This is it. The FINAL chapter of 'Life of a decent person at Coates'! Thank you so much to Guest, anotefrommoi and The Doctor for reviewing, and Jessidy42 and Mimifry for following/favouriting. I hope you enjoy the chapter and afterwards, feel free to check out my new story, 'Sibling Hatred' (no pressure!). LY! :)

Erin's POV

As Erin opened the dishwasher a cloud of steam hit her face with force.

"Steam is good for the pores," Taylor laughed.

It was the day after everyone fifteen or older had disappeared without a trace. The help that the whole school had been waiting for never came. No parents, no police, no army. No one knew why or how it was possible. Some people wanted to go down to Perdido Beach and see if they were in the same situation. There was even talk of some barrier surrounding the area. That would explain the lack of help.

"Is it just me," Erin asked the other girls in the school's kitchen, "Or does anyone else find it rather sexist that Caine gave the job of cooking only to girls?"

"Seriously," one of them replied harshly, "All the adults disappear and we have to fend for ourselves in a school full of violent and disturbed kids, and all you care about is gender equality?"

"Just because the impossible has happened, it doesn't mean that we have to go back a century in social enlightenment," Erin pointed out.

All the others looked at each other, with exhausted looks. Apart from Taylor. "You're right, but I think if we protested or anything, we would get killed."

Erin agreed, Drake had a force of bullies who 'patrolled' the corridors. What they really did was terrify everyone into doing what Caine told them to do. Also, almost immediately after the adults disappeared Caine had set up a rota of who was to cook and look after the meals. All of the recipes and instructions for any equipment were filed in an unlocked cabinet so they were able to cook anything really.

The overhead speaker came to life. "Hello everyone," Caine said. "Can the following people please come to the assembly hall?" Caine called out a long list of names. Erin looked over at Taylor. They were all members of The Club.

"Why does he want all those people?" someone asked.

"Don't know," Taylor answered. "But me and Erin are two of them so we need to go." Taylor grabbed Erin's arm and more or less shoved her out of the kitchen. "What's happening?" Taylor asked, almost begging Erin for an answer.

"I don't know," Erin said. "Perhaps Caine thinks that whatever happened with the adults is connected with our powers."

Taylor shook her head, "No one had the power to make other people disappear, that can't be right."

The reached the hall and spotted Brianna. "What do you think is happening?" Erin asked her, not expecting a real answer.

"I think that the thing we've been training for is here."

Erin looked about the room; there were almost thirty people in the room. In the past few weeks The Club had increased dramatically. The doors opened and Caine walked in, with Diana and Drake at his side and being followed by a nervous Computer Jack. Caine did not stand up on the stage, as there was really no need with the small number of people.

"First of all," Caine began, "Whatever is said now does not leave this room, got it?" Everyone looked around, unnerved by this but they all nodded. "We sent some scouts to check out the town, and it's the same. Everyone over fifteen is gone." Caine waited a while to let this sink in for the crowd. "We think it is in everyone's interest if we co-operate with them and so we are planning to go to the town, to establish good relations with them."

There were murmurs as people agreed with him. "But we don't think that they know about the power. They might, and they may try to stop us by using their powers. In this case we have to make sure that we as Coates Academy can work together. For a house divided cannot stand. Therefore I have to make sure that all of you are willing to follow me and are loyal." Caine glanced over at where Erin was standing, with others who most likely didn't support Caine. "Some of you have pledged your loyalty, but others have not. Those who have done so are in charge, as I will be in the classroom across the corridor. The way this will work is Drake will call for someone to be sent over, Jack will call out a name and that person will come with Drake over to see me. Please do not leave the hall before being called, or go back to the hall afterwards." With that Caine exited the hall with Diana.

"Who's first?" Drake asked Jack. Jack called out a boy's name and he walked out of the hall with Drake, seeming terrified. Ten minutes later Drake returned alone and called for someone else. Erin was one of the last to be called. When she was she had a strong urge to run away. Run and never come back. She walked with Drake into the classroom. Caine was sitting behind the teacher's desk, with Diana sitting on the desk, radiating boredom. Drake stood beside the board and snarled at Erin.

"Please, sit down," Caine pointed towards the seat in front of the desk. He seemed so nice and caring. "So, Erin," he smiled. "Can I depend on you to help me if I ever need your help?"

