The Dawn

CHAPTER NINE

"What do you want Audrey?" asked Phoenix.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Audrey asked, emphasizing each word in a threatening tone. 

Her dark brown eyes stared directly into Phoenix and Aurora's, giving them chills. Her face remained expressionless, but her eyes gave out the silent message.

"What do you mean?" asked Aurora, confused.

"Don't act like you don't know anything," growled Audrey, stepping towards Phoenix and Aurora.

"Look, we have no idea what you are talking about. Mind explaining instead of threatening?" asked Phoenix. 

Phoenix and Aurora stepped back a little for safety. They weren't scared of Audrey, but in case she sprang at them. Precaution is better than cure.

"What did you do to Krissy?" she asked, in the same threatening tone.

Phoenix and Aurora finally realized what Audrey was so mad about. Audrey didn't care about any living being on earth, except Krissy. Mess with Krissy, you mess with Audrey. But they hadn't done anything to Krissy.

"We didn't do anything to her," explained Aurora. "What makes you think that we did anything to her?"

"Because she came home looking pale as a ghost," Audrey replied. "She looked petrified. And every time she gets petrified, you have something to do about it."

Audrey did have a point. Phoenix and Aurora loved scaring Krissy because it was just too easy. Krissy feared everything. Scaring her was Phoenix and Aurora's idea of harmless fun. But on the other hand, Audrey played pranks on Krissy as well. Audrey wasn't the joking kind, but she did play pranks to get revenge and teach people lessons. Her pranks were usually ten times more dangerous than Phoenix and Aurora's.

"First of all, you like scaring Krissy as well," Aurora replied. "Second of all, we don't have anything to do with Krissy getting scared. If you move, we could go inside and check on Krissy."

Audrey studied them for a few seconds.

"I don't believe you," she concluded.

Phoenix and Aurora didn't expect Audrey to believe them anyway.

"Look, can you please move so that we can go and talk to Izel about something," Pheonix persisted.

"Tell me why Krissy came back looking horrified, and then, maybe I'll believe you," Audrey replied, still stubbornly blocking the door. "Or at least tell me where you were."

Phoenix and Aurora sighed. They had a silent agreement that they had no other option, but to tell Audrey where they were. But they decided to do a little improvisation with their story.

"Okay, fine," Aurora started. "So, me, Phoenix, Daniel and Andrew were in the forest, when-"

"What were you doing in the forest?" Audrey interrupted.

"We were reading books," replied Phoenix, sarcastically.

"You know how to read?" asked Audrey, sounding surprised.

"Shut up!" Phoenix responded.

"What do you and your friends being in a forest, have to do anything with Krissy?" Audrey asked.

"You would know if you stop interrupting," Aurora replied, annoyed. "Anyways, we were in the forest when we heard someone or something in the forest."

"Of course, there are living beings in a forest, that's where they live," Audrey said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"There weren't any animals in the forest today, okay?" Phoenix said.

"What do you mean there weren't any animals?" asked Audrey. "If you two were in the forest, there were clearly two animals in it."