"Lex! Lex!" Tai-San tried again to shake him awake.
"Uhhhh." He groaned.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," he rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What happened?"
"There was an explosion, the place went up in flames..."
"Is everyone alright?" He cut in.
"Ummm..." She hesitated, looking away uncomfortably.
"Tai-San, what happened!"
"Zandra...we couldn't find her after the explosion. Lex, we think she's..."
"Don't. Don't even say it." He turned away, tears in his eyes.
"Look, it's not my fault! No one could do anything. " Tai-San reasoned. Lex walked over to the two piles of stones, and shook his head.
"Salene?" Patsy walked over to her.
"I'm sure we're going to make through this." Salene saw the sad look on the little girls face, and hugged her.
"But it won't be the same without them."
"I know, but there's noting we can do about that now. Where's Chloe got to?" Salene looked round.
"Over there." Patsy pointed past Lex, to the other grave. Trudy walked over, holding Brady.
"Go and talk to her then." Salene knew what Trudy was going to say.
"Who's gonna tell..." Trudy asked as soon as Patsy had gone.
"I don't know." Salene cut in.
Tai-San took a deep breath and walked over. She had eventually put herself up for the job.
"Where's Amber?!" Bray had only just come round.
"I...we..." She looked away. This was harder than she thought it would be.
"No…NO!" Bray shouted, realising what had happened.
"I'm sorry."
"I've lost everything. My parents, my brother, and worst of all..." He couldn't bring himself to say her name. "Why her, Tai-San, why Amber." He finished swallowing hard.
The Mallrats had decided to head back to the Mall - staying up on Eagle Mountain just reminded them constantly of the deaths. But Bray felt going home was the hardest part, it felt like leaving Amber behind.
"Bray, you need to come and see this." Dal said. They were back at the Mall, and Bray wouldn't come out of his room. "The others are back, and they've got the antidote!" He continued.
"So?" Bray didn't even look up.
"I know your missing Amber. We all are. But just come." Bray stood up and followed Dal out. The others were sitting in the café. On the table was the antidote.
"Nice of you to join us Bray." Lex said, somewhat sarcastically.
"Cut it out Lex!" Trudy hissed.
"How do we know if this is it...if this is the antidote?" Bray asked.
"I've had it before, it's the same stuff alright." Lex was really saying this to Ebony.
"So, does anyone want some?" Ebony ignored him. There was a noise in the sewer.
"Ssshh!" Lex held his hand up to silence everyone. "Ryan, come with me." He motioned for Ryan to follow him to the sewer entrance.
They heard the manhole cover being but back into place, and walked round the corner to see who it was.
"What do you want!" Lex suddenly said loudly. The person jumped and turned around.
They brought her to the others.
"This is Danni. She trailed us back after we got the antidote." Lex said.
"Why follow us?" Bray asked.
"I want to help you."
"Do what?" Lex was enjoying interrogating her.
"Save the poor kids in the city."
"Who says we're going to do that?" Lex raised his eyebrows.
"We do. Unlike you Lex, we have hearts. We're not going to let people die." Bray snapped.
"So who's the leader round here?" Danni asked. The others looked around uneasily.
"Amber was." Bray whispered and walked off back to his room.
Four weeks later and Danni was now a member of the Mallrats, much to Lex's disappointment. He was missing Zandra in his own way. The others had nearly gotten over the deaths; except Bray. He never came out of his room unless he was forced to, and was no company for anyone.
"I'm getting sick of him!" Lex announced when Bray didn't come to dinner. "It's worse than..." He stopped there. He didn't think it was wise to bring Amber into it, it would only stir the others up and make them upset again.
"It's not his fault this happened!" Danni snapped.
"Oh look, Bray has another member of his fan club." Lex sneered.
"Just shut up Lex." Trudy narrowed her eyes. They heard footsteps from downstairs.
"Maybe he decided to join us to eat after all." Lex turned to face the stairs. There was someone coming up them, but it didn't sound like Bray. "What the..." Lex almost fainted as he saw who was there.
"Zandra..." Trudy started.
"But she's...oh no it's not a ghost is it?" Patsy started getting worried.
"Don't be stupid, they don't exist." Salene put her arm round the girl. The whole group looked uneasily at Zandra, as if waiting for an explanation.
"Hi guys." She said shakily. They just looked at her. "Why did you leave me there?" She seemed a bit angry and upset.
