I know you are most likely concerned for your dear friend Franklin, but let me tell you, he is fine, his punishment will be over in a week and you will see, he will learn his lesson. And as for the rest of you, take what has happened to Franklin as a warning, do as I say or suffer for your actions. Now let’s eat shall we?”

Everyone picked up their spoons and began to eat; Danny almost dropped his spoon out of fear. Danny knew Frank was not fine, he knew his friend needed help, but who could he turn to?


Chapter 2: The Teacher

After breakfast Mr. Geo left for work, and then a young woman, a teacher named Miss Peach, would come to the orphanage and teach the boys. She was a nice woman, who cared for the boys as if they were her own. Danny and the others would meet her in a class room Lucky had made for them on the second floor, it was a big room with more desks then they needed and a chalk board on the wall. Miss Peach had a big desk near the chalk board and a television in the corner of the room.

Danny and the others entered the room to find Miss Peach talking to Lucky at her desk.

“Come on Miss Peach, one date, that’s all I ask,” Lucky told her.

“Oh boys, please take your seats, Lucky we can discuss this after class okay?” Miss Peach asked.

Lucky’s and Miss Peach’s faces wear a bright red. Some of the boys giggled and others just took their seats and sat in silence.

“I see we are missing Frank, is he not feeling well?” Miss Peach asked.

“Frank’s under the weather teach,” Ira answered.

“He’s not feeling well Ira?”

“He’s got the flu,” Irvine added.

“Well then I will just let him rest then.” Miss Peach turned to the chalk board and began writing math problems on it. “Okay, let’s move on to homework then, did all of you do your math homework?”

“Yes Miss Peach,” the class said in an uproar.

Danny sat at his desk in silence, his brother never left his mind at all. Even when Miss Peach asked him a question, he would answer as quickly as he could so he could go back to thinking of a way to save Frank.

“Looks like its noon, you may be dismissed for lunch and recess,” Miss Peach told the class. Everyone got up and went to lunch; Danny was the last to leave. “Danny is something the matter?”

“No Miss Peach, I’m just not feeling well,” he answered her.

“If you are ill then take the rest of the day off and rest, I will tell Lucky okay?”

“Thank you Miss Peach,” Danny slowly walked out the door to make it seem like he was ill.

Lucky walked passed Danny in the hallway and went into the class room. He had a picnic basket in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. He set the basket on Peach’s desk and hid the flowers behind his back.

“Miss Peach will you join me for lunch?” Lucky asked her.

“Well I can, but aren’t you supposed to feed the boys?” She asked him.

“I made them sacked lunches so they can eat outside now that the sun is out; I figured we could join them.”

Miss Peach followed Lucky outside; some of the boys were on the playground already. James and Rex were sitting under a tree working on their homework from morning classes; James appeared to be doing most of the work. The only children that were missing were Danny and Frank.

“To think it was gloomy this morning,” Peach said.

“That it was,” Lucky pointed to the top of a hill, “Let’s eat over there so we can watch the kids.”

They unfolded the blanket and set it on the ground, Lucky then gave Peach the flowers.

“These are beautiful, thank you Lucky.”

“I figured a pretty woman like you deserved some pretty flowers,” Lucky grinned.

Miss Peach blushed as she opened the picnic basket and removed the meal that Lucky had packed for them. A moment later she paused, there was something troubling her.

“So Lucky where is Frank?” Peach questioned.

“Mr. Geo punished him for something last night, that’s all I can say,” Lucky answered.

“Please tell me more, I must know.”

“This can’t get out to anyone but the basement of the orphanage is rumored to be a dungeon.”

“You’re joking right?” Peach laughed.

“Miss Peach, I am serious. Mr. Geo won’t let me clean the basement for a reason.”

Peach sat in silence; she didn’t know how to respond to that. Her face showed that she was shocked.

“I think we need to tell someone,” Peach told Lucky.

“I’ve tried, child services have been here but Mr. Geo flashed some money and they left.”

“That bastard, oh excuse me,” Peach said as she covered her mouth.

“At least five children have gone “missing” since I’ve been employed here. Mr. Geo is an unstoppable monster Miss Peach. I’m afraid Frank will be the next one to go,” Lucky paused and look at Peach. “I’m sure Danny knows what has happened to his friend, he’s been distant since last night.”
Peach got up from the blanket; she walked away from Lucky without a word. Peach walked past the playground and into the building. Up the stairs to Danny and Frank’s room she went.

“Danny are you in here?” Peach asked as she knocked on the door.

“Yes Miss Peach,” Danny answered.

She opened the door and stepped inside, Danny was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling. She walked over and sat on his bed alongside him.

“Frank is like a brother to you isn’t he?” She asked him as she placed a hand on his forehead.

“Yes Miss Peach,” Danny answered.

“You know you can just call me Peach if you want.”

“Okay Peach, Frank is a big brother to me and I am worried about him.”

“Do you know where he is?” Peach questioned.

Danny lay there is silence; he didn’t know what to tell Peach.

“You can tell me Danny, I am your teacher. So do you know where Frank is?” Peach asked again hoping that she reassured Danny this time.

“Yes I saw him.”

“Where?”

“I saw him,” Danny broke into tears, “I saw him in the basement, Mr. Geo hurt him, he was lying in a pool of blood Miss Peach, he wasn’t moving. I was so scared, I was so scared.”

Peach held Danny in her arms; he began crying more and more. She tried to comfort him while thinking of a way to help him and Frank. Lucky soon appeared in the doorway, he saw Peach and Danny.

“I will help you,” he whispered, “I will help you and the rest of the boys.”

The afternoon classes went by fast and it was soon time for supper. Danny joined the rest of the boys at the table, his eyes burned from crying. Mr. Geo was not home yet, but Danny knew he had to eat his food as quickly as possible. When he was finished he looked around the room and saw Miss Peach walking out of the kitchen with Lucky.

“Well good night boys, I will see you tomorrow,” Peach said as she went for the front door, Lucky followed her and met her there with a kiss.

As Peach was about to open the door, Mr. Geo walked in. She jumped in surprise and the calmed herself down.

“Miss Peach did you stay to tutor some of the boys?” Mr. Geo asked.

“Yes I did,” Peach replied, “Lucky was just showing me out, goodbye.”

“Goodbye,” Lucky and Mr. Geo said at the same time.

Mr. Geo watched as Miss Peach walked out of the building and in to the front yard. Lucky watched as well, hoping Mr. Geo would not catch on to his feelings for Miss Peach.

“Lucky, make sure everyone has eaten their meals. I have some business to attend to,” Mr. Geo told Lucky as soon as Miss Peach was out of sight.

“Yes sir,” Lucky responded before Geo walked away from him.

Geo stormed passed Lucky and went for the basement door; he gave the boys at the table a terrifying look before entering the basement.

“Hey Danny, you think Frank’s in the basement?” It was Irvine; he was staring at Danny from the opposite side of the table.

“I’m not sure, all I know is he didn’t make it back to our room after supper,” Danny lied.

Irvine did not ask him anything else; Ira on the other hand looked like he had a lot on his mind.

“Hey Danny, meet me in my room after lights out okay,” Ira whispered.

Danny answered with a nod and quickly finished his meal before going to his room. When he had gotten to his room, he found that Frank’s bed had red marks on it. Danny’s eyes widened, he knew it had to be blood, but where was Frank?

He studied the bed and found that the sheet on the bed was different than the one that was on it that morning. He began to pace back and forth from the window to the door, trying to understand what had happened. Then something caught his eye, Danny looked at the bed and then out at the window, he could see a car’s headlights moving toward the orphanage.

Miss Peach hadn’t really left the orphanage’s grounds; she had hidden her car at the very end of the driveway, right where Lucky told her to wait. She drove up to the orphanage, hoping Geo would not see her as she parked on the side of the building. Lucky was there waiting for her, together they were planning on saving Frank and the others.

“Did Geo see me?” Peach asked as she carefully got out of her car.

“No, after you left he went into the basement, I don’t think we have much time,” Lucky answered. “Here, you may need this,” Lucky handed her a pistol.

“I don’t know how to shoot a gun,” Peach replied.

“Don’t worry you probably won’t need to use it anyway.” Lucky motioned to her to follow him. He brought her into the kitchen, Lucky had dirty dishes scattered everywhere. Lucky went to the door that leads to the dining room; he peeked around the corner and saw the room was empty. “Come on Peach, I got a spare key to the basement.”

