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Seven

"Get out of here!" Dustin screams at me, slamming his hand onto a button on the control pad. The door of the pod splits open, but I'm on the opposite side of the machine.

The thick smoke blurs my vision, and tears fall onto the ground as I walk, my hand held up against my brow, trying not to trip.

The poisonous gas in the air makes it hard to breathe, and I remember something from the past, an echo.

The day Chance left.

I hate him. Who does he think he is, to kick me around and command me to do things, and spit at me? I roll my eyes, ignoring the calls of my name from the house as I get onto my hoverboard.

"Amber, darling!" Mom calls from the house. "Come on, Chance's here!"

I gag. Like I want to see him ever again. Scoffing, I continue moving onwards, just as a sharp scream that's so distinctly my mother's pierces the air.

I whip around, and lose my balance, gripping the closest house's wall to support me, my heart a hummingbird in my chest.

What's going on?

Upon regaining my balance, I zoom back to the house, and press a hand against my mouth.

It's on fire. My parents are already in their pod, but my mother stares worriedly at the burning house. Chance's parents are nowhere to be found. I land on the stone walkway leading to my house, and rush towards the pod.

"Mom! Dad! What's going on?" I yell, hoping they can hear me over the crackling fire.

"I...I think I set something off. I-"

"Where are Chance's parents?" Despite my despise towards Chance, his parents are the nicest people on the planet.

"Inside." My father replies, clearly not intending to go rescue them.

Selfish.

Turning around, I can feel the searing heat penetrate my clothes, making sweat bead on my back. "Amber, don't go in there!" My mother cries.

I don't care.

I run towards the house, the heat repelling. I force myself to move on, and step inside the house through the open door.

What I see makes me want to vomit.

Chance's parents lie on the ground, blood coating their skin, their breathing shallow as the flames creep towards them.

"Missus Adams, a-are you," I stutter, the smoke causing tears to form in my eyes, "o-okay?"

I start to cough violently from the acrid, pungent smoke, the smell filling my nostrils.

"A-Amber," Chance's father says, "take care of our son. He can be a little stubborn at times, but you can take care of him. I-I trust you."

Tears stream down my face, but I can't speak as I bury my nose in my arm. Chance's parents' eyelids flutter. I want to ask them to wait, hoping I can change things, but the fire comes closer, and I'm forced to leave them.

I'm sorry, I think as I hear their screams, and tears start to rain down. My breath comes in ragged gasps and I start hiccuping, but I still call out, "Chance? Chance, where are you?"

The fire is licking at the furniture below, and burning, burning, burning with it's coppery flames, creeping closer, up the stairs. My heart pounds hard.

I'm scared. I'm so, so, so scared.

But no one's there to help me.

"Amber!" Strong arms wrap around me, and I scream, before looking up and realising that Chance is there.