"We didn't leave you there...we thought you'd...died..." Trudy stuttered.
"You mean...one of those graves was mine?!" She asked, horrified. "But who was..." She looked round the group expectantly.
"Bit of a sore point..." Salene grimaced.
"It was Amber." Patsy said and Salene hugged her harder.
Zandra sat on Lex's bed and explained what happened.
"I couldn't remember it very well...I must have been knocked out or something. But I need to tell you something Lex." She put her hand on her stomach.
"Go ahead." He didn't realise the news would be bad.
"I...I lost the baby." She started sobbing. "I'm sorry Lex, I couldn't do anything to stop it. That's why I took so long to get home...well that and the fact that I couldn't remember the way." She smiled a bit.
"It's okay Zan, at least you're alright." He hugged her.
"I'm so happy to be back here." She sniffed. "Look, I need to go and speak to Bray." She frowned.
"I never thought I'd be saying this, but poor guy. He's losing it."
"I can't blame him. They hadn't been together very long either. Anyway, I'll see you later." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and set off towards Bray's room.
"Bray, I need to talk to you." Zandra took a deep breath and walked into his room.
"Zandra!" He sat up, shocked.
"I take it no one told you I was back then. You weren't at dinner." She sat down. Bray rolled over away from her.
"I take it Amber wasn't with you then." He said, feeling his eyes well up again.
"Bray, I need to tell you something...about Amber."
"What?" Bray turned and looked at her.
"I...after the explosion, after I woke up, there was no one there. You lot had gone back to the Mall, I…I saw there were two graves. I didn't realise that one of them was mine - I thought that they were actual graves and all..." She was hardly making any sense at all.
"Zandra, what are you getting at?" He sighed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to...anyway...I thought there might still be someone inside the building...like I was..."
"And?" Bray cut in.
"I shouted everyones names...there was no reply." Bray looked away sadly.
"So she died then." He said, and swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry. But I couldn't find anyone. I wanted someone to still be there, to help me through...losing my baby. I'm sorry Bray...I'm lucky to be alive, and the baby was a small price to pay for that." She got up to leave.
"Thanks for telling me anyway." Bray said grimly. "And it's good to have you back."
"Uhhhh." He groaned.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," he rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What happened?"
"There was an explosion, the place went up in flames..."
"Is everyone alright?" He cut in.
"Ummm..." She hesitated, looking away uncomfortably.
"Tai-San, what happened!"
"Zandra...we couldn't find her after the explosion. Lex, we think she's..."
"Don't. Don't even say it." He turned away, tears in his eyes.
"Look, it's not my fault! No one could do anything. " Tai-San reasoned. Lex walked over to the two piles of stones, and shook his head.
"Salene?" Patsy walked over to her.
"I'm sure we're going to make through this." Salene saw the sad look on the little girls face, and hugged her.
"But it won't be the same without them."
"I know, but there's noting we can do about that now. Where's Chloe got to?" Salene looked round.
"Over there." Patsy pointed past Lex, to the other grave. Trudy walked over, holding Brady.
"Go and talk to her then." Salene knew what Trudy was going to say.
"Who's gonna tell..." Trudy asked as soon as Patsy had gone.
"I don't know." Salene cut in.
Tai-San took a deep breath and walked over. She had eventually put herself up for the job.
"Where's Amber?!" Bray had only just come round.
"I...we..." She looked away. This was harder than she thought it would be.
"No…NO!" Bray shouted, realising what had happened.
"I'm sorry."
"I've lost everything. My parents, my brother, and worst of all..." He couldn't bring himself to say her name. "Why her, Tai-San, why Amber." He finished swallowing hard.
The Mallrats had decided to head back to the Mall - staying up on Eagle Mountain just reminded them constantly of the deaths. But Bray felt going home was the hardest part, it felt like leaving Amber behind.
"Bray, you need to come and see this." Dal said. They were back at the Mall, and Bray wouldn't come out of his room. "The others are back, and they've got the antidote!" He continued.
"So?" Bray didn't even look up.
"I know your missing Amber. We all are. But just come." Bray stood up and followed Dal out. The others were sitting in the café. On the table was the antidote.
"Nice of you to join us Bray." Lex said, somewhat sarcastically.
"Cut it out Lex!" Trudy hissed.
"How do we know if this is it...if this is the antidote?" Bray asked.