“Okay,” Peach said as she quietly and swiftly followed Lucky out of the kitchen. The room was dark; she held his hand so she wouldn’t get lost in the darkness. “Did you hear that?” She paused; they could hear the sound of footsteps moving upstairs.

“I heard some of the boys talking about having a meeting in the twin’s room, don’t worry about it,” Lucky reassured her. Lucky grabbed the key from his pocket and began to unlock the basement door. “It’s opened, come on.”

The two of them walked down the steps, they could smell blood in the air. Peach became frightened as they got closer to the bottom. Once they were off the steps, Lucky found a candle to light on the wall; they weren’t expecting what they saw next.

Skeletons and random bones littered the floor and a row of cells were lined up along each wall. Lucky began to search the ones on the right while Peach took the ones on the left. They quietly searched each cell, whispering Frank’s name.

“Hey Peach, over here,” Lucky called out.

“Did you find him?” She questioned as she joined him.

“See for yourself,” Lucky was pointing at a body that was on the ground of the cell, it appeared to be a boy. Lucky opened the cell door and went to the boy; he was breathing and covered in blood.

“I had a feeling you two knew,” the voice was chilling; Peach knew right away who it was.

“Mr. Geo please,” Peach begged.

“Enough! “ Geo cried out as he hit Peach in the face, she fell back and landed on Lucky causing him to fall as well.

“Peach, Peach? You okay? Peach!” Lucky began mumbling as he tapped Peach on the shoulder.

“You pick her up and leave the boy. Get out of here or I will kill you all,” Mr. Geo told Lucky.

Lucky carefully picked Peach up and carried her up the steps; little did he know that she had dropped the pistol he gave her. Mr. Geo found it lying on the ground where she fell; he picked it up and aimed it at Lucky.

“Lucky!” Mr. Geo screamed, Lucky turned around. “I think I need to punish you as well,” he gave a twisted grin and shot Lucky in the arm.

Lucky could feel the bullet rip through the sleeve of his shirt; it burned as it grazed across his left arm. The pain sent a shockwave through his entire body causing him to lose balance.

“You bastard!” Lucky screamed as he fell to his knees causing him to almost drop Peach.

“Now go to bed, I expect breakfast to be on time in the morning,” Geo growled.

I remember this, I'm still waiting for chapter 3(?), or maybe 2.

I have 2 done and almost have 3 done, I will post chapter 2 later and post 3 either at the same time or tommorrow, I made some changes to chapter 2

Here's chapter 3

Chapter Three: The Meeting

The boys could hear voices in the basement as they sat on Irvine and Ira’s beds. They could hear Mr. Geo and Lucky screaming, their screams echoed in the vents in the room. A few moments later they could hear nothing but silence.

“Did Mr. Geo?” James asked.

“He wouldn’t be that cruel, would he?” Calvin answered with another question.

“Maybe we should check it out,” Irvine said.

“No, we need to stay here and work on our plan,” Ira began, “where is Danny?” He questioned.

Danny was also listening to the events in the basement; he was afraid to get out of his bed and met the rest of his friends in the twin’s room. He knew who Mr. Geo was yelling at, he knew it was Lucky and he knew Miss Peach was with him.

When the silence started, Danny found the courage to get out of bed and sneak out of his room. He could see a faint light coming from under the twin’s door; he opened the door and found everyone sitting on the beds. All the boys were there, even Rex was in the room.

“Danny did you here that?” Ira questioned.

Danny nodded and took a seat on Irvine’s bed.

“I saw the dim light from under your door, we need to cover the cracks with blankets, I don’t want Mr. Geo finding out about this,” Danny replied in a fast pace.

“You got a good point, Irvine roll your blanket up and set it at the bottom of the door.” Ira then turned to Danny, “You think Miss Peach and Lucky are okay?”

Danny cleared his throat quickly and paused a moment, the expression on his face was fear and sadness. Ira didn’t ask Danny anymore questions, the boys sat in silence for a moment. They could soon hear the sound of footsteps in the basement and the slamming of the door causing a chill to rush down their spines.

“I hope Mr. Geo doesn’t check on us,” James mumbled.

“If he does, what are you going to do?” Calvin asked.

“Quiet everyone, did you hear that?” Ira questioned.

The sound of footsteps could now be heard on the steps, heavy, angered footsteps. Some of the boys that were on Ira’s bed hid under his blankets while some of the others quietly hid in the closet. Theirs hearts dropped to their stomachs as the footsteps got closer. For a brief second the sound of Mr. Geo’s voice could be heard as he stomped to his room at the very end of the hallway.

“Once he’s gone, we’re going to find Lucky and Miss Peach,” Ira whispered into Danny’s ear.

A tear began to drip down Danny’s face as an image of his brother in a pool of blood flashed before his eyes. Danny could hear Mr. Geo opening his door and slamming it behind him, Danny could also hear the sound of someone moving near the kitchen.

Lucky stumbled to his room; he was still holding Miss Peach in his arms even though there was blood pouring down one of them. He set Peach down for a moment while he opened the door to his room. Lucky grabbed Peach and gently placed her on his bed, she was still unconscious but at least she was breathing.

Lucky went to his closet and grabbed an extra blanket and tossed it on top of her. He then swiftly began to walk out to the kitchen. The whole building was very quiet now, Mr. Geo had gone to his room and the boys were hiding in the twin’s room. Lucky was still cautious, he knew that sometimes the silence was the deadliest. He found a small step stool by one of the kitchen cabinets, he quickly picked it up and went back to his room where he placed the step stool by his bed and sat down.

Lucky hovered over Miss Peach until she finally awoke. She was in a daze and looked around the room until her eyes focused on Lucky.

“Lucky?” Her voice was faint.

“Yeah, how are you feeling Peach?” Lucky asked.

“My head hurts,” Peach sat up in the bed and looked at Lucky. She studied him and was shocked to see blood on his left arm. “What happened to your arm?” She panicked and reached for his arm.

“Mr. Geo shot me, but I will be fine,” Lucky reassured her, though he knew he needed medical attention.
Peach laid back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling and was lost in thought for a moment. “Was that really Frank, Lucky?” Her voice was weak.

“I would like to say no but I’m sure it was,” Lucky told her.

A wave of silence fell over the two of them, they weren’t speaking but it was obvious they were thinking of Frank and the others. Lucky waited for Miss Peach to fall back to sleep before he went to search for the first aid kit. He was more worried about her then he was about himself.

The kitchen was dark, not even a candle was lit, Lucky felt around the room until he could make out the sink’s features, and he then carefully felt for the cabinet’s door directly under it where he would find a flashlight. He quietly stood up and hit the side of the flashlight to bring it to life.

Lucky studied his surrounding which was now covered in a thin layer of blood from his arm; he eventually found the first aid kit hanging up by the fridge. Lucky opened the kit so quickly and forcefully that the door broke, but Lucky could have cared less. He found inside a roll of bandage wrap and enough cotton balls to cover his wound.

“Lucky what happened?” Lucky turned to see a young boy standing behind him with his face staring at the ground.

“Why are you out of bed boy? Don’t you know Mr. Geo would punish you if he finds you out after lights out?” Lucky questioned.

“Go to the twin’s room, they need your help,” the boy mumbled as he began to disappear.

“What the….?” Lucky gasped as the boy faded away.

Dumbfounded by the image he had just seen, Lucky shook his head and finished wrapping his arm.

Something told Lucky that the boy he had seen was someone he knew but he couldn’t tell who it was. Still thinking of what the boy said, Lucky quietly walked up the stairs to the twin’s bedroom.

Ira slowly opened the door to his room, they had waited long enough, and it was now time to find Lucky and Miss Peach. He carefully turned his head to the left and then to the right to make sure it was okay to move out to the hallway. One by one the boys moved out into the hallway, it was almost completely dark except for the few dimly lit candles that were on the walls. In a line, the boys moved swiftly down the hall until they froze at the top of the stairs.

“Did you hear that?” Ira asked Irvine.

“It sounds like footsteps,” Irvine answered.

“Mr. Geo?” Calvin questioned as he shrugged.

As the footsteps got closer, time began to slow and all the boys could hear was the sound of their hearts jumping out of their chests. Slowly a shadow began to creep towards the boys abruptly taking the shape of a man.

