Immortal Forever: 7. A Warning

"What do we do now?" I slammed myself on the chair.
"I don't get it", Peter muttered, "How did the Council got to know about you?"
"Someone from the inside must have spied and gave them the news", Marian answered.
"Look out if someone's missing", Courtney said aloud.
"Guys", Theo came to us, "Bad news- Louis is missing!"
"What?" gawked Marian.
"Louis?" Peter sat with his fingers knotted, "I never expected him to do anything like this".
"He had a problem with her since the very beginning", Marian frowned.
"But now what shall we do to get away from this?" I asked.
"Louis must have already informed about this place", Courtney answered, "We can't stay here anymore. Let's run somewhere else".
"Where?" Theo looked puzzled.
"What about The Gingerbread?" Peter suggested, suddenly coming back to life.
"Right", Marian chimed in, "That's the best place to go and hide. Nobody would think that we're hiding there".
The rest of the team like the muscular guy and the red-head guy and a couple of demon hunters left the place long before us.
"Where did they go?" I asked, nervously.
"They went from where they had come from", Theo said, "They don't wanna be a part of whatever is going on here".
"Let's not wait here more", Peter interrupted, "Let's move".
The Gingerbread was, as I had thought a small café down the East Street. A tiny bell jungled as we entered through the main door. The smell of fresh bread, cakes and ice-cream hit my nose. It smelled delicious. There was a small counter at a side, displaying various cakes and breads. A fat woman sat behind the counter. There were two tables and a couple of chairs for a few customers who would come to eat.
"Hello, Mrs. Rothbury", Peter greeted the woman.
"Hello, kids", she seemed cheerful, "What brought you here?"
Theo and Peter explained her everything in detail.
"The Council is a hard thing to get away from", she frowned as if she knew a lot about this new world. "You can hide here for a few days, but not more than that. I don't want any sort of trouble in my little café".
We agreed and she led us to a back door which was locked. She unlocked it and told us to go inside. We were now standing in a big hall. There were bunkers at its sides. There was a big cupboard to keep our things. A small window with a view of the back garden was in a corner.
"Will you please tell me who she is?" I inquired.
"That's Mrs. Rothbury", Courtney answered, "She's our kind, but only with a human business of café. This was her storeroom, which was later built into a dorm for demon hunters to stay".
"Many demon hunters used to visit Seattle in the beginning and couldn't find a proper place to settle in. Mrs. Rothbury eased their work by building this dorm", Theo added.
"How many days are we gonna stay here?" I asked.
"Depends on outside situations. She already warned us", Peter sat on a bunker.
"What about home?" I asked him, suddenly tensed.
"Don't you worry about home, Rose", Peter smiled, "They will forget everything. Darius will put a memory blockage system at our place".
"Oh my brother!" Courtney exclaimed, "Darius? Is hw with us, too?"
"Yeah", Theo laughed, "He promised to check on the Hoffman house as well as look for any valuable information about the Council".
"That's cool", Marian cried, "At least, he is with us".
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in", Courtney called.
The door opened and Mrs. Rothbury came in, carrying a tray of five steaming bowls and placed the tray at a side table.
"Chicken soup", she said merrily, "You kids must be hungry".
I had almost forgotten how much hungry I was due to the Council. Now seeing the bowl, my stomach grumbled and I took a bowl from the trey. Others did, too. The soup was delicious with chunks of chicken and a thick broth mixed with corn and turnips.
"Yummy!" Theo chuckled, "You really are an amazing cook".
"Oh dear, thank you", Mrs. Rothbury blushed.
"There's the washroom", she pointed towards another door in a corner.
I wanted to have a hot shower after a tiring day. The steaming hot water made me feel live and energetic. My tank top and the pair of faded jeans were the only outfits that I've been wearing since last night. I needed to change. When I let Mrs. Rothbury know about it, she happily handed me a pair of navy blue jeans and a floral shirt which was a little loose on me.
"These were my daughter's", she said sadly.
"They are pretty comfy", I smiled, "Thank you". I didn't mind asking what had happened to her daughter.
"Laura was my sixteen-year-old, pretty daughter. She was killed in a car crash along with her father," she said slowly, "My husband Rich was drunk while driving. I blame him for Laura's death". She clutched a gold chain tightly in her hand. She said it was Laura's possession.
"That's pretty upsetting, Mrs. Rothbury", Marian said apologatically.
"We won't put you in danger at any cost", I promised before she left the room.
We occupied one bunker each except Theo who said he found sleeping on the floor more comfortable.
"Guys", Courtney announced, "Whoever wakes first will rise the others up". She drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up, it was late afternoon. "You slept like dead, Rose", Peter chuckled.
"We saved you these", Theo passed a trey. It had a mould of cheese, two slices of bread and a cup of hot tea.
I saw that the rest of them had already finished their lunch. Only Courtney was licking the last bits of cream from a plastic cup. She found me staring at her.
"I'm sorry", she finished whatever was in the cup, "I finished your blueberry pastry. Thought you won't eat".
"It's okay. I don't like blueberry", I smiled.
"These are made by Mrs. Rothbury herself", Theo mentioned, "They're simple amazing".
"We should think about our next plan", Peter said, ignoring Theo.
"Which are the places we can go for hiding?" I asked.
"I guess we should head to Venice", Marian was amused.
"You wanna go directly in Clave Island, huh?" Theo laughed.
"We can go there and convince them", Marian replied.
"It's not an easy task, girlie", Courtney said, "They won't get convinced so easily not if they're looking for Rosanna since ages".
Courtney was right. We can't just show up in front of the Council and beg them to stop executing me to death and then fly back here.
No one had a good plan. We sat and talked about ourselves till it became dark outside. 
"I wanna get some fresh air", Marian yawned, "It's suffocating in here. I'm out".
She got up and went for a walk outside. Mrs. Rothbury brought us a can of vegetable stew each in evening.
"Where's Marian?" she inquired.
"She went on the alley for a walk", Theo said, "Didn't you see her go?"
"Oh dear!" she looked tensed, "I was in the kitchen".
"Why didn't she come back yet?" I was nervous.
"I'll go and check", Peter rose up.
"I'll go with you", I held his shoulder.
He didn't protest. We both stepped on the alley. Cold breeze hit my skin and almost entered in my veins. It was cold. There weren't many people except for a few who were closing their stores and walking fast down the alley to go home.
"Marian?" I yelled on top of my voice, "Where are you?" No answer.
"Marian?" Peter called, "Marian?"
Still there was no reply. The alley was dimly lit with street lights. All I could see was emptiness. Nobody was out in a cold night. It was almost 8.
"Let's check the opposite side", Peter suggested and we both walked towards the opposite alley. We called Marian once, twice, thrice. No sign of her.
"Looking for you little friend?" a voice asked wearily.
We spun around to find a bald man staring at us from a house door.
"Yes", Peter answered, "Did you see her?"
"She was walking here in evening when three hooded men came and seized her". He had a horrifying expression.
"Oh no", Peter bit his lip, "It's the Council, you know".
"How did they know that we are here?" I frowned.
"The Council is not an easy thing to get away from", the bald man muttered.
"Who are you?" Peter was surprised.
"I'm Eric", he smiled, "I have been living here since past nine years. I'm one of your kind but without the business of killing demons".
"That's why you could see the Council members", I mumbled, "Humans can't see them, right?"
"Right", Eric answered, "And yeah, they gave me a message for you".
"What message?" Peter asked impatiently.
Eric took out a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to him. Peter unfolded the paper as I came closer to look at it. It was a parchment paper filled with elegant slanting handwriting. Written in black ink were the words- Give us Rosanna Valdez. I know she's with you."What do we do now?" I slammed myself on the chair.
