The Burden of Proof

chapter 5

I'm writing this as fast as humanly possible , before I forget. I can't afford to forget.

Names have been changed to protect identities and cause I just can. Okay.

I skip down the hall , alternately bumping into the walls on both sides. I reach the end and see the elevators in front of me. I halt abruptly and worries flit through my mind. "No. They're just people. You're just a person. The only thing you need to worry about is what you're gonna do when you leave them behind" I tell myself.

Wait , how am I supposed to catch these elusive teenagers that are apparently lurking the halls ? I scan the map stuck on the wall , and see a button that says "teen activities". Planned activities , I think grimly. That was on the list , slightly above attempted murder and right beneath animal abuse.

A meet and greet is next on the schedule. I groan internally but smile anyways. This should be interesting. Like a particularly gruesome car wreck almost.

I stand in the elevator and fix my gaze onto my shoes , my mind buzzing. A gold plague catches my eye and I focus my eyes on it. It shows the day of the week , I realize with surprise. Suddenly , my mind is not worrying about whether I will make friends , lose friends or even somehow damage my new friends , it's full of questions like "how did they get it there" , "who puts it there" and "do they change it at midnight or the morning after" ? Sometimes having the occasional attention span of a three year old can come into handy.

I hear a loud ding come from above my head , and my thoughts about the mysterious plaque vanish. I stride onto the top floor , my confident walk at odds with my sweltering nerves. I cautiously push my head around the corner , scanning for adolescent remains.

I see a lounge , filled with circular couches and various pillars arranged cheerfully under the soft lights and softer music. I step around the corner and investigate further. There were games in shelves , a sound booth with charger ports , many many TVs wired up to different gaming systems. Finally , there was a alcove shaped like an amphitheater , facing a large screen. Get ready to spend a week here , this is definitely where I'm going to be.

I walk back into the hallway , the carpet turning to Lino flooring and my boots click with the new texture. I make my way towards the other side to an arcade , and in the flashing lights and shouts of glee , I see a full head of thick light brown hair and relief floods through me. Without a second thought , I open the door and begin to quickly make my way towards the only person I know. My brother. Who thought he would be the one to save me ? I make my way through a sea of oblivious unknown faces as quickly as I can , trying not to draw attention to myself.

He's shoving an air hockey puck towards a boy who I don't recognize who misses it and it flies into his goal. My brother smirks and begins an obnoxious victory dance. I roll my eyes and grab hold of his shoulder. "Okay , spill. I've been in my room and have absolutely no idea who anyone is , where they're from or even their ages" I confess but with a glance at the wall clock , add, "oh and I missed the meet and greet".

"I know , I was there. I bet you were reading !" He says , looking at me condescendingly. At my guilty smile , he returns his with an almighty arrogance.

"Seriously , help !" I say desperately , gripping his arm. I glance sight of the amount of people standing in the arcade and get a few curious glances my way. I shift uncomfortably and look away.

People ? I can handle. Introducing myself to people who I don't know and who might be older than me ? I don't think so. I'm almost tempted to scurry back to my room for a few seconds.

My brother sighs and signals to his opposition. He walks over towards me, beams a smile at me and sticks out his hand. "HI " I smile gratefully at the younger boy , and shake his hand with relief. "Hey , my names Bella" I reply , taking a look at him. He was about 12 , heavily accented American voice and my ticket in. Thank goodness for the Americans.

My brother interrupts our country comparisons , and grabs my arms and begins to explain who is who. "The scrawny British boy with all the girls over there is Clifford , he's so nice and so cool" my brother rambles as he points to a wiry boy , who is leaning against the other ice hockey table , a naughty smile on his face , who is brushing his hand through his dark hair and speaking animatedly , causing the girls surrounding him to giggle loudly. I roll my eyes. There's always one.

He points out a pleasant looking Australian boy who is also flocked with girls , Sid , and several other Portuguese looking girls who's names escaped my mind the second he told me. Then , came a boy from New York who introduced himself , smiling the entire time. His name was Lucas , as I soon find out. He was cheerful and funny and soon I found myself giggling , the sound filling my ears gladly. I could not tell you how relieved I was , to meet people near my age. Being the oldest in the family is not always as good as everyone seems to think.

Suddenly , I hear an indignant exclamation from behind me , and I turn around to see two boys , so similar in appearance , besides for the obvious age difference between the two. The older has a guitar in his hands and is confidently strumming it , frowning in concentration as he does so. The younger one , although I can't say shorter , is leaning against the guitar machine and shouting mocking encouragements towards his brother. I frown curiously and focus my attention to identify the accents that they obviously have from what I can hear.

"CMON Hunter , concentrate !" The younger brother grins shyly and flicks his hair away from his face impatiently.

IRISH. It had to be Irish ! I examine them carefully , trying to be discrete. They both had long , brown , floppy hair , settling just below their ears. Paired with thick dark eyebrows were wide , innocent green eyes. I watched as the younger settled back against the machine , now a nervous demeanor as he sees his words have caught the attention of other people. I look once more at their pale , clear skin and the ridiculous vertical limits of both of them. I turn towards my brother , my attention to the people I've just met and joined their animate conversation , dismissing my curiosity as soon as it appeared.