Frightened, the boys ran to Ira and Irvine’s room as fast as they could. If the shadow they saw was Mr. Geo they knew they would meet the same fate as Frank. Right after they had closed the door, the door knob began to turn, terrified the boys hid in the closets and under the covers on the bed. The atmosphere in the room was tense and everyone began to feel drips of cold sweat on their faces.

The door creaked open and the boys could hear the sound of footsteps gingerly entering the room. The same shadow they saw in the hallway began to take shape in the doorway. Suddenly the door slammed shut behind it and they could hear someone flip the light switch.

“Boys you can come out now,” a familiar voice whispered.

Danny was the first to come out of his hiding place; he found Lucky standing in the middle of the room, to his surprise Lucky had a bandage wrapped around his arm. Danny stared in horror at the blood soaked bandage wrapped around Lucky’s arm; he knew who had hurt him, the same man who hurt his brother Frank.

“Danny, are you all right? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost?” Calvin questioned as he stepped out of the closet not noticing Lucky.

Danny shook his head and pointed at Lucky. Calvin walked to the closet door and motioned for everyone to come out of hiding. One by one the boys walked out of the closet, first Rex appeared, silent as ever, James treaded after him, Ira and Irvine crawled out from under the covers on their beds.

“Lucky what happened?” Ira asked.

“There’s no time for that, we need to get going,” Lucky replied.

“But where are we going to go?” Some of the boys cried out causing an uproar.

“First follow me, we need to get Miss Peach from my room,” Lucky said as he motioned for the boys to follow him.

Danny stared at Calvin; he could feel his stomach rolling into knots. Calvin smiled to give him a reassurance but it didn’t help Danny. Calvin swiftly started walking toward the door; Danny could see some of the other boys were just starting to leave the room.

Reluctant, Danny followed Calvin into the dimly lit hallway; Calvin grabbed his hand so he would get lost in the darkness. Danny’s heart sank every time he stepping on a squeaky floor board. Once again the air tense and some of the boys found it hard to breath at times.

As they walked by one of the windows, Danny looked outside to an eerie scene of the playground. The playground was vacant, there was no wind and no children to play on the equipment but for no reason at all, the swings on the swing set were moving all by themselves.

“Calvin did you see that?” Danny whispered.

“What?” Calvin replied with an answer.

“Never mind.” Danny sighed.

Danny could see the shadows of his friends begin to descend the stairs to the first floor. He knew they would have to not only get Miss Peach but at least try to save Frank again. With every step he took, Danny became more anxious, he was nervous about what might happen if they were all caught.

Soon they were on the first floor; Danny could make out the front door off to his right. The moonlight was dimly glowing from underneath the door’s frame. Danny was somewhat relieved to be on the first floor but he was also still very anxious about the situation him and his friends were in.

The room was silent; Danny could only hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall as the proceeded towards the kitchen. He tried to look at the clock but it became clear that it was too dark to see what time it was.

Abruptly, Calvin stopped in front of Danny. They could hear footsteps in the distance, someone was walking around the area where the kitchen was. Danny and Calvin stared at the direction of the kitchen and began to sweat as the footsteps appeared to get closer. They could see a shadowy silhouette take shape on the floor.

“Peach,” Lucky said.

“Lucky, oh thank god you’re all right,” Miss Peach answered.

The boys watched as Lucky’s shadow ran towards Miss Peach’s shadow. Everyone fell silent as they waited for Lucky and Miss Peach to tell them what to do.

“Okay boys wait her with Miss Peach, I’ll be right back.” Lucky ordered as he walked away.

Chapter Four: The Escape Attempt

It was too dark to see anything in the dining room; Lucky once again had to feel his surrounding until he found the basement door. Quietly as he could, Lucky opened the door and cautious made his way down the steps.

The basement’s air was cold and the feeling of death lingered and the smell of blood hung in the air like a cloud of smoke from a cigarette. This basement was indeed a dungeon, many people entered but very few left alive.

Lucky felt around for the cells along the walls, he studied each and every one of them until he found the one that was unlocked. He gingerly opened the rusty cage door and lightly stepped foot into it. The floor was concrete and soaked by what appeared to be blood; Lucky knew that this had to be Frank’s cell.

Still blind by the darkness, Lucky began to move his foot softly across the floor until he hit a large mass; he knew then that it had to be Frank.

“I’ll get you help. I promise,” Lucky whispered as he knelt down to pick Frank up. He found he hand and quickly checked for a pulse, luckily there was once, but it was almost faint.

Lucky carefully picked Frank off the ground and began to stand up. He almost slipped from the blood on the group that nearly covered the entire cell floor. After regaining his balance, Lucky slowly moved in the direction he believed he came from.

His body felt heavy as he moved up the steps, the fear that Mr. Geo would notice what he and the others were doing was never far from his mind. Lucky knew that this may be his only and last chance to save Frank and the other boys from the hell Mr. Geo created for them.

“Lucky did you find him?” It was Peach’s voice calling from the top of the stairs.

“Yes, we need to get him help fast.” Lucky answered as he marched up the rest of the steps. Peach was waiting for him and had the first aid kit in her hand, she gestured to Lucky to place Frank on the dining table.

“Lucky please go find me a flashlight or a candle,” Peach told him.

“You know first aid?” Danny said sheepishly as him and the other boys surrounded the table.

“Enough to help Frank until we get him to a hospital,” Peach answered him.

Lucky returned to Miss Peach with the flashlight had used earlier. He had to hit the side of it to turn it on; he quickly moved the flashlight over Frank’s body.

“Boys please look away,” Peach told them.
Danny turned but found himself looking over his shoulder at Frank. He brother was covered in bruises and a stream of blood was slowly trickling down his face from his mouth. In disgust, Danny turned away from the painful sight.

“Lucky we need to get out of here now,” Peach whispered.

Danny could hear Lucky’s footsteps walking away from the dining room and in the direction of the door. He could see the front door open and Lucky stepping out for a brief second. Lucky left the door opened and told the boys “Okay everyone come over here and go outside.” Danny could tell that Lucky was nervous. Danny could hear some of the boys begin to move towards the door, but he waited. Danny didn’t want to leave Frank’s side no matter what.

Danny watched as Miss Peach carefully picked Frank up, she started to move pass Danny leaving a small patch of blood that dripped from Frank’s mouth onto Danny’s shoulder.

“Danny, come on,” Peach whispered to him.

Without any hesitation, Danny followed Peach to the door; he could smell the grass and the night air from the doorway. There was no wind and the moon was full as they made their way around the building. Lucky lead them to Peach’s car, unfortunately not everyone could might inside.

“Peach, take Frank to the hospital, we will stay here and hide,” Lucky said.

“Are you sure? We can try to fit everyone in the car, I know we can,” Peach protested.

“No we can’t, you and I both know that.”

“Okay, I will be back for the rest of you. Just promise me you will all hide.”

The boys answered with a nod, Peach and Lucky gently set Frank in the back seat. Peach kissed Lucky and got in the driver’s seat of the car. The boys watched as she drove away down the driveway.

“So you got the boy out of the basement?” Mr. Geo’s voice was so cold it sent shivers down Danny’s spine.

“Mr. Geo, I was just taking the boys out for a walk,” Lucky lied.

“Right, I think I have to be more aggressive with my punishments.”

Lucky could see Mr. Geo pulling a pistol from his coat. He knew where he had gotten it from; it was the same gun he used to shoot Lucky with. Once again Mr. Geo pointed the gun at Lucky but this time Lucky was able to fight back.

Without any hesitation, Lucky ran toward Mr. Geo and grabbed the gun in Mr. Geo’s hand. Lucky struggled to point the gun away from him and the boys, Geo had a tight grip on the gun but that didn’t stop Lucky from taking control.

Danny and the others were so afraid of what could happen that all they could do was stand there and stare. This was the first time that they had seen Lucky and Mr. Geo fight and the first time they had seen Mr. Geo with a gun.

Suddenly, the gun went off and both men stopped and took steps back. Danny studied both Mr. Geo and Lucky; neither had appeared to be shot. Giving a twisted grin, Mr. Geo hit Lucky across the face with the pistol causing him to fall to the ground.

“Get up Lucky! We need you!” Some of the boys began to shout as they watched Mr. Geo begin to take aim on Lucky.