"I don't get it", Peter muttered, "How did the Council got to know about you?"
"Someone from the inside must have spied and gave them the news", Marian answered.
"Look out if someone's missing", Courtney said aloud.
"Guys", Theo came to us, "Bad news- Louis is missing!"
"What?" gawked Marian.
"Louis?" Peter sat with his fingers knotted, "I never expected him to do anything like this".
"He had a problem with her since the very beginning", Marian frowned.
"But now what shall we do to get away from this?" I asked.
"Louis must have already informed about this place", Courtney answered, "We can't stay here anymore. Let's run somewhere else".
"Where?" Theo looked puzzled.
"What about The Gingerbread?" Peter suggested, suddenly coming back to life.
"Right", Marian chimed in, "That's the best place to go and hide. Nobody would think that we're hiding there".
The rest of the team like the muscular guy and the red-head guy and a couple of demon hunters left the place long before us.
"Where did they go?" I asked, nervously.
"They went from where they had come from", Theo said, "They don't wanna be a part of whatever is going on here".
"Let's not wait here more", Peter interrupted, "Let's move".
The Gingerbread was, as I had thought a small café down the East Street. A tiny bell jungled as we entered through the main door. The smell of fresh bread, cakes and ice-cream hit my nose. It smelled delicious. There was a small counter at a side, displaying various cakes and breads. A fat woman sat behind the counter. There were two tables and a couple of chairs for a few customers who would come to eat.
"Hello, Mrs. Rothbury", Peter greeted the woman.
"Hello, kids", she seemed cheerful, "What brought you here?"
Theo and Peter explained her everything in detail.
"The Council is a hard thing to get away from", she frowned as if she knew a lot about this new world. "You can hide here for a few days, but not more than that. I don't want any sort of trouble in my little café".
We agreed and she led us to a back door which was locked. She unlocked it and told us to go inside. We were now standing in a big hall. There were bunkers at its sides. There was a big cupboard to keep our things. A small window with a view of the back garden was in a corner.
"Will you please tell me who she is?" I inquired.
"That's Mrs. Rothbury", Courtney answered, "She's our kind, but only with a human business of café. This was her storeroom, which was later built into a dorm for demon hunters to stay".
"Many demon hunters used to visit Seattle in the beginning and couldn't find a proper place to settle in. Mrs. Rothbury eased their work by building this dorm", Theo added.
"How many days are we gonna stay here?" I asked.
"Depends on outside situations. She already warned us", Peter sat on a bunker.
"What about home?" I asked him, suddenly tensed.
"Don't you worry about home, Rose", Peter smiled, "They will forget everything. Darius will put a memory blockage system at our place".
"Oh my brother!" Courtney exclaimed, "Darius? Is hw with us, too?"
"Yeah", Theo laughed, "He promised to check on the Hoffman house as well as look for any valuable information about the Council".
"That's cool", Marian cried, "At least, he is with us".
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in", Courtney called.
The door opened and Mrs. Rothbury came in, carrying a tray of five steaming bowls and placed the tray at a side table.
"Chicken soup", she said merrily, "You kids must be hungry".
I had almost forgotten how much hungry I was due to the Council. Now seeing the bowl, my stomach grumbled and I took a bowl from the trey. Others did, too. The soup was delicious with chunks of chicken and a thick broth mixed with corn and turnips.
"Yummy!" Theo chuckled, "You really are an amazing cook".
"Oh dear, thank you", Mrs. Rothbury blushed.
"There's the washroom", she pointed towards another door in a corner.
I wanted to have a hot shower after a tiring day. The steaming hot water made me feel live and energetic. My tank top and the pair of faded jeans were the only outfits that I've been wearing since last night. I needed to change. When I let Mrs. Rothbury know about it, she happily handed me a pair of navy blue jeans and a floral shirt which was a little loose on me.
"These were my daughter's", she said sadly.
"They are pretty comfy", I smiled, "Thank you". I didn't mind asking what had happened to her daughter.
"Laura was my sixteen-year-old, pretty daughter. She was killed in a car crash along with her father," she said slowly, "My husband Rich was drunk while driving. I blame him for Laura's death". She clutched a gold chain tightly in her hand. She said it was Laura's possession.
"That's pretty upsetting, Mrs. Rothbury", Marian said apologatically.
"We won't put you in danger at any cost", I promised before she left the room.
We occupied one bunker each except Theo who said he found sleeping on the floor more comfortable.
"Guys", Courtney announced, "Whoever wakes first will rise the others up". She drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up, it was late afternoon. "You slept like dead, Rose", Peter chuckled.
"We saved you these", Theo passed a trey. It had a mould of cheese, two slices of bread and a cup of hot tea.
I saw that the rest of them had already finished their lunch. Only Courtney was licking the last bits of cream from a plastic cup. She found me staring at her.
"I'm sorry", she finished whatever was in the cup, "I finished your blueberry pastry. Thought you won't eat".
"It's okay. I don't like blueberry", I smiled.
"These are made by Mrs. Rothbury herself", Theo mentioned, "They're simple amazing".
"We should think about our next plan", Peter said, ignoring Theo.
"Which are the places we can go for hiding?" I asked.
"I guess we should head to Venice", Marian was amused.
"You wanna go directly in Clave Island, huh?" Theo laughed.
"We can go there and convince them", Marian replied.
"It's not an easy task, girlie", Courtney said, "They won't get convinced so easily not if they're looking for Rosanna since ages".
Courtney was right. We can't just show up in front of the Council and beg them to stop executing me to death and then fly back here.
No one had a good plan. We sat and talked about ourselves till it became dark outside. 
"I wanna get some fresh air", Marian yawned, "It's suffocating in here. I'm out".
She got up and went for a walk outside. Mrs. Rothbury brought us a can of vegetable stew each in evening.
"Where's Marian?" she inquired.
"She went on the alley for a walk", Theo said, "Didn't you see her go?"
"Oh dear!" she looked tensed, "I was in the kitchen".
"Why didn't she come back yet?" I was nervous.
"I'll go and check", Peter rose up.
"I'll go with you", I held his shoulder.
He didn't protest. We both stepped on the alley. Cold breeze hit my skin and almost entered in my veins. It was cold. There weren't many people except for a few who were closing their stores and walking fast down the alley to go home.
"Marian?" I yelled on top of my voice, "Where are you?" No answer.
"Marian?" Peter called, "Marian?"
Still there was no reply. The alley was dimly lit with street lights. All I could see was emptiness. Nobody was out in a cold night. It was almost 8.
"Let's check the opposite side", Peter suggested and we both walked towards the opposite alley. We called Marian once, twice, thrice. No sign of her.
"Looking for you little friend?" a voice asked wearily.
We spun around to find a bald man staring at us from a house door.
"Yes", Peter answered, "Did you see her?"
"She was walking here in evening when three hooded men came and seized her". He had a horrifying expression.
"Oh no", Peter bit his lip, "It's the Council, you know".
"How did they know that we are here?" I frowned.
"The Council is not an easy thing to get away from", the bald man muttered.
"Who are you?" Peter was surprised.
"I'm Eric", he smiled, "I have been living here since past nine years. I'm one of your kind but without the business of killing demons".
"That's why you could see the Council members", I mumbled, "Humans can't see them, right?"
"Right", Eric answered, "And yeah, they gave me a message for you".
"What message?" Peter asked impatiently.
Eric took out a small piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to him. Peter unfolded the paper as I came closer to look at it. It was a parchment paper filled with elegant slanting handwriting. Written in black ink were the words- Give us Rosanna Valdez. I know she's with you.

