Agony

24

The four of us stepped out of Dallas's car.

"What happened?" I murmured in disbelief. 

My home. The place I grew up. Where I ran around after my siblings. Where I learned to ride a bike. Where I last saw my family together.

It was no longer there. 

Instead, the ground was covered in ashy remains and the smell of smoke filled the air.

"I'm betting our dads have something to do with this," Dallas frowned, kicking at some rubble. He looked at me, "I'm sorry that this happened."

I shook my head, "Venom must've found something that would work against them. Why else would they burn the place down?"

Ace frowned. "Maybe they wanted to send a message."

"Don't they think we're dead?" Ellie questioned. 

"Maybe. But that doesn't mean they wouldn't be cautious," Dallas responded.

"So what do we do now?" I asked no one in particular.

"Let's go back to my apartment and figure out what to do with the vault, who we can go to." Ace suggested.

I nodded in agreement, not before something caught my eyes.

Against the glare of the sun, something was shining amid all the debris.

"Cher?" Ellie called behind me as I made my way towards the shining object. "What are you doing?"

I didn't respond, kneeling to the ground and brushing away the ashes to reveal a necklace. Similar to the one my mother had given me. Except, it was a ruby, not a sapphire. I'd never seen it before. It was probably something of my mother's. 

I held it up to show the others, they looked at it in confusion. 

Whatever it was, I wanted to keep it. A reminder of my family. The last of the remains.

"Somehow this survived the fire," I stated, tucking the necklace into my back pocket. "Let's go."

We went back into the car and I felt empty.

* * *

"No way." Ace muttered.

We'd gone back to the apartment, grabbed some food, charged our phones, and then decided to drive around to keep ourselves a bit busy while we thought up our next moves. We'd also packed a small bag that I wore, containing our passports, credit cards, and some more food. It was now just past seven. We'd been stuck on the island for almost a week.

"What's wrong?" Ellie frowned, sharing a nervous look with me. 

"It's the news." Ace handed us his phone.

Breaking. Wrestler Ace Hendricks and Ex-girlfriend Charlotte Woods are wanted for the murder of the Mayor's family. Dallas Davenport is considered an accomplice. 

The article had photos of the three of us, recent ones too. My hair was brown, not blonde. It also mentioned a reward of a hundred thousand dollars for information on us. We were wanted dead or alive.

"What the hell?" I whispered.

Dallas sent us a look through the rearview mirror. "What?"

I chewed the inside of my cheek. "We're being framed for the murder of the Los Angeles Mayor's family."

"I'm finally famous?" Dallas laughed, switching lanes.

"It's not funny!" I protested, anxiety rising. "We're wanted. Dead or alive. Dead. Dead or alive."