My friends are idiots; that is an indisputable fact.
We slunk our way to the back of the Church, ensuring we kept out of sight, discrete enough to not arouse suspicion from those who did catch a glimpse.
The door to the basement, exactly where Abbie said, lead into a dark, dusty room. The musty smell a motivator to get in and out. That was the plan.
We should've realised Marcus was the worst of us to be trusted with electrical appliances.
We couldn't have anticipated that the fuse box would catch on fire.
There was no fire detector in the basement, an oversight from the builders - though I guess no one expected three boys to be messing around down there for their own entertainment. There was also no fire extinguisher.
I acted fast, making my way up the stairs in search of what we needed. When I stepped into the kitchen all the lights were off. I guess our plan was somewhat successful.
A commotion in the main hall caught my attention for a second before I returned to the task at hand. My phone torch lit up the room as I went in search. There was an extinguisher in the kitchen, but after checking- and as expected - it was water based. I wasn't an idiot; I knew electrics and water shouldn't mix.
Still, I swore under my breath in annoyance before rummaging through the kitchen cupboards. It took longer than I hoped but eventually I came across what was needed. As I turned back, I grabbed the fire blanket off the wall before rushing downstairs.
Shane and Marcus were still jumping around in panic when I returned.
"Move out the way." I shouted. The fire was small but spreading. It provided the only source of light in the dingy basement, and we were drawn to it like moths to a flame.
I used the baking soda I'd taken from the kitchen in a first attempt to smother the flames. The fire was rising at an awkward angle, and I didn't want to get to close, but I needed to be in reaching distance. I could feel the heat against my skin as I stepped dangerously closer.
Once the baking soda hit the fire it began simmering. I stepped closer again, the heat less intense than before, and went in with the blanket. I'd never used one before, but I knew there was a risk of it fanning the flames instead of smothering them.
I swallowed nervously before placing - or essentially throwing - the blanket over the remaining fire. The basement was suddenly encased in darkness and for a moment all was silent. We waited with bated breath in fear the fire remained, but all seemed well.
That was until voices could be heard as the basement door opened. Torch lights shone down the stairs shortly followed by footsteps.
We could hide, I knew that, but someone had to have used the fire blanket. There was no denying someone had been here. Maybe they would believe it started without our involvement.
Once the torch light reached us any plans of escape vanished.
"Boys," Mary voice was loud in the silent room, "what's going on here? Why does it smell like burning?"
None of us spoke for a few moments, I wasn't sure I would be able too. I hadn't realised before, but my hands were shaking, the adrenaline wearing off.
"Well, the fuse box caught on fire." Shane said.
"On fire? Oh my, we need to call the fire brigade." Mary exclaimed, directing her attention to someone behind her. The person quickly retreated up the stairs to make the call.
"How did it happen?"
"We're not sure, it just sparked and then poof, a fire." Marcus wasn't lying I suppose, we weren't sure.
"Why were you down here?" A voice behind her spoke. Martian was another volunteer at the church, his deep voice filled with authority and his tone hinting that he knew something was amiss.
"We wanted to get away from everyone and decided to explore the basement. We wanted to see if it was haunted." Shane's spoke with a confidence I was sure I would've lacked. I hated lying. My nervousness easily gave me away as well.
"Okay well we'll talk about this later. For now, let's get upstairs."
With one final glance at the fires remains, I followed behind Mary as she led us back to the others.
The chapel was cleared out now, the news of a fire clearly being spread and everyone rendezvousing in a safe space outside. We joined the others on the tarmac outside the Church. The empty parking lot now filled with bodies huddled together and talking in hushed whispers.
Glances were thrown our way as we were guided by Mary away from the others. Our isolation raising questions into our involvement of the incident.
The three of us stood in silence for a while, the surrounding noise like static in my ears. My hands were still shaking, my body still coming down from its adrenaline high, but I stood in place as we watched the fire engines arrive.
Mary approached and informed them of the situation, and we all waited as they headed into the building.
Abbie came over to stand with us at some point, glancing between our anxious faces nervously though chose not to comment. Maybe she sensed the tense atmosphere.
It wasn't long before a few of the firefighters returned and confirmed that the fire had been put out. After a few words with Mary at the entrance of the building, two of them followed her to where we stood.
"I presume you boys put the fire out?" Mary asked though it was more of a statement. We were the only ones in the basement.
