P.S. Destroy

Finding A Mystery

At school all everyone is talking about is the fire. I'm only hoping nobody will come and talk to me about it. I'm trying to keep a low profile and all anyone has said to me yet today is when Lauren said 'hi' in the morning. I guess she understood that there is something bothering me that I don't want to talk about. I like that about her, she is so considerate.

I'm walking through the halls towards my next class though I've got plenty of time before it begins. I'm really not feeling like talking to people and haven't talked to anyone, not even the teachers, and I'm really tired too after the night. The teachers don't think it's anything weird because I don't usually talk that much either.

Suddenly someone grabbs my arm and pulls me through another hall and outside. We are on the side of the school were no one usually is.

"What was that for? Let me go!" I pull my arm free and look up to see that the person who pulled me outside is Andrew. "Why are we here?"

"Shh! Don't talk so loudly!" He puts a finger on my lips to keep me quiet. I flinch and back away directly. "Sorry." He whispers when he notices my reaction. He looks at me curiously as if he would want to ask something but shrugs it off.

"Why am I here?" I ask a bit too angrily.

"I need to ask you a few questions in private. Have you heard about the fire in the woods?"

"You could have texted me about it or said that you need to talk to me and not just pull me outside! And yes I have, Nick called me this morning about it." Andrew looks at me a bit weirdly when I mention the call.

"What did he say?" He asks quickly and I'm a bit weirded out by the question.

"Why do you need to know?" I question back.

"I'll explain another time, okay? Can you just please tell me?" He sounds impatient.

"He just asked if I had heard about it and that he had heard that they think it was some kind of bird that was burned I guess. Didn't you say you had a few other questions to ask of me?"

"Well, yes. When were you last in the forest and what did you do there?" He sounds like some detective from an old movie or something.

"What are you? Some kind of inspector?" I say sarcastically.

"Just answer me please!" He stares intently at me.

"Fine. It was earlier this week. I was picking flowers just for fun." Well that wasn't a lie. But it wasn't when I was last there. But I'm not going to tell him about last night. Not him and not anyone else.

"Was that the last time you were there?" Andrew questions. He doesn't believe me. Why doesn't he believe me?

"Yes." I lie. How was that so easy? "Did you want to ask anything else or can I go?" I ask coldly.

"Well there is one thing I would want to ask you but that can wait for a better time." He turns to the door to open it but stops mid-step. "Get down!"

"What?" I turn around and see a bird similiar to the one I saw last night coming right at us. I pull out my pocketknife as a reflex and duck under my arms.

"Ivy watch out!" Andrew shouts a moment before I hear a thud and everything goes silent. I look up carefully and see the bird lying in front of me with blank eyes, my pocketknife stuck in it's beak. It looks exactly the same as the one in the forest.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asks and I realise he is standing next to me with big eyes.

"I guess so. A bit shaken up and feeling a bit sick but okay." I stand up slowly and pull my pocketknife out of the bird's beak.