Hey Guys!

I should be working on Companions. I should. But I'm not. In fact, I'm 5 sentences into the new chapter. I'm sorry.
BUT I JUST WANT TO WRITE A MBS FANFIC IN A HASTY ATTEMPT TO SAVE THIS DYING COMMUNITY.

Okay, now that I'm done shameless self-promoting and raging about this wonderful, ignored book series, welcome!
I've never written an angsty sort of fanfiction before, it might be terrible. Tell me if it is. I'll at least TRY to fix it.

Might as well get this over with so: WARNING! CHARACTER DEATH.

So now the pointless rambling is over (with me, the pointless rambling is never over...) I can't be stuffed to do a list for this one, so who cares, anyway? Ah, can't be stuffed. What a wonderful expression.
Before my rambling kills us all, I'm ending this AN.

Enjoy!

...
After all, there was no way they could survive that fire. That, terrible, horrible fire.
...

A Company of Three

It was a sunny day. It was a warm day. It was a cloudless day. But it was a horrible day.
Kate had woken up lazily, dreams of wonderful times still dancing in her mind. After the plights and perils of their adventures opposing Mr Curtain, it, at first, had been hard to believe it was all over. Still, the children had quickly settled into their new lives, if Sticky moving across the street and Reynie and herself moving downstairs could count as 'new lives'. Even so, she expected to get bored with the lack of adventure, but, if anything, she seemed more energized then ever. With the looming threat of Mr Curtain and his Ten Men taken care of, they could do more things and go to more places without worrying overly much. It had been just over a year, now, but the thrill was still present.

She soon shook off these heavy thoughts and her tired demeanour with a yawn and a stretch, then hopped out of bed and swiftly got dressed. Only after she had raced to the dining area did she think to look outside, and was pleased to see that the weather was beautiful. Kate had elected to visit the beach the previous day, and was happy to know her plan would go unheeded. She took her place next to Reynie, grin broad on her face.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" Miss Perumal chirped. Everyone at the table mutually agreed as they dug in to their delicious breakfast, made by Moocho, of course. At this point, it had been a perfect day. But there is no such thing as perfect, and the day had barely started.

Constance was crying on the steps. "It's all my fault. If only I had known what he intended to do," she whispered to herself over and over.

Later that day, the four kids were enjoying the sunshine on the beach. It had been very crowded, that day, and the society (accompanied by Milligan and Rhonda) had to trek far up the beach to get an unattended strip of sand. The salt water was could be smelt in the faint breeze, as their chaperones watched on in contentment.

"Kate, stop it!" Reynie laughed as said person splashed him with sea water. She laughed back and started chasing him down the beach. Their footsteps left a trail along the sand. He abruptly stopped and Kate lost her balance, falling into the ocean and getting soaked from head to toe after attempting to not crash into him. Constance immediately started to make annoying (and embarrassing) poems about the spectacular fall, while Sticky and Reynie giggled. She growled and jumped back up, then continued to chase him back up the beach, this time in annoyance.

The unwavering sound of the kids laughing filled the air, while the two adults looked on with small, amused smiles on their faces as the antics took place.
After an hour of fun in the sand and the sea, they trekked back home for lunch, while giggling and recounting of the beach events took place among the children.

Sticky was in a state of shock, unbelieving that something like this could ever happen, especially in Mr Benedict's house.

After lunch, Constance noticed a stranger lingering at their house. He was wearing all black, and there was an awfully suspicious air around him. She considered to probe his thoughts, but was distracted by the promise of dessert by Mr Benedict, and promptly forgot the incident, as she was busy asking him about how much there was to be consumed. He just smiled and let the question go, as if he had almost never heard it in the first place.

Reynie, Sticky and Kate watched on as she demanded an answer. They all smiled at each other in a moment of perfect clarity, in a perfect day that would turn out not-so-perfect, in the end.

"We have to call the firemen!"

"They're still in there!"

"The house is burning down quickly, we need to go on the defensive to save the other buildings."

"I'm sorry, but we can't feel a pulse."

