Playing with Fire

20

I step into James' house and I see Adam and Toboni constantly place circles down on a big square onto the table, concentrated on the thing.

I walk up to them and instantly, Adam cries. He hammers the table but underneath his fake "No..."'s, he is laughing with hysteria. 

"What's going on? What are you doing?" I ask them.

"Oh, we're playing Snakes and Ladders," Toboni answers. "Wanna play?"

"Um... no thanks, I'm gonna go to bed-"

"No way Lawreline, ya'll stayin' down 'ere" James interrupts.

I turn to him and I fold my arms. "I ain't called Lawreline. I am Lawrence." 

He grins. "I know, I'mma just messin' withcha. Anyways you're stayin' down 'ere for dinner as you all look starvin'!" 

Toboni and Adam both look up and stare at him, looking as if their mouths were going to produce waterfalls.

"What's for dinna?" Adam pulls his accent again.

"Sam meat, carrats and 'tatos." James responds as he walks to a cabinet and opens one of the doors to pull out three plates. "'kay, Adam is 'aving 'is one," he points at a blue and white plate which is made out of something shiny yet so fragile. 

"Lawrence... you didn't..." Adam whispers to me.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't stop myself from sayin' it!" I exclaim.

"'is one is for Tobawni," he holds up an identical plate to Adam's. "'is plate is for Lawrence." he holds up a different one. One with the exact phoenix on my letter from my mum.

"What about you?" Toboni asks. She sounds concerned about James. 

"I already 'ad my dinna." he smiles. 

Toboni and Adam look back down at their square and places their circles onto the bottom left and begins to play.

I stride towards James who is grabbing hold of some chicken and places them on a wooden cutting board and holds a knife and begins to cut into it.

"That image on my plate," I tell him. "What does it actually mean?"

He stops and stares at me. "Yer Lawrence 'olloway, ye shall know ba now."

I shake my head. "I don't understand it! I've seen it before on my mum's letter to me! Look James, I have proof!" I rush to my bag, pick it up and rummage through it, now smelling a horrible stench of it as the food slowly rots inside it. I zip that compartment SHUT and unzip the front pocket and pull out the folded piece of paper. I unfold it and I point at the same crimson phoenix imprinted on the bottom right. "See!"

James bites his bottom lip and stares into my hazel eyes and inhales deeply.

"'at symbol is to represent the 'olloway family - yer family," he says. "Yer family were rebels, mainly yer father. But yer mother were the most important part of yer family as she once worked for 'at tyrant, Jeanine-"

"Why?" I ask. "And what's the symbol got to do with you?"

"I joined their rebellion 'gainst Jeanine. They bawth made a deal. If yer mother won, she can kill Jeanine but if Jeanine won, she had to kill 'er child and join Jeanine and you can guess: we lawst. But she faked yer death-"

"My mum is in Brockelsby," I state. "But... what's her name?"

James places the chicken onto a barred tray and slides it into the oven-

Ignoring me-

I want the answer-

I need it-

NOW!

"Excuse me! I need answer!" I exclaim.

He opens his mouth and says-

BANG!

"Get outta 'ere Lawrence. Make Adam and Toboni go with you." James looks extremely alert and he shoves something at me. It is ammunition for a pistol. "In case you run outta bullets. NOW GO!"

I grab Adam and Toboni's wrists and I drag them to their feet. 

The smell of smoke filled the house and James ran towards the window to see what is going on. "Oh no..."

I can instantly tell what he's "Oh no..."ing at-

Jeanine.

I turn to face him. "Promise we'll meet again?"

He stares at me and nods with a tear rolling down his cheek. "I prowmise... Lawrence Holloway. The 'Lunar Phoenix'."

I pull a confused expression but I understand what he means. I bow my head and I pound my fist against the centre of my chest and I press my left palm onto my right palm, pressing my fingers together and I embrace my thumbs together and I show it to James and his reaction is surprising-

"The rebellion..." he mouths.

In the window, I can see Jeanine staring at me but not with her smug-looking expression but she pulls a startled aspect. 

I scowl at her and I run out the back door... like what Nat told me to do before she died. I have Toboni and Adam at my side and we sprint onto a hill, away from the burning Haven behind us.

James... I keep thinking. 

"Just keep running Lawrence, okay!" Adam shouts over the screaming of innocent people, gunfires of Jeanine's army killing citizens. 

"DON'T LOOK BACK!!!" Toboni yells and we keep running through another forest this week and for the love of God: I don't want to start another forest fire.