“Quiet you little brats! I should send all you ungrateful little bastards to the factory!” Mr. Geo shouted.

Danny had heard enough, he had enough, of Mr. Geo. Danny began to march over to Mr. Geo, he was so filled with rage that nothing matter anymore. Geo was so angered by what Lucky had done that he didn’t even notice Danny was right next to him.

Danny swung his leg and kicked Mr. Geo so hard he let out a terrifying growl. Geo dropped to the ground, holding his leg tight against his chest and rolling around in the grass. Danny watched as the pistol he had been holding a minute earlier was now laying next to Lucky.

Lucky appeared to be unconscious, he didn’t react to the loud thud the gun made when it hit the ground. Danny’s heart began to sink after he finally took in the situation he was now in. Lucky was motionless on the ground, he had kicked Mr. Geo in the leg and was now starting to get up off the ground, from Danny’s point of view, the situation was very grim.

“You little brat! I should do the same to you as I did to your friend!” Mr. Geo growled.

Danny began to flinch out of fear that Mr. Geo would hit him. What had he done? He should have known better then to anger Mr. Geo.

“Leave the boy alone!” It was Lucky; he had managed to stumble back to his feet and now had the pistol in his hand.

Geo raised his hands and a sinister grin appeared on his face. Mr. Geo wasn’t ready to give up without a fight. Seeing the wickedness in Geo’s face, Danny ran back to the other boys. Everyone huddled together to try to shelter themselves from Mr. Geo’s fury.

“You really do surprise me Lucky. You and that little whore teacher sure have made quite a mess of things for me.” Geo began to rant. “Maybe when I ship you and those little degenerate brats off to the factory I could put you in charge.”

“What factory?” Lucky questioned.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

As soon as the words left Geo’s mouth, a large truck appeared at the end of the driveway. The truck slowly began to creep its way up to the building and parked only a few feet from where everyone was standing. Ira peered up at the vehicle for a brief second then turned back to his friends.
“You’re not going to believe who is by the truck,” Ira told them.

Curious, Danny and Irvine looked up at the truck to see for themselves. They both had to blink once or twice to make sure their eyes didn’t deceive them. Standing next to the truck stood Miss Peach, her hands tied and a solemn look was on her face.

“Peach!” Lucky screamed.

“Lucky!” Peach replied.

Mr. Geo turned in the direction of the truck and nodded for the driver to bring Peach to him.

“What did you do with the boy?” Geo questioned.

“She managed to get him help boss,” the driver mumbled.

“You damn fool!” Mr. Geo charged at the man and smacked him with his hand.

The man lost his balance, he pushed Miss Peach away and she landed on the ground face first. As Peach lay there, she became oblivious to the world for a brief moment; her breath had been taken out of her from the fall. When she came to her senses, Peach soon could feel warm liquid dripping on her back.

Peach slowly and cautiously got to her feet only to see the driver of the truck motionless on the ground in front of her. Peach studied the man’s body and realized what the liquid that dripped on her back was, blood. The driver had a lone gun shot to his head and his face was drenched in blood.

“Peach! Move!” She could hear Lucky’s voice frantically call to her.

Peach began to run toward Lucky and the boys. She wasn’t sure what was happening or where Mr. Geo was. All she knew was that in the chaos Lucky had shot the driver of the truck.

She could hardly breathe by the time she made it to Lucky. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Lucky began to struggle with the knots that held the rope around Peach’s wrist.

“Lucky,” Lucky turned to see several pairs of eyes staring up at him. “Where did Mr. Geo go?” Danny asked.
Stunned by what Danny asked, Lucky searched the area Miss Peach just ran from; the driver’s body was there but no Mr. Geo.

“Boys we need to go now,” Lucky whispered.

He gestured for the boys to follow him and Peach towards the truck. Lucky knew it might be their only way out of the area. The boys followed as Lucky lead them to the back of the truck; there was a tarp that covered the bed of the truck and two long pieces of metal that was attached to each side to be used for seating.

One by one, Lucky and Miss Peach carefully lifted each of the boys into the back of the truck, and then Miss Peach herself climbed in the back. Lucky and Peach looked at each other; they knew what they had to do now. Lucky walked away and proceeded to the cab of the truck, he searched for the keys but found none, without hesitation, he went to the driver’s body and found the keys in the front pocket of his shirt.

“Sorry my friend, I’d rather not disturb you,” Lucky whispered before returning to the truck.

He placed the keys in the ignition and the engine roared to life, cautiously, Lucky began to turn the truck around and leave the orphanage’s grounds.

The boys watched as the building they once called home began to fade away in the distance as the sky began to cloud up and rain began to pour down from the heavens. They were free or so they thought.

Chapter Five: Ole 66 Resting Point

Miss Peach watched the road as Lucky continued to drive further and further away from the orphanage, she knew now all the boys would be safe, she had gotten Frank help and aided in the other’s escape. She knew not of what would happen next but she feared that Mr. Geo was watching their every move.

“Miss Peach,” she looked to see Danny staring at her with dismay in his eyes. “What happened to Frank?”

Peach smile and told him, “I found some nice people to take him to the hospital. When he is all better we will come back for him. I promise.”

Somewhat satisfied by this, Danny turned to Calvin who was sitting next to him. Calvin’s face was also is dismay; the boys had been through a lot the last couple days. Peach wished she could do more for the boys, she knew that getting them away from Mr. Geo was the first step to a better life for everyone.

Lucky drove on into the rain, he began to search for a good resting spot for them. He abruptly spotted a sign that read “Ole 66 Resting Point” with an arrow that pointed to an upcoming road. Lucky pulled off the main road and into the rest area. There he found a rundown old gas station and cafe with a small motel across from it. He parked the truck near the station and jumped down for the truck’s cab and quickly moved toward the bed of the truck.

“We must be stopping here for a bit,” Peach told the boys as Lucky appeared at the back of the truck.

“Come on Peach, let’s get the boys off the truck and get some food, there’s a café in the gas station,” Lucky told them.

“Do you have money for food Lucky?” Peach questioned.

“Don’t worry Peach, I found the truck driver’s wallet in the cab, Mr. Geo and his associates will be paying for our meal,” he said with a chuckle.

Soon Miss Peach and Lucky were helping the boys down from the truck and in a line began marching toward the café. Calvin rubbed his eyes and yawned, he had fallen asleep and Peach had just wakened him up from a peaceful slumber. Calvin studied his surrounding, in the line in front of him stood Danny and Rex was behind. Behind Rex was Ira and Irvine, he turned back in the direction of Danny to see James in front of the line.
Calvin was relieved to see all of his friends had made it out of the orphanage but there was still one boy absent, Frank.

“Miss Peach?” Calvin asked.

“Yes?” He could hear her voice somewhere in the distance.

“Where did you take Frank?”

A little stunned by what Calvin asked, Miss Peach replied, “I will tell you all once we get something to eat.”

Calvin looked over Danny’s shoulder to see that Lucky had opened the door to the café. It was an old building, rundown; the roof looked like it would collapse at any moment and tiny chips of paint covered parts of the floor. Lucky led the boys to a large table near the back of the café. The chairs appeared to be brand new and still had some of the price tags on them and the table seemed to have been just taken off the truck from the factory.

The boys sat there staring at the walls of the building, looking at each and every knick knack and photo on the walls. The café seemed to be almost completely renovated on the inside and rundown on the outside. The stench of paint hung in the air so heavily that some of the boys couldn’t breathe.

“Well hello there,” a young waitress had appeared out of thin air and was now standing in front of the group. “Welcome to the Ole 66 Café, here are your menus, take your time.” As quickly as she appeared, the waitress vanished.

Danny sat there and carefully searched the menu for something good; his thought soon became swallowed up by the thought of Frank when he saw an item on the menu called “Ball Park Franks.” Without any control, Danny began to cry; worried for his friend, Calvin put his hand on his shoulder and turned to Miss Peach.

“So where is Frank?” Calvin questioned, he hoped this was the last time he’d have to ask.

“Yeah where is he teach?” Ira demanded.

“Well boys you see….” Peach began but was soon cut off by the waitress again.

The waitress was holding a tray in her hands with glasses of water on it. She was a tall girl with dark hair in braids and dark eyes. She gingerly set the tray on the table and began placing the glasses in front of everyone.


“May I take your order?” She asked as she flipped open an order book.

“I want blueberry pancakes,” Rex said.