Immortal Forever: 6. Meeting Darius Brown

I couldn't believe my ears. For a minute, I was blank. Then with a sudden pat on my back, I came back down to earth.
"Earth calling Rosanna", Courtney patted my back again, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine", I cleared my throat.
"Rose", Peter held my hand, "Tell me, do you have any memory of any special power that you possess?"
"Huh?" I shrieked, "Special power? Never!"
"How is this ever possible?" Louis shook his head, "I mean how did she just land up on that island of vampires?"
"We still need to figure out much more", Marian whispered.
"Look", I said, taking deep breaths, "I really dunno anything- anything at all. And I'm not a vampire, okay?"
"Calm down, Rosanna", Theo interrupted, "It's okay, calm down. Guys, she doesn't even have any fang! How can she be one of that kind?"
"Very funny", chimed in Marian. "Rose, you need to come with us right now".
"Now?" I swallowed, "Where?"
"To meet Darius Brown", she muttered.
"What? Are you crazy, Marian?" Peter rose up from his chair, "We can't take her to him at all".
"But we need to find out the truth, right?" Courtney smiled, "It's gonna be fine".
"You guys, listen to me, we are not going to him", Peter shouted, "Not if she is a mundane".
"But she's not a mundane, Peter", Louis yelled back, "She's not. So, let's get going".
"Will anyone tell me what's going on and who is this Darius guy?" I asked without knowing what they were talking about.
"Darius Brown is Seattle's most renowned vampire merchant. He have been living since five hundred years. He knows everything about the vampire history", Theo answered my question.
"That's cool", I stood up, "What are we waiting for then? Let's get going."
Peter was dumbfounded. Marian winked at him and Louis stuck his tongue out. Others giggled.
It was decided that Peter, Marian and Theo would accompany me to visit Darius whereas the others would stay here and discuss about the further plans.
"Peter", I caught his shoulder as we were about to leave the hotel, "What shall we say at home? Megan must be awake in another hour".
"Don't worry", he smiled, "Courtney have already left a sticking note on the fridge, telling that we are out for project".
"Great", I laughed. "Let's go".
We took the subway down to train station and then boarded a train that took us to Pioneer Square which is the historic area of Seattle.
Once we reached Pioneer Square, we walked through the boulevard and came across an old bungalow. It was so old that plants had started growing from its walls. I checked my phone. It was 7am.
Theo knocked the door thrice. Peter an I stood behind him silently. Finally, the door opened and a thin and bald man stepped out.
"Theodore", he smiled, "What brought you here?"
"Mr. Bennett", he said politely, "My friends here need help".
Mr. Bennett looked at us standing behind Theo and smiled.
"Come on in, then", he said, "Master is relaxing today".
He made way for us to go inside. It was brightly lit with huge chandeliers that hung from above. Hundreds of paintings beautified the living room. The sofa was placed at the centre of the huge room. Bennett told us to take our seats while he went to inform his 'master'.
We waited in silence, gazing at the beauty of the room. After awhile, a lean guy of about Peter's age entered the room. He was wearing a silk robe and was barefoot. He had a heart-shaped face with blood-red eyes which I don't think so that I have ever seen. His brown hairs were wet and were still dripping water which meant he just had a shower. His skin was too much pale which made him look almost dead. But his skin had a silvery glaze. He looked like some cheery schoolboy rather than a renowned merchant. Then I remembered that somewhere in stories, I had read that vampires never age.
He looked at all three of us carefully before taking his seat opposite us. His gaze stopped at me. He stared at me with wary eyes. I felt uncomfortable, looking at his red pupils. They were so red that I felt as if burning with the heat which radiated from them.
Finally, he looked away from me to Theo.
"Tell me", he said, his voice like velvet, "Why are you here?"
"Well", Peter began, "We wanted to know some truths about her, sir". And he pointed at me.
"About her?" he stared again at me, "What do you wanna know, girl?"
"I...well...they think that I'm a vampire", I stammered.
His eyes became wide with surprise. I regretted saying those words.
Theo might have understood my uncomfortable feeling and so he cleared his throat.
"She has come from North Carolina recently to live with her foster parents and siblings which includes Peter", Theo said.
"Then she saw me killing a demon down the lawn back home", Peter added.
"Strange", Darius bit his lip, "So, you must have thought that she is a vampire and brought her to me".
"No", Theo said, "There's more".
He and Peter explained everything about me visiting the Clave Island in Venice.
"Interesting", Darius sat upright, "Come here, sweet lady". He gestured me to sit beside him on the couch.
I went and sat next to him nervously. He took my hand softly.
"Look me in my eyes", he smiled, "That way, I can tell who you are".
I put my gaze up in his eyes and looked at them while he traced his long fingers on my palm. After awhile of looking at his eyes, he finally let go off my hand and I too, looked down.
"What did you see?" Theo asked warily.
Darius gasped. I almost jumped out of the couch. He was holding his breathe and let it go when I looked at his face. It was paler.
"You are the daughter of Steve and Mia, aren't you?" he asked.
"Yes", I said, "I'm their daughter. But they died in a car crash long back".
"They didn't die in a car crash, you know", he answered slowly, "They were punished and executed".
"What?" my mouth fell open, "How do you know? When did this happen?"
"I visit the council of our kind in Clave Island", he muttered, "I know better than any other vampire".
"But what's the connection with me and the vampires?" I asked out loud.
"Your father was one of my kind, Rosanna Valdez", he sat, crossing his legs.
"What?" I gasped, "How can he be a vampire?"
"Let me show you something", he rose up and went towards a small desk at a side. He opened a drawer and took out a hardcover book. He then handed it to me.
It was not a book. It was an album. I opened it to find his photo on the first page. He told me to flip through the pages. Finally, he told me to stop at one page. It was a photo of Darius and a bronze haired guy who was taller than him. They both were in there graduation outfits, holding the graduation caps. Both were arm in arm. The other guy had brown eyes and a long nose and he resembled ME! That was my father, Steve Valdez.
Peter and Theo both looked at the picture and looked at each other's faces.
"That's my dad", I whispered, "You guys were classmates?"
"Yeah" Darius smiled, "We were the best friends in college. But poor Steve. He fell in love with a mundane girl back in North Carolina and he married her. Then they had you. But marrying a mundane is against the rule of the Council. Your parents tried to save you from their punishments and so, they had sent you at your uncle's place. They couldn't escape from the Council and gave up their lives".
I was frozen on the couch. Peter and Theo were shocked.
"But why am I not like you?" my voice trembled as I looked at Darius.
"That's because your mum was a mundane, Rosanna", he answered, "You got your mum's features even though your eyes and your nose are like Steve".
"Does she have any power like other vampires do?" Peter inquired.
"Every vampire possesses fast speed and the thirst for blood. Some of us are special though. Like I own the power of telling the future by looking at their eyes. I couldn't see any such power in her", Darius said.
"Maybe that's because she never tried to use any of the power she owns", Theo muttered.
"Really?" Peter chuckled. "Rose, can you try moving a little fast from where you are right now?"
I stood up and began to move towards the front door. But I moved normally, like every human does. But as I tried moving a little faster, everything changed. I couldn't believe that in a matter of second, I was standing outside, on the boulevard.
"How did I reach here?" I was shocked.
"You possess fast speed, Rosanna Valdez ", Darius was next to me at once along with Peter and Theo.
Suddenly, I heard a beep beep noise from somewhere.
"Excuse me", Peter apologized, "It's my phone".
He took out his phone from jeans pocket and went at a side to speak.
"Hello?" he answered.
"What did you see?"
I couldn't hear the person who was on the other side.
"Really?"
"Yeah, yeah. We are coming".
He hung up and came to us. His face was unreadable.
"We need to go to the hotel", he declared.
"What's wrong?" Theo asked.
"It's the Council. Someone informed them that Rose is still alive. They want her", his face filled with pain.
I gasped.