"Caleb actually." Marcus confessed.
"Well done kid." One of the firemen said. "Not using the fire extinguisher was the right idea. Things would've been a lot worse if you sprayed water onto it. Baking soda as well was really smart. It wasn't safe, in fact what you did was really dangerous, but your quick thinking stopped the fire from spreading so well done. You should be proud of yourself. It's easy to panic and freeze in these types of situations."
"Erm, thanks." Praise wasn't something I received often, and I wasn't sure how to respond, thought that seemed to suffice.
The fireman who spoke gave me a nod before uttering some more words to Mary before returning to the others.
"Look," Mary said after staring us down, "I'm not sure I entirely believe why you were in the basement, but whatever the reason, when the fire started you managed to stop it so that counts for something. I'm going to have to tell your parents that I found you down there and that you stopped the fire, but if it happened spontaneously then you won't get into trouble. I know it wasn't your intention so if you're telling me, you just happened to be down there when a fire began, I'll believe you. Now, since we aren't allowed back into the building for safety reasons you should all head home. I'm going to speak to the rest of the group, but I would like all your parents to come and collect you so we can have a chat."
We all nodded in agreement. I knew my parents would be told and I'd spent the last hour trying to not stress about what would happen when I next see them.
"You'll be fine." Abbie reassured us. "You're all complete idiots and I didn't give you that information so you could burn the Church down, but it was an accident, and no one got hurt, okay. So don't worry. I'm going to see if they need me to do anything, but stop looking so nervous, you're really bringing down the vibe."
"What vibe?" Shane scoffed at her retreating form.
My phone call was short, my parents huffing in annoyance that they had to come and collect me but were soon silenced when I told them why. I didn't mention Mary or the fact that I was in the basement at the time and exact location where the fire started, I needed a little more time.
Unfortunately, that time came sooner than I hoped.
Ten minutes after Mary left us cars began to appear and frantic parents rushed around checking on their kids. Shane's house was nearest to the Church, so his parents were the first to arrive. Marcus lived in the city so his would likely be the last.
Shane took after his father in both look and personality. They both had wavy ginger hair and tall, lanky frames. Mrs Redcliff was equally as chipper, but she was a small curvy woman, with brown hair layered in a bob and square framed glasses.
Their car parked amongst the pile haphazardly and they rushed over to Shane side, fawn like the other parent.
"Mum." Shane groaned as she pulled him down to pinch his cheeks. "I'm fine, please stop."
"Are you two okay as well?"
"Yes Mrs Redcliff." Both me and Marcus responded in unison.
After more fluttering from the Redcliffs, my stomach dropped when a recognisable car pulled up. My parents scanned the ground for my presence before walking in the direction of our group.
"Are you okay?" My mum asked once he reached me.
My parents loved me. In incidences that didn't revolve around my sexuality or me not matching their almost unobtainable ideals, they were the model parents. It just all felt fake now.
"Fine." I responded, offering no more.
"Mr and Mrs Redcliff." My dad said with a nod towards the couple, they greet him in response.
"Boys, how are you?" My mum questions once saying her hellos to the adults.
"We're good Mrs Wilkns." Marcus replied.
There was silence for a moment, my parents having no desire to engage further conversation with my friends, and no one else knowing how to overcome the tense atmosphere. "Should we go then?" My dad spoke.
"Actually, Mary wants to speak to you." I confessed reluctantly.
"You as well." Shane admitted, glancing at his parents.
"What about?" Mr Redcliff asked Shane while my dad took a more accusatory approach.
"What did you do?"
Before I could attempt to awkwardly worm my way out of a response, Marcus's parents car arrived, though it was his sister who exited the vehicle. I could see my parents visible tense at her appearance, and I hoped they would refrain from making a scene.
"Trust you to feel like attending Church the one time it sets on fire."
"What can I say, I'm just that lucky." Marcus replied with a cheeky grin.
"Hey guys." Eve said glancing around at the rest of us, all bar my parents' offering greetings in response.
Now that our group was fully formed Mary headed over.
"Mr and Mrs Redcliff, Mr and Mrs Wilkin," Mary said, "and I'm sorry, I don't think we've met?"
"I'm Eve, Marcus' older sister." I heard a faint scoff in response, but it was quiet enough that it would be missed by those further away.