"I've had it before, it's the same stuff alright." Lex was really saying this to Ebony.
"So, does anyone want some?" Ebony ignored him. There was a noise in the sewer.
"Ssshh!" Lex held his hand up to silence everyone. "Ryan, come with me." He motioned for Ryan to follow him to the sewer entrance.
They heard the manhole cover being but back into place, and walked round the corner to see who it was.
"What do you want!" Lex suddenly said loudly. The person jumped and turned around.
They brought her to the others.
"This is Danni. She trailed us back after we got the antidote." Lex said.
"Why follow us?" Bray asked.
"I want to help you."
"Do what?" Lex was enjoying interrogating her.
"Save the poor kids in the city."
"Who says we're going to do that?" Lex raised his eyebrows.
"We do. Unlike you Lex, we have hearts. We're not going to let people die." Bray snapped.
"So who's the leader round here?" Danni asked. The others looked around uneasily.
"Amber was." Bray whispered and walked off back to his room.
Four weeks later and Danni was now a member of the Mallrats, much to Lex's disappointment. He was missing Zandra in his own way. The others had nearly gotten over the deaths; except Bray. He never came out of his room unless he was forced to, and was no company for anyone.
"I'm getting sick of him!" Lex announced when Bray didn't come to dinner. "It's worse than..." He stopped there. He didn't think it was wise to bring Amber into it, it would only stir the others up and make them upset again.
"It's not his fault this happened!" Danni snapped.
"Oh look, Bray has another member of his fan club." Lex sneered.
"Just shut up Lex." Trudy narrowed her eyes. They heard footsteps from downstairs.
"Maybe he decided to join us to eat after all." Lex turned to face the stairs. There was someone coming up them, but it didn't sound like Bray. "What the..." Lex almost fainted as he saw who was there.
"Zandra..." Trudy started.
"But she's...oh no it's not a ghost is it?" Patsy started getting worried.
"Don't be stupid, they don't exist." Salene put her arm round the girl. The whole group looked uneasily at Zandra, as if waiting for an explanation.
"Hi guys." She said shakily. They just looked at her. "Why did you leave me there?" She seemed a bit angry and upset.
"We didn't leave you there...we thought you'd...died..." Trudy stuttered.
"You mean...one of those graves was mine?!" She asked, horrified. "But who was..." She looked round the group expectantly.
"Bit of a sore point..." Salene grimaced.
"It was Amber." Patsy said and Salene hugged her harder.
Zandra sat on Lex's bed and explained what happened.
"I couldn't remember it very well...I must have been knocked out or something. But I need to tell you something Lex." She put her hand on her stomach.
"Go ahead." He didn't realise the news would be bad.
"I...I lost the baby." She started sobbing. "I'm sorry Lex, I couldn't do anything to stop it. That's why I took so long to get home...well that and the fact that I couldn't remember the way." She smiled a bit.
"It's okay Zan, at least you're alright." He hugged her.
"I'm so happy to be back here." She sniffed. "Look, I need to go and speak to Bray." She frowned.
"I never thought I'd be saying this, but poor guy. He's losing it."
"I can't blame him. They hadn't been together very long either. Anyway, I'll see you later." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and set off towards Bray's room.
"Bray, I need to talk to you." Zandra took a deep breath and walked into his room.
"Zandra!" He sat up, shocked.
"I take it no one told you I was back then. You weren't at dinner." She sat down. Bray rolled over away from her.
"I take it Amber wasn't with you then." He said, feeling his eyes well up again.
"Bray, I need to tell you something...about Amber."
"What?" Bray turned and looked at her.
"I...after the explosion, after I woke up, there was no one there. You lot had gone back to the Mall, I…I saw there were two graves. I didn't realise that one of them was mine - I thought that they were actual graves and all..." She was hardly making any sense at all.
"Zandra, what are you getting at?" He sighed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to...anyway...I thought there might still be someone inside the building...like I was..."
"And?" Bray cut in.
"I shouted everyones names...there was no reply." Bray looked away sadly.
"So she died then." He said, and swallowed hard.
"I'm sorry. But I couldn't find anyone. I wanted someone to still be there, to help me through...losing my baby. I'm sorry Bray...I'm lucky to be alive, and the baby was a small price to pay for that." She got up to leave.
"Thanks for telling me anyway." Bray said grimly. "And it's good to have you back."