It had been ten years since that day. That terrible, horrible day. The remaining members of the society still play that day in their head, hoping that maybe everything since had been a dream.

"Reynie, get up! There's a fire!" Kate shouted, shaking Reynie awake. He snapped open his eyes, and sure enough, there was the smell of smoke in the air, and the heat of the blaze blistering his skin. He grabbed her hand, and she tugged him out of bed, pulling so hard that Reynie felt as if his arm had been pulled out of his socket. She lead him out of his room and scaled the stairs from the basement, which had been converted into apartments for the kids, up to the first floor. Together, they ran towards the exit of the house, the huge maze that the kids had memorized off by heart. But, the conflagration blocked it off, causing them to panic.

"Where's Constance?" Reynie asked in fear.

"I think she's with Mr Benedict and the rest. I went to her bed before yours, since it's closer, and she wasn't in there," Kate answered, dismayed.

He had a heaving cough, the smoke getting to his lungs, "I hope they're okay. At least Sticky will be fine, since he lives across the street."

She nodded and grabbed his hand, leading him quickly to the back exit to the garden. It, too was blocked off. Tears were in Kate's eyes as she desperately looked for another exit, in vain. But, in her haste, she had left Reynie behind, and when she rushed back, they were separated by a wall of flames. Her lungs were burning from all the smoke, and she doubted he felt any better. Her hopes dwindled as she watched the flames consume everything around her greedily.

"We have to call the firemen!" shouted Rhonda as they ran out of the house, after navigating the maze. She had woken to the smoke alarm, and quickly gathered everyone in the household, leading them out to the front door. It had been a panic, and the fire had been treacherous to navigate, but they had managed to make it out.

As they streamed out the burning building, she named them, to make sure everyone was there. But, the line had stopped two people short, and, in a horrible realization she whispered breathlessly, "Kate and Reynie. They're still in there!"

Horror and revulsion rippled through the crowd, as they turned to see the roar of the flames, licking the sides of what was once a pleasant home. Rhonda was almost hitting herself in her idiocy, wondering how she had let herself leave them behind. The entrance of the building was now engulfed in terrible flames, and the noise was almost enough to mask the sobbing.

Almost everyone in the street was aware of what was happening, now. Sticky had rushed up to the group of people and after a quick headcount, he asked Rhonda, "Where's Kate and Reynie?"

She could only point at the aflame house, and Sticky watched the flames in horrible, horrible dread.

The heat was almost unbearable, the smoke clogged his lungs, and the light was searing. His thoughts grew muddled and confused, and the roar of the flames filled his ears with noise.

So this is what kills me, he thought.

"Reynie! Reynie!" he heard Kate shout, to turn around and see her separated by an unearthly wall of white flames. The fire was closing in on them, and there was very little time before...
Kate snapped him out of his thoughts, "Reynie! Are you okay?" Her voice was thick with worry, and was hoarse and ragged due to smoke inhalation. She coughed horribly, and Reynie was terribly worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. He wearily noted that his voice, too, was croaky and fearful.

"Wh-What are we going to do? I can't find an exit. Are we going to die here?" she whispered.
He immediately shook his head, though he didn't really believe it himself, "We're going to live."
She smiled gratefully, and attempted to reach over the flames to touch Reynie's hand. As her saw her intent, he held out his, and for a fleeting moment their fingers brushed. Then, a tongue of flame jumped up and collided with Kate's arm, making her yelp and pull her hand back. She looked at the burn hesitantly, and was dismayed to find it looked even worse then she expected. Her arm ached with pain, and she turn her head upwards to see worry etched on Reynie's face.

"I'll be fine," she croaked, even though she was clearly not okay.
He nodded, and hesitantly withdrew his outstretched hand.
His body was racked with a hacking cough, a clear sign he had inhaled too much smoke.

In an attempt to keep his mind off that moment, he said in a painful voice, "How are we going to escape? The windows used to be big enough, but the renovations..."

