The Forum by Marie Reyes (short books for teens .txt) 📕

When he turned, he saw it. Yellow and orange flickering through the smoke. The smoke grew thicker so fast he could barely see ahead of him. Instead of a white fog, it was a thick, black blanket. His house. It was his house.

He pulled over to the side of the road with a screech and went to jump out of the car, forgetting his seatbelt was still fastened. "Shit," he said while trying to release the buckle with his clumsy fingers. As he slammed the door and ran towards what was left of his home, he could see the flashing light of emergency service vehicles. There was a police car and a fire engine. His lungs burned as he ran, and the police stood to attention when they saw him coming.

"What. How. This can't be..."

"Is this your house sir?"

"Yes. Oh my god." Martin wanted to sob, but nothing came out. He was beyond that. He felt like he was going to explode. Feelings of rage, fear, and sadness fought for space in his brain, which spun between them like a roulette wheel that wouldn't slow or stop.

The police officer said something to him, but he couldn't take in a single word as his mind raced. How did this happen? He hadn't cooked in the house for two days. He hadn't used any appliances apart from his laptop. There was no reason for this, just the cruel world kicking him one more time while he was down. Someone else approached him and he could barely make them out. Everything was just a blur now, fuzzy around the edges.

"You want to come to the ambulance?"

"I...I...wasn't in...the fire...I."

"You might be in shock. Let me look you over, get you a blanket. It's freezing." Her voice was reassuring, but nothing would help him through this. His entire world was over. There was nothing left to lose.

He sat in the back of the ambulance, and even though he was wearing a coat, they draped a space blanket over him. It didn't help, it just made an irritating crunching sound whenever he moved. From the ambulance, he could still hear the crackling of fire consuming his one and only home. He could hear it, but there was no way he could bear to look anymore, as his memories disintegrated before his eyes, crumbling to ruin.

It took a while before he could bring himself to stop staring into space and answer some of the police officer's questions. He answered them without thinking, just operating on autopilot.

Once they let him be, he wondered what to do. The fatigue had been replaced with adrenaline, but now that had been all used up, he was crashing. He needed to be somewhere safe, somewhere comforting. A hotel was really his only option. At that moment it dawned on him that he had no belongings, just the clothes on his back, his cell phone, and his wallet.

However unhappy he had been over the last few weeks, he had discovered a whole new level of despair. Now he realized, although he thought he had hit rock bottom, it had only been a false bottom, making way for an even deeper, darker one. Now he could vaguely function, he picked up his cell phone, dialed, and waited for it to ring.

"Hi. Lisa. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I really need help." Asking for help was something he wasn’t used to, but he was desperate.

Chapter

Twenty Two

                CHICAGO

"The kitchen is filthy," Trent said, wiping his finger across the sticky work surface. "I'm working twelve-hour days at the moment; the least you could do is clean up a little. I mean, what do you do all day?" He raised his voice. Piper's chest tightened. Even the slightest bit of anger made her want to run for the hills. Angry people were cruel and unpredictable. No doubt the kids could hear him all the way upstairs from their rooms.

It's not that she wasn't glad to have spent more time with them, but it was tiring. Yesterday, she had already forced herself to do two loads of laundry, cook two meals, pick up after them, and force them to have a bath. That was more than she was used to as she forced herself through the incessant fatigue.

"I was busy," she said.

"And I wasn't?"

"I wasn't saying that. It's just... I'm tired."

"Don't you think I'm tired. I've been up since 5.30, and I probably won't get back until 8pm. Anyway, I'm going. Some of us have jobs."

"It's not a competition," she called after him as he stormed out of the kitchen, but she was glad he had left. Arguing was the most exhausting thing of all. A pile of dirty dishes and pans taunted her from the sink as she turned on the faucet and sighed. Ever since he started working weekends, he was moodier than ever.

The doorbell rang. Crap. It must have been Judy coming to pick up the kids for their play date early. They weren't even dressed. That was all she needed. Judy looked at her like a piece of garbage already. It was obvious she was annoyed at having to deal with Piper as she was used to Trent arranging everything. Not to mention, she probably had a crush on him.

Piper couldn't ignore their intense conversations and the laughter; the laughter was the worst. Trent wasn't even that funny, yet she laughed at every word that came out of his mouth. She dried her hands on a towel and ran to the door.

"Judy. Sorry. I wasn't expecting you yet. I just need to check if the children are ready. I'll just be a minute. Take a seat."

Piper's footsteps as she raced up the stairs, were reminiscent of an elephant stampede. She burst into Clara's room to find her completely