Hey guys. This is the new chapter of Race Against Time. I have up to chapter 23 done, and I'm currently working on Chapter 24. This may have more chapters than Concrete Angel, but Concrete Angel has more pages. Concrete Angel and part 5, will have more pages... by 2, but Race Against Time, part 3 and 4, will all be the same. How I know this, is because I have a notebook, just for this series. So I hope you will like this chapter. Oh, and I am sorry that there is no happiness for Gabriella, from here on out. It is needed so I am sorry. Well, there may be some happiness but not that much. I have to have it, so it will get set up for part 3. I do plan on trying to get this one done by Christmas, and if I am lucky, then part 3 will be up right after. I may have 21 up right after this chapter, but that is IF you are lucky and I don't start getting busy. So here is the chapter!

Chapter 20

As 3 weeks went by, it's now December 1st. Christmas is in 24 days, which got Gabriella and Nessie excited. Gabriella is slowly talking to Lucy again, which made Lucy very happy. Jack keeps trying to get Gabriella to tell him about the code, but all Gabriella says is... "You want what they want". Jack told Lucy about the code, so now she is trying to help, but Gabriella is now shutting down. Gabriella is now only talking to 4 people. The 4 people are... Zak... Chad... Nessie and... Troy.

As afternoon arrived, Gabriella is starting to get a bad feeling. She doesn't know why, or how, but she is. Gabriella walked to Troy's bedroom to see Troy, Chad, Zak and Nessie playing 'Need for Speed Underground'.

"Hey Gabs, wanna play with us?" Zak asked

"Sure" Gabriella closed the door, and walked over. Gabriella is wearing a purple and black knee length dress, and purple and black converse. She sat down and smiled.

"Gabi!" Nessie crawled over and sat on Gabriella's lap with the controller, "can we play together?"

"Ok" Nessie smiled.

"You drive and I'll direct"

"Of course sweetie" Nessie gave the controller to her and Gabriella started to race against the guys, as Nessie relaxed and cuddled into Gabriella.

Once lunch ended at 1pm, Gabriella's bad feeling started to get worse and worse. As she walked to the game room, she heard an explosion. She jumped and heard screaming. She turned around scared, as she felt heat starting to surround her, but all she saw was black smoke. She tried to walk the way she came, but the heat got hotter and hotter. She saw red, orange, blue and other colours surround her. Smoke started to fill her lungs, and that was then she realized, that everything was on fire.

"MOMMY!" Gabriella screamed as tears fill her eyes, "MOMMY! HELP!"

"GABRIELLA!" Gabriella heard Lucy yell, "Gabi, can you hear me? If you can, scream again!"

"MOMMY! HELP PLEASE!" Gabriella screamed again as she tried to walk toward Lucy's voice, but ended up falling over something. Gabriella looked at what she fell over. It turned out to be... a body. Gabriella screamed again, "MOMMY!" the smoke filled her lungs more, and it burned. Gabriella saw the flames come closer to her, and when they made it close enough, they started to burn her left arm, "MOMMY!"

"Gabi, cover your mouth with your sleeve. It will help keep the smoke out of your lungs"

"Ok mom" Gabriella whimpered as she coughed. Gabriella quickly grabbed the coat beside her and put out the flames on her arm. Once the your out, she covered her mouth, with her right sleeve, and cradled her burnt arm, that it still burning, but the flames are out.

As 10 minutes went by, Lucy told Gabriella that the firefighters are on their way, but both of them are scared. Gabriella is trapped in the flames, but Lucy is as well, but there are openings. Lucy talked to Gabriella, to make sure, she is ok as she searched for a fire extinguisher. Lucy told Gabriella, that everyone is out safely, and that the Evans family left earlier that morning. Lucy found one, and started to put out the fire in front of Gabriella, that is between them. Lucy noticed Gabriella's right leg is bleeding, left arm is burnt badly, and she knew Gabriella's breathing would be out of wake. Lucy saw the flames slowly forming again, so she picked up Gabriella carefully and ran away from there. That was the main area, where the fire is, but it is spreading throughout the building. Lucy continued to run to the front exit, and when she did, she saw it on fire.

"Oh shit" Lucy ran to the bedrooms and opened the window, that you would have to crawl out of, "sweetie, I know you're hurt, but I need you to crawl out" Gabriella nodded as Lucy put her on the dresser in front of the window, and crawled out with Lucy's help. Once out, Gabriella stood up weakly and grabbed Lucy's hand with her right one.

"Come on mommy. Hurry" Gabriella whimpered as the fire started to come into the bedroom. Lucy crawled out as the rest of the room, quickly caught on fire.

Once out, Lucy picked Gabriella up and ran to the spare front exit, that is slowly catching on fire, but not bad... yet. Once there, Lucy opened the front exit and ran up the stairs to get outside the CIA Headquarters. (Remember it was underground)

Once outside the CIA Headquarter, Troy, Zak, Chad, and Jack saw Lucy run out, of the now fully burning building, with a hurt Gabriella in her arms.

"Sweetie, its ok" Zak whispered to Nessie as she cried, "they are out" Nessie looked up to see Lucy lay Gabriella in the ambulance to get checked up. The gang ran over to them to see, Gabriella's right leg bleeding and her left arm, burned really bad.

"What happened?" Nessie whimpered as the paramedics put a mask to help Gabriella to breathe. Nessie whimpered again, trying to get into Gabriella's arms, but the paramedics wouldn't let her. Lucy took Nessie into her arms, as Lucy sat beside Gabriella, and Gabriella was laid down.

"I don't know exactly, but I do know the fire had something to do with it. I wonder how it started..." Lucy answered as she saw Gabriella's eyes... full of pain and worry.

And that's the chapter. Again, I am sorry for what is about to happen in the upcoming chapters, but again, it is needed. Please review