Author's Note:
Hello! I think this is going to be the last chapter, but I'll talk about it more at the end. Thank you chapter eight reviewers:
salvory
Esmarelda Gamgee
October
Charlie'sPunkDrugAngel
orange-tide
Tari5
CharlieLOVER
CharlieandClaire
I really appreciate your reviews. They make me warm and fuzzy inside. Enjoy!
Fires
Chapter Nine: To Watch it Burn
"Jack!" Charlie called, hopping up from his seat on the floor. He called again, jogging forward and proceeding to rush around the caves, searching frantically for the doctor.
"What do you need him for?" a voice asked, one that he recognized as Locke's.
"I just need to talk to him," he responded quickly. "JACK!" Finally, Charlie spotted him, chatting nonchalantly with Kate over by the tiny waterfall. Deciding that what he had to say was much more important than anything either of them could be talking about, he intruded upon their conversation.
"Jack, I need to talk to you - now."
"What do you need?"
"Here," Charlie said, shoving Boone's note into Jack's hands. "It's from Shannon." Charlie watched as Jack read it, Kate reading over his shoulder.
"Oh, god," Kate muttered.
Jack finished her thought out loud. "Shannon started those fires."
"Where did you get this, Charlie?" Kate asked, lifting her head to look at the messenger. Charlie mumbled a response.
"What?"
"I took it from Boone's stuff, okay?"
Suddenly, another voice joined the conversation. "What's going on over here?" Shannon asked, poking her head into the circle they had formed. Jack hastily tightened his hand into a fist, hiding the note.
"Nothing," he explained. "We were just talking."
"You were reading something," she said slyly. "It's in your hand."
"Nothing's in my hand." Jack moved his fist behind his back and handed the note to Kate, before holding his hands up innocently. "See?"
"Huh." Shannon stared for a moment. Abruptly, she turned around and walked away.
"That was lame," Charlie commented.
"It worked," Jack stated, straightening the note out again, before folding it and shoving it in his pocket.
"What do we do now?" Kate queried.
"Someone should talk to Boone," Jack suggested, rubbing the back of his neck. Kate and Charlie stared at him. "Fine," he relented. "I'll do it."
-
"Hey, Boone."
"Jack."
"I just wanted to talk to you about Shannon."
Boone looked up. "Okay."
"I think… I think she started those fires."
For a moment, Boone looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but then he regained his composure. "Why would you think that?"
"Boone, I read the letter."
-
Everyone – even the beach-dwellers – was gathered around Shannon at the caves. The news that she had indeed set the fires had traveled quickly after Boone admitted to it. It hadn't taken much persuasion either – what was there to argue about, with Jack waving Shannon's confession in Boone's face?
Boone clearly felt as though he had ratted his sister out or something. He stood off to the side, watching as the other survivors interrogated her.
"Why'd you do it, Shannon?" Sayid asked, not at all concerned about the cornered look on her face.
"I… don't know…" she responded, looking as though she could cry. "I just… just wanted to watch it burn," she concluded.
Jack sighed, praying that this wasn't going to turn out the way he suspected it would. Shannon wasn't a pyromaniac – she couldn't be.
"Michael," Jack said. "Watch her for a second, would you?" Jack stepped away from the circle, closely followed by Kate, Charlie, Locke and Sayid.
"What are we going to do with her?" Sayid asked, looking to Jack for an answer.
"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head slightly.
"Jack, you don't think she's a pyro, do you?" Kate suggested.
"No, but she's definitely dangerous. We could tie her up or something, I guess. That seems kind of brutal, though."
"Why don't you just hide all the lighters, Doc?"
Great, Jack thought. Sawyer's here.
"Then get her a bodyguard or something." Jack thought about it for a moment.
"That's actually not a bad idea," Jack mused. "It's much more considerate than tying her up with our shoelaces."
"You're right," Kate said, a new idea coming to mind. "Now, who do we know that doesn't do anything around here?"
All eyes turned to Sawyer. "Oh, no…" he said, backing away.
-
So, that is the end. You know what happens to all the characters, so I'll let your imaginations do the rest. While I know I could keep going with this story for a long time, the plot would have to change, and so would the main characters. I'm not planning on writing a sequel, but I wouldn't rule it out completely yet.
Just a side note - I went to see 'The Phantom of the Opera' yesterday, and it is REALLY REALLY good! The Phantom sings so well! Everyone - go see it!
Please remember to review! What did you think of the whole story? This has been bothering me - was chapter seven as confusing as I tried to make it? Thank you SOOOOOOOOO much!
- Setszuki