Status: working on it...

Roman.

Ch. 7: Something Missing?

Roman followed Ethan into the small, vine covered building and they were greeted to the smell of hot chocolate and mints.
"Romey, you made it! What took you guys so long, Ethan?" Sutton hopped up off of the couch and ran to gave Roman the biggest hug that he'd ever felt.
"Sorry, I couldn't find his house and by the time I found him the fog had taken over everything." Ethan smirked and plopped down in the place that Sutton was sitting earlier.
"Wow, this place is... nice." Roman said as he took in his surroundings, on the outside it looked like the place should have been torn down years ago but on the inside... it was amazing.
The colors were vibrant and warm, there was a television mounted on the wall, game systems, a computer in the far right corner. There was another room off to the left that he assumed was the bathroom. A small kitchen like area was by the door. It actually looked like an amazing getaway.
"Wow, you guys actually made this place?" Roman found a seat inbetween Ethan and Maya.
"Yup, I found it when I was out jogging and I thought it was cool so I told the rest of these weirdos about it and we formed a secert little clubhouse." Hanna smirked as she flipped her hair over her left shoulder and reached for the remote.
Ethan leaned over to Roman and whispered, "Maya paid for the games and the tv, I brought in the furniture, and the rest was all done by Sutton and Hanna... Now that you're here you get to find your own 'corner', or find something to contribute and make it your own... I have the books and magazines in the corner, Sutton has the refridgerator with cookies and a ton of ice cream, Maya has the Wii sports and such, and Hanna has the radio in the corner... They're shared among everyone but we all just dubbed them our own, something that represents us..." Roman smiled and actually was glad that he was accepted into this small little group. He almost felt at home.
He scanned the room with his eyes when he spotted a picture in the corner, "Hey, what's that?" He stood up and started walking toward it, suddenly everyone got quiet.
The tension grew as he got closer to it, then the next thing he knew Ethan had his arm, "Roman, you have a bug on your back."
Roman shuddered as Ethan flicked it away.
When he turned back to the picture it was gone, "You guys? What happened to the picture that was right there?"
Sutton looked up from her book, "What picture?"
Roman looked at her as if she was insane, surely everyone saw the small picture frame that was on the desk in the corner. Didn't they?
"Nevermind, must have just been my imagination..." He went back to sit down as Ethan went to the fridge to grab a few drinks.
Hanna sipped on her hot chocolate as she flipped through the channels on the tv.
Roman rested his head on the sofa and Ethan sat back down next to him. The two exchanged a smile and Ethan handed him a drink, he took a few sips then placed it down on the table in front of them.
Before he knew it, Roman was slipping off to sleep again.
~
He started having the same dream that he did once before, but this time was different. This time he saw the Second Roman hugging on the burned up Ethan while the rest were laughing. Some barely had skin on their bones, while others were just bubbling.
He looked into a mirror and saw that he was smiling with a scared look in his eyes, he was on fire. Not the school, not anyone else. Just him. He was burning, but he wasn't feeling a thing.
He turned back to look at the group, but it was only just the Second Roman standing right in his face.
"You do realize that there's someone around here that you can't trust, right? Almost everyone knows something about you... A secret, that you can't seem to grasp. But don't worry Romey, I won't let it go on for too long... You'll get what's coming to you, and then everyone will see what really happened... There's something missing... something that you have to find."
Roman screamed, "What are you talking about? What secret! What do I have to find?"
The Second Roman just laughed as he lit a match and disolved into thin air again.
~
Coughing, Roman rolled over and saw everyone staring at him, "What? Is there something on my face?"
Sutton's face was pale, "No, nothing on your face... what did you just dream about?"
The color drained from his face, "Why? Was I talking in my sleep?"
Ethan shook his head, "Not talking, but sweating... Tossing and turning, scared murmurs... What was going on in that head of yours?"
Roman shook his head, "Nothing, just a bad dream..."
He looked at the time on his cell phone and saw that school had ended two hours ago, "Ethan can you give me a ride home? I have things I need to take care of..."
He nodded and everyone said their good-byes.
Roman walked outside and got in the truck, but he had the strangest feeling as though someone was watching him.....