Home: A Place For People and Pizza

Erin heard the foyer door slam shut, as a waft of cold air swept into the kitchen. Ms. Arcolff entered the room; groceries piled high in her hands. The brown bags threatened to fall over and splatter on the wooden floor.
“Here. Let me help you,” Erin said, standing up from her chair and taking some of the paper sacks out of her mom’s hands. Like a chain reaction, Jess came into the room and took some more of his mom’s arms.
“Thanks, you guys. My arms definitely don’t hurt as much,” Ms. Arcolff said with a smile, as they all put the bags down on the counter, almost unanimously. Ms. Arcolff started unloading the bags. She pulled a frozen pizza out of one.
“Put this in the oven, will you Jess?” She said, handing it over to him. He immediately started reading the instructions on the back of the box and punching numbers into the oven. Erin settled down at the table again. She stared out the window into her dismally small backyard. It was practically neglected, with it’s weeds growing up the wooden fence that separated their puny backyard from the rest of the neighborhood’s. It had seen better days-especially the overgrown vegetable garden the previous owners had tried to keep up, but had obviously failed. Ms. Arcolff was always saying how she would fix up the garden one day, but she never had, and Erin, quite frankly, believed she never would. The oven pinged and Jess slipped a baking tray with the pizza on top inside the glowing oven. Erin stared at the oven thinking about it’s warmth for no particular reason.
“Erin, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. Why don’t you start your homework in the meantime?” Ms. Arcolff suggested, now finished unloading groceries and leaning against the counter, an exasperated look on her face.
“Kay mom,” Erin replied standing up and walking towards the door. She opened it and was immediately blasted with a wave of cold air. She stepped onto the cold concrete step, letting the door swing shut behind her. She hugged her arms around her, as she made the dangerous trek to the car. The cold from the driveway seeped into her socks and sent chills through her body. She reached the car and pulled the door open. Erin found her backpack on the floor, nestled between two seats. Pulling it out, she got ready to head back to the house. Her house. A safe haven. Erin turned on heel and ran back to just that place.

Dead On

The man in black roughly pushed Luke forward onto the shag carpet that covered the orphanage’s lobby floor. Luke’s chin hit the ground and pain shot through him. He tried to spin around, to get a good look at his attacker, but before he could do so the man was on top of him. The mystery man grabbed Luke’s hair, pulling then quickly letting go allowing Luke’s head to slam onto the ground. Luke could feel hot blood trickling down his forehead. The man half snarled, half gurgled and spit onto the ground, narrowly missing Luke’s cheek. Before Luke had time to think, the man had produced a length of twine from his pocket. He started binding Luke’s hands behind his back. Luke squirmed, but failed miserably, as he could only move his feet. The man, done binding Luke’s hands, had moved onto his legs. Now Luke couldn’t move anything. He was stiff as a board, and almost as dead as a Thanksgiving turkey. The man switched positions, now putting more weight on Luke’s upper back, rather than his lower. He started shoving a lime green cloth into Luke’s mouth. Luke almost tasted blood, as the cloth was pulled back, tightening on the corners of his forced smile, and tied around his head. The man, now off Luke’s back, had pulled on the twine binding his hands. Luke stumbled to his feet, looking bedraggled and ghoulish, right as two people jumped out of the nearby broom closet. Luke lokked down expecting another beating, but instead a huge, white flash filled the room. Then another and another. Luke counted six flashes before the room was filled with its normal shade of darkness. When Luke’s eyes adjusted, he took in his surroundings. Luke didn’t believe what he saw. Two boys lay silently laughing on the floor, one of them holding a bright yellow, Kodak disposable camera. Weakly, sound returned to their voices, and hideous laughter filled the room. Luke was shoved against a wall, and his attacker joined the two laughing boys on the other side of the lobby, with a lower laugh than the other two screechers. Anger had returned to Luke for the second time that day, like an old friend coming back for more. The three laughing idiots were Jacob, Andy, and Dave.

NOTICE

I'm an author ( a very good one, might I add...) and authors don't write a good story ( which this one is, might I add...) without changing something. The post entitled The Prophecy has been "revised". It's mostly the same except... Well... I'll let you read it.

