CHAPTER 7

MONDAYS, WHO LIKES THEM?. HONESTLY, I HATE MONDAYS. WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN REASONS. FIRST YOU GOT UP LATE, THEN YOUR CAR RAN OUT OF FUEL. THIRD YOU HAVE A SURPRISE TEST IN THE FIRST PERIOD, OF WHICH YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT. ONE OF THESE ARE ENOUGH TO HATE MONDAYS. AND ONCE YOU HAVE ALL THREE, IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE KILLING MONDAY. LAST BUT NOT THE LEAST THE RECKLESS, STUPID AND IDIOTIC THING DONE BY MY FRIENDS. WE WERE IN DETENTION. "IT WAS JHON'S IDEA!" NICOLE BLAMED. I TURNED TOWARDS JHON, "ME! I WAS ROMAN'S IN THE FIRST PLACE" HE BLAMES. I TURNED TOWARDS ROMAN, WHO WAS STANDING BESIDE ME. "UM...YOU SAID IT WOULD BE BETTER IF WE HAD HELP" HE SAID. I SAT DOWN. "I SAID IT WOULD BE BETTER IF WE HAD HELP! IT DIDN'T INCLUDE TO GO THE POLICE AND REPORT. ROMAN! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER THAN THIS!" I YELLED. "LIVANA A WORD" ROMAN CALLED. "YOU SAID THERE IS HELP IN NUMBERS," HE SAID. "CORRECT, AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS IN NUMBERS DEATH!" WE STARTED DEBATING. "ROMAN I NEVER SAID I WANT REVENGE, I JUST.....I JUST DON'T WANT OTHERS TO GET HURT" I SAID. WHILE I WAS SAYING I SAW THE LETTER WHICH ROMAN TOOK THE OTHER DAY. "WHY DID YOU TAKE THE LETTER?" I ASKED. "NOTHING JUST..." HE KEPT IT IN HIS BAG. I WAS SURE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING HE'S HIDING, SOMETHING THAT HE DIDN'T TELL ME OR DIDN'T WANTED.

NICOLE AND JHON KNEW, WE WERE IN NEED OF HELP. SO WE DECIDED TO THROW AN INVESTIGATION PLAN AFTER SCHOOL. THEY SAID MY HOUSE WAS CROWDED, WE HAD NO CHOICE THAN ROMAN'S PLACE... WHICH NO ONE HAD SEEN.

I WALKED IN, PLACE WAS BIG WHITE AND GREY MORE LIKE IKEA. JESSICA, ROMAN'S AUNT WAS IN THE KITCHEN. SHE HUGGED ME AS SOON AS I WALKED. "THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT," I SAID POINTING THE FOOD. "OFCOURSE IT IS. IT'S THE FIRST TIME ROMAN HAD CALLED ANY OF HIS FRIENDS" JESSICA REPLIED. JHON AND NICOLE WERE INSIDE. HIS ROOM WAS BLUE COVERED WITH BOOKSHELVES, A SINGLE BED WHICH WAS BLUE ALONG WITH A BROWN SIDE TABLE. THE FLOOR WAS WOOD AND CREATED SOUND WHEN ANYONE WALKED. WE STARTED WITH OUR WORK, "FIRST IS THE BISHOP. THERE ARE TWO OF THEM OF WHICH, ONE IS ARRESTED" I STARTED. "THEN THE ROOKS, OLIVIA AND HANNAH" JHON ADDS. "PLUS FOOD POISONING" NICOLE. ROMAN DIDN'T SAY A WORD HE KEPT READING THE SAME PAGE AGAIN AND AGAIN. THEN HE KEPT A LETTER ON THE TABLE. IT HAD NOTHING SPECIAL, EXCEPT FOR:

"AMERICA WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED FROM THE OUTSIDE. IF WE FLATER AND LOSE OUR FREEDOM, IT WILL BE BECAUSE WE DESTROY OURSELVES, ABAE, 2021E194AY"

JHON TRIED TO DECODE IT AND ALL WE GOT WAS '12:15, TUESDAY'.

"IS THIS ALWAYS SO TOUGH?" NICOLE COMPLAINED. WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO DO, WE LEFT IT THERE AND WENT HOME.

