Tragic Tales of Teenagers
Chapter Twenty-two
Gone
A siren blared as red flames kissed the walls of the hotel. Screams filled the air along with the crackling sounds from within the fire. Thick smoke danced out through windows. A fireman banged on the door of the girl's apartment.
"Anyone in there?" called a deep voice. The banging waked Whitley.
"What's going on?" Whitley called.
"A fire! You must get out!" he yelled back. Whitley looked outside. A ton of smoke clouded her vision. It looked like the fire was upstairs but was spreading quickly down. Whitley shook Libbie, Allie, Hermione, and Ginny. After everyone was awake and aware of the fire, Whitley grabbed up all of her things. She opened the door only to find a small patch of flames to the left of her. That was a good thing though. The stairs were to the right.
"Come on, we'll have to run," Whitley said as she jogged down to the door where the steps were.
"What are you doing? The elevator would be faster!" Ginny called.
"Yeah, but it's going to be cut off because of the fire. It won't let us go down. Now come on, hurry up!" Whitley yelled to her. She coughed. The smoke was thickening even more by the second. They all ran down the stairs. When they got to the entrance, it appeared to be locked.
"Let us out!" Hermione screamed as they all banged on the door. A fireman spotted them and began hacking away with an ax at the wood door. He was able to dig a small hole for them to climb out of. When they got out, they saw the boys waiting for them.
"Hey! We thought you guys were toast.literally," Harry said.
"Gee, thanks Harry. So why didn't our super-hero come to our rescue?" Whitley asked.
"Oh, my cape is at the dry cleaners. Just kidding. I tried but the stupid firefighter stopped me from going back in. That man nearly chopped off my head with his ax!" Harry said.
"Not really, it was just a threat. Harry kept trying to give the firefighter a wedgie," Ron said.
"Fred, where is Alicia?" Allie asked.
"I thought you had her. I put her in your room a few hours before the fire. I was watching the game and she kept crying so I brought her to your place. Didn't you bring her out?" Fred said.
"Oh my gosh!" Allie screamed. "My baby!" Allie ran up towards the building in an attempt to get inside.
"It's too late Miss! All floors above five are burnt. There's no going back up there," the firefighter said.
Allie dropped to her knees. "No!" she howled. "You have to save her!"
"It's too late," the firefighter repeated.
Tears streamed down Allie's face. She didn't think the tears would ever stop but she didn't care. All she wanted was her baby back.
Harry started singing in attempt to make her feel better.
"I want my baby back, baby back, baby back. Chili's baby back ribs!" Harry sang to her. It only made Allie cry more. A police officer came and helped Allie up and brought her over to a stretcher so that she could lie down.
Because they were low on funds, all of them bunked in a one-room motel that night. Allie sat in a corner alone, looking through photos of her and Alicia. Fred didn't look very sad at all. He looked normal, as if nothing had just happened. Everyone else was huddled in a circle, talking.
"What are we going to do? We have almost no money," Ron said to all of them.
"We have to get jobs," Whitley told them. "I got this job newspaper from outside. While you guys were unpacking, I circled some stuff that I'm for sure we could all do. All of us girls can work at a salon. The boys can work at Taco Land."
Everyone agreed to it. They went in for interviews the next morning and got the jobs right on the spot. Whitley would be helping out with hair styling. Allie and Libbie would be working at the counter selling hair products and accessories. Hermione and Ginny would be cleaning up hair clippings and helping with the manicures and pedicures.
"I can't believe we got stuck working the grills!" Fred said to Ron.
"Yeah, and stupid Harry gets to work the register. Maybe it's the hair. Maybe it's because he's famous. I hate Harry sometimes. Now is one of those times," Ron said angrily.
Libbie rung up someone's purchase and looked over at Allie. She was sitting on a stool, all hunched over.
"What happened wasn't you're fault, you know?" Libbie said to her.
"But wasn't it? I should've known Fred would do something like this. And me, not knowing my own baby was in my room. I never knew she was there. I didn't hear her cry or anything. I'm a bad mother," Allie said.
Libbie looked at her curiously and said, "Did you give any of the boys a key to our hotel room?"
"No," Allie said.
Libbie looked at the ground and crocked her head to the side. She looked at Allie and squinted, "Fred said Alicia was crying. None of us girls heard her. And none of us gave him a key. How did he get in to put the baby in our room?"
Allie looked up with wide eyes.
"You don't think." Allie began.
"Fred lied. He's up to something. He must've planned something. I say it's time for a little detective work. Don't worry Allie, everything will be okay. I'm going to figure out what's going on here," Libbie said. Afterwards, Libbie filled the other girls in on all of this. They were just as surprised. Whitley laughed though.
"Why didn't we see this before?" Whitley laughed.
"I dunno," Libbie said.
"Looks like we've been struck by a smooth criminal," Whitley replied as she flipped her hair out of her face.