Sincerely,
Mr.E

A Phone Call From Mom

The red Ford rumbled onto the cracked driveway of Arcolff's house. The car bumped as it hit the almost invisible cracks in the pavement. Jess parked by an old chrysanthemum bush near the front of the house. Erin sluggishly opened the car and jumped out, her shoes landing against the driveway with a slap. Jess was standing by the door holding it open for Erin.
"C'mon," Jess said from the doorstep, "it's freezing here!"
"I'm comin', I'm comin'," Erin replied as she slipped past Jess into the mudroom of the small cottage-like house. She kicked her shoes off. They hit the wall with a bang before falling limply onto the linoleum floor, laces still tied. Erin entered the kitchen, Jess in close pursuit. Erin walked over and sat down on one of the four small chairs snuggled under the miniscule table. Jess went over to the sink and poured two sodas into a tall glasses. He threw the cans away and came over to Erin with the sodas in hand. He pulled a seat out across from her and sat down giving her the tall glass of bubbly liquid.
"He'll be alright. I promise," Jess said to Erin. Erin didn't respond. The telephone rang. Erin ignored it and Jess got up to answer it. Erin sat and looked around. She loved her brother, and her mom, but sometimes she wish she could just leave her life. She didn't mind the leaks and groans from the old house most of the time. She had moved away from her old neighborhood when her father had died. Her mother had been unable to pay the mortgage on their old house, so they had been forced to move here. The house was fine. Erin actually sometimes enjoyed the cozy feel of the fire as she watched Full House snuggled underneath her favorite blanket on the sagging couch. The house didn't bother her that much. What did bother her was the teasing she had to endure at school. The kids had made up nasty rhymes and nick names for her. One group of girls had even made up a jump rope song about her. Erin, Erin, she ain't no baron;Cries about daddy, no one carin'... Erin just wanted to scream at them, tell them to shut up and stop being so nasty... Jess burst her thoughts as he entered the room and scraped his chair out from where he had messily left it.
"That was mom," He said, "she's on her way home."
Erin smiled.

Jacob, Andy and Dave

Luke continued down the street, staring at the ground, hands in his coat pockets, hair snuggled neatly under his woolen ski hat. Luke loved and hated these walks at the same time. He loved them because Luke loved the outdoors and nature. But he hated them a lot more because they were, as Luke sometimes called them, dread walks. Any time he was walking down this street, he was normally going back to the orphanage, which Luke dreaded. Luke hated it there. The food wasn't very good, the rooms were very small, and, the number one reason, Jacob, Andy, and Dave were there. They were mean. Luke didn't really hate them because they teased him. Almost all the boys there did. Even the headmaster, Mr. Samint, teased Luke sometimes, although not as cruelly as some of the others. At first, Luke actually didn't really know why he hated Jacob, Andy, and Dave so much. Then it had dawned on him one afternoon, and to this day, Luke truly believed that he hated them because he was jealous. They were all brothers; Mr. Samint's step children. They weren't related by blood. They were all step brothers to each other. Mr. Samint had bought the orphanage off an old couple who were selling it at half price. It had already been an orphanage when he bought it, so by law, when he bought it, he technically bought, and now owned, all the orphans inside. He had immediately adopted Jacob, Andy, and Dave right out of his own orphanage. Luke remembered that. He had been so upset. To this da, Luke hardly thought it fair that they had been chosen. Because their step father owned the building they got the biggest room all to themselves, and got to to virtually do what ever they want. Luke hated it. He looked up. He knew exactley when to turn and subconciousley, he had found himself in front of Samint's Orphanage. Luke pushed inside. The second he stepped on the rug, he was shoved roughly to the ground. The room spun as Luke fell back onto the hard, rotting, wood floor. Luke looked up dizzily, the orphanage lobby swimming around his head. He felt something pressed against his temple. He turned his head slightly and saw a man in a dark shirt, dark pants and a ski mask on. Luke's brain went into overdrive. He went slightly cross eyed to see what the man was pressing against his skull. It was a gun.