“Sausage and bacon please,” James added.

“An omelet,” Irvine said.

“I’ll have what he said,” Ira said pointing to his twin.

“Some pancakes and sausage,” Calvin told the waitress, “and my friend here will have some bacon and eggs,” Calvin added as he motioned to Danny.

“We will both have eggs and bacon,” Lucky answered as he ordered for both him and Peach. “And for drinks, bring us some milk.”

“Yes sir I will get right on that,” the waitress said as she walked away.

Desperately wanting answers, the boys turned their attention back to Miss Peach. She studied their faces one by one until she spotted Danny, he had his face down and a river of tears could be seen on his face.

“I left the orphanage with Frank; he was in bad shape as you all know. I sped down the road as fast as I could. Within a couple minutes a police officer pulled me over and when he saw Frank he called for an ambulance.”

Peach paused. “The officer tried to arrest me, he thought I was the once who hurt Frank, but I ran away and shortly after a truck stop beside me and offered to give me a ride. The man tried to knock me unconscious but when he wasn’t able to he tied my hands up and drove me to the orphanage.” Peach had fear in her eyes as she spoke; she was still shaken up from the experience.

“How did you know he was taken you to the orphanage Peach?” Lucky asked.

“I didn’t till he started driving up the road. But boys don’t worry Frank is at the hospital, he’s getting help.”

Everyone sat in silence for a moment; they were trying to absorb Peach’s words. The waitress abruptly had appeared with everyone’s drinks, putting on a fake smile, Peach whispered “Thank you.” The waitress smiled back and headed back toward the kitchen.

Without warning, Danny got up from his seat; he looked around the room, searching until he found the restrooms sign. Without a word, he began to move towards the sign, Lucky watched as Danny got closer to the bathroom.

“You think he will be okay?” Peach asked Lucky.

“I hope so Peach, I hope so.” Lucky answered.

Danny looked in the mirror, his eyes were swollen from crying and his face was red. This was hard on him, but the idea of his brother being helped gave him some peace. Danny quickly splashed his face with some cold water and started to open the door when suddenly he overheard the waitress on the phone. It appeared that she had ease dropped on Miss Peach.

“Yes they’re here right now Daddy, yes she’s here too. What? What did they drive in with? There’s a truck parked outside, I think the boys were sitting in the back. What kind of a truck, I don’t know a military looking one.” The girl paused and listened to the person of the phone for a moment. “Don’t worry Daddy I will make sure they stay the night, I will put them in rooms 4 and 5.” She hung up the phone and began to walk pass the bathroom door.

Danny knew he had to hurry back to the others. He had a feeling that the man on the other end of the phone, the waitress’s “Daddy” had to be Mr. Geo. He had to warn Lucky and Miss Peach that they couldn’t spend the night that they had to leave as soon as breakfast was over. Danny rushed back to his seat but he couldn’t warn anyone, the waitress was there with their food.

“And here is the last of your order. Is there anything else I can do for you?” The girl asked as she gave Lucky a sadistic grin.

“Well we may need a to spend the night at the motel,” Lucky replied, this caused Danny’s heart to sink.

“I take care of the guests at the motel; we have two rooms that I think will work for your group.” She answered him. Danny began to sweat; he used all his strength to hold back what he wanted to say.

“Perfect, you can show us to the rooms once we are done here,” Lucky said as he shoveled some bacon into his mouth.
Peach watched as the waitress walked away, she had a gut feeling about the girl.

“Lucky, I don’t think we should stay here.” Peach’s voice was filled with concern.

“Why not?” Lucky questioned.

“She’s Mr. Geo’s daughter,” Danny blurted out.

“What?” Lucky and Peach were stunned.

“When I went to the bathroom I heard her talking to a man on the phone and I think it was Mr. Geo.”

Still stunned, Lucky looked in the direction that the waitress went. He looked at Peach, he was shocked.

“Regardless, we have to stay here. You boys need your rest.” Lucky said then he turned to Miss Peach. “Peach we will split the boys into two groups; I will stay with one group and you the other. We still don’t know for sure that she is his daughter.”

“But Lucky,” Danny began; he had tears dripping down his face again.

“I’m sorry Danny, but I’m not sure where else we can stay.” Lucky looked at the clock hanging on the wall, it was already one in the afternoon and Lucky didn’t feel like driving anymore that day. “We will stay for a couple hours and rest, and then later tonight we will leave.”

Danny sat back in his chair and began to eat his food, tears fell onto his plate. He was filled with fear again; he only hoped that Mr. Geo would not find them and that the waitress really wasn’t Geo’s daughter.

It was almost two by the time they finished their meals and were about to check in to the motel. The waitress from the café had led them to two big rooms on the second floor of the motel. Danny went with Miss Peach, Calvin, and James while Lucky took Rex and the twins with him.

“I will bring you up some beds shortly,” the waitress told them as she ran off.

The room that Miss Peach had was very big, there was a huge king size bed in the middle of the room and a dresser with a TV on top of it facing the bed. There was a door that led to the bathroom at the back of the room.

“Well boys,” Peach began “sit on the bed for now until the beds come.” Peach said as she walked over to the TV. She started flipping through the channels until she came across some cartoons.

“Wow!” James exclaimed.

“You’ve never seen a cartoon?” Peach questioned.

“No,” Calvin explained, “the only TV we had was in your classroom.”

“If I knew that we could have watched cartoons as part of class.” Peach looked away from the boys, she began to realize that the boys had been treated a lot worse then she thought. “What else weren’t you allowed to do?”

“We….”

Just as Calvin was about to say more, they heard a loud knock at the door. Terrified by who it might be, Peach slowly moved to the door and opened it gingerly.

“Hello,” Peach said.

“Hi I have your beds, will two be enough?” It was the waitress again, she was dragging two fold up cots under her arm.

“Yes that should be fine. Thank you.”
Peach and the boys watched as the woman placed each cot on the floor by the bed. She looked up at the boys and gave them a cold smile.

“If you need anything just come down to the main office,” she said as she walked passed Peach.

“Thanks,” Peach answered as she started closing the door behind the woman. For a brief second, the woman appeared to have a sinister grin upon her face. Peach’s gut began to tell her to grab the boys and leave.

so back when gt was still awsome I started posting a war story in my blogs, well I found part of it on my laptop. Let me know what you guys think. Here's Everyone's War chapters 1 and 2 (for now :))
 
Chapter 1:The Torluns of Tigru
 
Tigru City, 2073
 
The sun shone down on Ashlin as she lay in the grass. The sun's rays reflecting off her golden hair and baking her milky white skin. She was taking her afternoon nap when she was abruptly woken by a kick to her side.
 
"You know Xam's looking for you?" Ashlin looked up to see her twin.
 
"Drake, what does Xam want this time." Ashlin slowly sat up.
 
"He has our dinner ready and you know..." Drake was saying just before Ashlin interrupted.
 
"Yes I know, he wants us to eat together like a family, blah, blah, blah. I've heard it a hundred times brother." Ashlin was now on her feet and started to walk passed Drake. Her emerald eyes met Drake's. His eyes were brighter then hers.
 
"Look Ash, a plane, sigh, you think Xam will allow me to become a pilot?" Ashlin looked up to see Drake pointing at a plane.
 
"You still want to be a pilot bro? Xam won't allow it, he won't even let me buy the sword I want," Ashlin had disappointment in her voice. A moment of silence fell over the twins.
 
"Come on Ash, Xam is waiting for us," Drake told Ashlin, "last one home gets to do the dishes."
 
"You're on Drake!" Ashlin exclaimed as she ran off.
 
"Hey!" Drake chased after her hoping to catch up to his sister. Ashlin made it to the house before Drake. She slammed the door in his face,
 
"Ashlin!" She turned around by the door to see Xam.
 
"Oh hi Xam, hehe, ummm...Drake and I were racing and..." Ashlin told him nervously.
 
"How many times do I have to tell you two to stop slamming the door!" Xam exclaimed.
 
"Yes sir....what did you make for dinner?" She asked him.
 
"Why did you slam the door in my face Ash!" Drake finally joined them in the house.
 
"Well you were being slow and..." Ashlin tried to explain.
 
"Both of you go wash up for dinner!" Xam ordered.
 
"Yes sir!" Both of them replied as if they had been in trouble. They both marched to the bathroom to wash up and soon they sat at the dining table with Xam.
 
