The Fire

Chapter Eleven

Present

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz

The morning had arrived already, and my alarm wouldn't let me forget; I had already pressed snooze six times and was completely prepared to do so once more, but the smell of the fresh bacon my mum was cooking dragged me out of bed. I had forgotten the horrible feeling of waking up at the crack of dawn with nothing but a day of school ahead of me and I certainly hadn't missed it.

I was hoping that today would be a creepy-message free day, and to help that wish come true, I turned my phone off – completely. Of course, he could still message me, I just wouldn't see it. He couldn't turn my phone on, only I could do that. This time, I was in control.

"Good morning sweetie!" My mum said cheerfully, I hadn't even noticed I had reached the kitchen, and it's a good job she stopped me otherwise I would've walked right into the table.

"Morning mum," I said, rubbing my eyes with one hand and pulling a chair out with the other. I slumped into the chair and put my head on the table.

"How many times did you snooze that alarm? I could've sworn I heard it go off ten times."

"I think it was actually six times- ".

"Anyway, eat up, you've got school in half an hour," she said as she shoved a plate underneath my nose. I looked at the clock and she was right, I still had to get changed too so I took one half of the sandwich in my hands, taking a few moments to take it all in and then opened my mouth, getting ready to take a bite.

The knock at the door made my heart stop. What if it was him? What if he had discovered that my phone was off? Was he coming for me? Geez Sophie, relax. It's probably just the mail, I told myself.

My mum had left the room and shouted from the living room, "Can you get that for me, darling?"

I cringed and took a deep breath before walking over to the door and unlocking it with a soft click. Cracking open the door, I peered around, and couldn't believe what I was looking at.

A police officer.

Standing at my door.

My door.

I hadn't had the police round at my house for nearly two years so I couldn't think why they would be here now.

"Hello, miss, I believe there is a Mr James Lepton who lives here?"

He made it sound like a question, but of course, he knew that he lived here. But why would they be here for him? I couldn't think of anything but his girlfriend – maybe they found out about her and want details about her and her involvement with drugs. I would soon find out anyway.

"Um, yeah, I'll go get him."

I left the door ajar and ran upstairs – I was certainly more awake now.

I barged into James' room without knocking and, to no surprise to me, he was still lying in bed, scrolling through his phone.

"Woah, Sophie, haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

"The police are here; they want to see you," I announced, interrupting him.

"Me?" He asked. I nodded. James rolled out of bed and pushed past my shoulder and down the stairs. When he got to the door, he threw it open and jumped at the sight of the officer standing there waiting for him.

"James, is it?" The officer questioned unnecessarily.

"Yes," James said bluntly.

"You are going to have to come with me."

James turned around and looked at me. He looked worried.

"Can I ask why?" My brother asked.

"We may have to speak about that in private," the officer shifted his weight, he looked nervous. He was quite young too so maybe it was his first day. I expected James to just go with him but what he said next surprised me.

"If you need to say something, you can say it in front of my sister..."

"What is going on?" My mum had just walked in and she was looking around in horror at the scene before her.

"...and my mum," James continued, more reluctantly this time.

So, he obviously didn't know what it was about, if it was about his girlfriend, he would be out of that door in a flash without another word said, but he just stood there, rooted on the spot and he wasn't moving.

"James...?" My mum said questioningly.

"Err, okay then." He took a deep breath, "Recent forensic studies have found your DNA on a container that we recently discovered on your old property. And that container also had the remains of very flammable fuel inside of it, the fuel that we think was used to set the house on fire."

My mother, James and I all stood with our mouths agape. If it was what I thought it was, James was yet again being accused of murdering Leah, and, this time, they had actual evidence to support it.

The silence was everlasting, and James was so shocked that he didn't even say anything as he obliged to the officer's request and walked slowly out of the door.

"I'll need you to come with me too ma'am." Giving a slight nod in my mum's direction.

She was still trapped in a daze, her eyes wide. It took her a few seconds to snap out of it.

"Of course," she whispered. I barely heard her, so I didn't know how the police officer did.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't. James looked back at me as he walked down the drive towards the police car, my mother in pursuit – it was something of desperation and sadness. All I wanted was for this to be over, and now my brother was being roped into all of this. The Hooded Man could be using James as an escape route from his crimes; he had obviously planted all of this.

My brother didn't look at me as the car drove past the house after turning around at the bottom of the street. I leant against the doorframe as I tried to get a glimpse of him, but he was gone.

I slammed the door and placed my head on it and began to cry; I couldn't deal with this anymore.

I had to turn my phone on now, I wasn't going to school and I needed to tell Millie and Josh why, so I turned towards the table and did what I dreaded.

After I had sent the long paragraphs to both of them, I carelessly threw my phone on the sofa before throwing myself on there too and I just lay there. No tears. No emotion. My mind couldn't take it anymore, and if I had to go through something like that again, I think I would explode; it was too much.

Beep. Beep.

I grabbed my phone, expecting it to be either Josh or Millie, but it wasn't, it was UNKNOWN once again. I clenched my teeth – what did he want now?

Oops

No matter how long I stared at the screen, I still couldn't get my head around it. What was it meant to mean? Was that my brother?

I wanted to kick myself after thinking that. I was becoming one of them. I don't even know why I thought it because it made no sense whatsoever. Why on earth would my brother kill my best friend? It just didn't make any sense. But whoever it was needed to stop because they were not just hurting me, they were hurting my family too.