An All New Game: The Hunger Games

 The Hunger Games is a 2008 science fiction novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death. 

 The Hunger Games takes place in a nation known as Panem, established in North America after the destruction of the continent's civilization by an unknown apocalyptic event. The nation consists of the wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts united under the Capitol's control. District 12, where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region that was formerly known as Appalachia.
 
As punishment for a past rebellion against the Capitol, in which a 13th district was destroyed, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by an annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants, the "tributes", must fight to the death in an outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until only one individual remains. The story is narrated by 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. The male tribute chosen from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a former schoolmate of Katniss who once gave her bread from his family's bakery when her family was starving.
Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol, where their drunken mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the 50th Hunger Games, instructs them to watch and determine the strengths and weaknesses of the other tributes. "Stylists" are employed to make each tribute look his or her best; Katniss's stylist, Cinna, is the only person at the Capitol with whom she feels a degree of understanding. The tributes are publicly displayed to the Capitol audience in an interview with television host Caesar Flickerman, and have to attempt to appeal to the television audience in order to obtain "sponsors". During this time, Peeta reveals on-air his longtime unrequited love for Katniss. Katniss believes this to be a ploy to gain sponsors, who can be critical to survival because of their ability to send gifts such as food, medicine, and tools to favored tributes during the Games.
While nearly half the tributes are killed in the first day of the Games, Katniss relies on her well-practiced hunting and survival skills to remain unharmed and concealed from the other tributes. A few days into the Games, Katniss develops an alliance with Rue, a 12-year-old girl from the agricultural District 11 who reminds Katniss of her own sister. In the meantime, Peeta appears to have joined forces with the tributes from the richer districts. However, when he has the opportunity to kill Katniss, he instead saves her from the others. Katniss's alliance with Rue is brought to an abrupt end when Rue is killed by another tribute, whom Katniss then kills in self-defense with an arrow. Katniss sings to Rue until she dies, and spreads flowers over her body as a sign of respect for Rue and disgust towards the Capitol.
Apparently because of Katniss and Peeta's image in the minds of the audience as "star-crossed lovers", a rule change is announced midway through the Games, allowing two tributes from the same district to win the Hunger Games as a couple. Upon hearing this, Katniss begins searching for Peeta. She eventually finds him, wounded and in hiding. As she nurses him back to health, she acts the part of a young girl falling in love to gain more favor with the audience and, consequently, gifts from her sponsors. When the couple remains as the last two surviving tributes, the Gamemakers reverse the rule change in an attempt to force them into a dramatic finale, in which one must kill the other to win. Katniss, in an act of defiance against the Capitol, retrieves highly poisonous berries known as "nightlock" from her pouch and offers some to Peeta. Realizing that Katniss and Peeta intend to commit suicide, the Gamemakers announce that both will be the victors of the 74th Hunger Games.
Although she survives the ordeal in the arena and is treated to a hero's welcome in the Capitol, Katniss is warned by Haymitch that she has now become a political target after defying her society's authoritarian leaders so publicly. Afterwards, Peeta is heartbroken when he learns that Katniss's actions in the arena were part of a calculated ploy to earn sympathy from the audience. However, Katniss is unsure of her own feelings and realizes that she is dreading the moment when she and Peeta will go their separate ways.

Film Adaptation:- 

 
   In March 2009, Lions Gate Entertainment entered into a co-production agreement for The Hunger Games with Nina Jacobson's production company Color Force, which had acquired worldwide distribution rights to the novel a few weeks earlier. Twenty-year-old actress Jennifer Lawrence was chosen to play Katniss Everdeen. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth were later added to the cast, in the roles of Peeta and Gale, respectively. The film was released on March 23, 2012.