Searched

Erin leaned her head against the car window as it sped down the highway. Other cars passed in the opposite direction as Jess's beat up Ford rumbled past.
"Cheer up, Erin," he said taking a quick glance in the rear view mirror before returning his eyes to the road. "I know you're upset," Jess continued, "But he'll be fine. Mr. Monroe's tough. He'll push through," Jess honked the car horn as a navy blue pick up truck sped past.
"Thanks Jess," Erin said, half smiling as she continued to look out the window. Her reflection was shown in the glare from the sun.
"What the-" Jess started. A police car was parked farther up the highway and was stopping every car that passed, looking in the window, and waving it on. A person a few cars behind Jess's screamed out the window, his complaint echoing off the nearby hills. The police man either didn't hear the man, or ignored him, because he kept his one-minute process going. Stop, look, wave. Stop, look, wave. The car in front of Jess's was sent on as Jess pulled up parallel to the police car. The police officer knocked on the driver's window and Jess rolled it down. The officer had a dark mustache that completely covered his mouth. His eyes were covered by dark sunglasses that provided contrast to his badged, blue uniform. He bent over and peered into the car.
"Is there a problem officer?" Jess asked looking around the car, trying to see if some hostage had magically appeared in the back seat or something. The police man didn't answer, but continued his search. He looked around for a bit more before pulling his head out of the car.
"Yer' good," he said with a swipe of his hand, indicating Jess to continue moving. Jess moved the car forward, and soon they were speeding down the highway once more. Erin turned around in her seat and peered out the back window. The police man was performing the same search on the car that had been behind Jess's.'Strange,' she thought. Erin had no idea that she would encounter that same man again. If she and Jess had known, they would've just sped past the police man, trying to push him out of their minds, not wanting to think about what would have happened if they had stopped. But neither Erin or Jess had known about this. They'd stopped.

Ms. Arcolff

Erin stood back, surveying the scene. She saw the paramedics she and Jess had called earlier, after Mr. Monroe had collapsed. Erin thought back to what had happened. It had seemed to happen so fast. Mr. Monroe had burst into the store. At first, Erin had been happy to see him, but he just ran straight past her to Luke. Instead of feeling angry, Erin just felt confused. She knew Luke was her friend. He never would have hidden the fact he knew Mr. Monroe. Maybe he just knew him by a different name. Like Edgar; Erin knew that was Mr. Monroe’s first name.
“Honey?” Erin’s mom came over towards her. Erin looked up from her thoughts.
“Are you all right? You seem sad. Mr. Monroe will be okay,” Erin’s mom said hurriedly, “The paramedics said that the hospital planned to keep him there for one more day. But when he heard this news, doctors say that he sat bolt upright in bed jumped out, and ran down the hall. They lost sight of him after a few minutes of chasing. Then you and Jess called the hospital, and they knew where he had gone; although they have no idea why he came here,” Erin’s mom finished, sighing heavily. Erin looked past her mother into the crowds of people. Onlookers who had been at the store during the incident, and nosy people who had seen the ambulances parked outside and had investigated. Luke walked over and Erin introduced him to her mom.
“Hello Luke,” she said, “You can call me Ms. Arcolff.”
“Hello,” Luke replied quickly averting Ms. Arcolff’s gave to look at the floor. He was very nervous. He just didn’t think he could look any Arcolff family member in the eye without felling guilt about not informing Erin immediately about the key. Ms. Arcolff left Erin and Luke to go talk to a paramedic. Luke couldn’t take it anymore, but before he could speak, Jess walked up to Erin.
“C’mon Erin. I’ll drive ya’ home. Mom still needs to shut down the shop,” He said. Erin stood up and followed Jess obediently out the door. Luke watched them go. ‘I just made a friend,’ Luke thought, ‘and I may have just lost one too.’

