Alex entered the closet doorway and saw his cousin sitting on his bed. 

"What do you want?" he asked irritated.

"Just seeing what you were doing."

"Nothing thats what."

"So, where were you?"

"Attic."

"What's in the attic?"

"Nothing." 

"What's going on?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Well whatever's going on seems to be centered around you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door, and they both turned and watched it creak open quietly. For a split second instead of seeing his aunt, Alex saw his mother. She had been a burnt ashy color, with splatters of blood all over her, and a fatal stab wound. When he blinked his tired looking aunt returned.

"Candie, what are you doing in here?"

"I was just seeing what Alex was up to." she replied quietly.

"Well go downstairs, you have a phone call, I think from your friend Kyra."

"Okay, thanks mom."

Her mom waved her thanks off, and waited to hear her daughters footsteps get off the steps, then closed the door when she was sure she was downstairs. She turned around to face Alex.

"We need to talk." said Alex sternly.

There was a mild amusement in his aunts eyes, then she replied,

"Yes we do need.." 

Alex cut her off.

"Sit." he said in that same stern voice, that reminded her of his father.

She sat down obiedently. She noticed that the attic door was open but made no mention of it.

Alex took out the picture he had stuffed in his pocket and threw it at her. She looked at it, and the amusement was gone, now there was pure terror, and guilt.

"Who is she?" he asked

"How did you get this?" she quietly replied.

"WHO IS SHE?" he replied louder.

"She's your mother."

"This woman, the woman in that picture, is in my dreams, in my reflection, in my head. I see her everywhere."

"Alex, how'd..."

"How did she die? Really die?"

"House explosion, I told you this."

"How did she really die? I've seen her. I know there was more then a house fire."

"You're not old enough to know."

"I'm sixteen, when will I ever be old enough to know what happened to my mother?"

There was a knock on the door, and Alex walked over to open it. 

"Mom, there's a phone call for Alex." said Candie nervously.

Alex looked at his aunt and opened the door. There stood Candie, pale and shaky. She held the cordless phone out to Alex. He took it.

"Hello?" 

"Alexander?" said a male's voice.

"Yes?" 

"If you want to know all the details of your mother's murder why don't you go to a library, look up Foxx Marder, everything won't be in the newspaper chronicles, but you'll find out enough. By the way son, if you want to live to find out the secrets, I'd get out of the house now." 

The man on the other end hung up. Alex looked at his aunt, she was already on her feet. 

"My mother was murdered? You couldn't tell me that?" he yelled at her.

"Alex, please I was trying to protect you."

"PROTECT ME FROM WHAT?" 

"Protect you from what you're destined to become."

In the distance there was a scream.

"FIRRRRE." 

"I hope you burn." Alex said to his aunt and turned out of the room and ran down the stairs. 

He could hear his aunt's heavy footsteps behind him, but suddenly they had stopped. He hesitantly turned around and went back upstairs to see if she was okay. She wasn't. It looked as though she had fell and cracked her head on the chest of drawers in the hallway. There was no time for him to investigate the matter, he turned back around and ran downstairs.

Heavy black smoke had already filled the house. There was no way he'd be able to find out if his cousin had made it out safely. He ran out of the kitchen and outside. 

The whole bottom of the house was engulfed in flames. He looked around, but no one was to be seen. He searched his pockets for his cell phone, but it wasn't there. 

There was a honk, and he turned around. His cousin was in his aunt's SUV. She rolled down the window.

"Come on Alex! We have to go now!" she yelled.

Alex ran to the SUV and slid in the passenger side. His cousin put it in reverse and they were driving away from the now totally engulfed house.