 

Review Time: Annabelle (2014)

Film: Annabelle
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Alfre Woodard
Director: John R Leonetti
Rating: 3/5

 I guess John Leonetti's Annabelle is on top of your must-watch list. Not your fault though. The antagonist, a porcelain doll named Annabelle has gained its popularity since The Conjuring was released in 2013. The Conjuring is one of the best old manor style horror movie of the decade. You must be thinking that Annabelle would give you the same bone-chilling effects for almost two weeks like The Conjuring. Its an obvious thing to think about after the epic film as Annabelle is a spin-off film of The Conjuring. Hang on! You're wrong here...
 In short, this prequel is not even half scary as The Conjuring. We always expect more from James Wan as he is the guy who offered us Saw, Insidious, Dead Silence, etc. We just cannot expect such a ridicule from him.
 Well, getting back to Annabelle, you remember that hideous porcelain faced, blonde braids, rouged cheeks, obscenely dark lipstick and thread-like eyebrows drawn high up the forehead, right?  Yes, the one that was hidden away in their celebrated basement by the ghost-hunting couple, Ed and Lorraine Warren.
 The film looks interesting at first. It starts by promising monster of some sort. Add to that enough cringe-inducing melodrama, the non-believing husband and the new mommy in 1970s America. The strange occurrences, rearranged household items, the troubled neighbors, it all feels really played out, very “been there, done that” kind.
 Then suddenly you see Mia (played by coincidental namesake Annabelle Wallis) and John (Ward Horton) fight the demon to save their child, and their priest actually helps the distressed couple. I don't remember much about what happens after that and neither would you.
 The second half is only slightly better, but Annabelle herself is not exactly terrifying. She’s not the agent of evil we expect her to be. But that said, there are eerie moments in the film. The appearance of a horned demon in Mia’s basement in their second house makes for one effective sequence: the lift doors close, we breathe a sigh of relief, but it’s jammed on that floor and poor Mia is stuck in the haunted basement, with flickering light bulbs and sounds of babies howling. Now that was no LOL (Laugh Out Loud) even for the dopamine-seeker who lives for such psychological thrills.
 Annabelle still doesn't scare us. Once John throws the doll in the trash, it again appears inside an unpacked box when they move to another apartment. The thing which I didn't understand is why the heck did the dumb couple keep the doll again even though it had become dirty and more scary-looking. Also the reason for why did the wife collected dolls is not clear.
 Annabelle is not terrible, but it's not very good either. The premise is flimsy and the leads are tolerable, but the film never manages to rise above mediocrity. There isn’t much suspense and the scares are minimal.
 In short, watching this movie in theater is worthless...

Mystery of The Creepy Annabelle Doll!

 So, this time, I'm here with the case of a mysterious haunted doll of 1970 who we all know as Annabelle. Remember that porcelain scary-looking doll from The Conjuring (2013)? She is also the main antagonist of the 2014 spin-off film that bares her name (or at least the demon controlling her is). Annabelle is a possessed doll who was based on a real-life case of a possessed Raggedy Ann doll.

 ORIGINAL STORY:-

                                                     Annabelle from The Conjuring (2013)

The real Annabelle doll wasn't a porcelain doll as presented in the film. Rather, the real Annabelle doll was just your typical run of the mill Raggedy Ann doll. The true story regarding this doll is considered to be very nightmare-inducing so feel free to leave if you are scared. 
 Donna obtained the doll from her mother in 1970. At this time, she was still a college student, and she lived with a roommate by the name of Angie. Neither of these two women saw the doll as anything special. That would change once the doll began to move...
 The girls began to notice that Annabelle seemed to move whenever they were out of the room. At first, the movements were slight and not very noticeable. Eventually, however, the movements increased, and the girls soon found the doll in other rooms. And then everything ultimately went downhill once their friend came to visit.
 Their friend, Lou, hated the doll with all of his heart. He figured that something was way off with the doll and always told the two girls to get rid of the doll. The girls, however, didn't believe in the supernatural, and considered there to be a logical explanation as to why the doll could seemingly move from room to room. Things went even further south once the doll began to leave notes for the three friends, and also seemed to leak a blood-like substance.
 Eventually, Donna agreed to allow a medium to inspect the doll. The medium then stated that the doll was being possessed by the spirit of a seven-year-old girl who had died in a field that was close to the house, and that said spirit felt safe around Donna and Angie. Donna, moved by the medium's words, allows the girl to reside with them. This is where everything went to Hell.
 Later on, Lou had a series of nightmares regarding this doll. One dream in particular was very disturbing. In it, the doll was shown crawling up Lou's leg, and then proceeded to strangle him. He woke up with several claw marks on his chest. The Warrens were later called in to inspect the doll, and they conclude that it was a demon that they were dealing with, and not the ghost of a seven-year-old girl. The demon itself wasn't actually possessing the doll; rather, it was manipulating the events in such a way that they resembled a haunting. The demon was really after Donna's soul the entire time.
 A priest then performed an exorcism on the apartment, and the Warrens proceed to take Annabelle with them. When they were driving on the back roads, the doll attempted to cause them to wreck their car. Ed immediately opened a bag and sprinkled holy water on the doll.
 The doll now resides in the Warren's Occult Museum in Connecticut. The doll can be found in a locked case that seems pretty effective. However, that may only be because the doll could be planning something. Annabelle can possibly be anticipating that someone would release her one day, and that she's still waiting for that day so that her reign of terror could begin anew.  

FILMS:-

The Conjuring-  Annabelle resided in famed paranormal investigator's Ed and Lorraine Warren's museum in a locked case. They got the doll from a previous case that involved two girls talking about the doll moving and leaving behind notes such as "Miss me?" When the Perron family reported of supernatural happenings in their house, Annabelle joins the other spirits in tormenting the family. She was also taken out of the case by Bathsheba Sherman, the ghost of a witch who murdered her own son. She was then found mysteriously back in her case. Bathsheba then releases the demon within the doll to kill Ed and Lorraine Watson.

Annabelle- This film is a spin-off of The Conjuring, and it will serve as the origin story for the doll. What the plot of the film is, so far, is that a young man, named John Form, decided to give his expectant wife an antique doll. A few nights later, a satanic cult broke into their house, and they proceeded to unleash a powerful entity that will presumably take possession of the doll.

                                    The Original Annabelle Doll at Occult Museum, Connecticut

 
 
 
 
 


 
 

Tear Ducts Activated...