The Prophecy

A bell tinkled above them as Luke followed Erin into the almost deserted grocery store. Inside, wooden shelves stretched like pillars to the back of the store. Signs hung above these shelves indicating what was on each one. Erin led him down the one marked ‘Cereal-Soups-Snacks’ and to the left. They were passing the meat counter now, and Luke could see freshly cut ham on display behind the counter.
“’Ello E’in,” the butcher said from his place next to the meat cutter.
“Hey Greff!” Erin said, smiling at the butcher. Erin and Luke continued walking. Finally, they reached the check-out lines. Erin led Luke down Line Twelve. A teenager waited at the end. His head was resting in his slightly hairy hands, and he was staring at the newspaper rack across from the conveyer belt. When he saw Erin approaching he perked up.
“ Hey Erin! How’s it goin’?” He said. Erin didn’t reply at first just threw the rubber snake at him, which hit his head and bounced to the floor. The teenager looked startled at first, but then a wide grin spread over his face.
“I gotcha good, didn’t I?” He said sneakily.
“ Ya’ got me, and this guy too,” Erin said, pointing her thumb back at Luke, “Jess, this is Luke, Luke this is Jess. He’s my brother.” She said.
“Hey bro. How’s it goin’ with ya’?” Jess said, giving Luke a goofy smile.
“I’m good,” Luke said, slightly intimidated by the older boy. Almost before Luke had finished, Jess started talking again, “Cool bro. You can call me Jess. That is, Jess short for Jessie. Not Jessica. That’s a girl’s name, bro.” Erin laughed at this.
“You always have to make that point, don’t ya’ Jess?” She said.
“Hey, these days ya’ gotta be specific!” Jess replied. Erin laughed again. When Erin had stopped laughing, she asked Jess a question, “Hey Jess, is Mr. Monroe back? I want him to meet Luke.”
“Naw,” Jess replied, “ he gets back today though!” All of a sudden the doors of the store burst open and an old looking man stumbled in. His face was covered in wrinkles. He wore a blue patient’s outfit from a hospital, but had clothes underneath. He had wonderfully round glasses that bounced up and down on his nose with very step he took. He half ran, half hobbled up Line Twelve.
“Mr. Monroe-” Erin started but stopped quickly as he walked past her. He came upon Luke like a hawk after its prey. He pulled Luke’s hand out, and pressed something onto his palm, then the man- Mr. Monroe? – tightly closed Luke’s hand so it made a fist.
“k-k-keeep-p-p it-t-t s-aaaaf-ff-e... ” Mr. Monroe's trailed off into a whisper. The words made no sense, but Luke had no time to think because at this point Mr. Monroe fell to the ground, His eyes closed.
“Mr. Monroe!” Erin and Jess shouted unanimously. They both ran over and knelt by his side. Luke peeked into his fist. A small key laid in Luke’s palm. A small key he was supposed to keep safe.

Mr. Monroe's Produce Corner and Convenience Store

Erin pressed the button to cross the street. She was standing next to Luke, a block away from the theatre, and had three more blocks to go before they reached the grocery store where Jess worked as a cashier. The light switched to the walking man, and Erin and Luke ran across the street, fighting the chill autumn air. Their jackets were pulled tight around them, but the cold still nipped at their skin. Erin didn’t say anything, and neither did Luke, but it was as if they were talking. It wasn’t an awkward silence. It was sort of like an unspoken conversation between friends. Friends. Was that what she and Luke were now? Erin didn’t know. She never had had friends before. She was the outcast at school. The oddball. Erin had always pretended she was just unique, just a little different, and all the other mean girls at school were just not as special as she. She now knew this wasn’t true. This was a downright lie. She was unique alright. But in a weird kind of way. ‘No.,’ Erin thought to herself, ‘I’m not weird. Weird people don’t have friends. I have a friend. I have Luke,’ she looked beside her and saw him staring at his feet, probably thinking the same thoughts as Erin was now. She turned her head the other way, to see Sweet Samantha’s Floral Shop pass them with its beautiful roses and violets out on display behind the glass window. They went on for a few more minutes before Erin broke the silence.
“Here we are,” she said. Erin pointed to a red brick building that was crumbling at the corners with a wooden sign that had obviously seen better days hanging above the dark green door frame. Mr. Monroe’s Produce Corner and Convenience Store it read. Erin checked behind her to make sure Luke was following and then entered the store.

Friends

Lucas stared at the scaly, unmoving creature on the metal mesh of the catwalk. All of a sudden, Erin burst out laughing, trying to get a sentence out. “Ha Ha- Jess p-Ha Ha Ha-Jess-Haa Ha-put th-Ha-” Eventually, Erin just held up a finger to show Luke to just wait a minute as she doubled over laughing. Then Luke realized what had happened, ‘She tricked me!’ Luke thought to himself, anger building up inside of him, ‘Erin befriended me just to scare me out of my wit and laugh about it!’ Anger bubbled like a hot tub inside of Luke. It obviously showed because Erin stopped laughing.
“Sorry. I know what you’re thinking. But I’m not trying to trick you. It was-” Erin burst out laughing again. Now Luke wasn’t angry. He was depressed. ‘This was the closet I’ve gotten to a friend,’ he thought, ‘probably the closest I’ll ever get,’ Luke started walking towards the ladder, his head drooping. Erin stopped laughing again and started explaining, “Luke, sorry, it wasn’t me. It was my brother, Jess. He’s always playing pranks on me. See. The snake’s rubber,” Erin bent down and picked the snake up off the ground. It hung limp in her hands. Luke looked over his shoulder. She was right. It was a fake. Luke started calming down.
“It’s fine,” he replied after a while.
“C’mon,” Erin said, her face brightening at Luke’s acceptance of her apology, “Once you’re pranked by Jess, ya’ gotta meet him,” Erin jogged to the ladder, with the rubber snake in hand, and Luke in spirited pursuit.
They reached the bottom of the ladder in half the time it took them to get up, and part of this feat belonged to Luke’s feeling of happiness. He had made a friend. He was sure of it. He hadn’t had a friend since he could remember. No one at the orphanage was his friend. Especially no one at school. ‘Especially not Jacob, Andy, or Dave,’ Luke thought bitterly. Jacob, Andy and Dave. Luke actually had to thank them in his mind. If it weren’t for them, he would never have met Erin. He would never have met a friend.