Xam had made roasted chicken with baked potatoes and strawberry pie. Some of the food ended up in Xam's dark coco colored beard.
 
"Hey Xam, I saw a plane today," Drake said with a feeling of caution.
 
"Oh really Drake? There's a lot more of those around since the airport opened," Xam replied. Drake looked at Ashlin to see her opinion on what he should say next.
 
"Xam, I'm eighteen now and I was wondering..."Drake paused.
 
"You want to be a pilot?" Xam asked him. "What would've dad thought about that?" Drake just looked at his food in silence. "Look let's talk about this later. Just to let you two know, Kanda gave me tickets to her ballet and she requested that the Torluns attend," he told them.
 
"A ballet, brother, Xam, do we have to?" Ashlin asked Xam.
 
"Well she wants us to attend and I'm sure we're the only Torluns in the city," Xam replied.
 
"Ashlin, you're a girl, shouldn't you love this type of stuff?" Drake asked with sarcasm in his voice.
 
"Haha, very funny Drake, you know I don't like all that stuff," Ashlin answered.
 
"Okay you two; once you're done clearing the table and the dishes are cleaned, I want you two to get dressed. Your best clothes please. And that means a dress for you Ashlin, did you hear me?" Xam questioned.
 
"Yes Xam," Drake and Ashlin answered.
 
Drake washed the dishes after Ashlin cleared the table. Ashlin was dreading wearing a dress to of all things a ballet. It wasn't the fact that she didn't have one; it was the idea of wearing it that troubled her.
 
"Ready to wear your dress Ash?" Drake spoke very sarcastically.
 
"Don't ask brother, are you going to iron your suit?" Ashlin knew Drake hated wearing his suit as much as she couldn't stand wearing a dress.
 
"That's good enough, now go change," Xam ordered. He was wearing a faded blue suit that he inherited from their father.
 
"Dad's suit?" Ashlin asked.
 
"Yes, it fits and well he's not using it anyway now," Xam replied. He then motioned for his sibling to go get changed.

Chapter 2 Mara Lace
 
 
"There, you two don't look too bad," Xam told his siblings as they joined him in front of the door.
 
"Xam, are we walking to the theater?" Ashlin asked.
 
"Well I have a surprise for you guys," Xam paused and Drake and Ashlin looked at each other. "I got the car I've been looking at." A wave of happiness came over them. "Now come on you two, Kanda is waiting for us."
 
The three of them stepped out of their house to find a four-door red X-Kar in front of them. The wheels were snow white with the hub caps painted a crimson red, there was a silver trim outlining the doors and window, and the windows were a tinted rose color. Drake and Ashlin got in the car, both being careful not to get their clothes dirty.
 
"So what's the ballet called Xam?" Drake asked.
 
"Kanda said its called Mara Lace," Xam told his brother, Kanda is playing the lead."
 
"What's it about?" Drake continued to question.
 
"Not totally sure, we'll find out once we get there," Xam told him.
 
They sat silently the rest of the trip. Ashlin moved impatiently in her pale pink dress. Drake couldn't stop messing with his red tie. Both were counting down the minutes until they were at the ballet theater.
 
"You didn't fall asleep now, did you?" Xam asked the twins.
 
"No Xam! Ashlin and Drake exclaimed.
 
"Good because, we are at the theater. I think Kanda wanted us to meet her backstage. And before I forget, here's your tickets," Xam handed Ashlin and Drake each a yellow ticket with "MARA LACE" written in bold red letters.
 
"How are we going to get backstage Xam?" Ashlin asked.
 
"Kanda said all we have to do is tell one of the guards who we are," Xam answered.
 
"That sounds promising," Drake whispered once again a hint of sarcasm lingered in his voice.
 
Xam opened his car door and stepped out, Ashlin and Drake followed their brother. Xam was heading for a door in a small alleyway near the theater. A big bulldog looking security guard was standing in front of the doorway.
 
"We're here to see Kanda Maise," Xam told the guard.
 
"What's your name?" The guard picked up a clipboard and began to search a list of names.
 
"We are the Torluns, Xamuel, Ashlin, and Drake Torlun," Xam replied.
 
"Oh yes, Xamuel Torlun, Miss Maise said you would be arriving. Her dressing room is at the end of the hall, last door on the right. When the show starts, your seats are in the balcony." The guard had opened the door and pointed to the hallway straight in front of them. They followed the guard's directions to Kanda's room.
 
"Xamuel!" Kanda appeared out of thin air and hugged Xam.
 
"Kanda! Told you we'd be here," Xam's blue eyes met Kanda's dark eyes and he leaned in for a kiss. This act of romance disgusted the twins.
 
"Should we leave you two love birds alone, Xamuel," Ashlin spoke with some disgust in her voice.
 
"You don't like the idea of your brother being in love?" Kanda quickly remarked.
 
"Miss Maise, five minutes!" A stage manager had ended the conversation.
 
"Okay," Kanda kissed Xam on the cheek, "I should go, meet me here after the show, and Ashlin."
 
"Yes Kanda?" Ashlin asked.
 
"Nice dress," Kanda motioned for them to leave.
 
"That little bi..."
 
"Ashlin!" Xam yelled.
 
"Hey you! Your seats are this way," a stagehand showed the Torluns to the balcony.
 
From the balcony they could see the stage. There were dark colored pillars with golden vines climbing them on each side of the stage. A bright blueish light was hovering over the center of the stage. There was a pit in front of the stage where hundreds of musicians sat and the light from the center of the stage made the instruments glimmer in the dim light.
 
The Torluns sat in velvet red seats. They had a perfect view of the stage. They waited for the ballet to begin and soon enough a man in a black suit appeared from behind the curtain.
 
"Ladies and gentlemen," the man began, "We have a wonderful show for you tonight! We have the always beautiful Kanda Maise playing the lead role!"
There was a huge uproar from the audience.
 
"Is she really that famous?" Ashlin whispered to Xam.
 
"Yes she is," he answered her.
 
"May I present Mara Lace!" The announcer stepped off the stage and the curtains opened.
 
The set was of a cottage surrounded by snow covered pine trees and an ice covered lake could be seen nearby. Kanda stepped out of the cottage door and the audience once again clapped. Kanda was wearing a knee high white dress with matching crystal earrings. She danced around the cottage as if she was searching for something or someone.
 
"Xam what is she doing?" Ashlin asked.
 
"Let's see, I think she is a snow queen who lost her crown," Xam answered.
 
"You got that from her dancing around?" Ashlin whispered.
 
"No Kanda gave me her script."
 
"What! A ballet has a script!"
 
"Could you be quite Ash, I'm trying to sleep," Drake was in a slight daze as he said that.
 
"Drake," Xam paused, "you shouldn't be sleeping."
 
"Hey, Xam," Ashlin got Xam's attention, "looks like your girlfriend is getting close with that guy," Ashlin was pointing to the stage.
 
"It's a love story Ashlin, now let's watch the ballet," Xam said, he turned their attention back to the stage.
 
A man was spinning Kanda around in his arms. They were both graceful in every way. Stage hands released doves from behind the set and Kanda and the man paused.
 
"If one of those bastards poops on me, I'm going to have fried dove for dinner tomorrow," Ashlin thought as she watched a dove fly in front of her.
Kanda and the man froze, they were still like statues. The lights were dimmed and the two of the soon faded away in the darkness. The curtains were soon close and the crowd gave a final uproar.
 
"Is it over?" Drake was surprisingly awake and looking at Xam for an answer.
 
"No, that was the end of Act I," he answered.
 
"What!" Ashlin and Drake exclaimed.
 
"Just kidding, I wanted to see if you were both awake." Xam stood up from his seat. "Now, do you guys want to wait here or follow me to Kanda's dressing room?" Xam asked the twins.
 
"Come on Ash, let's leave the love birds alone," Drake said as he closed his eyes, he was ready for another nap.
 
"Yeah I think I will stay here too Xam," Ashlin told Xam.
"
Okay, I will be back in a little bit," Xam walked away and left the twins to nap on the balcony's seats.
 
Xam walked down the hallways and soon ended up in the backstage hallway. The cast and crew were scattered throughout the area. Xam finally made it to Kanda's dressing room; he knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
 
"Come in," a faint voice said from behind the door.
 
"Kanda," Xam said as he slowly opened the door.