 Okay, so one evening, I was just searching for some really good young adult novels in Google. While searching, I came through the title- The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I was curious even to see a 'Bestseller' tag next to it's name. It had almost two hundred reviews saying- the best book ever read, John Green is awesome, etc. I couldn't help myself but click on it and finally, started reading it.
 I finished it within two days. My conclusion was that it was a brilliantly written book and John Green has put his everything into that book. It did made me cry in the end though. 
 Finally, I read some news about it after a few days saying- The Fault In Our Stars will be turned into a film. And guess what? The shooting was already going on. As usual, I was almost like a hyper kiddo, eagerly waiting for it.
 It released and on the second day I tagged along with a friend at E-Square. The cinema was almost full with 90% female audiences. Being a love story, guys doesn't really like such kinds and the same happened with my male friend. He was like- It's a girly movie I guess! I told him to keep his mouth shut and wait till the movie starts.
 After 2 hours, I came out with red, swollen eyes, filled with tears. The expression was the same for almost every female viewer. My friend was dumbfounded. 
 You must be wondering what's so touching in a movie which gave everyone that kind of expressions. I'll tell you why...
 The story revolves around two teenagers, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, who share an acerbic wit, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus's jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.
 The adaptation of the best-selling novel is a poise and emotionally enticing portrayal. The Fault In Our Stars will give audiences the humor, the tragedy and overall, the reality that's unbearably sensational for a drama/love story. The performance from Woodley (Hazel) as well as the heartfelt and heartbreaking story will be sure to please you. 
 Here are some of my favorite quotes from the movie:- 
1) Gus: Maybe okay would be our always...
    Hazel: Okay. 
2) Gus: They don't kill you unless you light them. And I've never lit one. It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing. A metaphor. 
3) Hazel: Shouldn't we wait till dark?
    Gus: It's all dark for Issac. 
And my most favorite one:-
 4) Hazel: Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbound set. I want more numbers than I'm likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful. 

 

That Craziest One Hour!

 One Sunday morning, I woke up by listening to my mum's yelling. She informed me that my aunty is coming with her nine month old son in our apartment. 
 My aunty arrived around 10 am with my sweetest brother. Well, most amazing and a bit weird fact about our relationship is the fourteen year old difference between us. So now you can guess for yourselves the consequences of being a sister to a tiny brother who causes mischief every second minute. But at the point where your imagination concludes, it's the beginning of a real hell for me with my brother.
 Let us get back to that Sunday morning. The beginning, as usual is a sweet one. My brother, Tintin, who looked sweetest in the world at that moment, was somehow suited to the quote: Don't judge a book by its cover! His sweetness lay in his eyes; big round eyes with long eyelashes. He still hadn't been blessed with any teeth.
 My mum and aunty, who needed to go out in a shopping spree, left my not-to-be underestimated brother under my responsibility.
 Lost in the intoxication of Facebook, I readily said "YES!" to being a babysitter for an hour. At that age, Tintin only knew to crawl and he couldn't sit properly.
 After my mum and aunty went away, I jumped in front of my laptop and Tintin was on the bed; playing with his teddy bear. I was busy updating my status and commenting on others' when I heard a 'Bang!' What was that? I spun around towards Tintin and... "TTIIINNTTIINN...NOOOOOO!"
 My naughty brother had thrown my smartphone on the floor. The view was ridiculous. So many pieces. I could estimate the pieces being 10 to 12. Can you imagine a teenager without a mobile phone? Oh yeah, I'm the living example.
 I took him in my arms and showed politeness in my angry and harsh tone for my dead cell phone. Just then my brother paid me back a tit for tat; he pinched my nose so hard and left a scratch mark! Then he smiled at me.
 Still half an hour for mum and aunty to arrive. I peeped into my room. It was all normal. Thank goodness! I rushed in kitchen and began filling his bottle with milk.
 A giggling sound- he might be playing. I entered my room; eyes wide and then I screamed, "Noooo". 
 My little brother was using my laptop! Well, actually hitting the keys resulting in an increased weirdness on my Facebook page. 
 "Fdjkqfjnkvc9dhshjwghwuwnwk" was posted on my wall and in turn, the homepages of my 675 friends. 
 I ran and picked him up from the bed and pushed the bottle in his mouth and tried to make him sleep. I switched off my laptop and sat beside him. Only fifteen minutes to go. 
 "Mum, come back soon, please", I said a silent prayer. I stood up and went to the bathroom. When I came back, oh wow, he was asleep.
 Mum and aunty came home after more twenty minutes and went, "Oh, what a sweetheart he is! So innocent. I wish all the mothers get a son like him". 
 Yeah, right, what an 'innocent' baby he is! I thought and smiled at my best brother in the world.
 The consequences after a few minutes were worse than that. First, Tintin peed on my cozy bed which stopped me from sleeping there and second, my not-so-funny status received a list of comments declaring me 'stupid'. But, at the end of the day, all was forgotten and forgiven.
 
 

Meet Rosalind Savage: Basketball Champs! 4. Knocked Out

“I wonder what he was doing there,” Alicia bit her lip.

“Come on,” Natalie frowned. “He’s the one with that expensive brand new car.”

We were sitting at one of the table on the pool side, sipping our Cokes. I had told my friends about the sedan thing and by hearing it, they both were puzzled.

“But can a guy like Billy drive so fast, like a psycho?” I said, frowning.

“You are right,” Natalie nodded. “He doesn’t seem like driving a vehicle that fast, I mean, we all know him since we were in kindergarten.”

“True said,” I said, “But anything is possible.”

“Hmm,” Alicia looked at Ronald who was sitting three tables ahead of us with Jason and those three guys whom I had seen while taking the car key from Jason. “That guy is pretty cool.”

“Talking about Santiago?” I asked.

“Yep,” she grinned. “He knows that I had beat Gretchen of NY. He has got knowledge of other sports and not only basketball.”

“I see,” I said.

“Hey, guys, look,” Natalie, who was eying everyone near the pool and food court, sat straight now. “Bill is coming.”

We all turned at the direction of him. There he was, carrying a brown packet in his left hand and a key in his other.

“I guess he had gone to bring that package from the car,” I muttered.

“Let’s see where he heads to,” Natalie said, still staring at him.

Bill moved towards a crowd of juniors who were standing near the Chicken Pie’s table and chatting and laughing. He went and stood near another guy who was wearing a black suit. The guy in black suit was facing towards the table so we couldn’t see his face. Bill handed the package and as well as the key to him and then went in the gym.

“Seems like the car is not his,” Alicia said turning at me.

“But who is that guy in black suit?” I asked. “I can’t see his face.”

“Let’s find out,” Natalie smiled.

“Okay, Natalie, you are in,” I said playfully.