Something of a Studio

Erin scrambled up the ladder like a monkey, because she’d done it before, therefore, she knew how. Erin didn’t know if Luke was taking a long time because he’d never done this before, or because of his constant stopping to make sure his polo shirt wasn’t wrinkled, but either way, when she got to the top, it took about five minutes for Luke to get up. While she was waiting for Luke, Erin thought about this, ‘Do I really trust him? Am I really about to show him my studio? My private studio?’ Erin didn’t know why, but she had a nagging feeling about Luke. Fate had made him come to the theatre today. ‘Fate. That’s what mom would say. She’d say that it was just fate,’ Erin’s thoughts were interrupted as Luke fell, huffing and puffing onto the catwalk that the ladder had led him to. Erin helped him up rather roughly and said, “C’mon Luke! You’ll just love this! I know you will!” Luke made a small groan, which Erin ignored. Luke had just gotten to his feet, when Erin pulled him along, her shoes and his, slapping against the catwalk floor.
“Is this safe?” Luke asked, running to try and keep up with Erin. Erin ignored this question, because she didn’t know the answer. She had just found the catwalk one day, and decided it would make a perfect mini studio for her easel and bigger artist equipment. Erin stopped suddenly, and Luke slammed into her back.
“Ta Da!” Announced Erin playfully, “My studio!” Erin stepped away to let Luke admire it. The studio was carefully placed at a dead end on the catwalk, supported by metal railings. Erin was awfully proud of the workshop. She had spent half of the day she found the catwalk painstakingly hauling all the equipment she needed up the ladder. But it was worth it. Erin, and now Lucas, had a great view of the whole theatre. The springy, tarnished seats, the vast, wooden stage, and, Erin’s favorite, the red, soft, velvet curtains that swayed around magically.
“Wow. This is amazing,” Lucas said.
“I just knew you’d like it!” Erin replied, grinning ear to ear and practically jumping up and down.
“Can we get down now?” Luke asked, and for the first time, Erin noticed how nervous he was, his eyes darting back and forth anxiously.
“Sure,” Erin replied, laughing inside. She jogged back the way she came, when she noticed Luke wasn’t behind her. She turned around. Luke was staring wide-eyed at the space of floor between them. Erin looked down and saw what Luke was staring at. She jumped back, startled.
“S-S-Sn-Snake,” he whispered.

Behind the Curtain

Thoughts whizzed through Lucas’s mind. This girl-Erin?-had appeared out of nowhere. Where had she come from? Why was she here? Erin broke the silence, “Hey Lucas! How’s it goin’? I’ll just call you Luke,” Erin said, as if she was talking to a dog or a cat.
“Okay,” Lucas said timidly, “Who are you again”
“Erin. My mom owns the bakery on the corner. She has to work late all the time, so I come here after school to paint. Come on, I’ll show ya’,” Erin hopped off the stage and jogged down the middle aisle to the back row. Lucas had to run to keep up with her. When he got there though, Erin was producing a bunch of artist’s supplies from a small, ripped, gap in the back of the theatre seat. A set of paints, charcoal pencils, kneaded erasers, and pastels was only half of the list of things Erin was pulling out of the shredded seat.
“Amazing,” Lucas half whispered.
“Yeah,” Erin started, “mom says I’m a great artist. I love to paint. I come here because there’s so much inspiration. The curtains are my favorite. You can never get the same angle at them. They’re always changing,” Erin stared dreamily at the soft velvet. Then, without warning, she jumped up and ran to the stage.
“C’mon Luke! I’ve got to show you ‘round!” Erin jumped up onto the stage. It groaned at the new amount of weight. Lucas stood and walked casually towards it, making sure he didn’t trip and fall. As soon as he got there, Erin practically pulled him around back of the curtain into the dark backstage area.
Erin pulled a flashlight magically out of her pocket and shined it on a ladder that was off to the side of the main stage. Erin ran at it and started climbing up. ‘This girl is crazy,’ Lucas thought.
“C’mon Luke! I gotta show ya’ this!” Erin shouted from the fifth rung.
Lucas didn’t want to seem like a baby, but he also didn’t want to climb an old, possibly unstable, ladder into the dark unknown. ‘Lucas, you’ve never had a friend before,’ a voice inside him said, ‘Go ahead. Do it.’
“Coming,” Lucas said, and he stepped towards the ladder.