Erin thought for a moment, "Why would you need my help?"

Caine's smile decreased, "I don't know. If there is a fight maybe and I need you to stand up and fight for me."

"But I'm a pacifist," Erin reminded him.

"Yes," he acknowledged, "but what if someone's life is in danger? Shouldn't you try and save them?"

"If by saving them, you mean to harm someone else and put their life in danger, then no. Because I would be no better than them if I did."

Caine sighed, "How about if I ask you to do something for me, would you do it?"

"It depends," Erin answered, feeling like that was the wrong answer.

"On what?" Caine asked it almost as a threat.

"On whether or not what you are asking me to do is for the right reasons or if it is just to oppress people. Because if you are going to the town just to be in charge and not really to help the people at Coates or in the town, then I am sorry, but my conscience won't let me help you." There was a silence amongst Caine, Diana and Drake. Caine looked annoyed, Diana smirked and Drake was amused.

"Okay, good to know," Caine finally said, "You can go."

Erin stood up and walked away. She went to Taylor's bedroom to find her. Brianna was there too.

"What did you say?" Brianna asked as soon as Erin walked in.

Erin shrugged, "I wasn't going to be on his side if he had ill intentions, basically."

Taylor nodded, "I told him that I would never take orders from someone like him or his two lap dogs."

"I told him to drop dead," Brianna beamed with pride. Erin laughed at Brianna's confidence.

"What do you think this means for us?" Erin asked as her laughter dissolved. It was as if a dark cloud descended on the room: they were all too afraid to answer.

Erin had spent the rest of the day with Taylor and Brianna before going back to her own room at around ten. She tossed and turned for a long time before her desire for sleep finally won out over her anxiety. She woke up to the sound of a scream. She didn't dare to breath as she ached to hear the shouts and cries that were coming from somewhere along the corridor. She felt like she should inspect it, but her fear was paralysing her. She turned on the bedside light, as the dark surroundings were fuelling her terrors. The cries stopped to be replaced by whispers. Eventually they disappeared too. All Erin could hear was the sound of her own breathing, which was fast and laboured, as if she had been running. She looked towards Diana's bed and realised Diana wasn't there. Erin couldn't care less where she was and turned of the light to fall asleep again.

She couldn't fall asleep as the pattern of screams and shouts, then murmurs and silence kept repeating. Each time closer to Erin. There was a sudden bang on a door. Her door. Erin had locked it, but someone was trying their best to open it. With one almighty push the door swung open. A dark figure entered and looked about. Erin couldn't make out who it was until the she saw white teeth appear in a malicious snarl. Instinctively Erin threw a blue flame at the figure, but Drake was nimble and he dodged it. Erin fired a volley at him, but her aim was wild. Only one flame clipped Drake.

He swore at the pain. "Damn, that's cold."

He walked over to her and lowered his head until his face was inches away from her. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which do you want?" The fight left Erin and Drake knew it. Without warning he slapped her hard across the face. Erin yelped in pain and tears started to flow down her burning cheek. Drake roughly grabbed her wrists. "Chaz, tape." Erin hadn't noticed but there were other people in the room, more goons. Drake wrapped duct tape around Erin's hands. "Don't even think about using your powers," Drake warned. Drake thrust Erin up so she was standing to look at her, as if she was a strange animal that he had just discovered. Finally he laughed at her, "This one won't cause you much trouble she's a pathetic wimp." Yet for good measure he smacked her on the head and threw her to the ground. The other goons then dragged her to her feet and led her away.

Erin didn't notice where she was going. She didn't care. She knew that whatever her fate was, it would come no matter how much she struggled. It wasn't until she felt the grass on her feet that she looked up around her. She almost collapsed as she saw what awaited her. There were other kids with powers that were tied up, holding a cement block. But Erin looked closer. They weren't carrying it. Their hands were in the blocks!

Erin felt someone rip the tape off her hands. She couldn't understand why until she saw the hole in the ground.

"Put your hands in," a boy yelled at her.

"No, no, no," she whimpered. The strike of a bat to the back of her knee made her fall to the ground. She placed her hands in the hole and openly wept as the cold cement was poured over her hands.

'I'm doomed!' was all that Erin could think as she felt the cement hardening, encasing her hands.