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"You okay?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine.." I said with a reassuring smile.
I finished my glass and took it to the kitchen. I rinsed the glass and put it in the rack.
I walked back to the lounge as Melanie entered, followed by Jason,
Felix, David, Arthur, and Felicia.
I went upstairs to the room and whipped out the map again.
Opening it up again, I started check marking the houses that we had been to already. Melanie walked in the next second.
"No more.. Please Avery.." she whined laying down next to me on the bed.
"C'mon, Melanie. There are only six left. We'll be done in no time." I said standing up and stretching my arms.
"Please! The rest are old enough to look after themselves or have siblings old enough to look after them." Melanie whined more as she sat up.
"You know some of them might not even know what happened?" I said my tone serious.
"Huh?" she looked at me, confusion written all over her face.
"Jessica didn't know what had happened till I showed her the news. Her parents were out on a business trip before it happened." I said as I stared at her with a solemn expression.
"Wow. It must have been harder for her.... Ughh, fine... I'll go. But I'm taking Jason with me again." She said looking at me as if daring me to object.
"Go ahead, I don't give a-" *cough cough* I said but then started coughing again.
"You good?" Melanie asked holding my shoulder.
"Yup, I'm good." I said and sat back on the bed.
"Let's figure out how we're gonna be housing everyone before we get the others." She said and sat down next to me.
"Oh, right, yeah. Let's do that first." I said and opened up my pouch which I had also brought here this morning and took out a few different colored markers.
I opened up my register and started jotting down everyone's names and writing down their roles. Then I turned the page and started drawing up our street and put the last names of each family into the houses. I then showed it to Melanie.
"Nice." she said as she gave me a thumbs up.
Right then there was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Melanie said and sat up straight.
Felix opened the door and stepped inside.
"Hey. You need something?" Melanie asked.
"Did you already go to the Willows?" Felix asked as he stood in the doorway.
"No.. We didn't.. If you want you can head there with Melanie to check it out." I said.
"Hey!" Melanie screamed at me with a look of anguish.
"I can go alone if it's alright." he said hesitantly.
"Fine with me." I said closing my notebook and pouch.
"I'll head out now then." Felix said and left, closing the door behind him.
"Well, let's get going as well." I said and stood up. I set my things on the side table and tapped a few spaces on the map. "You take the Clarks and the Harrisons, I'll get the Harlows and Delaneys."
"Okay, I'll explain the housing arrangements before heading out. Can I take your notepad?" Melanie asked as she put on her sneakers again and sat down on the bed to tie her laces.
"Go ahead. I'll see you when I get back. Bye. " I said and left the room.
Walking back downstairs, I walked out into the driveway and got onto the bike.
I rode out towards the Harlows and after getting them I proceeded to the Delaneys.
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As Marcus continued reading his book, sitting in the main hall, close to the door, he was peacefully enjoying his book when there was a loud knock on the door.
"Who is it?" he asked out loud, not looking up from his book.
"It's Felix." There was a loud clunking sound after those words. "Is the door locked from the outside?" Felix asked.
"Sure it is, Sherlock." Marcus said as he rolled his eyes at his best friend's stupidity.
"How do I open this? Should I break it or something?" Felix asked from behind the door.
"Go ahead." Marcus said his tone sarcastic.
"Don't you have an extra key inside?" Felix asked.
"Yeah, we do." Marcus answered turning the page of his book.
"Then, can you drop it off the balcony so that I can get you guys out?" Felix requested.
"Yeah, no." Was Marcus' response.
"Excuse me?! Do you plan on rotting in there?!" Felix inquired.
"Fine by me." Marcus answered.
"Oh my, what do you want this time?!" Felx asked." Better not be something weird."
"I won't come out till Avery is the one who comes to get us out." Marcus said.
"Seriously?" Felix asked.
"Yes, seriously." Marcus replied with a smile look on his face.
*sigh* "Which one's Avery again?" Felix asked his tone sarcastic.
"You don't even know who she is?!" Marcus yelled shutting his book with a loud thud. "You know what, come to the balcony and I'll give you the keys, and a knuckle sandwich as well!" Marcus yelled brandishing his fists toward the door.
"Yeah, I'll be back in a bit." Felix said and left the door.
Marcus took a breath and sat back down in his seat. He opened his book back to where he had stopped reading and continued reading.
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I sat in the lounge, which was now empty of all the bags of things. We still had two houses left to get to, but I was feeling just as lazy as Melanie was earlier this morning.
As Felix walked in, Melanie greeted him and handed him a glass of water while he sat down on the couch.
"Hey, do you guys have a wrench or a hammer? I need one." Felix said a little while later. "And I might need one of you to go with me 'cause Marcus is hard to persuade."
"I'm gonna get the Lauriers, you can take her with you." Melanie said standing up and running over to the door.
"Melanie, you traitor!" I yelled at her as she showed me her tongue and then ran out.
*sigh* "I'll go get the hammer." I said with a small sigh.
Standing up, I walked to the garage and opened up the toolbox. Taking out the hammer, I walked back to the lounge and put on my sneakers again.
"Let's go." I said and Felix got up.
We took the two bikes that were still there and rode over to the Willows house. Getting off the bike I handed the hammer to Felix and stood back.
I covered my ears with my hands as he broke the lock and then looked up when he opened the door.
A tall boy, probably the same age as Felix, was standing there with a book in one hand as he brandished his fist at Felix with an annoyed expression.
He had light brown hair and bright blue eyes. How did we not know that someone who looked like a model lived in our neighborhood? Welp, we can't do anything about that now.
I stood at the end of the driveway as they talked and folded my arms over my chest.
Just then someone slapped my head from the back and I looked over to see it was my cousin who lived at the end of the street.
"ALIANA!!!"