The Girl In The Theatre

Erin peeked out from behind the rotting theatre seat. She had seen the three older boys come in before, and hide behind the old, tattered stage curtain. She had even seen the younger looking boy (who actually looked Erin’s age) come in, jump onto the stage and loose his glasses. Then, the three other boys had come out and started hurting him and calling him names. Erin dared peek out from behind the seat farther than she already was before. The older boys had cornered the younger one and were kicking him, as the younger boy whimpered his head off. One of the older ones laughed.
“Ha! Wittle Wukie is scared, isn’t ‘e?” Said the oldest and toughest looking boy, as he kicked the younger one. His goons around him laughed at this and slapped him on his gigantic shoulders. Erin studied the younger boy. He had dark brown hair, glasses and was very lanky and lean. He looked like a classical nerd with a collared shirt buttoned to the top and a pair of tan, non-wrinkled, khaki pants. His face was buried into his hands. Erin wouldn’t have said he was crying, but he was definitely distressed. ‘They’re bullying him,’ Erin realized ‘I can’t let this happen,’ and it was with these thoughts that Erin stepped out from behind the seat.
“Hey! Pick on someone your own weight!” Erin yelled. Her insult echoed around the dimly light theatre. The three boys turned around frowning. They said something to the smaller boy, then turned around and jumped off the stage. They walked down the aisle, toughest guy in front, and the two not-so-tough ones following, like puppies after a bone. They pushed past Erin, and slammed the auditorium’s doors shut behind them. Their malicious laughter could be heard for a few seconds before it died down, and they had obviously left the theatre. Erin started walking down the rows of seats. The boy had stood up and was dusting off his pants.
“Hi. I’m Erin. Are you okay?” She asked the boy.
“Well I was okay till you showed up,” he replied nastily, without looking up.
“What, you think I ruined your life because now they’ll just pound you tomorrow? Cut the drama. Who were they anyway?” Erin inquired somewhat a little nosy.
“No one,” the boy said, he had now looked up from his pants and was fixing his glasses.
“Who are you?” Erin asked again, this time tried to make her voice sound less nosy than before.
“My name? Lucas.” The boy replied.

Not Too Fast, Not Too Slow

Lucas walked down the sidewalk, staring at his feet. To any passerby, it would have looked like Lucas was sad, but in truth, Lucas wasn't sad at all. He was nervous. He was positively dreading the moment he stepped through the theatre doors. Therefore, he was staring at his feet to make sure they didn't move too fast. The crisp autumn air whipped his cheeks and blew his dark brown hair everywhere. Lucas pulled his jacket hood farther over his face and pulled his hair away from his glasses which he also pushed farther onto his nose. The cold still stung, but not as much. Lucas looked up just for a moment, and saw the Piermount Theatre looming ahead. Lucas stopped and thought about his cornered position. He had no choice. If he went to the theatre, he would be pounded by Jacob, Andy, and Dave. If he didn't go, he'd be pounded harder. A lady passed Lucas on the right, pushing a stroller that was gently cradling a sleeping child. 'I wish I could just snuggle into that carriage and be taken away from here,' Lucas thought to himself. But that's what a coward would do. Lucas wasn't a coward. No. Lucas was a coward, and telling himself otherwise would just make him do something he could never do. Lucas looked up. Without knowing it, he had walked past the theatre. Lucas spun around and walked back to the doors. 'Here goes,' He thought, and stepped into the dim lobby of the Piermount. A bulb flickered above. Two dead ficus trees sat on either side of the entrance to the main room. Lucas pushed through these doors too. The stage stood in front of him. Lucas walked down the long aisle of seats, that were all empty. When Lucas got to the end of the row, he jumped up onto the stage, knocking off his glasses as he did so. He shoved them up onto the bridge of his nose. He stood up and turned around to face the audience.
"Hello, Lucas Pukeas."
Lucas stared into the three malicious faces of Jacob, Andy, and Dave.