CHAPTER I: THE JOKE

One more day of holidays 🙌

To be exact one less day of holidays and one more day of camping, visits and team explorations.

It was time to stop at a coffee station to eat and plan the next place. While Jamie paid the bill one of them, specifically Jack, needed to go to the toilet. For Gil which meant an opportunity to play a joke to his friend and in this funny joke Gil needed the support of every member.

The plan consisted of leaving hoppe or hope, as they affectionately called Jack, in the coffee station.

All members agreed and they left Jackie. That was really fun to them, they laughed to tears imagining Jack's hilarious face.

Obviously when Jack noticed that his friends left him was so indignant. The only one who waited for him was the cameraman to record Jack's reaction to the prank.

Jack called his friends, but no one answered him because it was part of the joke not to answer him. He called each one more than twice until he finally seemed to get tired and didn't call anymore.

The boys kept laughing to death.

Even though it seems cruel to us, it was just a joke, they just want fun.

The guys decided to wait for the third call; however, Jack did not call. They waited a little more, almost an hour, but Jackie didn’t contact them.

They thought that he had returned to the hotel so they decided to call the cameraman to be sure. They knew if called Jack he would not answer he was surely angry, although being honest, he never got angry, or rather, his anger did not last long. Unfortunately for the boys the cameraman did not answer either.

One of them thought about the possibility that Jack and the cameraman would play a Joke too. Zue thought and encouraged the group go to the hotel, it was not very far. However, Jack was not there. Everyone agreed to head back to the place.

As they got closer to the coffee station they noticed movement of people, police presence and firefighters, all the fuss was because the place was on fire.

A cooking gas cylinder exploded and no one was alive.

Boys were in shock, that wasn’t happening, impossible!

John didn’t resist the impact and ran into the place, the scene was terrible, charred bodies everywhere.

-If Jack was in the toilet maybe he and the cameraman were there resisting this disaster - John thought and if that was the reason. He had to rescue them, it was his duty.

He only found more bodies all unrecognizable, one of them caught his attention, he was carrying a company ID, it was of the cameraman, on the right side of this unfortunate man, there was another body, apparently of a young man, when he moved it a little he realized in his hand he was carrying a Disney bag, the same one his friend was carrying.

John fell to the ground, deprived of tears and pain.He felt nothing and of course he didn't want to leave.

He didn't want to leave the place, he didn't even realize that he was running out of air, the firefighters had to intervene and get him out of the place.

His friends were just as concerned about what was happening as he was, they received him.

- Did you find out anything? - ask Harem who received John - The police told me nothing - John didn't answer, he was in catatonic state.

- Is hoppy okay? - shyly Jayden

- He's died! - said John with a lost look - He's died! He's died!

- He -

- Is -

- Dead! -

Needless to say, the whole group was shocked.

Was IMPOSSIBLE!

Everyone lost control of themselves.

Jayden ran to the tree and hit it until it bled, Jamie cried uncontrollably with Gil.

Zue didn’t move, her breathing seemed to stop and burst into tears.

Bruno's heart seems to stop; he was the most sensitive of all. He panics, his hands and body tremble.

Ted was stunned.

Harem walked towards the lagoon and yelled as loud as he could and John just kept silent

They were lost.

That was the day they lost.

The Hope.