IT WAS 11, I WAS GOING TO BED. I THOUGHT EVERYONE WERE ASLEEP, BUT I WAS WRONG. MY PARENTS WERE AWAKE. I HEARD MY MOM CRYING, SO WAS MY DAD. SHE WAS HOLD JENNIFER'S PICTURE. I WENT TO MY ROOM, I WAS READING HER DIARY, THE PARTS WHICH I NEVER SAW LIKE THE ONES DESCRIBING THE BEAUTY OF NATURE OR THE ONES ABOUT NATASHA'S CHOCOLATE CAKE OR THE PLACES SHE MISSED AND THE ONES ABOUT OUR PARENTS OR SHAWNA OR NINA OR ME. I THOUGHT FOR A WHILE ABOUT WHAT AM I DOING OR WHY AM I DOING THIS. I WAS FOLLOWING BLIND CLUES OF WHICH I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT. ARRESTING THE FIRST BISHOP WAS JUST DUM LUCK AND SO WAS THE CHESS MATCH I WON. ROMAN WAS DOING THIS BECAUSE OF HIS OBSESSION WITH CODES AND FINGERPRINTS. AND FOR JHON AND NICOLE IT WAS A GAME OR CHARITY MAYBE. I WAS AWARE THE I AM FOLLOWING SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T EVEN EXISTS. AND AS FOR JENNIFER HER NAME WAS ON BISHOP'S LIST.

PEOPLE WERE TERRIFIED, SO WERE WE. THE DAY WAS FINE UNTIL...THE HISTORY CLASS.

"'AMERICA WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED FROM THE OUTSIDE. IF WE FLATER AND LOSE OUR FREEDOM, IT WILL BE BECAUSE WE DESTROY OURSELVES', WHO SAID THIS?" MR. MARTIN ASKED, WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER. ROMAN HAD A LOOK AT HIS WATCH; 12:15 TIME AND TUESDAY DAY. WE WERE AT AN AMBUSH BUT NOTHING HAPPENED, THE CLASS WAS OVER AND SO WAS THE SCHOOL...STILL NOTHING. AFTER SCHOOL MR.MARTIN, NICOLE, JHON AND ANN ALONG WITH SOME STUDENTS STAYED LATE BECAUSE OF SOME SERIOUS SCHOOL CARNIVAL DECORATIONS AND STUFF.

"DID YOU CHANGE IT?" DAVIS INQUIRED. "I DID" ROMAN SCOFFS, "HOW LONG AM I GOING TO BE YOU SLAVE?" HE WAS VEXED. "UNTIL I GET MY MONEY" DAVIS PAT HIS SHOULDER AND LEFT. I WAS BUSY DOING MY HOMEWORK, KNOCK ON MY DOOR. "SOMEONE'S STANDING OUT FOR YOU" DAD LOOKED PRETTY PISSED. I LOOK OUT MY WINDOW, IT WAS MR.MORDEN SHERLOCK. I WAS GOING OUT. "YOU STILL GOT THAT PEPPER SPRAY?" DAD STOPPED ME. I ROLLED MY EYES.