"Xamuel!" Kanda hugged him; she had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong Kanda?" Xam felt a bit worried.

Back at the balcony....

Ashlin sat staring at the stage while Drake napped in his seat.

"Hey Drake!" Ashlin paused. "Drake!"

"What do you want?" Drake asked sleepishly.

"Is it me or do you have a bad feeling?"

"A bad feeling, what do you mean Ash?"

"I think there's something wrong with Xam and Kanda," Ashlin told him; she was trying to hide the worried look on her face.

Just as those words left her mouth, a man ran out from behind the stage curtains. He appeared to be in a hurry. Ashlin looked at Drake hoping he was looking at the stage, he was.

"You want to chase him down, don't you?" Drake asked his sister.

"Damn right!" Ashlin exclaimed.

"Fine, let's chase after him," Drake stood up and walked toward the entrance of the balcony.

I like the story so far Squirrel! Xam is my favorite!

thanks, I have a few more chapters, I will post a few more tommorrow

Chapter 3: Kanda's Ring



"My ring! That man stole my ring!" Kanda exclaimed, her faced was partially covered by her dark purple hair. She had rivers of tears pouring down her face.



"You ring? As in the ring I gave you? My mother's ring?" Xam questioned.



"Yes, I am sorry Xamuel, I really am. That man had a knife and he said he would kill me." Kanda started to cry more, more tears fell down her face.



"Okay, stay here and lock the door, I'll get your ring back. I'll teach that man not to mess with woman!" Xam jogged out the door and shut it behind him, hoping Kanda would lock it. He stood there for a second until he heard a click of a lock. Xam then ran to the stage and jumped off the edge, almost tripping on his own feet. He ran through the now emptied seats and was soon standing in front of the theater, he saw Ashlin and Drake pinning a man to the ground.



"Xam!" Ashlin waved at her brother, "He had mom's ring, how did he get it Xam?"



"I'll tell you guys later, now let's call the cops," Xam answered his sister while he was grabbing a wireless phone from his pocket.



Twenty minutes later...



"Xamuel! You got it back! I can't believe you got it back!" Kanda exclaimed as she kissed Xam.



"You can actually thank Ashlin and Drake for that, they got the guy who stole it," Xam replied.



"Thank you both," Kanda said.



"Are you okay Kanda?" Xam asked.



"Yes I am and to think I once considered that man a friend," Kanda told them.



"Hey Kanda, was that man the guy who was spinning you around in the ballet?" Ashlin asked.



"Yes he was, we grew up together when I lived in Daltrivia," Kanda answered Ashlin.



"What? Daltrivia? Isn't that the big military fortress east of Tigru City?" Ashlin questioned.



"Yes it is Ash, now Xam, why does Kanda have mom's ring?" Drake asked.



"I was going to tell you guys sooner, but," Xam paused.



"You haven't told them yet Xamuel?" Kanda seemed shocked at what Xam was saying.



"Tell us what Xam!" The twins exclaimed, they seemed to be annoyed.



"About a month ago," he paused, "I'll just come out and say it, I asked Kanda to marry me," Xam had almost mumbled the last part of his sentence. A wave of silence washed over the room.



"Are you serious Xam! You've got to be kidding me!" Ashlin said with traces of anger hovering in her voice.



"Calm yourself Ashlin, now can you tell us how you got the ring back?" Xam asked as he looked at Ashlin, she sighed before she told her story.



"Well you see..."



Fifty minutes earlier...



"I think there's something wrong with Xam and Kanda," Ashlin told Drake; she was trying to hide the worried look on her face.



Just as those words left her mouth, a man ran out from behind the stage curtains. He appeared to be in a hurry. Ashlin looked at Drake hoping he was looking at the stage, he was.



"You want to chase him down, don't you?" Drake asked his sister.



"Damn right!" Ashlin exclaimed.



"Fine, let's chase after him," Drake stood up and walked toward the entrance of the balcony.



"I have a feeling this is going to be fun," Ashlin said with a smirk on her face.



She followed Drake down a narrow staircase that lead them to the doors to the theater's foyer. They both hurried, hoping they would be able to catch up to the man from the stage.



They managed to carefully and quietly open the foyer's doors so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. Many people had gathered in the foyer for what looked to be an after party for the ballet. Drake and Ashlin stood back to back as they scanned the room for their prey, the man they had only seen minutes before.



"Hey Ash, there he is," Drake said as he nudged Ashlin's back, she turned around to see him pointing at a man standing by the refreshments table.



"Good work bro, now let's lay low and see where he goes next," Ashlin told him as she searched for a hiding place.



They split up, Ashlin found a pillar to hide behind while Drake mingled with the crowd. Ashlin could see Drake in the midst of a group of people near the man. She had a clear view of the refreshments table and stealthily hid in the shadows of the pillar so no one would see her. The man soon joined the group that Drake was in.



"Wonderful job as always," a woman told the man as she patted him on the back.



"Where is Miss Maise?" Another asked him as she took a sip of her drink.



"She was feeling a bit under the weather I'm afraid," the man told the women. "Pardon me ladies; I have a meeting to attend." The man said his farewells and started walking in the direction of the main doors.



Ashlin ran to get Drake from the group he was in; he met her half way in the center of the room. They walked a few feet away from the man, trying not to let him catch on that they were following him. When he was out the doors, he had reached in his pocket and pulled out a phone, he seemed to be talking to the person he told the women he was going to meet.



"I wonder who he's talking to?" Ashlin thought out loud.



"Not sure Ash, but let's find out, shall we?" Drake asked and Ashlin replied with a nod. They opened the main doors with stealth and crouched down behind the man.



"Yeah....I got the ring, I'm telling in you man, Kandy's boyfriend must be loaded. Three hundred? Nah, we're looking at least six for this thing, maybe seven fifty tops. Okay, I'm outside the theater, pick me up, bye." The man disconnected his call and placed his phone back in his pocket, not knowing Ashlin and Drake were behind him.



Ashlin and Drake looked at each other, this was their chance. Drake held up his hand, he was holding three fingers up to start a countdown. Ashlin got ready, as soon as Drake dropped his fingers they jumped on the man.



"Who the hell are you two brats!" The man exclaimed as he kicked at the twins.



"Friends of Kanda Maise," Drake said coldly as if he tried to strike fear in the man's heart, they held the man down until Xam met them.



At Kanda's dressing room...



"And that's how we got the ring back," Ashbin finished the story.



"Thank you both," Kanda thanked the twins.



"Hey Kanda, so you and that man grew up together at Daltrivia? How, that's only for military personal isn't it?" Ashlin asked.



"You see, back then, the families of the soldiers stationed there were allowed to live there. My father was a soldier and one day he packed his bags and told us we were moving to Daltrivia." Kanda paused and found a cup of water to drink from. "That man from the ballet was my neighbor, he was nice, but sadly, he was a thief."



"He hasn't changed then," Ashlin added.



"Ashlin!" Xam shouted.



"It's okay Xamuel, she has a point." The room went silent once again, after a few minutes, Ashlin decided to break the ice.



"So...ummm...when are you guys getting," Ashlin began.



"We are getting married next month," Xam told Ashlin.



"What!" Drake and Ashlin exclaimed.



One month later...



"I do," Kanda answered, her wedding dress was beautiful, it had one strap and a flower pinned to her shoulder, a long train was lying on the ground behind where she stood, and the dress seemed like a twist on a ball gown, perfect for a ballet star.



"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride," the priest told Xam and Kanda.



Xam kissed her on the lips while keeping an eye on Ashlin to see her reaction, she made a gag gesture. When they were down Xam had a grin on his face and almost couldn't stop himself from laughing at his little sister. He had picked Kanda up and carried her out the door, Drake and Ashlin soon followed their brother to his X-Kar. They were starting a new life that they hoped would be better than the life they had.

Chapter 4:Love and War

Tigru City, 2074

"Ashlin could you help me with the laundry?" Kanda asked as she hung a blanket on the clothesline.

"Ummm....sure Kanda," Ashlin replied sheepisly as she joined Kanda at the clothesline, she helped put a shirt on the line.

"Did you hear, the soldiers of Daltrivia have been seen treading into cities and towns throughout the country," Kanda mentioned to Ashlin as she tried to break the ice. Kanda and Ashlin were finalily starting to get along, but they still were distant at times.

