I can hardly believe my ears. I don't dare to hope that they are telling the truth. If they aren't, and this is just a cruel joke, it will probably be the worst thing to happen to me here. I almost ask them to repeat themselves, but I don't want to risk annoying them, so I stay silent. Without another word they pull us up roughly and drag us through the cabin again. When we reach the door our wrists are untied and I rub them absent-mindedly. What is left of the kids are gathered in a large crowd and the leader is shouting something. Luke and I begin to stumble towards the crowd, and I can't help but notice that I'm wobbling all over the place. I guess being cooped up in a closet for a day really does affect your walking. I spot our packs on the ground where the gang members threw them when we were captured and I immediately sprint towards them. All I can think is that there is food in there, and I am starving. I scoop up my backpack and quickly look inside. Everything looks relatively undisturbed. I guess everyone saw what I did to that little snitch yesterday, and didn't want to cross paths with me. I rifle through my lunch kit and pull out a granola bar and quickly shove it in my mouth, dropping the wrapper on the ground. Right now, littering is the least of my worries. Next to me Luke is similarly stuffing his face, and for a second our eyes meet, and we burst out laughing. I'm not sure why, I expect the giddiness and the fact that we have food is part of it. Then I spot Dallas' backpack slung over Luke's other shoulder and I immediately stop laughing. Even though Luke and I are getting out of here alive, Nicole and Dallas aren't. Even though I wasn't responsible for Nicole's death, I was responsible for Dallas' death, and no matter what Luke says, it is my fault, and I will never forgive myself.

Luke and I arrived just at the end of the leaders speech. I really don't care what he had to say. With luck, I will never have to see him again. I can sense the visible difference of mood compared to a couple of days ago. A couple days ago, there was at atmosphere of fear and sadness. Now the whole place feels happy, almost relieved, and I can't get rid of the small smile that has crept onto my face. The crowd starts to move, and I mentally start counting down the minutes until we are back in the clearing where we first arrived, and getting away from this awful place.

We have been walking for about a half an hour when I suddenly have a thought.
"Luke!" I hiss through the corner of my mouth.
"What Celia? You know we don't want to draw anymore attention to ourselves." Luke replies, so quiet I can barely hear him.
"I just had a thought. What do you think they did with the bodies?" I ask.
"Celia! Don't think about that!" Luke reprimands me.
"I can't help it. Do you think they are just leaving them where they were when we left? The boy in the tree, the girl who was forced to kill those people, and Dallas?" I feel tears forming and silently will them to stay there. Luke doesn't answer. "I mean, they won't get a proper burial, they will just sit there and rot, and crows will feed on them and-" I begin to panic and the tears threaten to spill over my cheeks. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself, but all I think of is the bodies lying on the ground, simply lying there until they rot. Luke grabs my hand and just holds it. Just him being there calms me. I know that I made the right choice.

After another half an hour or so we reach the clearing where this all began. I almost expect to see the boys blood still staining the grass, but there is no blood to be seen. There are about five buses sitting there, and Luke and I quickly hop on one and sit down in the back, never letting go of each others hands. Surprisenly, the buses start to move quite fast, and for a while Luke and I just sit there in silence. I simply can't believe that just over a week ago Luke and I were sitting in the back, eating chips, blissfully unaware of what was yet to come. So much has happened since then. I have been hit, insulted, belittled, and all because I happened to be on the bus that they were planning on hijacking. I have seen far too many children die, and even killed one myself. All because of this gang.
"You know what we have to do when we get home?" Luke says with a faint smile on his face.
"What?" I ask.
"Have a Harry Potter marathon." He says grinning. I smile back.
"A Harry Potter marathon sounds great. Don't forget the popcorn!" I reply, and we start laughing. I look out the window and see the town go by. Finally we are going home.

After a couple more minutes we reach the school and the gang members who were driving the buses open the doors and sprint away. After they disappear from sight the kids burst from the buses and run inside the school. Luke was about to follow them but I tugged on his sleeve and motioned for us to leave. I would rather walk than be looked at with pity, and questioned about what happened. I really don't feel like talking. As Luke and I walk home it is silent, but not a bad silence. Instead, it's a comfortable silence, and I find myself picturing what it will be like when I get home. I imagine that my parents will hug me, and won't want to let go. They will probably respect my wishes and not ask too many questions, and once I get cleaned up we will go out for dinner with Luke and his family. I didn't think about my family too much the last week or so. I didn't want any distractions from getting out. Even so, I know I will have to lie if they ask. They might not be as happy to see me if they knew that I wasn't really thinking of them. In addition, how do I tell them that I killed someone? How will they be able to sleep soundly at night, knowing that they are sleeping in the same house as a murderer? Not to mention, I could get in serious trouble with the law. Clearly, my problems are just beginning.

Yay! Finally the ordeal is over, but a whole new set of problems are on the horizon. I know this was a really short chapter, but this was a filler, and it didn't need to be really long. If you enjoyed this chapter remember to vote and comment. Thanks!
Cat