Forlot - Books 1-3 {Completed}

Chapter Five

A chill shot down my spine, and I opened my eyes at the sound of the creepy voice. I could feel my heart pounding away. Beat after beat after beat.

Then, I giggled, for I recognized the voice.

"Benny." I moved my head from the left side, where Hansel was sitting, to the right side, seeing the man sit next to me. "Benny!" I hugged the man tightly, and he chuckled and hugged me back.

"Hi, Gretel. Hi, Hansel," he greeted.

I pulled away and glared at Hansel. He was not paying attention to either of us. His back was facing us, and I noticed the tiny drops of sweat soaking through his shirt.

I tapped his shoulder. "Bro," I said quietly, but loud enough for him to hear. "Benny Baar is here."

My brother sat up and peered over his shoulder. "Benny?" he said, staring at our older friend.

"It is me," the man spoke. He gave him a warm smile.

Hansel rolled over, his front side now facing us. "What are you doing here? Why are you at the news station?"

Benny's smile faded as soon as it appeared. His eyes softened. "I...work at the station."

"What? I thought that you desired to be a game designer. You were going to make a new game."

Have I mentioned that my twin brother loves playing all kinds of games?

"I...I had a new game in mind. A video game. But..." He surveyed the room, and then glanced back at us. "...my dad pulled the plug."

I was surprised. "Why?" I jumped in. "Is he not proud? I mean, making games require lots of skills."

"My dad does not see it that way. He thinks that video games are a waste of time and does not want me to be in any involvement. So last week, he forced me to work at his workplace. Until I get a 'real' job, I have to stay here and work my butt off." He got up. "He just does not understand."

I felt like shedding a tear. What Benny was going through was awful. He is not one of those people who is lazy and forgets work entirely. He is the opposite of that.

He looks like a geek, and both my brother and I love geeks.

Do not ask why we adore geeks and nerds.

Benny is a bit chubby. He had pale skin and dark brown hair. He usually wore his black, short-sleeved shirt and orange shorts. To seal the deal, he also had freckles and wore black glasses. Those glasses alone pulled him into the nerd zone.

Benny is older than us, but younger than my mom and dad. I do not know how old he is. He has not told me or Hansel. But if I had to guess, I would say that he is most likely in his late twenties. Ever since we moved to the city, Hansel and I have been friends with him. He is extremely nice and brightens our day every time that we see and chat with him.

When he was a kid, he had a big dream. He wanted to be part of the game community. So he played plenty of games each and every day and practiced his skills. As a matter of fact, he got so good that he can now beat the boss levels of every game ever made without losing a life.

Talk about professional.

Three months ago, Benny made a decision. Instead of just playing video games, he decided to make his own. He had the technology to do it and is creative. He moved out of his dad's home and into an apartment. As you may have guessed, his dad was not happy with his career choice. That is probably why he let his son work at the station. He thinks that he needs a "suitable" career.

"Enough about me," Benny said, interrupting my thoughts. "What have you guys been up to?"

I shrugged. "Nothing."

"Just surviving home, school, and the city itself," Hansel added.

"Well, have you gotten used to the city?"

Hansel and I looked at each other, and then back at him. "Nope," we said in unison.

I placed my hands on the arm of my chair. "Eight months have passed, and we are still not used to it." A tear ran down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it off before my twin or friend noticed. "Why could we not have stayed in Forlot? It was a perfect home."

"Hmm." Benny pushed up his glasses. "I will be right back." He hurried off and instantly disappeared. Ten seconds later, he came back with something in his hand. "You can have these. They are not helping with the case." He handed the folder to me.

There was writing on the front of the folder. It read in big, red letters:

"FORLOT."

"'Forlot?'" I opened the folder and saw photos. There were about twenty to twenty-five photos.

"These are pictures of Forlot that were taken by some of the people who work here," Benny explained. "However, they are no use to us, and I thought that you might like to have them. You know. To relive the memories."

I looked up at him and slightly smiled. "Thank you."

Then three figures came to us. They were our parents and Benny's dad, Ben, who is the boss of the news station.

Mr. Ben Baar had brown hair and wore a white, long-sleeved shirt and black pants. He also had on a blue tie and dress shoes.

When Mr. Baar saw his son, he put his hands on his hips and had a disappointing look on his face.

"Son, what the heck are you doing?" he demanded.

"Dad, I was just talking to my friends," Benny shot back.

"You are supposed to be working!"

As Hansel and I watched them argue, Mom whispered to us.

"Your father and I got fired."