The Legacy Of Jewelox

CHAPTER 27

     Why is it that we always have to get caught no matter what we do?! Darn you, life! Stop playing with us! You always have to make stuff shitty, don't you?

     “What the f—", we cut off Ian's low murderous growl.

     “LANGUAGE!”, we said in unison. Even me.

     “What are you kids doing here?”, Ian's glare was really terrifying.

     Everyone started looking around.

     “What are you idiots looking for? I asked you numbskulls a question”, he growled, coming towards us, giving a sharp glare and shutting the computer.

     “Well, you most certainly didn’t ask US. We're teenagers, not ‘kids’”, Theo stuck his tongue out.

     Ian seized a knife from under his long sleeved suit's left sleeve. We all exchanged glances. “Ian, listen... We're not trying to pick a fight with you—"

      “Yes, believable indeed. Anyone who stalks into the enemy’s room is considered picking a death fight”, he smirked as he lunged the knife at Scott, missing his arm by inches. Everyone screeched.

     “Ian, look ahead! Hazel, is that the robot that we saw Ian holding at the park the other day?”, I fake-gasped mastering shock in my face. Ian turned to look around at the staircase. I kicked him in the abdomen and Zepher snatched the knife away from Ian and passed it to Colin who broke it in a jiffy. Ian did a somersault, pinning Rafel to the wall, revealing another knife he'd been keeping under his socks and kept that a few millimetres from Rafel's neck.

      “One more time you try a prank, Liz Summer, your friends circle will be erased”, he blackmailed.

     “Good to know. Shows you're scared to take me on your own”, I beamed. Sky poked me hard in the ribs. “Forget this dummy said anything”

     Ian turned his head cautiously. Ashton did some kinda symbol with his fingers and Rafel seemed to have understood because he bit into Ian's hard as harshly as he could and Colin plunged at him, grabbing his knife from him and pushing him down to the floor while the rest of us rushed up the stairs.

      Mia opened his window and we looked down. Two stories up. “What do we do?”, asked Anne.

      Rachel made a ball out of Ian's pair of socks and took his badminton racket and whooshed the sock ball out with it. The socks went and hit an imaginary wall above the stone walls that separate this manor from the main road outside which was 40 feet from where we were and socks got burnt.

      “The walls have an electric field, see?”, said Rachel.

      “Then... What are we gonna do?”, Sky asked, glancing at the secret passageway thinking that Ian might appear and lunge a knife at us in any moment.

      “Here!”, Rafel shouted, emerging from the stairs. He locked a small metal hook to the window sill and the long rope attached to it, flowed out the window. “Get down, quick!”

      Mia swung down first, followed by Sky, Rachel, Anne, me, Hazel, Scott, Ashton, Zepher and Rafel finally made it down.

      “Where’s Theo?”, Rachel asked.

      “And Colin?”, I added, looking around. “Can't we leave him here? Just grab Theo, give Ian plenty of knives and leave Colin with him for a satisfactory stab bag”

     “I like the sound of that”, smirked Rachel.

     “But for now, we need him”, grumbled Zepher as a small breeze passed us.

     “He isn't so bad, you guys! He helps us, doesn’t he?”, shot Ashton.

      “And yet, he talks about us as if we were robbed from the dump”, Rafel rolled his eyes at him.

     “Agreed!”, Sky added. “Ash, you're being too soft”

     “Well, there’s nothing wrong with that”, sniffed Ashton, looking up to see if Theo and Colin are at the edge. No sign.

      “MOVE!”, we heard the two boys shout from above as they literally JUMPED off the window sill. They were falling down! Shit!

       Mia pushed the rope to their side and they quickly hugged it, swinging down safely and started running off. Me and the rest exchanged looks before galloping after them. They led us to a half-open lid of the underground sewer system. “Erm... Guys—", Zepher started.

       “Not now, Zeph”, panted Theo, going down the ladder first. “Follow him, quick!”, Colin urged us. Sky went down first. Then, Hazel, Rafel, Scott, Anne, Rachel, Mia, Zepher, Ashton and then me, followed by Colin. I grunted at the disgusting smell of drainage.

      “Lizard, make it quick! We might get tracked down!”, Colin called down at me.

     I pinched my nose to block the odour. “Ian wouldn't seriously think of following us down this malodorous sewer, would he?”

     I climbed down, letting my shoe touch the cold green water that reached just above my knee.

     “Ian's dead”, he replied, his voice hoarse and barely audible. I stopped in my tracks, turning to face his grave face. My palm would've met his cheek if he hadn't caught it.

     “You KILLED him?!”, I whisper-screeched at him.

     “Not the time, idiot! Get moving! Fast!”, he urged me. How could he?! He literally MURDERED someone... I don’t think anyone else heard what Colin said because they were panting heavily, boots clunking with every step. I gulped slightly as we took a left turn, following after Theo. How does he even know this place? What happened back there? Did Colin really...

      Okay... Better not jump into conclusions. That's totally astonishing. I mean, if there’s anyone who Colin would've killed, that'd be me.