"Well, lovely to meet you Eve, under unfortunate circumstances but lovely, nonetheless. Now, I just wanted to inform you all of tonight's events." Mary continued by outline what she knew about what happened, all full-fledged adults listening intently as she spoke.
"You shouldn't go near a fire." My dad scolded once Mary had finished speaking.
"It's very dangerous Caleb, but well done for stopping it." Mr Redcliff said.
"You should've just got out of the building and to safety."
"Maybe, and if what I did didn't work, we would've, but my first thought was just 'stop it'."
"Better than what my first thought was. I just jumped around in panic."
"Flailing his arms and squealing like a pig as well." Shane supplied, before demonstrating the hand motions and noises Marcus had made.
"Why am I not surprised." Eve said, laughing at her brother's expense.
"Hey, Shane was doing pretty much the same thing."
"Boys," Mrs Redcliff exclaimed, stopping the bickering they had lost themselves in, "when there is a fire, you run! You don't just stand there staring at it."
"Sorry." They replied in unison.
Mrs Redcliff tsked in response before telling Shane they would discuss it more at home and walking him to the car.
"That's our queue to go as well Marc. Mum and Dad are going to love this."
My parents glared at Eve's back as she walked away, only stopping when their car drove out of sight. We left shortly after, the number of people dwindling and the night now settling around us.
The car was silent on the journey home and an uncomfortable atmosphere grew around us. The first conversation we had once we stepped into the house wasn't what I expected, but equally as unpleasant.
"It's disgusting," my mother's voice spat out, thick with hatred and distain, "that family, what they've allowed."
I could feel my mother's eyes boring into my skin and glaring me down as if I was in some way involved. As if my damned soul had spread, marring everything that it came into contact with.
I knew I should hold my tongue. One too many times we've had this same argument and it was slowly driving me insane. If I held my tongue I could prevent it from escalating, but if I let my parents carry on am I not just as bad as them? A bystander to their inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour?
Eve had begun transitioning four years ago when she was 17. She had told her parents about her struggles two year prior and changed her name from Evan to Evelyn. She wanted her name to remain similar to her birth given name, whilst still be different. It was a way for her to celebrate her new self.
Most people were accepting of it, but people like my parents existed everywhere. People that would deadname, insult and offend, as if what Eve did in someway affected their own lives.
"They haven't done anything." I kept my voice light in an attempt to appear less threatening.
"Allowing that boy to parade around as if he was a woman. It's unnatural." My father chimed in.
"She isn't doing anything wrong." I replied, emphasising the correct pronoun that my parents disregarded.
"Don't start. He is a man. Why that family is allowing him to act like a woman is beyond me."
"They're not allowing her to do anything. She is a woman whether you view her as that or not it won't change anything. You're the one doing something wrong. You're being disrespectful by calling her a man."
"Because that's what he is. His soul is just as corrupt as yours, just as disgusting. It's sick and unnatural. Both of you."
I didn't know what to respond to that. The argument was brought back to me and carrying it on would only make things worse. I couldn't deal with worse.
After I offered no rebuttal my parents looked satisfied, as if their words had been understood and they had succeeded in their ignorant claims. Maybe I was corrupt, disgusting, but Eve wasn't. How could it be wrong that she was happy? That she now felt comfortable in her own skin.
I applauded her bravery.
"Let's not forget your involvement with the fire." My dad chimed in.
"I put the fire out."
"And how did it start exactly?"
"I don't know."
"Are you lying to us Caleb?"
"I'm not, I don't know what happened to make the fire start."
My parents shared a look before speaking to each other in hushed breaths.
"Fine," my mum said after a few minutes, "we'll accept that you didn't start the fire, but you were in some ways involved so to make amends you need to help at the Autumn festival."
"Okay." I said easily and, after a few final comments, happily retreated to my room.
It wasn't late, and I knew sleep would evade me, so I decided to ring my brothers. Hopefully they would get a kick out of my unfortunate evening.
---
A/N:
When I said slow burn I really meant it, huh? Is it too slow, are these chapters actually enjoyable? I wanted to fully introduce Caleb's parents and his friend dynamics, but Lucas will definetelty come into it more from now on!
To be honest I planned for more Lucas by now, but alas, we shall wait. Until then, thoughts so far?
We all hate Caleb's parents right? On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say my dislike for them is off the charts.