Forlot - Books 1-3 {Completed}

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Margie!" Scarlett yelled.

I was lying face down on the cold and muddy grass. I lifted my head, and a groan escaped from my throat. My muscles ached as if I just finished running a marathon.

"Margie!" my sister screamed again. She ran towards me and kneeled to my level. "Oh my gosh. Sis. What the heck happened to you? Your braids are messed up, and your face is covered with mud."

I did not answer her. I was in too much pain.

Scarlett grabbed ahold of me and helped me to my feet. I hissed in pain. I did not feel like standing. The muscles in both of my legs hurt.

I saw Scarlett taking out a cloth - from wherever she took out the cloth - and wiped the mud off my face. "There. Is that better, sis?" she asked.

I slowly nodded and was about to fall back on the grass, but my sister grabbed my arm and held me close to her. "Oh, Margie. What happened?"

"That is what I would like to know."

My eyes widened as I spotted Mr. Hawk, Stanley, and the monsters stepping out from the shadows.

"What is going on?" Mr. Hawk asked. He looked at the factory that was now on fire. "And why is the factory in flames?"

My sister shrugged. "Maybe Margie knows," she said. She turned to me. "Sis, do you know what happened here tonight?"

I did not want to tell Scarlett, Mr. Hawk, or any of the monsters what actually went on that night. Scarlett would be disappointed in me, and Lean would be in trouble with Mr. Hawk. I could lie on the whole situation, but I had already lied to my older sister enough.

Speaking of Lean, where was she? She said that she would be right behind me.

"Yow!" I shrieked. I felt one of Scarlett's hands place itself on my injured waist.

"What is the matter?" Scarlett commented. "Did I accidentally touch you somewhere that severely hurts?"

I was becoming grouchy. Every part of my body was aching, from my head to my feet. I wanted to sit or lie down and rest. I was so very tired. Because of this, I said something that, as soon as I said it, I immediately regretted it.

"Touching where it hurts the most is not as accidental as shooting an arrow from a crossbow during Show and Tell!"

Mr. Hawk and his friends were in shock at what I had just proclaimed.

Scarlett gasped. "What?"

...oops.

"Shooting an arrow during school?" my sister questioned. "What is that all about?"

I hesitated before speaking. "Nothing."

She frowned. "You hesitated. There is something that you are not telling me."

Dang! She is smart.

"W-what do you mean?"

"You just proclaimed that me touching you where it hurts is not as bad as shooting an arrow in a classroom!" She pushed me away, not too hard though. "Did...did you lie to me? When you came home from school yesterday, and I asked you how things went, and you said that it went according to plan, did you lie to me? Did things not go as they should have?"

I sighed heavily. I could have made an excuse, but what good would that do? My sister would definitely not fall for it at this point.

"Sis, I...I am very sorry," I said sadly. "The reason that I did not want to tell you the truth was because I did not want you to worry."

"Worry?!" Scarlett snapped. "I worry about you day and night! Hour by hour! Second by second! We made a truce to be true to one another, so we would not worry about each other as much!"

"Let us leave these girls be," Mr. Hawk told his friends, and they left the scene.

"I know, and I am truly sorry," I admitted. I was sorry. Guilt had built up inside me ever since I lied to her on the incident at my school, and now that my sister finally knew the truth, I was relieved.

Well, somewhat relieved. I still had to confess to her about the threatening message.

My sister put her hands on her hips. "Are there any more lies that you are hiding, or was that lie a one-time thing?"

"Umm...I lied to you this morning."

"About what?"

"...the message."

"What about the message?"

I took a deep breath, and then confessed to her about everything.

The disturbing message that popped on my computer, saying "Do not come to Forlot - or you will die!"

That Dr. O'Connor was the Monster Protector and against evil.

How Mr. Hawk and his goons were pure evil.

The fact that I went with Lean, fell off a cliff, and almost got killed.

Everything.

When I was finished explaining, I could see that my sister was not happy. Tears formed in her eyes.

"How could you, Margie?!" Scarlett exclaimed angrily.

"I was going to say something back at the airport in Pasadena, California, but you and Sarah were excited to go," I said.

"Not if it is not safe!" She brushed her long, brown hair away from her face. "I cannot believe this. My own sister, the person whom I trusted the most, lying to me." She looked at the ground and spotted something. Something old and rusty.

My crossbow.

She picked it up. "You promised that you would not bring your crossbow!"

"I did not! Honest!"

"How do I know if you are telling the truth?"

"I am telling the truth! Sarah brought it! I found it in one of her bags!"

"My gosh! You are lying! Again! Sarah would never bring such a deadly weapon!"

I teared up. "Scarlett..."

Scarlett threw down my crossbow and turned away from me. "I have no sister." With that, she walked off, leaving me in the woods and with the burning factory.

Guess who showed up right then and there?

Dr. O'Connor.