𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 | ᵗʰᵉ ᵖˡᵃʸⁱⁿᵍ ᵖᵃʷⁿˢ ᵐʸˢᵗᵉʳⁱᵉˢ

001. ━━━━ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑠.

𝑪 𝑯 𝑨 𝑷 𝑻 𝑬 𝑹 𝑶 𝑵 𝑬 ━━
❝I've been havin' dreams
Jumpin' on a trampoline
Flippin' in the air
I never land, just float there
As I'm lookin' up
Suddenly, the sky erupts
Flames alight the trees
Spread to fallin' leaves
Now they're right upon me❞
━ trampoline ; shead, zayn.

It started with a game. And ended with a fire. . . .

In a game of chess or poker, how can you defect that person who wants everything? We'll tell you what, for the past couple of months of living in this twisted game of mystery, we happened to learn that after playing a deadly game, in order to win, you have to fight fire with fire. No matter what the consequences are.

The sirens all came together in one giant flamboyant sound through the trees that surrounded Blackwood Academy. It was the falling ashes that were choking us. Gasping for air. I found myself on my hands and knees coughing. I could hardly breathe, being in a burning school for more than 10 minutes is no joke. I hold on to my chest hoping that I will be able to breathe in the next three seconds.

"Elliot?!" I heard April calling for me, her embrace assures me that everything is okay. "Ell? Elliot?"

"I'm okay, I'm okay." I say and look up at her, her ocean blue eyes sparkle in the moonlight. April smiles softly and we both tumble on to the ground, exhausted. Laid on our backs and watched our school burn. What would come of us in the weeks that would follow after this disaster?

FIVE MONTHS EARLIER

listen to: no way down - the shins.

ELLIOT

━━ ELLIOT NEWMAN WOKE UP to the sound of his alarm clock ringing. He opened his curtains and stared into the early morning sky, thinking about what today has in store. Elliot got ready for the day and started unpacking his belongings from home. It was the start of his sophmore year at Blackwood Academy, one of the most ivy-league boarding schools in America. Blackwood is located in a small town in Connecticut called New Milford and it offers every student a chance to get a scholarship to an ivy-league college of their choice. Most kids at Blackwood Academy thought that the school resembled Hogwarts. It was a huge tall sandy brown building, with lots of windows, a huge main staircase, and two tall french doors for the entrance. A tall black gate surrounds the property, a garden room for the kids to tend to during and not during school hours, a swimming pool, a performance theater, and sports court.

He pulled out a family photo of him with his 12 year old brother Jeremy and his 6 year old sister Alicia in their backyard with their golden retriever named Molly. He smiled to himself and gently placed the photo on top of the dresser. The first of many unpacked. It took him about 20 minutes but he finally unloaded most of his stuff.