"I don't know. I don't know, Reynie. We're trapped. Nowhere to run and certainly nowhere to hide. But, we have to make it out of this. Together," she nodded, although the smoke stifled her voice and made it hard to breathe, let alone talk.

He smiled at his friend's certainty, and, for a moment, almost believed it himself.

Constance knew how this had happened. That man from before, he almost certainly started the fire. If only she hadn't been distracted, Kate and Reynie... She choked back a sob. There was the rushing noise of the fire, the wailing sirens of firetrucks and ambulances, scared and fearful voices, and the crying of many people. But, she couldn't hear it. She didn't care.

Constance was crying on the steps. "It's all my fault. If only I had known what he intended to do," she whispered to herself over and over. Some of the adults would look at the little girl worriedly, as she was far too close to the fire then she should be. They had possibly already lost two people to the blaze, and it would be awful for her to be consumed by it, too. But, their attempts to get her away were fruitless, and she continued to mourn the loss. After all, there was no way they could survive that fire. That, terrible, horrible fire.

Sticky was in a state of shock, unbelieving that something like this could ever happen, especially in Mr Benedict's house. Were Kate and Reynie really gone? There was the probability of them surviving, and being rescued, of course, but he could hardly think that it could be possible. If those greedy flames didn't end them, then smoke inhalation surely would.

The adults, though, couldn't give up. The firemen had already stopped attempting to navigate the burning maze and had gone to the back in order to look for a safe way in. But, their efforts had been fruitless so far, and soon it was consumed in unearthly fire. It was possible the kids had found somewhere away from the inferno, but the smoke would soon end them. Quickly, almost everyone was out of hope.

"I'm really sorry. The house is burning down quickly, we need to go on the defensive to save the other buildings," said a fireman who snapped everyone out of their thoughts.

"What?" Miss Perumal questioned, "You can't do that! There are still people in there!"
"I hate to say this, but it is likely they are already dead. I will not risk the lives of my firemen to pursue a lost cause!" he replied in anger.

She started to sob, and a few others cried to themselves.

Reynie could barely breathe. The smoke was enclosing him, suffocating him. The flare had encompassed them fully, and was quickly closing in. He had almost lost all hope. Almost. He was drowsy from smog, and was soon lying on the floor in a futile attempt to stay alive, as was Kate. Every second, he felt his life slipping away further and further, until he was barely holding on. His face and clothes were smeared with ash and soot, he had possibly third-degree burns, and he could not move. It was the closet he had ever been to death, and he hated the feeling. His heart got slower and slower. His thoughts were no longer a jumbled mess, but barely there. His breathing was quick and laboured.

Meanwhile, Kate was in a similar position. She had inhaled less smoke then Reynie, as she had thought to hold her breath as she dashed around the house, but she was barely better. She didn't want to go. She didn't want to leave her friends. But, her protests to stay alive soon burnt to ash, just like everything around her. Until...

"They're in here!"

The firemen had completed an almost impossible task, they had found a safe route. After it's discovery, they had quickly ventured into the aflame, collapsing building until they found two children wrapped in fire. After a successful attempt to retrieve them, they had swiftly returned to the surface. Everyone almost cried out in relief when they saw them. The two were in horrible shape, but alive.

They thought.

Kate had been checked for a pulse, and when one had been found, briskly rushed to an ambulance and hospital.
As for Reynie, he had been checked, too.

"I'm sorry, but we can't feel a pulse."

Kate had made it through.
The fire had been subdued.
But they were one member short.

One member who wouldn't be coming back.

So, how was it? Terrible, I bet. Sorry if you felt thrilled to find a new MBS story, with the lack of them, only to see a horrible, hasty, half-baked attempt at a fanfiction.

It was kind of inspired by "The Rain's Fault" by Queen of Sneaks, so if you want to see a much better version, go there.

Also, no Kaynie because the MBS stories are supposed to be based on comradery and friendship. Not really love.
Anyway, I might be convinced to write a sequel with their reactions, if enough people review. Nope, just kidding. I'll write it if I feel like it, or not at all.

Hope you enjoyed!