Hi, folks! How is everything? Hey, a couple responses to the reviews I got. For Mermaid Ninja, don't you remember in Chapter 11 that Fredrick said a good place for people to go would be parts of Florida that aren't flooded? And for Blossoming Orange Rose, Fredrick and Jack had been driving all day. And it was only Washington D.C. where they left from, not Washington State or something. It wouldn't take a race car to make it from there to north of Philadelphia. Anyway, thanks for the reviews!

Now let's move to Chapter 14! Sorry for the wait, I was busy for the last couple days.

Up in the room with the fireplace in the library, a few people were sitting down in chairs and couches. They had gathered as many books as they could, so they had them sitting by in case the fire started to go down. As for those who weren't being burned, some people were reading them to pass the time. Lancer was one of those.

Danny was sitting on the couch, while Paulina sulked.

Sam sighed on the other couch, "Paulina, could you at least try to maintain your dignity?"

Paulina scoffed, "You don't know about dignity. You're the Goth."

"Man, I am so sick of you!"

"Well, so am I!"

Danny yelled, "Guys, guys! This isn't the best way to handle this!"

Paulina yelled back, "Well, who asked you, loser?"

Sam shouted, "Don't call him a loser!"

"I'll call whoever I want a loser!"

"You have no right! Right, Danny?"

But Danny had moved across the room and was now talking on a chair next to Tucker.

Sam glared at the girl, "Now see what you did?"

"Me? What did I do?"

"You made him feel bad!"

"Yawn!"

Across the room, Danny said to Tucker, "Man, I am so sick of those two fighting."

"I know what you mean, dude. They haven't stopped bickering since everyone else left. I wonder where those guys are right now?"

Danny shrugged, "Who knows? But they won't get far, that's for sure."

Tucker nodded, and then went over to talk to Valerie.

While Tucker and Valerie talked and Sam and Paulina argued, Danny began to mix his thoughts, The more I see what Paulina's attitude is like, the less attractive she's starting to become. I know Sam has always said that she's shallow and snobby, but being with her and seeing what she's said has made me realize how stupid I've been, falling for her. I don't think she deserves me.

I should go for someone who I like and who I know likes me back. But who? Now that I think about it, Sam does seem a little more fit for me. No, wait! What am I thinking? We're just friends! That's all! But why do I think I may like her?

Finally Paulina went over to the other side of the room, and Sam went over to sit with Danny where Tucker had sat.

Sam sighed angrily, "Man, I hate that witch."

Danny said nothing.

Sam turned to her best friend, "Danny? Aren't you going to try and defend her?"

Danny shook his head, "Uh-uh."

"Why?"

"Because…I've realized that I don't really like her anymore."

Sam chuckled a little, "Really, Danny?"

Danny nodded, "Yep."

"Why not?"

"Same reason you don't like her. You were right about everything about her. She's shallow, self-obsessed, and she only cares about herself. I don't know what the heck I saw in her."

Sam smiled and gave him a friendly punch in the arm, "Took you long enough to come around."

Danny chuckled.

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Later that day, Fredrick and the crew were now walking on top of a mall. They didn't know it was there, since it was basically buried in snow.

They were all tied with rope as they wore Arctic gear. Fredrick was walking at the front of the pack. Steve was behind him, Jack was behind him, and Mark was at the rear. Some of their luggage was in a sled behind him.

Because of the icy coldness and snow, the glass that was the ceiling of the mall was growing weak.

They were walking across it, when suddenly the sled broke through the glass and fell downwards, dragging Mark down with it!

Everyone else fell down and began to slide backwards as Mark fell through the hole. Jack was about to slide through the hole as well!

Thinking fast, Fredrick pulled out a grappling hook and stuck it into the ground just before Jack fell. Fredrick brushed some snow out of the way of the glass and tried to find Mark.

He found him after a minute. He was hanging in the air, at least thirty feet off the ground. "Mark!" shouted Fredrick, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" answered Mark, "Just dropped in for a little shopping."

After a moment, Mark said, "I got to lose this sled! I can't get back up with it!"

Fredrick nodded in agreement. Mark reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife that he had brought just in case. He brought it to the rope behind his back that held the sled up. He pushed the knife against the rope until it broke. The sled fell.

Mark watched it fall, and then looked back upward. Fredrick yelled to him, "Hold on right there! We'll pull you up!"

Fredrick looked up to his brother, who was the closest to Mark. "Jack!" he shouted, "You're gonna have to support Mark's weight!"

"Okay!" shouted Jack, "I'll try, but it'll be hard! You know, since I'm not the skinniest guy in the world!"

"You're the closest to Mark, so it's you or nobody!"

Jack nodded, and then grabbed the glass around the hole where Mark had fallen through in order to support Mark's weight.

"Okay!" shouted Jack, "I'm pretty sure I have his weight now!"

"Steve and I will come to you!" replied Fredrick and they started to crawl towards Jack.

Mark waited patiently as Fredrick and Steve crawled across the snow-covered glass to Jack.

Just then, the glass Jack was on started to crack!

Jack shouted, "Fredrick, the glass is breaking!"

Fredrick and Steve stopped coming and looked at Jack.

From down below, Mark shouted, "There's too much weight!"

The glass was growing weaker. Since Jack was the heaviest of them all, it was much harder for the glass to remain stable.

"It's not gonna hold," said Mark.

Jack groaned, "I knew I should've gone to the gym to regularly prepare for ghost fights!"

Fredrick brushed away the snow on the glass he was on and looked down at Mark.

Mark looked back at Fredrick and suddenly brought his pocketknife to the rope in front of him.

The three of them gasped as they knew that Mark was going to sacrifice himself!

Steve was also watching through the glass and said, "No, no!"

Fredrick yelled, "Mark! I can get you out!"

Mark shook his head sadly.

"Don't do it!"

Steve and Jack joined in, shouting, "No, Mark!"

Fredrick once more yelled, "Mark, no!"

Mark gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he swept the knife through the rope, cutting it and sending him plunging downward.

"MARK!" Fredrick yelled as his friend dropped to his death. After that he could only watch where he last saw Mark, with Steve and Jack doing the same.

Jack sighed, "I hardly even knew him…"

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That night, there was silence as Fredrick, Jack, and Steve sat in their tent. No one could say a word, considering what had happened earlier that day.

But they knew that couldn't defray them from their task. They knew that Danny was still trapped in New York with his friends, and they would set out once again tomorrow…

Yet, another casualty. Mark is gone, but at least Danny hasn't lost anybody important to him. At least, not yet. Anyway, Danny has now lost his crush on Paulina, and now it looks like he may be setting his sights on Sam! What will unfold out of this? Wait for Chapter 15!