A siren blared as red flames kissed the walls of the hotel. Screams filled the air along with the crackling sounds from within the fire. Thick smoke danced out through windows. A fireman banged on the door of the girl's apartment.
"Anyone in there?" called a deep voice. The banging waked Whitley.
"What's going on?" Whitley called.
"A fire! You must get out!" he yelled back. Whitley looked outside. A ton of smoke clouded her vision. It looked like the fire was upstairs but was spreading quickly down. Whitley shook Libbie, Allie, Hermione, and Ginny. After everyone was awake and aware of the fire, Whitley grabbed up all of her things. She opened the door only to find a small patch of flames to the left of her. That was a good thing though. The stairs were to the right.
"Come on, we'll have to run," Whitley said as she jogged down to the door where the steps were.
"What are you doing? The elevator would be faster!" Ginny called.
"Yeah, but it's going to be cut off because of the fire. It won't let us go down. Now come on, hurry up!" Whitley yelled to her. She coughed. The smoke was thickening even more by the second. They all ran down the stairs. When they got to the entrance, it appeared to be locked.
"Let us out!" Hermione screamed as they all banged on the door. A fireman spotted them and began hacking away with an ax at the wood door. He was able to dig a small hole for them to climb out of. When they got out, they saw the boys waiting for them.
"Hey! We thought you guys were toast.literally," Harry said.
"Gee, thanks Harry. So why didn't our super-hero come to our rescue?" Whitley asked.
"Oh, my cape is at the dry cleaners. Just kidding. I tried but the stupid firefighter stopped me from going back in. That man nearly chopped off my head with his ax!" Harry said.
"Not really, it was just a threat. Harry kept trying to give the firefighter a wedgie," Ron said.
"Fred, where is Alicia?" Allie asked.
"I thought you had her. I put her in your room a few hours before the fire. I was watching the game and she kept crying so I brought her to your place. Didn't you bring her out?" Fred said.
"Oh my gosh!" Allie screamed. "My baby!" Allie ran up towards the building in an attempt to get inside.
"It's too late Miss! All floors above five are burnt. There's no going back up there," the firefighter said.
Allie dropped to her knees. "No!" she howled. "You have to save her!"
"It's too late," the firefighter repeated.
Tears streamed down Allie's face. She didn't think the tears would ever stop but she didn't care. All she wanted was her baby back.
Harry started singing in attempt to make her feel better.
"I want my baby back, baby back, baby back. Chili's baby back ribs!" Harry sang to her. It only made Allie cry more. A police officer came and helped Allie up and brought her over to a stretcher so that she could lie down.
Because they were low on funds, all of them bunked in a one-room motel that night. Allie sat in a corner alone, looking through photos of her and Alicia. Fred didn't look very sad at all. He looked normal, as if nothing had just happened. Everyone else was huddled in a circle, talking.
"What are we going to do? We have almost no money," Ron said to all of them.
"We have to get jobs," Whitley told them. "I got this job newspaper from outside. While you guys were unpacking, I circled some stuff that I'm for sure we could all do. All of us girls can work at a salon. The boys can work at Taco Land."
Everyone agreed to it. They went in for interviews the next morning and got the jobs right on the spot. Whitley would be helping out with hair styling. Allie and Libbie would be working at the counter selling hair products and accessories. Hermione and Ginny would be cleaning up hair clippings and helping with the manicures and pedicures.
"I can't believe we got stuck working the grills!" Fred said to Ron.
"Yeah, and stupid Harry gets to work the register. Maybe it's the hair. Maybe it's because he's famous. I hate Harry sometimes. Now is one of those times," Ron said angrily.
Libbie rung up someone's purchase and looked over at Allie. She was sitting on a stool, all hunched over.
"What happened wasn't you're fault, you know?" Libbie said to her.
"But wasn't it? I should've known Fred would do something like this. And me, not knowing my own baby was in my room. I never knew she was there. I didn't hear her cry or anything. I'm a bad mother," Allie said.
Libbie looked at her curiously and said, "Did you give any of the boys a key to our hotel room?"
"No," Allie said.
Libbie looked at the ground and crocked her head to the side. She looked at Allie and squinted, "Fred said Alicia was crying. None of us girls heard her. And none of us gave him a key. How did he get in to put the baby in our room?"
Allie looked up with wide eyes.
"You don't think." Allie began.
"Fred lied. He's up to something. He must've planned something. I say it's time for a little detective work. Don't worry Allie, everything will be okay. I'm going to figure out what's going on here," Libbie said. Afterwards, Libbie filled the other girls in on all of this. They were just as surprised. Whitley laughed though.
"Why didn't we see this before?" Whitley laughed.
"I dunno," Libbie said.
"Looks like we've been struck by a smooth criminal," Whitley replied as she flipped her hair out of her face.