“Anytime,” she laughed and stood up.

Natalie went near the Chicken Pie table and took a plate from a side and pretended to take a pie on her plate. Then she turned to face the crowd and stared at the guy’s direction for a minute and hurried towards us.

“What did you see?” Alicia asked excitedly.

“Norman Santiago,” she sighed as she sat on her chair and placed the plate on the table.

“You mean Ronald’s brother?” I asked, cutting a piece of pie and putting it in my mouth.

“Yeah,” she answered. “He has still got the packet with him.”

“No wonder it’s his brother’s car,” Alicia shrugged. “Ronald is pretty rich because of his basketball career.”

“And pretty famous, too,” Natalie said.

I turned once to look at Norman. He was now standing facing us, his eyes searching for something. Or someone?

I scanned the lawn for any expression on others faces and finally found it. Ronald Santiago was nodding at his brother while Jason and the others were talking among themselves. That means they were up to something.

As Ronald nodded for the fourth time, Norman started moving towards the office building. I couldn’t see him in the dark.

“Girls,” I called, “I think I should go on work, now.”

“What kind of work?” Natalie was perplexed.

“Following him,” I stood up at once.

“Oh boy,” Alicia looked worried. “What on earth made you think to follow him?”

“Something about Bill and these two brothers is making me sick,” I frowned. “I wanna know what they are up to.”

“Go on,” Natalie said.

I left my friends at the table and hurried towards the office building which was almost dark except a dim light which was still on in our college secretary, Andy Carter’s cabin.

What was she doing at this time in her cabin? I wondered why she had to come at the time of prom to work in here. Or was it Norman whom we just saw going towards office? I moved slowly, without making a noise and reached at the secretary’s cabin door.

I pushed the door and it just opened. Someone was inside. But who? I wanted to check that out. I peeped inside and found something moving near the Xerox machine in the corner. From the dim light I could make out that it was none other than Norman Santiago.

“Norman!” I yelled.

He jumped out of fear and turned to me.

“What are you doing here at this time?” I said curtly.

His face whitened with fear and he was hiding something behind his back.

“I was just…” he coughed. “I was just keeping these papers for Andy.”

 “What kind of paper?” I inquired.

“Just these,” he took his hands out of his back and placed two/three pages in front of me.

“Since when is Andy interested in keeping blank pages in her office?” I eyed those blank sheets and asked him.

“Hmm,” he said nervously, “she wanted them for some other work of hers.”

I scanned the room and found the main light switch till then. As soon as I turned the tube light on, the room went bright.

“Are you sure you were here just for placing some blank sheets?”

“Absolutely,” he gave me a nod.

“If you say so,” I started to move forward. “Hand me those you are hiding in that Xerox machine.”

He looked upset and really nervous now and started to take out all the pages he had xeroxed and kept in that machine.

I looked at all those pages. They were the game plans of the NCs. Some one stole all those and now this Norman guy was xeroxing them to help his big brother, Ronald.

“So,” I stared at him curtly. “This is what you and your brother are up to, huh?”

“I’m so sorry, Rosalind,” he cried. “I didn’t realize that you will catch me so soon.”

“But I did catch you,” I said, putting all those pages in my handbag. “Now, I want you to sit here and talk with me about this.”

He obeyed like a child and sat on the chair next to the working table. I took my seat in another chair, beside him.

“Why were you doing this thing?” I asked.

“It’s because the NCs are more powerful and intelligent than the NLs.” He put his arms across his chest.

“But your brother is a good player, isn’t he?” I asked. “Then why did he tell you to steal these?”

“Honestly, I didn’t steal these,” he said dolefully. “I never knew that these were the game plans unless Ronald told me what it is. I didn’t steal these, Rosalind.”

“Then who did?”

“Michael Fox,” he answered. “That guy is real tough. He’s a team mate of Ronald, a pretty close friend of his. It was his plan. He stole all their game plans and handed it to me and warned me not to show it to anyone.”

“Not even your brother?”

“He knew already,” his face fell. “I never expected him to cheat or something.”

“How did this Michael guy steal these papers from the NCs?” I asked.

“I told you before that he’s a tough guy. He has a good friend called Richard Bentinck in NC. NC captain had appointed Richard to keep all the important papers with him which he used to keep in the locker of every stadium their team went to. Michael knew that Richard will be in NL Stadium for late night practice the day he stole the plan. He bribed the janitor of the stadium for bringing them to him. The janitor had permission to enter the player’s locker room for cleaning. He also had extra keys to all the lockers as he is an inside man. So, he unlocked his locker and brought them to Michael.”

“Who told you to Xerox these papers?”

“Ronald,” he said angrily. “He told me one fine day that he needs them to be xeroxed as these are the original copies. He and Michael were scared because the NCs might find out of their missing plans.” 

“But Richard never found that out,” I sighed. “It was in his locker, but.”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “He was too busy with the game that he forgot thinking about these sheets.”

“But why didn’t you go to some local Xerox store rather than xeroxing from college secretary’s office?”

“I had been to one store,” he looked at the floor. “The shopkeeper caught what it was as he was a NC supporter. I somehow escaped by paying him some really good money and telling him to keep his mouth shut.”

“Wow!” I exclaimed. “So you have also started to give bribes, huh?”

“I didn’t have another option,” he gave me a dark look. “When I told Ronald about it, he scolded me for my stupidity and told me to get his work done from college office and I could only do it without anyone’s presence. So, I had to choose the prom night.”

“Oh, I see,” I frowned. “A pretty cool plan.”

“Can I leave now?” he begged.

“Not so fast, Norman,” I stood up.

“What now?” he looked irritated.

“Is that new black sedan yours?”

“It’s Ronald’s.” he calmed down a bit. “But we drive it alternate days.”

“Who was driving it on Tuesday?”

“It would be me,” he snorted. “But what’s it to you?”

“I guess you were in a hurry to get away from that store near Pretzel’s. You almost crashed Natalie,” I snapped.

“Oh sorry,” he stood up now. “Yes, you are right. I was hurrying home from that store. I was scared after what I have done. Now, let me go.”

“Sure, sure,” I grinned and made way for him to move out of the cabin. But for a second I thought that the NL police department must know about this and so I should call the police and hand these papers as well as these guys.

“Norman?” I called him again, dialing Dad’s friend, Chief Ben Farrow’s number.

“What?” he turned back.

“I have no other option except calling the cops to handle this thing,” I said broodingly.

“No, please, don’t,” he looked horrified.

“Look,” I said. “I can’t help it. Stealing game plans from the opponent team and using the same to beat them in the finals in a crime.”

“Why don’t you understand?” he yelled in anger. “I didn’t steal them. But Michael did.”