"SORRY, CAN I BOTHER YOU FOR A SECOND," HE SAID. "YOU'RE BOTHER ME RIGHT NOW" I REPLIED. " YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY CALL...HOW DID YOU KNEW THAT THE BISHOP KILLED JENNIFER?" HE ASKED. "HER NAME WAS ON THE LIST" I REPLIED. THERE WAS COMPLETE SILENCE. I GUESS THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED TO ASK. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE AT THE SCHOOL," I SAID. " SCHOOL?" HE INQUIRED. "YEAH FOR THE CARNIVAL" I CHUCKLED NERVOUSLY. ROMAN WAS IN DEEP THOUGHTS. "WHAT IS IT?" I INQUIRED. ROMAN THEN EXHALED SHARPLY, "GET IN THHE CAR," HE SAID. "WHAT" I WAS CONFUSED. "GET IN THE CAR NOW" WE SAT IN HIS CAR, HE WAS DRIVING AT A HIGH SPEED. HE STOPPED THE CAR AT THE SCHOOL WHICH WAS EMPTY I GUESS. BUT TO MY SURPRISE THE GATE WAS OPEN. "CALL NICOLE," HE SAID OR MAYBE ORDERED. I TRIED CALLING HER BUT SHE WOULDN'T ANSWER. "SHE'S NOT ANSWERING," I SAID. WE SAW SOMEONE WALK-INSIDE THE SCHOOL. "STAY HERE" ROMAN WENT INSIDE. "AND WHEN DID I STARTED TO TAKE ORDERS" I WENT BEHIND HIM. WE STOPPED NEAR THE SPORTS ROOM. ROMAN WENT INSIDE AND GOT SOME FOOTBALLS AND AN ARROW. WE SAW THE CLASSROOM WERE NICOLE, JHON AND MR. MARTIN WERE SITTING. THE MEN WITH A KNIFE HEADED FOR THE ROOM. "TAKE THIS" ROMAN GAVE ME THE BOW AND AN ARROW. "WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO DO WITH THIS?" I ASKED. "WILL YOU STOP ASKING QUESTIONS" HE REPLIED. "WILL YOU STOP GIVING ORDERS" I WAS ANNOYED. "SHOOT THE ARROW AND DISTRACT THEIM" HE INSTRUCTED. HE THREW BALLS TO DISTRACT ONE OF THE MEN AND I SHOT THE ARROW. "THAT WAS LIKE THE BEST SHOT!" I EXCLAIMED.

WE WALKED IN, "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE" ROMAN WAS IN A HURRY. "WHERE'S MR.MARTIN?" I INQUIRED. "WE DON'T KNOW HE JUST WENT OUT" JHON REPLIED. THEN WE HEARD THE SOUND OF DOORS BREAKING. ROMAN LOCKED THE DOOR. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" NICOLE QUESTIONED. "IT'S THE PUNISHERS, THEY'VE GOT MR.MARTIN ON THE LIST" ROMAN REPLIED. "IF WE DON'T GET OUT ALL OF US ARE GOING TO DIE" I WAS THINKING OF A PLAN. WE HEARD THE CLASS DOOR BREAK AGAIN. WE GOT OUT SILENTLY, BUT ON OF THE MEN CAUGHT US. PANICKED AND SCARED WE LOCKED OURSELVES IN A CLASSROOM. NICOLE, JHON AND ROMAN COVERED THE DOOR WITH A BUNCH OF BENCHES, "HELLO!" I CALLED BUT THEY WERE TOO BUSY DOING THE THING. "EXCUSE ME!" I CALLED AGAIN. "EVERYONE JUST STOP!" I YELLED. THEY STOPPED, "GREAT JOB, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THE SECOND DOOR IS RIGHT THERE," I SAID POINTING THE SECOND DOOR. WE HEARD THEM GOING TO THE OTHER SIDE. "WHAT DO WE DO?" NICOLE ASKED. "I DON'T KNOW MAYBE GO OUTSIDE AND FACE IT" JHON REPLIED. "ACTUALLY, THAT AN EXCELLENT IDEA FOR SUICIDE," I REMARK. "WE SHOULD CALL THE POLICE" ROMAN WAS CORRECT. BEFORE WE COULD MAKE A CALL, THE DOOR OPENED WIDE WITH ONE OF THE MEN WITH A GUN. HE WAS ABOUT TO SHOOT US BUT SOMEONE HIT HIM. "YOU KIDS OKAY?" IT WAS MR. MARTIN.

THE MEN GOT ARRESTED, THE CARNIVAL WASN'T CANCELLED. WE DIDN'T TELL ANYTHING TO OUR PARENTS OR ANYONE EXCEPT FOR ALAIN MARTIN. ROMAN DROPPED ME HOME. HE STOOD STILL UNTIL I WENT INSIDE. ALL OF A SUDDEN AN ARROW ALMOST GOT ME KILLED. IT HAD A NOTE WITH IT. "WHAT IS IT?" ROMAN INQUIRED. "IT'S THE KING" I REPLIED

'see you at the carnival

-king'

THAT'S WHAT THE NOTE SAID.