"I heard about that," Ashlin paused, she was quick to defend what Kanda had just said, "It's just a rumor, a stupid rumor, just like the talk about us going to war with Hilma."

"Hilma? Why would Hilma want to invade us? I mean, they are so far north that even if they did want to attack, well, why?" Kanda thought out loud.

"Rumor is they are quickly running out of resources and what little resources they have are buried deep under glaciers."

"Really?" Kanda paused and hung a pair of pants on the line, almosty appearing to be lost in thought,"What do you think Xamuel's making us for dinner?"

"I'm sure he will make something good, he always does," Ashlin replied as she turned to look at Kanda, Kanda seemed to be in a trance. "Something on your mind Kanda?"

"It's nothing Ashline, I just need to discuss something with your brother," Kanda answered.

"What Kanda? You can tell me if there's something wrong," Ashlin said with curiousity in her voice.

"Ash! Kanda! Dinner's ready!" They turned to see Drake standing in the doorway of the house waving at them.

Ashlin and Kanda entered the house, they could see Drake standing by the over. They could smell the pleasent scent of soup and spices cooking away in a large pot. Kanda scanned the room, Xam was no where to be seen.

"Where is Xamuel?" Kanda question, Drake looked up from the oven to look at her.

"He had an errand to run and put me in charge of dinner. He should be back soon Kanda," Drake replied.

"Don't poison us bro," Ashlin told her brother sarcasticly.

"Haha, since when did you learn sarcasm Ash?" Drake asked her.

"I think I'm going to turn the radio on," Kanda thought out loud, Ashlin and Drake could tell that she was acting nervously. Kanda walked over to the radio and flipped the on switch, the news show was about to start.

"This just in, Hilma, our snow covered nation to the north, has invaded our neighbor Aroura's northern border. Reports say that the have almost completely crippled Aroura's government, leaving some to fear that we are next on their list.

President Meeks has implored to the head military officials to ship the soldiers at Daltivia to various towns and cities throughout our nation. Doing so will help our citizens feel safe and may also increase recruitment for the military which has been steadily decreasing for some time now. This has been the news..."

The news reporter seemed cool and collected, even though he had just delivered ill tidings.

"Great a war! We don't need a war! Not now!" Kanda was acting very strange now, jumpy and scared all at once.

"Kanda!" she turned to Ashlin who now had her hand on Kanda's shoulder. "You've been acting nervous for quite some time now. Sit down and rest, I will turn the radio off."

"No, no, no, it's okay, really, I just need a cool drink and to speak with Xam," Kanda told Ashlin. Ashlin grabbed a glass and filled it with water, placing it in front of Kanda. "Thank you," Kanda said as she took a big gulp of water, she was now calmer then before.

"We all have to make sacrifices when times are dark. Together we can make these dark days bright, all we need is your help. We need you to buy war bonds and sign up at your local recruitment office today! This has been a message from the military and payed for by President Meeks."

Ashlin turned the radio off when she saw that Kanda was still nervous. A train wreck was sitting at their table, Ashlin had no idea what to do to help Kanda.

"You think they'll need pilots?" Drake asked as he peeked in Ashlin's direction.

"We are not at war bro! And we both know Xam's feelings about that matter," Ashlin quickly replied.

"Hey, a guy can dream can't he?" Drake grinned as he brought a pot filled with soup to the table, a loaf of wheat bread, and what appeared to be a strawberry tart follow it. "Looks like Xam's going to be late for dinner. More for me then!"

"Wait!" Kanda exclaimed, "We should wait for your brother, Xamuel should be here soon, I hope."

"Don't worry Kanda, we'll wait," Ashlin reasured her.

They waited for almost an hour, Kanda's eyes locked on the door. She was begining to fear the worst.

"Sorry I'm late guys!" Xam exclaimed as he ran through the door and into the kitchen.

"Where the hell have you....bro?" Ashlin seemed shocked as she looked at her brother. Xam stood in front of them with a faded tan army uniform on.

"You didn't! You fucking didn't!" Kanda was angry with him, her nervousness was gone and anger fill the gap. The once graceful young women who never would swear, just used the F word to her husband.

"Kanda, please, I can explain, just listen," Xam spoke very softly to Kanda as if to calm her.

"Bastard!" Kanda shouted as she threw her water glass at Xam and quickly ran outside.

"What's with her?" Xam questined as he turned his attention to Ashlin, "What did you say to her?"

"I didn't tell her anything Xam. She's been nervous all day and told me she needed to discuss something with you," Ashlin answered.

"And we had the radio on, the talk about war made her freak out," Drake added.

"Okay, reheat the food, we'll be in soon," Xam told the twins. He headed in the direction that Kanda had went, finding her sitting by one of the posts of the clothesline. "The twins told me you needed to talk to me, is something wrong Kanda?"

"I don't think I can discuse it right now. Why did you join the army Xamuel? Why?" Kanda asked with a tear running down her face. Xam wiped it away and sat nexted to her.

"I felt like I had to. Kanda, we're not in war yet, but I felt like I had to join." Xam told her as he looked into her eyes.

"I, I'm pregnant Xamuel," Kanda had strong emotion in her voice.

"Wha....what!" Xam exclaimed.

"I'm pregnant," Kanda paused, "I don't want a war, I don't want our child to be born into a world filled with war and not knowing peace." Kanda wiped more tears away from her eyes. Xam hugged her as if to make amends.

"I'm sorry Kanda, I should have discussed it with you before I joined, " Xam held her close.

"It's okay, I should have told you once I found out," she whispered in his ear.

"Will you still be able to dance in the ballet next week?" Xam asked his wife, he hoped this would change the subject.

"Of course Xamuel! You better be there too!" Kanda was now smiling and she looked at Xam.

"Haha, I think you have been around Ashlin and Drake way to long Kanda, haha" Xam chuckled with glee. Kanda followed him by laughing herself.

"Hehe, let's just go eat, hehe," Kanda held out her arms and Xam picked her up, kissing her when she was on her feet. Xam lifted Kanda in the air and cradled her in his arms, he carried her back into the house. "This reminds me of our wedding day," their eyes met and once again and they kissed.

Xam sat Kanda in her chair when they had made it to the kitchen. He took his place by the table just as Ashlin and Drake were bringing them their food, they took their seats opposite of eachother at the table.

"As you probably can tell, I joined the army," Xam said.

"Well no shit sherlock, we could have figured that out ourselves," Ashlin replied.

"Ashlin!" Xam exlaimed.

"Sorry bro," Ashlin answered as she held her head low.

"Now as I was saying, I joined the army. Don't worry, as of right now, I am not on active duty. If we were to sign a war declaration, then I'm afraid I may be shipped off to war." Kanda nd the twins sat in pure silence. "If that happens, which it may not, Ashlin, I want you to help Kanda with the baby when it's born."

"What!" Ashlin was shocked. "You're having a baby?" She asked Kanda with a stunned look.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to discuse with Xamuel," Kanda answered.

"Now, let's forget what I did tonight, we will live as if I never joined. Next week we will attend Kanda's ballet. Understood?" Xam asked his siblings.

"Yes sir!" The twins replied.

I've read to chapter 4! I really like it so far!

This line was awesome:

The boys watched as the building they once called home began to fade away in the distance as the sky began to cloud up and rain began to pour down from the heavens. They were free or so they thought.

Shit just got real.

lol I just realized I've poster two different stories in this thread, lol, one is a war/love story, mostly war, and one is about a group of orphans, I should make a separate thread for each, lol

Squirrel500 wrote:lol I just realized I've poster two different stories in this thread, lol, one is a war/love story, mostly war, and one is about a group of orphans, I should make a separate thread for each, lol

Hahahaha, ok that would explain why I was a little confused.

First I thought there was a time leap and it was telling two stories from two different time periods and then eventually it was going to intertwine. But, I was definitely mistaken lol.

ColumbianLoom wrote:

Squirrel500 wrote:lol I just realized I've poster two different stories in this thread, lol, one is a war/love story, mostly war, and one is about a group of orphans, I should make a separate thread for each, lol

Hahahaha, ok that would explain why I was a little confused.

First I thought there was a time leap and it was telling two stories from two different time periods and then eventually it was going to intertwine. But, I was definitely mistaken lol.

yeah I got it fixed now, the war story is titled Everyone's War and I don't have a title for the other story so the thread I made for it I just titled Orphan Story for now