“But why don’t you understand that you were also involved in this,” I said curtly and hit the ‘call’ button. “You can’t escape.”

He sat on the steps of main office building and put his hands on his face.

“Hello? Chief Farrow speaking.” A hoarse voice said.

“Chief, this is Rosalind Savage, here.”

“Oh, Rosalind, how is you Dad?” he asked cheerfully.

“He’s fine.” I said politely. “Chief, I need your help right now.”

“What’s wrong?” he sounded worried.

“Please come at NL College as fast as you can.” I said. “I have caught a thief who was trying to Xerox the stolen game plan of the Nashville Champs. He just revealed the whole incident to me. We have more people who are involved in this.”

“Oh my god!” he said worriedly. “Don’t worry, Rosalind. I will be there in a few minutes.” We hung up.

I sat next to Norman on the step.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” I said.

“I know,” he muttered. “I’m feeling sorry about it now.”

“The cops will take care of this in a few minutes,” I said, looking at the lights coming from the gym and the pool side.

I saw two figures heading towards us from the pool side. From the twenty feet distance between us, I could make out that they were none other than Natalie and Alicia.

“What happened?” Natalie asked, as they came near us and saw me sitting with Norman who was still putting his hands on his face.

“We were worried about you, Rose,” Alicia said, staring at me. “You didn’t show up even in ten minutes. So, we had to come looking for you.”

I told them what was the matter and as soon as I finished saying the incident, we saw four people coming towards us.

“Hello, everyone,” Officer Farrow smiled at us. Three constables were with him.

“Officer Farrow,” I stood up from the steps. “This is Norman Santiago, younger brother of Ronald Santiago, the basketball captain of North Land team.” I pointed to Norman who was now sitting up straight. “He was xeroxing the game plan of Nashville Champs from our college secretary’s office.” I took out those sheets from my handbag and handed it to him.

He looked at it once and gave it to one of his constable. I then told him the incident in short.

 “Young man, please follow us into the police van. We need to ask you some questions in the department.”  He said to Norman.

Norman stood up at once and then Officer Ben turned to me.

“Rosalind,” he said, “Will you please show us where we can get his brother?”

“Sure,” I smiled and we all headed towards the pool.

“You, young man,” he said to Norman, “I want you to come with us. Once we arrest your big bro, we will take both of you in police station.”

One we were at the pool side, the crowds saw us entering with cops and they all looked perplexed. I pointed at Ronald, who was now standing near the pool and sipping his drink. Jason was standing near the food court with some guys. Ronald didn’t see us as he was standing facing his back at us.

“Hello, Captain,” Chief Ben tapped at his shoulder.

Ronald turned back at once and he was puzzled to see Chief Ben and those three constables. His eyes flickered from Chief Ben to us and they got stuck at his brother, who looked pale and fearful.

His face whitened to see his brother in that condition.

“What’s wrong?” he asked pretending as if nothing happened.

“You are going to find that out once you are in police station,” Officer Ben grinned.

“Oh no!” he looked at his brother and gripped his shoulder. “You got caught. Oh no!”

“Yes,” he whispered.

I looked around us and saw a huge crowd was gathering around us to see what was going on. Jason was right next to me in a minute.

“What happened?” he asked.

I hushed him. “You will see,” I replied.

People were whispering things around us.

“What did you do, Santiago?” someone yelled from the crowd.

“Quiet, everyone.” Officer Ben raised both his hands. “I will tell you what’s wrong. This guy stole the Nashville Champ’s game plan and insisted his little brother to Xerox them which he obeyed and got caught in your college secretary’s office by Miss Rosalind Savage.”

As soon as my name was said, everyone turned to me. Ronald glowered at me.

“Oh my god!” I heard Linda, shrieking from the crowd.

“I didn’t steal,” Ronald cried. “It’s Michael Fox, our teammate.”

“Loser!” someone screamed in anger from the crowd and then one by one, everyone started yelling things at Ronald.

“We were huge fans of you,” Peter cried. “But you showed us your other side. Hate you, Santiago.”

“Hate you, Santiago, hate you,” Jason gave him a dark look.

“What’s going on here?” our principal, Mr. Mark, pushed some students and came in the middle of the crowd. “What are you here for, Chief Farrow?” he turned at Chief.

“See for yourself,” he smiled and gestured at a constable. The constable at once caught Ronald’s collar and pulled him at Norman’s side.

“I still don’t understand what’s wrong,” Mr. Mark bit his lip. “Please explain, Chief.”

Chief Farrow told him the whole incident in short.

“Oh Jesus!” Mr. Mark turned wide-eyed. “I never thought that these two will be up for something illegal.”

“We are taking them to the police station,” Chief Farrow said.

“Sure, sure,” he nodded. “You should. No objection at all and thank you.”

“If you wanna thank, then don’t thank me. Thank her,” he looked at me. “Without her, we couldn’t even catch them. She was the one to find out that these guys were up to stealing.”

“Oh,” Mr. Mark stared at me and grinned. “Thank you so much, Rosalind.”

“You are welcome, sir,” I smiled.

After a few more fiery comments from the gathered crowd, Chief Farrow took them along with him in the police van.

After they went, Mr. Mark settled everyone back to the prom. People came and congratulated me for my work.

“That was very brave of you,” Bill said. “I never knew that it was those papers in the packet.”

"I know that, Bill", I smiled, "I'm happy to help".

"I'll have something to eat", he said, "I'll see you soon".

He scurried off through the crowd of students. Once he was gone, Natalie and Alicia came running to me. 

"That was really shocking", said Natalie, "I mean who knew Santiago would be up to something like that".

"I know", I answered, "Both the brothers had planned it well".

"Girls", Alicia said, "I'm starving. Please can we-"

Before she could finish her sentence, someone grabbed me and pushed me at a side. I fell and hit my head hard against a table.

"Oh my gosh!" Natalie cried.

I heard screams and whispers around me. Everyone seemed to be shocked and scared.

I sat up slowly and felt throbbing pain in my skull. Alicia and Natalie were gathered at my side as well the other students.

"What just hap happened?" I asked, placing a lock of hair behind my ear.

"If I didn't push you out, this would have broke your head", Jason said sternly.

I spun around to find Jason standing with a brick in his hand. 

"What is that?" I asked, staring at a piece of white paper which was tied with the brick.

"See for yourself", he handed it to me.

It was a small, square-shaped paper. On it, in small but bold letters something was printed. 

Better stay away. Or else, you are gonna be out of this planet.

I read it out loud to my friends. 

"This is really dangerous, Rosalind", Natalie said in a tensed voice.

"I think you should not think about this", Jason insisted.

"Once I'm in the game, I play to win, Jason", I smirked.